Campaign reply - Will you help your constituents affected by dementia?

Thank you for contacting me regarding this important matter.

 

Thank you for updating me regarding the current issues regarding dementia patients in the UK. The government is still committed to providing the best care possible to those who suffer from dementia. 

 

I look forward to receiving more information from the Alzheimer’s Society. I assure you that the government is doing all it can to fight this tragic disease. 

 

An estimated one million people will be living with dementia by 2025, so research is crucial to understanding the condition and improving outcomes for those affected. I was proud to stand on a manifesto that committed to doubling dementia research funding and finding a cure for dementia.

In memory of the late Dame Barbara Windsor, the Government launched a new mission in August 2022 to put this into practice.  Research funding for dementia will rise to a total of £160 million a year by 2024, with an additional £95 million being provided to increase clinical trials and research projects. 

A new taskforce – made up of industry, the NHS, academia and families affected by dementia – will help lead this work to allocate funding.  You can register your interest to take part through the Join Dementia Research website here: https://www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk/

This mission compliments the Government’s commitment to publish the 10-Year Plan for Dementia before the end of 2022. The 10-Year Plan will include plans to increase research funding for dementia and deliver a moonshot. It will focus on the specific health needs of people with dementia and their carers covering prevention, diagnosis and research. It will also look at how new technology can be used to improve outcomes for dementia patients across the country.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Why walking matters - please support investment in active travel

Thank you for contacting me about cycling and walking.

 

As well as being greener, active travel helps to reduce pressure on public transport and the road network.

The Government is investing over £2 billion in cycling and walking over the course of this Parliament. As part of this, the 2021 Autumn Budget included £710 million of new investment in active travel funding over the next three years. This funding will deliver hundreds of miles of high-quality, segregated cycle lanes, provide cycle training for every child and deliver an e-bike support programme to make cycling more accessible.

The £710 million investment builds on a £338 million package announced in July 2021, which is already delivering high-quality cycle lanes and aiding the delivery of new schemes to encourage walking. In total, I am told that over 1,000 miles of safe and direct cycling and walking networks will be delivered by 2025.

In June 2022, the Government announced that former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman will serve as National Active Travel Commissioner on a permanent basis in order to drive forward active travel efforts and ensure that cycling and walking become the natural choice for shorter journeys. Chris Boardman has emphasised the essential importance of ensuring that active travel is safe and easy.

The newest version of the Highway Code introduces a ‘hierarchy of road users’, a concept whereby the road users able to do the greatest harm are bestowed the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to other road users. The hierarchy is designed to bring about a more mutually respectful and considerate culture of safe and effective road use that benefits all users. At the top of the hierarchy is pedestrians (in particular children) older adults and disabled people, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
 

Campaign reply - Will you call for a stronger social security system so we can all afford the essentials?

Thank you for contacting me about the Trussell Trust’s Social Security Campaign.

 

I understand constituents’ concerns regarding rising costs, and I know that ministerial colleagues are determined to help people with the cost of living.

 

I am committed to supporting those on low incomes and this country has a robust social security system to do so. Over £242 billion will be spent through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2022/23, including £108 billion on people of working age and over £134 billion on pensioners.

In addition, the Government is taking decisive and unprecedented action to support households with the cost of living. 

Under the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), the typical household will pay no more than £2,500 on their energy bill until April 2023. Thereafter, the price cap will rise so that the typical household will pay no more than £3,000 until April 2024. The EPG will save the average household a further £500 and mean they will not have to face energy bills of £6,000 this winter and next.

In addition to the EPG, I strongly welcome the Chancellor’s announcement during the Autumn Statement 2022 that the Government will increase its cost-of-living support package by an additional £12 billion, taking the total from £37 to £49 billion.

This increase means that, in addition to the Cost-of-Living Payments already being made this year, the Government will provide extra one-off payments of £900 for the eight million households on means-tested benefits, a second £300 Pensioner Cost-of-Living Payment, and another £150 for disability benefit recipients. The Chancellor also announced that the Government will provide £1 billion of extra funding by extending the Household Support Fund for another year, bringing the total of the Fund to £2.5 billion. 

I also welcome the Chancellor's announcement that both benefits and the State Pension will increase by 10.1 per cent for 2023/24, in line with inflation. This represents the biggest cash increase in the State Pension ever and an average uplift for households receiving Universal Credit of around £600.

