Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help mitigate the impact of new onshore renewable energy projects on local communities.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government recognises that renewable energy projects can have local impacts. There are established routes in the planning system that require local impacts to be measured and controlled (such as through Environmental Impact Assessments), that enable communities to raise concerns about renewable energy developments in their area, and that ensure the adverse impacts of these developments are addressed satisfactorily prior to consent being granted.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the roll out of (a) nuclear energy, (b) onshore renewable energy and (c) offshore renewable energy schemes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government published the British Energy Security Strategy in April, which sets out the UK’s ambitions for deployment of low-carbon energy, including nuclear and renewables.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the effectiveness of the police investigating road traffic accidents involving drivers of vehicles registered abroad.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of the police investigating road traffic accidents involving drivers of vehicles registered abroad. Enforcement of road traffic legislation and the investigation of road traffic accidents are operational matters for the police, however all drivers on UK roads are subject to the same legislation.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a Demand Response Travel project for areas of North Hertfordshire and St Albans District in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Whilst it is for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to determine and prioritise investment in local transport, the Government’s National Bus Strategy asked all LTAs outside London to publish a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) covering the full area, including parts with differing needs, such as rural elements. The Strategy encourages new forms of bus provision in areas which are not adequately served by conventional timetabled buses. DRT can play a part in delivering this.
Hertfordshire County Council submitted a high-quality BSIP. On 8 August 2022, the Department wrote to the Council’s Transport Director, confirming their funding allocation of up to £29,732,100 (of which £13,190,400 is capital and £16,541,700 is revenue) to support delivery of the BSIP.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that retailers pass on the savings from the reduction in Fuel Duty to consumers.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government has been clear that it expects all those in the supply chain to pass through the fuel duty cut to consumers buying fuel at the pump.
This summer, the independent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) undertook an urgent review of the market for road fuel. Their initial findings suggest that the fuel duty cut appears to have been largely passed through. The Government will await further findings from the CMA.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help support people in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency with rises in the cost of living in the period after August 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials.
On 8 September, government announced that the energy price cap will be superseded with a new Energy Price Guarantee, which means that a typical UK household will pay no more than £2500 a year on their energy bill over the next 2 years from 1 October. The Government will also introduce a six-month scheme to support businesses, charities and public sector organisations, which will protect them from soaring energy costs and provide them with the certainty they need to plan their business through the acute crisis this winter.
This announcement comes in addition to the previously announced support. Eight million of the most vulnerable households, including those in Hitchin and Harpenden, will see £1,200 extra support in Cost of Living Payments, provided in instalments across the year, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits. This includes the £400 support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme – available to all households.
We continue to monitor a range of cost of living pressures and their impacts, and later this month the Chancellor will set out a package of measures to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut taxes and boost growth, laying the groundwork for the change we need in the long term to make our economy stronger.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of rises in the cost of living on people in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials.
On 8 September, government announced that the energy price cap will be superseded with a new Energy Price Guarantee, which means that a typical UK household will pay no more than £2500 a year on their energy bill over the next 2 years from 1 October. The Government will also introduce a six-month scheme to support businesses, charities and public sector organisations, which will protect them from soaring energy costs and provide them with the certainty they need to plan their business through the acute crisis this winter.
This announcement comes in addition to the previously announced support. Eight million of the most vulnerable households, including those in Hitchin and Harpenden, will see £1,200 extra support in Cost of Living Payments, provided in instalments across the year, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits. This includes the £400 support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme – available to all households.
We continue to monitor a range of cost of living pressures and their impacts, and later this month the Chancellor will set out a package of measures to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut taxes and boost growth, laying the groundwork for the change we need in the long term to make our economy stronger.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help support people in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency with rises in the cost of living in the period between August 2021 and August 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials.
On 8 September, government announced that the energy price cap will be superseded with a new Energy Price Guarantee, which means that a typical UK household will pay no more than £2500 a year on their energy bill over the next 2 years from 1 October. The Government will also introduce a six-month scheme to support businesses, charities and public sector organisations, which will protect them from soaring energy costs and provide them with the certainty they need to plan their business through the acute crisis this winter.
This announcement comes in addition to the previously announced support. Eight million of the most vulnerable households, including those in Hitchin and Harpenden, will see £1,200 extra support in Cost of Living Payments, provided in instalments across the year, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits. This includes the £400 support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme – available to all households.
We continue to monitor a range of cost of living pressures and their impacts, and later this month the Chancellor will set out a package of measures to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut taxes and boost growth, laying the groundwork for the change we need in the long term to make our economy stronger.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional support his Department has provided to farmers since the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will maintain current average levels of investment in farming of £2.4 billion per year in England over the life of this Parliament. All funding released from reductions in Direct Payments are being re-invested into delivering new schemes that contribute to our three goals: supporting viable businesses, maintaining food production at its current level, and achieving animal health, welfare and climate outcomes.
For example, we are introducing three new schemes that reward environmental benefits including the Sustainable Farming Incentive which farmers and land managers can now apply online for.
Defra has also launched the new Farming Investment Fund which offers funding for equipment, technology, and infrastructure that improves farm productivity and benefits the environment.
Last October, we launched the Farming Innovation Programme with an initial £17.5 million, which encourages groups of farmers, growers, businesses, and researchers to get involved in collaborative research and development. This will support and drive adoption of new innovation by farmers and growers to ensure it can make a real difference.
Since 2020, farmers have continued to receive financial support for delivering environmental outcomes through the Environmental Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship agri-environment schemes. Since 2021, Defra has made a number of changes to improve the application process for farmers for Countryside Stewardship, and updated payment rates.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help protect high-grade agricultural land from (a) housing and (b) other non-agricultural developments.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure that planning supports agriculture and food production as well as delivering other goals. This is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should take into account all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land.
Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.