Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employee settlement agreements there were within the civil service in each year since 2020; and what the total value of such agreements was.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Full information on the use of settlement agreements is held by individual departments.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) levels of risk and (b) rates of checks on plants at the UK border.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An enhanced risk-based approach is already undertaken at the UK border, where regulated plants and plant products have been categorised into high, medium, and low risk categories. The principle of risk-based controls, as previously applied under the EU regime, remains unchanged, but the GB regime now focuses on risks to Great Britain, rather than risks to the EU. Controls are then appropriately weighted against the risks posed – so the higher the risk category of a plant or plant product, the more biosecurity assurances we need, in the form of import controls. There are also plants and plant products which are not regulated at all, and those that are prohibited entirely.
We undertake systematic, proactive screening of plant health risks. Risks are reviewed monthly by an expert group and Ministers, and prioritised for actions such as surveillance, enhanced inspection, regulation, national measures, import controls, research and awareness raising.
Ensuring the most appropriate risk categorisation and rate of inspection is important, from a biosecurity perspective, but also to avoid unnecessary disruption to our critical supply chains and ports. Risk categorisation will remain dynamic and Defra will monitor import and interception data and Inspection rates may change in response to changes in risk, for example, an upsurge of interceptions of pests or a new threat emerging.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the bus fare cap on the average annual reduction in bus fares for people in South Norfolk constituency in each of the next three financial years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Budget on 30 October, the government confirmed it will invest over £150 million to introduce a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the current £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain the cap beyond this point.
The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap will be published in due course.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers, (b) Police Community Support Officers and (c) special constables are planned to be recruited between 1 December 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This will include delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles and ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to.
We are working closely with policing to implement this commitment and will announce our plans for the delivery of neighbourhood officers shortly.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Department has made of the level of passenger brand awareness of franchised rail operators.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not assessed the level of passenger brand awareness of franchised rail operators. The operating companies periodically test their own brand awareness as part of their own market research, but this information is not shared with the Department, nor is this research routinely conducted on a frequent basis.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme (a) have been ordered and (b) are on the road.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Of the 2,263 buses funded through the ZEBRA 1 and 2 programmes 1,674 buses have been ordered (1,025 - ZEBRA 1 & 649 ZEBRA 2) whilst there are currently 582 ZEBs in service.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that care leavers aged between 18 and 25 can access affordable public transport; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the English National Travel Concession Scheme to care leavers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government recognises the importance of supporting care leavers, and is keeping public transport affordable having announced a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London throughout the entirety of 2025.
Any change to the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) would require careful consideration for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. However, local authorities in England have implemented a wide range of their own local fares initiatives, including some discount schemes for care leavers, utilising alternative funding, such as Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. On 17 November, the government confirmed £712 million funding for local authorities in 2025/26 to deliver their BSIPs and protect services, as part of an over £1 billion investment in buses confirmed at the Budget.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to fund a Metrolink extension to Stockport before the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is investing in transport improvements across our city regions, including Greater Manchester which is receiving over £1 billion through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. In line with the Government’s commitment to devolution, decisions on where to invest this funding, including whether to extend the Metrolink network, rest with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in partnership with its constituent local authorities.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Health and Safety Executive’s evaluation of the safety case for blending hydrogen in the transmission network.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government remains committed to examining the case for hydrogen blending and is reviewing plans. This work aims to gather evidence on the feasibility, costs and benefits of hydrogen blending that can inform decisions on its potential role.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish his decision on whether to allow hydrogen blending into the gas transmission network.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government remains committed to examining the case for hydrogen blending and is reviewing plans. This work aims to gather evidence on the feasibility, costs and benefits of hydrogen blending that can inform decisions on its potential role.