Debt deductions for Universal Credit overpayments are part of the DWP’s obligation to protect public funds and to ensure that, wherever possible, benefit overpayments are recovered. I know that Ministers want to discharge this duty without causing undue financial hardship. That is why the Government has an established route by which anyone experiencing difficulties with repayments is encouraged to contact DWP Debt Management in order to negotiate a possible reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension of repayment, depending on financial circumstances.

 

The Department has to balance the amount that can be deducted with the protections that deductions offer claimants. Lowering the maximum deduction rate further would result in less essential deductions such as Child Maintenance being made. The Government has reduced the maximum deduction rate twice in the past three years – from 40 per cent to 30 per cent in 2019, and further to 25 per cent in 2021. Ministers believe this strikes the right balance of ensuring priority debts and social obligations are met whilst enabling claimants to retain more of their award to meet day-to-day needs.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Farmed fish need better legal protections.

Thank you for contacting me about the welfare of farmed fish.

 

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of an animal, including fish. Regulations also require that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations.

 

I am aware that Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations but does not include any further requirements. The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 makes it an offence for any person engaged in the restraint, stunning or killing of an invertebrate to cause avoidable pain, distress or suffering.

 

As part of the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, Ministers have been considering a number of improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing and asked the Animal Welfare Committee to update its 2014 Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing and I look forward to reading their report in due course. 

 

Finally, I am aware that any allegations of welfare or health issues will be investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Cefas. Appropriate action is taken against anyone who breaks the law when non-compliances are disclosed.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Please reassure me trees and woods will remain protected in Truro and Falmouth

Thank you for contacting me about our trees and woodlands.

Trees protect us against flooding, provide habitats for our precious wildlife and are carbon capture machines. They are an important source of jobs, directly employing over 30,000 people and contributing more than £2 billion to our economy every year. In the face of climate change and the growing prevalence of pests and diseases, it is essential that we plant more trees and build their resilience.

The England Trees Action Plan 2021 works to ensure that we have 12 per cent woodland cover in England by the middle of the century, supported by over 80 announcements knitting together to create a comprehensive plan of action. Recent targets through the Environment Act 2021 go further, with the aim to increase tree canopy and woodland cover from 14.5 per cent to 17.5 per cent of total land area in England by 2050.

Ministers will ensure that the right trees are planted in the right places, that trees and woodlands are better protected, that more green jobs are created in the forestry sector and that people have greater access to woodlands.

The Government is spending more than £750 million by 2024-25 through the Nature for Climate Fund to help meet the commitment to increase tree planting, with the aim of planting 30,000 hectares per year by May 2024. I am aware that good progress is being made towards the target, with tree planting and woodland creation increased to around 2,700 hectares in England in 2021-22. Through the Nature for Climate Fund, a major £20 million funding package is being provided, which will fund 100 projects championed by tree nurseries, charities and businesses.

Finally, I welcome that the Local Authority Treescapes Fund and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund will reopen for new applications in early 2023. This will see trees planted in rural areas, as well as in towns and cities.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
 

Campaign reply - The Future of Farming

Thank you for contacting me about the Government’s commitments to farming and nature.

I would like to assure you that the Government is not rowing back on commitments to our farming reforms or nature. In January 2022, the Government announced plans to bring forward a Bill to create a more innovative regulatory regime that would not have been possible were the UK still a member of the European Union. The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will benefit people and businesses across the UK. While I appreciate your strength of feeling about this issue, I am assured that the Bill will not weaken environmental protections.

The Environment Act 2021 includes a commitment to halt the decline of nature by 2030. This Government will not undermine its commitments to the environment. Internationally, the UK has committed to protect 30 per cent of its land and ocean by 2030, through the Leaders Pledge for Nature, which committed to putting nature and biodiversity globally on a road to recovery by 2030.

The Government was elected on a manifesto which pledged to maintain the budget for farming but spend it in a way that does better for farming and nature. My ministerial colleagues and I want to support the choices that individual farmers make for their farms, boost food production and agricultural productivity. This will bolster the rural economy and support communities across the country.

Ministers are rolling out new schemes which will support farmers to both produce high-quality food and enhance the natural environment. Ministers have been looking at how best to deliver the Environmental Land Management schemes to see where and how improvements can be made. I look forward to reading more about the schemes later this year.

