The treatment of infrastructure investment by insurance undertakings for the purposes of prudential regulation is set by the Solvency II Directive. In March 2019, the EU adopted new Solvency II rules to help insurers to invest in equity and private debt and to provide long-term capital financing. This means that insurers will be able to hold less capital for such investments and will therefore find such investments more attractive. The Government does not collect information about such investments, but individual insurance firms often include such details in their annual reports.<\/p>
<\/em><\/p>The government provides competitive R&D tax reliefs to support businesses to invest. Support for businesses through R&D tax reliefs rose to £3.7 billion in 2015-16, up by almost a quarter from the previous year. The government is also carrying out the Infrastructure Finance Review, to support private infrastructure investment and ensure that infrastructure projects, including those using new technologies, are able to access the finance they need. The review will conclude alongside the National Infrastructure Strategy in the Autumn. <\/p>In 2018, the UK Government provided £20m of \u2018pioneer funding\u2019 through the Next Generation Services Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to explore how new technologies could transform the UK accountancy, insurance and legal services industries <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/57", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham"}
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, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Young of Cookham"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-17T16:31:26.07Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Insurance Companies: Investment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote investment by the insurance industry into applied research, new technologies, and infrastructure; whether information about any such investments will be published on an annual basis; and if so, where.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2543", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hunt of Chesterton"}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hunt of Chesterton"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137077", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137077/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government believes that it is important to minimise the noise impacts of the railway on its neighbours and on passengers. We have actively contributed to the development of the new European noise technical specification for interoperability that sets limits on noise from new and upgraded rolling stock.<\/p> <\/p> In the Government's most recent rail innovation competition, £2.75m of funding was awarded to projects aimed at reducing environmental impacts such as noise pollution. One of these projects will develop a noise barrier with an innovative design that will deflect noise upwards in order to reduce noise at a level comparable to a barrier of three times the height.<\/p> <\/p> Transport for London is responsible for the London Underground and its noise impacts.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4580", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton"}
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, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Vere of Norbiton"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-18T13:39:22.823Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Noise: Pollution"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce noise both in the internal environment, in particular, with regard to underground trains, and the external environment, with greater use of noise barriers.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2543", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hunt of Chesterton"}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hunt of Chesterton"}
], "uin" : "HL16941"}
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