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.