Regarding investment zones, the Government has announced that it will refocus the Investment Zones programme to centre on universities in left-behind areas. This will leverage local research strengths and build clusters for new growth industries. Clusters will drive growth while maintaining high environmental standards. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will work closely with mayors, devolved administrations, local authorities, businesses and other local partners to consider how best to identify and support these clusters. The Chancellor has said that the first decisions are expected ahead of the spring Budget.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
 

Campaign reply - Please take this action to support real solutions to the energy crisis

Thank you for contacting me about the cost of living crisis.

 

Current inflation is being driven by rising energy costs, provoked by surging demand after the pandemic as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which in turn has put pressures on living costs.  

 

Government support announced during Boris Johnson's premiership to help with cost-of-living pressures is worth over billion £37 billion in 2022-23.  An Energy Bill Discount removes £400 off energy bills for households in Great Britain. Further, a non-repayable £150 cash rebate has been provided for homes in Council Tax bands A-D (equivalent to 80 per cent of all households) and £144 million of discretionary funding for local authorities to support those not eligible for the council tax rebate. Accordingly, all households will receive £550, with lower income families receiving additional help.  The Government is also providing a £650 one-off cost of living payment for those on means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit, job seekers allowance and pension credit and a £300 one-off Pensioner Cost of Living Payment for pensioners in receipt of the Winter Fuel Allowance, while individuals on disability benefits received an additional, one-off £150 payment in September. 

 

The Government will continue providing this year’s cost of living payments and next year it will provide extra one-off payments of £900 for the 8 million households on means-tested benefits, a second £300 Pensioner Cost-of-Living Payment and another £150 for disability benefit recipients.  The Chancellor also announced that the Government will provide £1 billion of extra funding by extending the Household Support Fund for another year, bringing the total of the Fund to £2.5 billion.

 

Action has also been taken to raise the National Insurance threshold, cut the Universal Credit taper rate, and raise the National Living Wage.  

On top of £37 billion support announced by the Boris Johnson government, an Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), has since come into force, which discounts the unit cost for gas and electricity use. In his recent Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that the EPG will remain in place until April 2024.

 

I strongly believe that properly regulated private markets are the best way to meet the ongoing needs of energy customers and the environment. While I appreciate your strength of feeling on this issue, I am unaware of any plans to nationalise the energy sector. This would hit the energy companies at a time when the Government needs to encourage them to produce more as we need to transition to cleaner fuels. 

 

The independent regulator, Ofgem, monitors energy prices and the broader energy market. Often the best way for consumers to achieve a better deal on their energy bills is by switching energy supplier. I understand the Centre for Policy Studies published a report in 2018 which found that the cost of nationalising the UK's energy industry would be £55.4 billion.

 

However, is only fair that companies who have made genuine windfall profits as a result of the war in Ukraine make an additional contribution to help to pay for the support the Government is providing.  So from 2023, the Energy Profits Levy rate will rise from 25 per cent to 35 per cent and will continue until the end of March 2028.A 45 per cent Levy will be applied to extraordinary returns made by electricity generators.  In total these windfall taxes will raise £52 billion over six years.

 

Further, the UK does not have a comprehensive, single wealth tax, but it does have several taxes on assets and wealth. These taxes operate across many different economic activities, including the acquisition, holding, transfer and disposal of assets, and income derived from assets. 

 

The new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has set out his vision to place economic stability at the heart of this Government and pledged to stand by the most vulnerable. That is why I was encouraged to see the commitment to uprating benefits in line with inflation and keeping the triple lock on pensions announced in the recent Autumn Statement.  

Rishi Sunak has been clear that he will deliver on the mandate secured in 2019 to deliver a stronger NHS, better schools, safer streets, and control of our borders.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
 

Campaign reply - Act now: Being trans is not an issue

Thank you for contacting me about transgender rights. 

I am aware that the Government has not announced any changes to the Equality Act, or to any legal protections for transgender people. I can assure you that the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK is free to live their lives and fulfil their potential regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. The LGBT community must be free to proposer in modern Britain.

I am encouraged that my colleagues in the Government Equalities Office have, over recent years, looked carefully and thoroughly into the gender recognition process, including considering potential changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. After careful consideration, it is their view that this existing legislation strikes the right balance between ensuring there are proper checks and balances in the system and ensuring there is support in place for people who want to change their legal sex. I welcome that four new gender clinics were opened in 2021, which should see waiting lists reduce. 

