Josh Newbury MP: written questions
153 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Motorway Service Areas: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22166More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate with National Highways, local planning authorities and private operators to accelerate electric vehicle charging deployment at motorway service areas.
Answer: A reliable, accessible public charging network is essential to support electric vehicle drivers on long journeys. There are now over 1,740 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (July 2026, industry data) at the 116 motorway service areas in England, having trebl...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMotorway Service Areas: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22165More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of motorway service areas on the delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure targets.
Answer: A reliable, accessible public charging network is essential to support electric vehicle drivers on long journeys. There are now over 1,740 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (July 2026, industry data) at the 116 motorway service areas in England, having trebl...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMotorway Service Areas: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22164More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to expedite outstanding approvals for electric vehicle charging infrastructure at Norton Canes motorway service area.
Answer: A reliable, accessible public charging network is essential to support electric vehicle drivers on long journeys. There are now over 1,740 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (July 2026, industry data) at the 116 motorway service areas in England, having trebl...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22163More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that departmental approval processes do not delay private investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the Strategic Road Network.
Answer: A reliable, accessible public charging network is essential to support electric vehicle drivers on long journeys. There are now over 1,740 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (July 2026, industry data) at the 116 motorway service areas in England, having trebl...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordM6 Toll: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22162More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of electric vehicle charging provision on the M6 Toll Road.
Answer: A reliable, accessible public charging network is essential to support electric vehicle drivers on long journeys. There are now over 1,740 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (July 2026, industry data) at the 116 motorway service areas in England, having trebl...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22161More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will consider introducing (a) tax relief and (b) grants for SMEs to offset the cost of staff first aid training, similar to the apprenticeship levy model.
Answer: The Government recognises that the cumulative burden of taxation, business rates, regulation and reporting requirements impose costs on businesses, recognising that smaller firms can experience these burdens more acutely.The Government assesses the effect...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: ProcurementCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22160More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether she plans to standardise first aid training requirements across public sector contracts; and if she will include first aid provision within social value procurement criteria.
Answer: The Cabinet Office will publish detailed guidance on the application of social value criteria in central government procurement in the autumn.
Answered 11 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen Gas Support SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the cumulative capacity of applications now queued by Ofgem is in relation to the Green Gas Support Scheme since the scheme reached its budget cap.
Answer: As of 2 September 2026, there are 15 tariff guarantee applications in the budget queue (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/green-gas-support-scheme-and-green-gas-levy/applicants) and these have a combined maximum initial capacity of...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBiomethaneDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports by the Green Gas Taskforce, the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association and others, that the mo
Answer: The Department is aware of a range of evidence showing that increasing biomethane deployment is a cost-effective route to delivering net zero, whilst also offering wider system benefits, such as waste management. This includes the Biomass Strategy 2023 es...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBiomethane: UK Emissions Trading SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22157More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Government plans to proceed with the zero rating of biomethane on the UK ETS.
Answer: The Government recognises biomethane as a practical and cost-effective way of contributing to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) applies a zero emissions factor to combustion of biomethane where supplied directly to E...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBiomethaneDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of NESO Future Energy Scenarios' ambition of achieving 30TWh of domestic renewable gas production by 2035.
Answer: The Department is aware of a range of evidence showing that increasing biomethane deployment is a cost-effective route to delivering net zero, whilst also offering wider system benefits, such as waste management. This includes the Biomass Strategy 2023 es...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBiomethaneDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22155More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the contribution of domestic green gas production to UK energy security.
Answer: The Government recognises that domestically produced biomethane can strengthen energy resilience by displacing imported gas with a low-carbon alternative and reducing exposure to volatile international gas markets. The latest Department data shows that 5....
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen Gas Support SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22154More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration she has made of the potential merits of extending the Green Gas Support Scheme to new applications beyond 2028.
Answer: The GGSS budget is set to balance delivery of the intended benefits of biomethane with affordability for bill payers. In the context of the original budget envelope for the Green Gas Support Scheme being fully allocated, we are carefully considering our a...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen Gas Support SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Office for Gas and Electricity Markets moving to weekly budget monitoring of the Green Gas Support Scheme, in the context of levels
Answer: As the administrator of the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS), Ofgem is responsible for operational matters. Under regulation 4(14) of the GGSS regulations, Ofgem has a statutory duty to publish aggregate information relating to (but not limited to) applica...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen Gas Support SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22152More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the future budget of the Green Gas Support Scheme.
Answer: As of 2 September 2026, there are 15 tariff guarantee applications in the budget queue (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/green-gas-support-scheme-and-green-gas-levy/applicants) and these have a combined maximum initial capacity of...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordFirst Aid: CurriculumDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22151More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there are plans to make first aid training a mandatory component of the national curriculum.
Answer: All state funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the health education set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsi...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: Job CreationDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 25 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 900743More
Question: ?To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that AI creates jobs in the UK.
Answer: AI is already creating new, well-paid jobs. And we have launched the Pro-worker AI Adoption Prize to promote UK organisations that adopt AI in ways that provide workers with new capabilities and create new jobs.To ensure workers can access these jobs, we ...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordEU External Trade: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 908473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement on farmers in Northern Ireland.
Answer: I understand that the EU-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement will apply provisionally from May 2026, and we will monitor its effects on trade and our imports closely. While Northern Ireland has access to the EU Single Market in agricultural goods alongside t...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112703More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent meetings her Department has had with victims of forced adoptions in England.
Answer: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has met with members of the Movement for an Adoption Apology, and the Adult Adoptee Movement, to hear first hand the experiences of those affected by historical adoption practices. Their testimoni...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCountryside Stewardship Scheme and Landscape Recovery SchemeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of funding under the (a) Landscape Recovery and (b) Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme has been received by farms smaller than 200 acres.
Answer: The Landscape Recovery (LR) scheme does not directly award funding to participant land managers. Rather, the scheme awards funding to Projects, when in their development phase, and to a Single Legal Entity when they are in their implementation phase. This...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: Building AlterationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including wraparound extensions within permitted development rights for householders.
Answer: The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: TeachersDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of salary differences between college lecturers and school teachers on recruitment to further education teaching posts for (a) construction
Answer: Further education (FE) colleges are responsible for setting and negotiating staff pay and terms and conditions within colleges. The government recognises that colleges are facing recruitment challenges in construction and engineering. That is why our targ...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFish: ExportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress her Department has made on aligning the Fish Export Service with the EU CATCH system.
Answer: Following the entry into force of the EU’s new CATCH system on 10 January, we have successfully updated the UK’s Fish Exports Service to allow UK exporters to generate compliant documentation. UK Government has engaged extensively with both UK industry an...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSeafood: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress her Department has made on digitising the catch certificate scheme.
Answer: UK catch certificates for export are already available digitally through the Fish Export Service. Catch certificates the Government receive from third countries are generally paper-based documents. The Government will consider any opportunities to move to...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChildminding: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103476More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the removal of the automatic wear-and-tear allowance for childminders as part of the Making Tax Digital reforms, what steps she will take to ensure childminders receive tax relief for incidental ex
Answer: Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local ...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
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