Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last communicated with Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited about the repayment of the costs to taxpayers of repatriating UK passengers of Monarch Airlines when that airline collapsed.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but it does perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. There is no formal legal mechanism we can use to oblige Greybull to contribute towards the cost of repatriating passengers.
Marc Meyohas, partner at Greybull, wrote to the Transport Select Committee on 24 October 2017 acknowledging a moral obligation (if they make a profit) to contribute and help to defray the costs incurred by the Government in repatriating Monarch customers.
The extent of any profit or loss from Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. Until then, we will not be able to confirm the final total that the Department has recouped.
Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how frequently they intend to update the list of countries exempt from the UK COVID-19 travel quarantine rules; what (1) criteria, and (2) data, will be used to inform such decisions; whether the implementation of changes to the list of exempt countries will be subject to a notice period; and if so, what will be the length of any such notice period.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Secretary of State for Transport made a Written Ministerial Statement on travel corridors on 6 July 2020 setting out the criteria and data that the Government has used when making decisions on travel corridors.
The Health Regulations relating to the self-isolation requirements remain under constant review and are updated as required. Public health remains our top priority, and we will not hesitate to remove countries and territories from the list urgently if the health risks are seen to increase such that there is a risk to the UK public’s health from arrivals from these countries or territories.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many commercial passenger flights have landed in the UK over the last two weeks from (1) China, (2) Iran, (3) Italy, and (4) Spain.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport does not currently hold official statistics on the number of commercial passenger flights that have landed in the UK over the last two weeks. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) collects data relating to the movements of commercial flights occurring at UK airports, and this data is received from UK airports up to two months after the end of each month in adherence to statistical regulation (EC) 437/2003 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passengers, freight and mail by air.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many matters are outstanding in calculating the cost to taxpayers of repatriating Monarch Airlines passengers to the United Kingdom; whether independent accountants have been appointed and given access to papers in order to assist in calculating that cost; and what enquiries have been made to Greybull and its associates in the last year about the collapse of that airline.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The calculation of the final cost to the taxpayer of repatriating Monarch Airlines passengers will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. As such, the Department for Transport has not appointed independent accountants nor given them access to associated paper work at this time.
Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to the taxpayer of repatriating customers of Thomas Cook to the UK; and what are the significant factors which are likely to determine whether that estimate is an (1) over, or (2) under, estimate.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Operation to repatriate customers of Thomas Cook is modelled on the successful repatriation of passengers after the collapse of Monarch Airways.
The final cost of the Monarch operation to taxpayers was about £50 million and the repatriation effort with Thomas Cook is estimated to be about twice the size and far more complicated as Monarch was an airline based in Europe, whereas Thomas Cook was a global travel group.
This is the biggest peacetime repatriation in UK history, involving more than 150,000 passengers, so any problems or delays could lead to additional costs.
The Government will, however, seek to minimise the impact on the taxpayer by entering into discussions with third parties with a view to recovering some of the costs of this large operation. We will also look to recoup some of the costs from relevant credit and debit card providers and travel insurers.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their current estimate for the cost of repatriating customers of Monarch Airlines to the UK assumes a contribution from (1) the owners, and (2) any associate, of Greybull Capital; and when ministers or officials last contacted Greybull Capital about its willingness to make a contribution to that cost.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but it does perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. There is no formal legal mechanism we can use to oblige Greybull to contribute towards the cost of repatriating passengers.
However, Marc Meyohas, partner at Greybull, wrote to the Transport Select Committee acknowledging a moral obligation (if they make a profit) to contribute and help to defray the costs incurred by the Government in repatriating Monarch customers.
The extent of any profit or loss from Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. Until then, we will not be able to confirm the final total that the Department has recouped.
Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they took steps, in the light of the collapse of Monarch Airlines and the expenditure of public funds in repatriating travellers, to ensure that public funds will not be irrecoverably spent in repatriating customers of Thomas Cook; and if so, what steps.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The failure of Thomas Cook is one of the largest travel company failures we have ever seen. A failure of this size, and the number of passengers affected, is unprecedented. In these circumstances, it is right that the Government should step in and help affected passengers return home as smoothly as possible. We are seeking to minimise the impact on the Government and taxpayers by recovering costs where appropriate through the ATOL scheme, credit card companies and travel insurance.
The majority of Thomas Cook passengers are ATOL protected and the costs for repatriating those passengers will be covered by the ATOL scheme.
An independent Airline Insolvency Review, chaired by Peter Bucks concluded earlier this year and the Government published the final report on 9 May 2019. The Review also acknowledged there was no “silver bullet or one-size-fits-all” solution, to ensure consumer protection in the event of airline insolvency. The recommendations are complex and represent an evolutionary, incremental policy approach over many years that takes into account an expected implementation period. The Government is actively considering the recommendations of the review and is committed to taking steps accordingly.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in obtaining a financial contribution from Greybull Capital towards the cost of the return to the UK of passengers on Monarch Airlines consequent on the withdrawal of financial support by Greybull Capital; what is their assessment of whether Greybull Capital and associates are likely to make a profit on their investment in Greybull Capital; whether any such profit will be assessable to UK tax; and when Ministers last had contact with Greybull Capital.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but it does perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. There is no formal legal mechanism we can use to oblige Greybull to contribute towards the cost of repatriating passengers.
However, Marc Meyohas, partner at Greybull, wrote to the Transport Select Committee acknowledging a moral obligation (if they make a profit) to contribute and help to defray the costs incurred by the Government in repatriating Monarch customers.
The extent of any profit or loss from Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020.
Profits made by corporations are subject to the tax laws relevant to their jurisdiction. Petrol Jersey Limited is a company which is incorporated in Jersey. It would be for HM Revenue and Customs to confirm whether any such profit would be assessable to tax in the UK.
Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what targets they have set, if any, to increase the number of electric car charge points on roads and motorways; and what steps they are taking to meet such targets.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s ambition is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles, and we want chargepoints to be accessible, reliable, affordable and secure. We want the transition to 2040 to be consumer and market-led, supported by the measures set out in the Road to Zero strategy. We also want to encourage and leverage private sector investment to build and operate a self-sustaining public network supported by the right policy framework.
Government funding and leadership, alongside private sector investment, has supported the installation of more than 20,000 public chargepoints. This includes 2,000 rapid chargepoints; one of the largest rapid networks in Europe.
The Prime Minister has asked the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to go further and work with industry to set out a vision, by Autumn 2019, for a core infrastructure network of rapid and high powered chargepoints across England’s key road network. The Government’s grant schemes and the £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will also see thousands more chargepoints installed across the UK.
Highways England has committed £15m to ensure there is a chargepoint which is rapid where possible, every 20 miles on 95% of the Strategic Road Network by 2020. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act gives Government powers to ensure appropriate provision of chargepoints at motorway service areas and large fuel retailers if needed.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the use of electric vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s mission is to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.
The Road to Zero Strategy sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions. By 2030 we want at least half of new cars sold, and as many as 70%, to be ultra low emission, alongside up to 40% of new vans. To achieve this, we are investing nearly £1.5bn between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in vehicles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. We have also put in place a favourable tax regime that rewards the cleanest vehicles.
To accelerate the shift to zero emission cars, all zero emission models will pay no company car tax in 2020-21; 1% in 2021-22 before returning to the planned 2% rate in 2022-23 – a significant tax saving for employees and employers. This adds up to one of the most comprehensive support packages in the world for the transition to zero emission vehicles.
The Government has been supporting vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and academia in delivering a major programme of R&D into cleaner vehicle technologies. For example, we announced nearly £40m investment in 12 projects to support innovation in wireless and on-street charging technology to encourage uptake of electric vehicles.
The Prime Minister announced that we are also consulting on proposals for chargepoints to be installed with all newly built homes in England, where appropriate, and on the introduction of smart chargepoints. To improve the consumer charging experience, we want to see all newly installed public rapid and higher powered chargepoints to offer debit/credit card payment from Spring 2020.