This should provide transgender people with greater patient choice, shorter waiting times, better geographical coverage and, crucially, easier access. It will also make it easier to fulfil the medical requirements of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate. 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - I just signed Marine Conservation Society's petition to #StopOceanPoison

Thank you for contacting me about the health of the ocean, which is my top priority as the local MP of a coastal area.

The UK is a global leader in protecting our seas, the ocean and marine life, and works with counterparts both in the UK and overseas to help achieve these aims.

Since 2019, the United Kingdom has been leading the Global Ocean Alliance of countries championing ambitious ocean action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the target to protect at least 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030. The United Kingdom also serves as ocean co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People, which champions 30by30 for both the land and the ocean. Between these alliances, over 120 countries have pledged to support the global 30by30 ocean target at the upcoming 15th Conference of Parties to the CBD in December 2022.

I am aware that nearly 8.3 per cent of the global ocean is now protected. Achieving a 30by30 target will require an international effort. The UK is leading the way, with 374 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) now protect 38 per cent of UK waters, which are all subject to planning and licensing regimes to ensure they are protected from harmful activities. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has built a comprehensive network of MPAs and are focusing on making sure they are protected properly.

Following the Benyon Review into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), the Government has been working on introducing pilot HPMAs in English waters and recently held a consultation on this. HPMAs provide the highest protection in our seas and will allow full recovery to as most natural a state as possible, as they prohibit all destructive, extractive and depositional activities within the entire site, thus enabling the ecosystem to thrive.

Finally, the UK has also launched the Blue Planet Fund, a commitment of £500 million from the United Kingdom Aid budget to support developing countries protect and sustainably manage their marine resources, including through Marine Protected Areas.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Will you write to Health Minister Dr Caroline Johnson MP to demand safer staffing for maternity services?

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about maternity services. This is an issue I care deeply about as an officer on the APPG for Women’s Health.

 

I believe every woman and their baby should receive personalised, high quality care. One of the key commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) is to make the NHS one of the safest places in the world to give birth and the LTP sets out a range of new measures to improve women’s experience of pregnancy.

 

Women who are healthy and have not experienced complications can choose to give birth in the place that feels right for them. This can be at home, in a midwifery unit, or at a hospital. As part of putting the interests of women at the heart of the process, NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to the rollout of Midwifery Continuity of Carer, so that it becomes the default model of care for women using maternity services across England.

 

NHS England has also announced a £127 million investment to increase staffing numbers in maternity and neonatal services and the Government is working to increase the number of midwives by expanding midwifery training places by 3,650 by March 2023. This is on top of £95 million investment into recruitment of an additional 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. NHS England is also making a non-repayable, training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year available for eligible midwifery students.  

 

More recently, the Autumn Statement announced plans to recruit an additional 2,000 midwives, and the Government will be developing a long-term workforce plan to make sure we have enough staff across the NHS, including midwives.

Furthermore, a Maternity Disparities Taskforce was established in February 2022 to explore the reasons for disparities in maternity care and address poor outcomes for women from ethnic minority communities and those living in deprived areas. This is supported by the Women's Health Strategy which was published in July 2022 which committed to make the NHS the best place in the world to give birth through personalised, individualised, and high-quality care. 

 

The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the NHS to establish an independent working group to help guide the implementation of the recommendations from the Ockenden and East Kent reports. The first working group meeting took place on 31 August 2022 and will inform the new NHS Maternity Development Plan. 

 

I am proud to support a Government that is giving women more choice, making services safer and helping to shape maternity care for years to come.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Solar is clean, cheap and popular

Thank you for contacting me about solar energy and funding for solar farms.

Scaling up cheap renewables presents one important way in which to ensure our energy independence and green transition over the coming years. It is for this reason that I strongly welcome that, as part of the new Energy Security Strategy, ministers are looking to increase the UK’s current 14GW of solar capacity, which could grow up to five times by 2035. To support solar deployment, the Government are consulting on the rules for solar projects. I understand that consultations will include changes to encourage deployment, while ensuring communities continue to have a say and environmental protections, including around land use, remain in place. I further welcome Government plans to review permitted development rights to make it easier for rooftop solar to be deployed on households, as well as public and commercial buildings.

There are several other initiatives that ministers have set out in order to achieve net zero by 2050, one of which is to increase the energy efficiency of houses, schools, hospitals, and other buildings across the country –  pledging £9 billion to the cause. Recently, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a £562 million boost to make 50,000 households in social housing and domestic properties warmer and greener, including the installation of solar panels.

