Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to recent meetings between Treasury ministers, food suppliers and retailers and the Competition and Markets Authority, what assessment they have made of the existing benefits to consumers of price competition between major supermarkets.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury spoke to supermarket representatives on 11 May 2023, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer met with food manufacturers on 23 May 2023 about the cost of food in the UK.
The Competition and Markets Authority announced on 15 May 2023 that it would conduct further work in the grocery sector to understand whether any failure in competition is contributing to grocery prices being higher than they would be in a well-functioning market. Once published, the Government will consider the Competition and Markets Authority’s findings.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the illicit vaping enforcement squad will commence work.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Trading Standards, who are delivering the vaping enforcement work, have already commenced work on data collection and intelligence analysis of the illicit vaping market. Other activity, for example at the border, test purchasing and testing of illicit products, is likely to commence in the Autumn.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the list of items used to calculate the core inflation figure were last reviewed.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Rt Hon. the Lord Naseby
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
05 June 2023
Dear Lord Naseby,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking when the list of items used to calculate the core inflation figure were last reviewed (HL8157).
The list of items used to calculate Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Consumer Prices Index, including owner occupiers’ Housing costs (CPIH), and their core equivalents, is updated on an annual basis.
Prices were first collected for the most recent update in January this year. In 2023, 26 items were added to the CPIH basket, including e-bikes and frozen berries. 16 items were removed, including digital compact cameras and non-chart CD albums bought in store.
Further information can be found in our Consumer price inflation basket of goods and services: 2023 release [1].
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/ukconsumerpriceinflationbasketofgoodsandservices/2023
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have carried out to assess the impact of recent and forthcoming legislation on the supply of new and existing rental accommodation in the private sector.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The number of rented properties has almost doubled since 2004 – peaking in 2016 and remaining roughly stable since. In fact, the most recent data shows that the number of PRS properties increased by 11,000 in the year to March 2022.
We are committed to robust monitoring and evaluating of the private rented sector reform programme and its impact on the sector. The Renters (Reform) Bill Impact Assessment is currently being scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee and we will publish it during the Bill's passage through Parliament.
We recognise that good landlords play a vital role in providing homes for millions of people across the country. We have designed our reforms to ensure landlords can continue to invest and have confidence in the market.
The government has made a number of interventions to support the Build to Rent sector, boosting housing supply, diversifying the private rental sector, and increasing quality and choice for renters in cities and towns across England.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incentivise existing and new potential landlords to invest in the supply of private rented accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The number of rented properties has almost doubled since 2004 – peaking in 2016 and remaining roughly stable since. In fact, the most recent data shows that the number of PRS properties increased by 11,000 in the year to March 2022.
We are committed to robust monitoring and evaluating of the private rented sector reform programme and its impact on the sector. The Renters (Reform) Bill Impact Assessment is currently being scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee and we will publish it during the Bill's passage through Parliament.
We recognise that good landlords play a vital role in providing homes for millions of people across the country. We have designed our reforms to ensure landlords can continue to invest and have confidence in the market.
The government has made a number of interventions to support the Build to Rent sector, boosting housing supply, diversifying the private rental sector, and increasing quality and choice for renters in cities and towns across England.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work has taken place to create a series of "green towns" around the concept of Welwyn Garden City.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Well planned, well-designed, locally led garden communities will play a vital role in helping to meet this country’s housing need well into the future, providing a pipeline of new homes. Our Garden Communities Programme supports 47 locally led garden communities, which have the potential for around 300,000 homes by 2050. We have not prescribed a single template for a garden community, as each will have its own clear sense of identity and are expected to exhibit exemplary place-making qualities.
The Garden Communities programme recognises that strong local leadership is crucial, and this locally-led programme relies on local authorities identifying appropriate locations, developing and delivering a long-term vision for these new communities.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to make an announcement on the next generation of new towns.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Well planned, well-designed, locally led garden communities will play a vital role in helping to meet this country’s housing need well into the future, providing a pipeline of new homes. Our Garden Communities Programme supports 47 locally led garden communities, which have the potential for around 300,000 homes by 2050. We have not prescribed a single template for a garden community, as each will have its own clear sense of identity and are expected to exhibit exemplary place-making qualities.
The Garden Communities programme recognises that strong local leadership is crucial, and this locally-led programme relies on local authorities identifying appropriate locations, developing and delivering a long-term vision for these new communities.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to incentivise manufacturers to build solar panels in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Solar Taskforce, launched on 25 May, will identify and take forward the actions needed to develop resilient, sustainable and innovative supply chains, to support the significant increases in deployment of solar panels needed to meet the UK’s net zero and energy security goals.
The Government encourages large scale developers accessing its flagship Contracts for Difference scheme to grow the supply chain through the Supply Chain Plan process. The Government supports supply chain innovation through a range of schemes, such as the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, and initiatives funded by UK Research and Innovation.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the cost to contractors of retraining for the switch from oil and gas to renewable energy production.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, the Offshore Wind Industry Council committed to making it easier for workers to move between offshore renewables and the oil and gas sector and is exploring the development of an Energy Skills Passport.
Industry, led by the Energy and Utility Skills Partnership and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, will explore potential skills passport arrangements for the power and networks sectors under the work of the Green Jobs Delivery group.
The Wind Energy Access Portal sets out clear information on training requirements to access work in the offshore wind industry.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure all illegal crypto ATMs are removed from retailers.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
Cryptoasset exchange providers, which includes Crypto ATM operators, in the UK must be registered with the FCA and comply with the UK Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs). None of the cryptoasset firms registered with the FCA have been approved to offer crypto ATM services, meaning that any of them operating in the UK are doing so illegally.
The FCA has previously warned operators of crypto ATMs in the UK to shut their machines down or face enforcement action. Additionally, the FCA publishes a list of cryptoasset businesses that it suspects are operating without registration to help firms and customers make sure they only deal with registered firms.
The FCA works with the National Economic Crime Centre to plan and coordinate action with law enforcement partners in relation to operators of illegal crypto ATMs. Recently it has used its powers to inspect sites in Exeter, Nottingham and Sheffield suspected of hosting illegally operated crypto ATMs. This action follows the FCA’s inspection of several sites in East London and Leeds that were suspected of hosting unregistered crypto ATMs and is part of a continued crackdown on this illicit sector.
The FCA contact centre is the point of contact for people wishing to report Crypto ATMs. Contact details can be found on the FCA website in the ‘Contact Us’ section.