Tim Farron MP: written questions
207 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Television Licences: Rural AreasDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 28 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not renewing the licences for terrestrial television which expire in 2034 on rural communities.
Answer: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.As...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoption and Special Guardianship Support FundDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to make the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund permanent.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGroceries Code Adjudicator: StaffDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff worked for the Grocery Code Adjudicator in (a) 2015, (b) 2020, (c) 2022 and (d) 2024.
Answer: The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and his office is funded via a levy charged on the regulated retailers. Under the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013, the GCA may second staff from any other public bodies. GCA staff numbers, at 31 March each year, as...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Land UseDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31846More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid to farmers to support solar projects since 2016.
Answer: The second round of the Improving Farm Productivity grant was launched under the Farming Investment Fund in January 2024 and included an offer for solar PV equipment. It is early days, but to date, over £31,000 has been paid out to farmers and horticultur...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Sustainable DevelopmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid to farmers to improve environmental sustainability since 2016.
Answer: The Government spent £3.745 billion on Environmental Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive from 2016 up to 28 February 2025 to improve environmental sustainability. An additional £36 million has been paid through the E...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: GrantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have applied for the Improving Farming Productivity Grant; how many of those applications were successful; and how much has been paid out per (a) grant category and (b)
Answer: The total number of full applications received for Improving Farm Productivity to-date is 413. Of those appraised, 204 have been offered a grant to the value of over £23 million, 84 applications have been rejected or withdrawn, and 125 are currently in ap...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNature ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that the plan for growth includes protections for (a) wildlife and (b) nature.
Answer: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that development contributes to nature’s recovery and delivers a win-win for both nature and the economy. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will establish a Nature Restoration Fund. This will create a more...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSoil: Land UseDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of short-term land use to improve soil health and resilience to droughts and floods.
Answer: Defra currently has research programmes underway on the impact of different agricultural land management options. The Government recognises the importance of healthy, functioning soil for resilience against the impacts of climate change, such as flooding ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the farming budget to reflect the Government’s nature and climate targets.
Answer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Land UseDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase support for farmers who make environmental contributions in the Land Use Framework.
Answer: The Government has recently launched a 12-week consultation on land use in England, which will inform the publication of a Land Use Framework later in the year. The consultation includes questions about how the government can more effectively align incent...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordClimate Change and Nature Conservation: PlanningDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on ensuring all planning decisions will support nature and climate targets.
Answer: The Department works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to deliver planning reforms with regular discussions on how planning can improve outcomes for nature whilst enabling the development of housing and infrastructure.
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAir PollutionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31781More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to attend the World Health Organisation’s Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in March 2025.
Answer: My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is unable to attend this World Health Organisation (WHO) conference. We aim to support attendance at relevant international events where possible and as appropriate, and work across Go...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAir PollutionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on (a) reducing regional and (b) achieving international commitments to reduce air pollution.
Answer: The United Kingdom is playing an active role in engagement with European counterparts and other countries in reducing air pollution.
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAir Pollution: MonitoringDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31779More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to hold a public consultation on the Air Quality Information System Review's conclusions and recommendations.
Answer: The Government recognizes the importance of effectively communicating air quality information to the public, which is why we conducted a comprehensive review of the Air Quality Information System (AQIS). A large evidence base has been assimilated which gi...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAir PollutionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31778More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take through the Environmental Improvement Plan to consider the potential impact of air pollution on public health.
Answer: The Government has recently concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23). As you can easily see, we published a statement of the rapid review’s key findings on 30 January 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised...
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Workers: SlaveryHome OfficeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that victims of modern slavery detained in enforcement activity for illegal working are (a) identified and (b) protected.
Answer: All staff within the Home Office involved in immigration enforcement activity are provided with appropriate training and guidance for their roles. This includes, but is not limited to, training around Modern Slavery, the National Referrals Mechanism proce...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Workers: SlaveryHome OfficeTabled 11 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) provisions and (b) safeguards her Department has put in place to help ensure that victims of modern slavery detained in recent enforcement activity for illegal working are (i) identified and
Answer: All staff within the Home Office involved in immigration enforcement activity are provided with appropriate training and guidance for their roles. This includes, but is not limited to, training around Modern Slavery, the National Referrals Mechanism proce...
Answered 19 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: Workplace PensionsDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25665More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing higher education institutions to develop alternative pension options.
Answer: The government acknowledges the significant impact of our world-leading higher education (HE) sector. As both educational and research institutions, these universities make a vital contribution to our economy, society, and to industry and innovation.The d...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Workplace PensionsDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25664More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increased Teachers' Pension Scheme employer contributions on higher education institutions; and whether her Department plans to offer subsidies to those i
Answer: The government acknowledges the significant impact of our world-leading higher education (HE) sector. As both educational and research institutions, these universities make a vital contribution to our economy, society, and to industry and innovation.The d...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPay SettlementsTreasuryTabled 15 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 902290More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will increase funding for public services to help ensure the affordability of pay awards.
Answer: I refer the hon Member to my answer during HMT topical questions today (21 January 2025).
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23298More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of cancer patients have access to radiotherapy as their primary treatment; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of barriers to
Answer: Radiotherapy is available to all patients. Clinicians will help patients to determine the best treatment option for their cancer. No assessment has been made of the potential implications, as all patients have access to radiotherapy treatment on the Natio...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapy: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23297More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding for radiotherapy cancer treatments addresses regional inequalities in access to (a) advanced radiotherapy techniques and (b) radiotherapy
Answer: NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include considering adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including in re...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapy: InfrastructureDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23296More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of radiotherapy infrastructure.
Answer: There are currently no plans to make an assessment of radiotherapy infrastructure.
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapy: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23295More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) has consulted and (b) plans consult with (i) clinical experts, (ii) the radiotherapy industry, (iii) patients and (iv) charities on how best to allocate the funds announc
Answer: The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed, so that the new machines can best meet the needs of patients across the country. The Department has...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapy: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23294More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many radiotherapy machines are (a) over the 10-year recommended age and (b) at risk of being out of date by the end of 2025; and how many of such machines he plans to replaced with funding anno
Answer: The Government will continue to support the provision of radiotherapy machines, however, since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems. NHS England will allocate funding to trusts to purchase ne...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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