The Government is also extending the VAT relief available for the installation of energy saving materials (ESMs). This relief is being increased further by introducing a time-limited zero rate for the installation of ESMs. A typical family having roof top solar panels installed will save more than £1,000 in total on installation, and then £300 annually on their energy bills.

More specifically, the Government supported over 830,000 small solar projects through the Feed-in Tariff between 2010 and 2019. This has helped cut the cost of household solar panels by more than half since 2011. Now, through the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, households that use solar water heating could get money towards renewable heating costs in their home. I am pleased that more than £1 billion of the green recovery fund has been set aside to upgrade the efficiency of our buildings’ energy and heat. Additionally, the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) supports small-scale low-carbon electricity generation. The SEG gives small generators, including homes with solar panels, the right to be paid for the renewable electricity they export to the grid.

Moreover, the Contracts for Difference scheme is a Government-led initiative that supports low-carbon electricity generation. This policy provides the developers of projects with high upfront costs and long lifetimes with direct protection from volatile wholesale prices to incentivise investment in renewable energy such as solar farms. The next bidding round of the scheme is now open and for the first time since 2015, established technologies, including onshore wind and solar, will be able to bid. The Government is seeking up to 12GW of electricity capacity from these technologies, with a £285 million budget. This will support investment in all parts of Great Britain, particularly Scotland and Wales.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Tell your MP that you back the frequent flyer levy

Thank you for contacting me about a Frequent Flyer Levy.

As part of a consultation on aviation tax reform between March and June 2021, the Government sought views on whether a frequent flyer levy could replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) as the principal tax on the aviation sector.

In the responses received to the consultation, a wide range of views on a frequent flyer levy were expressed. Some stakeholders, including those from the aviation industry, strongly opposed any suggestion that APD should be replaced with a frequent flyer levy, on the grounds that it would be significantly more difficult to administer. Conversely, environmental stakeholders supported the introduction of a frequent flyer levy, considering that the benefits of such a levy outweighed any potential administrative complexity.

Following the consultation, having considered all views received carefully, the Government published a response which outlined that it was minded to retain APD as the principal tax on the aviation sector, noting in particular concerns about the possible administrative complexity and data processing, handling and privacy of a frequent flyer levy.

You can read more about the consultation here: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-aviation-tax-reform

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply - Get Renting Done

Thank you for contacting me regarding this important matter.

 

Many tenants live with the worry of being evicted at short notice or continue to live in poor accommodation for fear they will be asked to leave if they complain about problems with their home. This is a problem that must be tackled. I have been assured that the Government is standing by its manifesto commitment to abolish 'no fault' Section 21 evictions. 

 

Section 21 evictions are one of the largest causes of family homelessness. I believe that reforming the current tenancy system will provide more security to private renters and give them the confidence to properly settle down in their homes. 

 

Under plans set out in the 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector' White Paper, all tenants would be moved onto a single system of periodic tenancies. This will give tenants greater security while retaining the flexibility that attracts many to the private rented sector. A tenancy would only come to an end if the tenant chooses to leave or if the landlord has a valid ground for possession. Tenants would need to give two months’ notice when leaving a tenancy which would ensure that landlords can avoid lengthy void periods.

It is important that providing tenants with this greater security is balanced with an assurance that landlords are able to recover their properties where they have valid reason to do so. This is vital to ensuring the future supply of good-quality housing in the private rented sector. The Government will reform grounds of possession so that the system is comprehensive, fair and effective. In addition, improvements will be made to court processes to ensure that disputes are resolved quickly and smoothly.

 

I appreciate the importance of allowing time for a smooth transition to this new system and I am assured that tenants, landlords and agents will be supported as they adjust.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply: Public Order Bill

Thank you for contacting me about the protests and public order.

Recent protest activity from a minority of individuals utilising guerrilla tactics has caused misery to the hard-working public, disrupted businesses, interfered with emergency services, cost millions in taxpayers’ money, and put lives at risk. 

Indeed, fuel supply has been disrupted by protesters tunnelling under oil terminals and cutting the brakes on tankers, and police officers have spent hours trying to unglue people’s body parts from some of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorways. This includes groups like Just Stop Oil, which alone has cost the police over £5.9 million in a matter of months.

