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1639966

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Network Rail: Expenditure
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of his Department's expenditure on Network Rail operations was on (a) operating costs, (b) traction electricity, industry costs and rates, (c) renewals, (d) enhancements and (e) all other expenditure in (i) England and (ii) Wales in each of the last 13 years.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	186706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The requested information can be found in the attached Excel document. Note for context that NR spend on the Wales and Borders route is between 4% and 5% of the GB total so far in CP6, whilst Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route makes up circa 4% of the entire GB rail network in terms of train miles in CP6.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Huw Merriman question first answered 05/06/2023 11:57:58 answering member 4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman attachment 1 file name Network Rail Operations - Breakdown of expenditure.xlsx title Network Rail Operations - Breakdown of expenditure
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1639967

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to collect data on the number of parents who have had children removed from their care on multiple occasions.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	186640
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>Local authorities provide information on looked after children through the SSDA903 annual return, but this does not include information on the family circumstances of looked after children.</p><p>The department recognises the need to collect the right data about children’s social care services to help achieve better outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. That is why in ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department committed to developing a children’s social care dashboard to support the new National Framework and a data strategy for children’s social care. Through these initiatives, the department will look at how data gaps could be addressed.</p><p>The consultation on the children’s social care dashboard concluded on 11 May 2023 and the department is currently analysing the results. The department will set out the consultation findings and more information about the children’s social care data strategy later in the year.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 07/06/2023 12:00:53 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1639968

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	VAT: Registration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the VAT registration threshold on incentives for small businesses to increase their turnover above that threshold.
tabling member constituency	North West Norfolk
tabling member printed	James Wild
uin	186707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises that accounting for VAT can be a burden on small businesses. This is why, at £85,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether. Nearly half of businesses that are VAT registered are voluntarily registered under the threshold.</p><p>Views on the threshold are divided and the case for change has been regularly reviewed over the years. While some businesses have argued that a higher threshold would reduce administrative and financial burdens, others contend that a lower threshold would provide a fairer competitive environment.</p><p>Following the Office of Tax Simplification report published on 7 November 2017, the Government published a call for evidence on 13 March 2018 inviting views on the effect of the current threshold and what policy options could better incentivise growth. A summary of responses was published at Budget 2018. The responses did not provide a clear option for reform.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government continues to keep all taxes under review, it was announced at Autumn Budget 2022 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2026.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 05/06/2023 13:41:16 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4787 label Biography information for James Wild

1639969

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Absent Voting: Proof of Identity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons his Department plans to introduce voter identification for postal votes before its review into the effect of voter identification on the level of turnout in the 2023 council elections has concluded.
tabling member constituency	Canterbury
tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
uin	186708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>These regulations are separate to the introduction of a requirement for photographic identification at the polling booth.</p> answering member constituency Bishop Auckland answering member printed Dehenna Davison question first answered 09/06/2023 10:40:05 answering member 4737 label Biography information for Dehenna Davison
tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1639970

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	A1 and East Coast Main Line: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Government on improvements to the (a) East Coast Main Line and (b) A1.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
uin	186709
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>Officials in the Department for Transport meet regularly with their counterparts in Transport Scotland about rail improvements, including to the East Coast Main Line. Conversations are ongoing and officials will continue to engage as work progresses.</p><p> </p><p>There have been no recent discussions specifically about the A1 between the Department and Transport Scotland. However, the UK Government remains committed to working collaboratively with the Scottish Government to improve transport connectivity.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Huw Merriman question first answered 05/06/2023 11:52:42 answering member 4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman
tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill

1639971

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	East Coast Main Line
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, to steps he is taking to help improve (a) speed and (b) capacity on the East Coast Main Line.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
uin	186710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The Integrated Rail Plan commits to upgrading and improving line speeds and capacity on the East Coast Main Line. We have provided Network Rail with early-stage development funding to begin consideration of how these ambitious route-wide plans can be delivered as efficiently as possible.</p><p> </p><p>This IRP activity will build upon the £1.2 billion East Coast Enhancements Programme – a collection of infrastructure upgrades across the route, helping to deliver journey time, reliability and capacity improvements.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Huw Merriman question first answered 05/06/2023 12:06:07 answering member 4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman
tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill

1639972

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Aviation: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage airlines to (a) improve accessibility on flights for passengers with disabilities, (b) improve the on-board flight experience for passengers with disabilities and (c) reduce discrimination against people with disabilities within the aviation industry.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	186711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>Air travel should be accessible for everyone. The Department is working with the sector and consumer groups to ensure that disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility have the confidence to travel by air and the assistance they require.</p><p>The Department published the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation in 2022 to seek views on a variety of consumer rights issues, including reforms to the compensation available for damage to wheelchairs and mobility aids on domestic UK flights, and to explore other possible reforms to support passengers with accessibility needs better. The Department is analysing the responses and will set out next steps in due course.</p><p>The Government appointed the Disability and Access Ambassador for Airports, Ann Frye OBE, in July 2021. Her role is to improve accessibility and the quality of services and facilities for disabled people at airports.</p><p>The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for enforcing consumer laws that apply specifically to aviation, including in relation to accessibility. On 25 April 2023, the CAA published a consultation on a new performance framework for airline accessibility which closes on 21 July. The CAA published an additional interim report on airport accessibility in December 2022. It continues to monitor performance and has set clear expectations for further improvements and for airports to provide high-quality service this year. It will publish its normal annual report this summer.</p><p>The CAA has previously written to airports informing them that the experience passengers received in 2022 was unacceptable, required several airports to put in place action plans together with airlines, and published additional guidance for airports on assistance services.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 09/06/2023 08:32:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1639973

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £87,500 lump-sum payment will war widows who have remarried or started cohabiting receive after taxation; and if he will make it his policy to either make the payments tax-exempt or increase the level of the payments so that each recipient receives £87,500 after tax.
tabling member constituency	New Forest East
tabling member printed	Sir Julian Lewis
uin	186584
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>There is nothing we can do to bring a loved one back, and no amount of money will ever change that. This payment is not intended to put a value on a widow’s loss. But this is a meaningful amount in recognition that remarriage or cohabiting with a new partner does not erase the bereavement.</p><p> </p><p>The rules for this recognition payment include that it is taxable. This was taken into consideration when the figure was set at £87,500. The amount received after taxation will depend on individual circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Defence and Treasury officials are working on the details and rollout.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 05/06/2023 15:47:49 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

1639974

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Aviation: Carbon Emissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the carbon footprint of all private jets registered in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	186618
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>DfT recently commissioned independent research to establish a baseline of carbon emissions emitted by the General Aviation (GA) sector, in which private jets are included. The research estimated that GA flights emitted 779kt of carbon emissions per year, based on data from 2019 obtained from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The research estimated that approximately 75% of all GA emissions relate to flights for the purposes of Business Aviation.</p><p>The research is available online, at:</p><p><a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fdecarbonising-general-aviation&amp;data=05%7C01%7CDominik.Lengauer%40dft.gov.uk%7C2b7989abb9d642059d4308db685777b2%7C28b782fb41e148eabfc3ad7558ce7136%7C0%7C0%7C638218497088438831%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=yzDj3OEabqiWdTQsdQeDr12ts3uDy8Xa9QTtoU7lCqw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/decarbonising-general-aviation</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 09/06/2023 08:36:49 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1639975

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Reserve Forces: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding was allocated to the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations and Defence Relationship Management for entertaining reservist employers in the financial years (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24.
tabling member constituency	New Forest West
tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
uin	186585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence does not allocate any funding specifically for the purpose of entertaining Reservist employers. However, Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations (RFCAs) and Defence Relationship Management (DRM) do run a number of events both nationally and regionally at which hospitality is offered, including buffet lunches and hot/cold drinks as appropriate. This ranges from formal events such as the Partnering with Defence Conference in London, where catered breaks and lunch are provided, through to offering participants on ‘unit experience’ visits with a ration-pack lunch.</p><p> </p><p>Regional funds allocated across the 13 RFCAs include an element for ‘Employer Support’. This budget line covers a number of costs including event hospitality, entertainment, venue hire and advertisement. It would exceed the disproportionate cost limit for a Parliamentary Question to investigate every event across the period in question to separate out the relevant elements; for this reason the figures provided below show the total sums for employer support activity where there was an element of hospitality and an estimate of the element attributable to hospitality. Information for Financial Year (FY) 2023-24 is not provided as this remains subject to discussion and may be subject to change.</p><p> </p><p>The figures for budget allocation where there was an element of Reservist employer hospitality are shown below:</p><p> </p><p><strong>RFCAs</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Total Budget for events containing a hospitality element</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Attributable to hospitality (estimated)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>FY 2021-22</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>£94,367</p></td><td><p>£30,487</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>FY 2022-23</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>£161,603</p></td><td><p>£44,669</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>DRM</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Total Budget for events containing a hospitality element</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Attributable to hospitality (estimated)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>FY 2021-22</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>£208,873</p></td><td><p>£75,631</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>FY 2022-23</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>£275,077</p></td><td><p>£141,998*</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>* Cost growth here directly attributable to:</p><p>- increasing success of Employer Recognition Scheme Gold awards, necessitating an increase from four events in 2021-22 to nine regional events in 2022-23.</p><p>- increasing number of Armed Forces Covenant signatories and associated signing ceremonies.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 05/06/2023 14:02:56 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne