Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to encourage frontier and emerging market countries to adopt environmental, social and governance standards for attracting investment into those countries and to safeguard financial returns.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports globally consistent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards through the work being led by the International Sustainability Standards Board. The UK also works through our Development Finance Institution, British International Investment (BII), which plays an important role in implementing ESG standards. BII for example has a policy on Responsible Investing which sets out the environmental, social and business integrity requirements (ESG) that BII Investees are expected to meet after an investment is made.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reformed HGV levy on logistics businesses operating Euro VI HGVs.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government reformed the HGV levy in February 2019 to incentivise vehicle operators to move towards newer, cleaner, Euro VI vehicles to reduce emissions from HGVs and improve air quality. Euro VI rates were reduced by up to 10% and rates for other vehicles increased by 20%, benefitting logistics businesses operating Euro VI HGVs.
The levy was suspended in August 2020 to support the haulage sector and aid COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts. The suspension provided the opportunity to consider further reforms to the levy. Following public consultation in 2022, a new reformed levy will come into effect in August 2023 with a revised structure and with rates on average around 20% lower than they were before the suspension.
The consultation included analyses of the impacts of the changes, although no changes were proposed relating to retaining a differential between Euro VI and other vehicles.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria by which residents of EU member states will be enabled to vote in the next general election.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
EU citizens have never been able to vote in UK parliamentary elections and the Government has no plans to change that. The right to vote in Parliamentary elections and choose the next UK Government is rightly restricted to British citizens and those with the closest historical links to our country.
Resident citizens of Malta and Cyprus can vote in UK general elections as qualifying Commonwealth citizens. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland (ROI) can also vote in UK general elections based on historical ties and a long-standing reciprocal arrangement on voting rights between the two countries.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to release comprehensive guidelines outlining the functionalities of the UK Single Trade Window for the benefit of traders.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government provided an overview of proposed UK Single Trade Window (STW) functionality in the draft Border Target Operating Model (TOM) which was published on 5 April 2023.
A final version of the TOM is expected to be published shortly and will include additional detail on STW functionality in response to stakeholder feedback on the April 2023 draft.
More comprehensive information will become available over time as STW functionality is developed and released incrementally.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of barriers faced by logistics businesses attempting to access the Apprenticeship Levy for their training requirements.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to supporting employers within the logistics sector to make full use of apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need, now and in the future. Employers have developed 37 high-quality apprenticeship standards within the transport and logistics sector, including transport and warehouse operations supervisor, supply chain leadership professional and network operations.
We have fast-tracked applications to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) for providers nominated by employers hosting the Large Goods Vehicle standard to tackle the urgent need for drivers. This allowed new providers to apply to the Register and be fast tracked to deliver for employers needing training.
In May 2022, the department also introduced a temporary exception to the RoATP, allowing lead providers to subcontract to unregistered providers delivering training and testing for the acquisition of driving licences. This has increased training capacity and access to more of the available testing provision, and this exception is in place until 31 July 2023.
In 2021, a new version of the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship was launched and the department increased funding from £5,000 to £7,000 to support providers delivering the standard. Additionally, the department is reviewing the funding band for the Heavy Vehicle Service and Maintenance Technician apprenticeship standard, as requested by employers, and a decision will be made as soon as possible.
The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and employers within the transport and logistics sector can access this funding for the high-quality apprenticeships they choose to meet their business needs and to help fill skills gaps within their industry.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held regarding the development of a national road charging scheme.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
As set out in a letter to the Transport Select Committee in January 2023[1], the Government is currently focusing on delivering on its key priorities and does not currently have plans to consider road pricing.
[1] https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/34225/documents/188339/default/
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year since 2010, what is their estimate of (1) changes in costs incurred by the logistics sector, and (2) investment levels into the logistics sector.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold a formal assessment of these specific changes across the logistics sector. The department is in regular contact with the logistics sector, and discussions do include the impacts of the wider economic environment. This cross-cutting industry operates within the private domain where costs are varied.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the change in (1) operating costs, including fuel and energy, (2) training and recruitment costs, and (3) taxes and charges, incurred by the logistics sector in each year since 2010.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold a formal assessment of these specific changes across the logistics sector. The Department is in regular contact with the logistics sector, and discussions do include the impacts of the wider economic environment. This cross-cutting industry operates within the private domain where costs are varied.
The following analysis, however, may be of relevance: the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes weekly fuel prices from 2003 to the present day and the Office for National Statistics conducts a regular survey of business sectors on concerns such as energy prices and business rates.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Generation Logistics campaign.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The industry-led, government-backed, Generation Logistics campaign is supporting the Government’s commitment to ensure the freight and logistics sector has the people and skills it needs to thrive.
Since its launch in August 2022, the campaign has been successfully delivering on its objectives, reaching a large and diverse audience through its ambassador network, educational events, and targeted messaging online.
We continue to monitor the campaign’s progress, working collaboratively between government and industry to further raise awareness and positive sentiment towards logistics careers.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to encourage optimism among (1) UK exporters, and (2) inward investors into the UK.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has an extensive programme of business engagement which markets the UK as a place where business can invest, grow and export. 'Made in the UK, Sold to the World' highlights the demand for UK goods and services around the world, and the GREAT campaign markets the UK as a destination for investment.
We are also taking proactive measures to solidify business confidence such as enacting our 12-Point Plan for exports which is transforming our support services, and hosting the Global Investment Summit in November which will promote the UK to the world’s foremost investors.