The Government is therefore legislating to equip the police to better manage and tackle dangerous and highly disruptive tactics, as well as prevent major transport projects and infrastructure from being targeted by protestors. This follows the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PSCS) Act, having received Royal Assent at the end of the last parliamentary session, which introduced a number of measures to enable the police to better manage protests.

The new Public Order Bill seeks to: introduce new criminal offences of locking-on and going equipped to lock-on; make it illegal to obstruct major transport works such as HS2; create a new criminal offence for interfering with key national infrastructure; extend stop and search powers for police to search for and seize articles related to protest-related activity; and introduce Serious Disruption Prevention Orders where a breach of the order would constitute a criminal offence.

I am confident these new changes to public order law will put a stop to the relentless reoffending and significant disruption caused by a selfish minority of protesters which impinge on the rights of the British public to go about their daily lives in peace.

I look forward to ensuring the Bill receives the thorough scrutiny it commands as it progresses through Parliament. Please be assured I will be following developments closely.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
 

Campaign reply - Concerns re the potential scrapping of ELMS and the return of fracking

Thank you for contacting me about the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMS). As a rural constituency with plenty of farming, this issue is at the top of my agenda, and I continually meet with local farmers to discuss their concerns.

As we are no longer in the European Union, the UK is free from the Common Agricultural Policy, which did little to deliver for farmers, food production or the environment. The Government’s 2019 Manifesto was clear that the Government would maintain the budget for farming but spend it in a way that does better for farming and nature.

I would like to assure you that the Government is pressing ahead with the ELMS and is working to fine tune them to make sure they help deliver the Government’s ambitious outcomes on the environment and support a thriving farming sector.

The ELMS will pay for sustainable farming practices, improving animal health and welfare, reducing carbon emissions, creating and preserving habitat, and making landscape-scale environmental changes. This is an important step towards achieving our 25 Year Environment Plan ambitions and our carbon net zero goals.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is designing the schemes to be accessible and supportive with fair compensation. Ministers are also working to improve the way rules around farming and the countryside are set and controlled, which will make it fair, proportionate and effective. Defra aims to take a more collaborative and less bureaucratic approach in developing this policy and the schemes' administration.

I know that farmers and land managers will play an essential role in halting the decline in species, including farmland birds and insects, by 2030. I look forward to reading further details about the ELMS in due course.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Campaign reply: please protect every childhood and up-rate benefits

Thank you for contacting me regarding this important issue.

The Government understands that parental employment is the best way to tackle child poverty and improve long-term outcomes for families and children. In 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. 

To help parents into work, the Plan for Jobs continues to provide broad-ranging support for all jobseekers through the Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support, and the Restart scheme. Through a staged roll-out, which began in April 2022, around 2.1 million low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for extended support through Jobcentres to progress into higher-paid work.

I welcome the Chancellor's announcement in the Autumn Statement 2022 that 600,000 more people in receipt of Universal Credit will receive help from a work coach to help increase their earnings or hours.

The Chancellor also announced that the Government accepts the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission to increase the National Living Wage by 9.7 per cent in 2023, meaning it will rise from £9.50 per hour to £10.42 per hour. This represents an annual pay rise worth over £1,600 to a full-time worker - the largest cash increase in the UK's National Living Wage ever. 

These changes are in addition to reforms to the Universal Credit Taper Rate and Work Allowances, saving working families an additional £1,000 per year on average. 

I also welcome the Government's action on energy bills. Under the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), the typical household will pay no more than £2,500 on their energy bill until April 2023. Thereafter, the price cap will rise so that the typical household will pay no more than £3,000 until April 2024. The EPG will save the average household a further £500 and mean they will not have to face energy bills of £6,000 this winter.

In addition to the EPG, I strongly welcome the Chancellor’s announcement during the Autumn Statement 2022 that the Government will increase its cost-of-living support package by an additional £12 billion, taking the total from £37 to £49 billion.

This increase means that, in addition to the cost-of-living payments already being made this year, the Government will provide extra one-off payments of £900 for the eight million households on means-tested benefits, a second £300 Pensioner Cost-of-Living Payment, and another £150 for disability benefit recipients. The Chancellor also announced that the Government will provide £1 billion of extra funding by extending the Household Support Fund for another year, bringing the total of the Fund to £2.5 billion.Benefits will also be increased by 10.1 per cent for 2023/24, in line with inflation. 

To support low-income families further, the Government has increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers to £4.25, helping eligible low-income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. There is also investment of over £200m a year to continue the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities. The Holiday Activity and Food programme benefitted over 600,000 children last summer.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

Campaign reply - Priti Patel must now choose whether or not to extradite assange

Thank you for contacting me about Julian Assange.

I recognise that this is an issue about which many of my constituents care deeply. It is important to stress that extradition is a vital tool in the UK’s fight against transnational crime. There are also stringent legal protections in place to ensure a case does not raise any human rights issues and it is not incompatible with the five statutory bars to extradition.

Under the Extradition Act 2003, the Home Secretary must sign an extradition order if there are no grounds to prohibit the order being made. Extradition requests are only sent to the Home Secretary once a judge decides it can proceed after considering various aspects of the case.

When presiding over a case, a judge must decide whether the case raises any human rights issues and whether the case passes the five statutory bars to extradition. These include rules against double jeopardy, extraneous considerations (where it is considered that the person is being prosecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or political opinions) and historic offences.

In this instance, UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange. Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health. The Home Secretary has therefore signed the extradition order.

As I understand it, Mr Assange has submitted a High Court appeal against the decision to extradite him to the United States. Please be assured I will be following developments on this matter closely.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

 

Campaign reply - Give girls a seat at the table

Thank you for contacting me about Plan International UK's Equal Power Now campaign.

Providing women and girls with the freedom they need to succeed is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) priority, as outlined in the Government's Strategy for International Development, published in May 2022. This is in keeping with FCDO human rights objectives, which currently include a particular emphasis on promoting gender equality and women and girls’ rights.

The FCDO’s activity in this area includes: work to strengthen legislation on gender-based violence; initiatives to increase the political participation of women; support for women’s rights organisations in protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls; and the empowerment of women to participate in national dialogue and decision-making processes. In line with this, enabling active female participation in political processes continues to be an important area of UK Aid's work, which I understand includes elections management and observation, electoral system reform and campaigns, women’s movements and leadership, and work with the media.

I hope this reassures you that the UK Government is committed to a foreign policy that consciously and consistently delivers gender equality. Likewise, I am glad that the Government is also taking significant steps to increase the political representation and participation of women and girls here in the UK.

The 2019 General Election, for instance, saw more women than ever elected, with female MPs making up a proportion of 34 per cent. In addition, the number of women on FTSE 350 boards has increased by over 50 per cent in the last five years. It is encouraging to see more women and girls represented in the STEM pipeline also, with a 50.1 per cent increase in women accepted on to full-time STEM undergraduate courses in the UK.

Whilst room for further progress remains, I can assure you that the UK stands steadfast in its commitment to protect and promote women’s and girls’ rights and will continue to work with partners, including women’s rights organisations, to deliver for women and girls everywhere.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Kind regards,

Cherilyn

Campaign reply - We need plastic reduction targets

Thank you for contacting me about plastic pollution.

The Resources and Waste Strategy for England sets out the Government’s plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more plastic and Ministers have committed to work towards all plastic packaging on the market being recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Significant progress has already been made to address plastic pollution, including a ban on microbeads and restricting the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The use of single-use carrier bags in supermarkets has reduced by over 97 per cent.

The Government is considering proposals to ban single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and beverage containers, as well as other plastic items, including wet wipes and other single-use cups.

The Environment Act requires the Government to set at least one long-term target in the areas of resource efficiency and waste reduction. The Government recently consulted on its target to reduce residual waste. Over 180,000 submissions were received. As these responses need to be analysed and carefully considered, I am aware that it was not possible to publish these targets by 31 October, as required by the Act. I am assured that Defra is working to lay draft statutory instruments as soon as practicable and I look forward to reading the Government’s response in due course.

I understand that setting individual, material-specific legally binding targets, such as a plastics waste reduction target, could risk shifting the environmental impact to other material types and could even lead to increases in residual waste due to switches to heavier materials. Ministers aim to take a holistic approach to all materials and avoid unintended substitution effects. As well as being a global environmental waste issue, plastics are strong, durable, and versatile materials, bringing environmental and economic benefits. Setting targets that encourage reductions in our consumption of materials more broadly, not only plastics, will help ensure the best environmental outcome.

The export of plastic waste is subject to strict controls in legislation. Businesses must ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of the legislation can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.

Finally, the Government wants to deal with more of our waste at home and I understand Ministers committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Kind regards,

Cherilyn