Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the level of (a) accessibility to and (b) affordability of maintenance processes for electric vehicles.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
In the Road to Zero strategy, the UK Government committed to working with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) to ensure the UK’s workforce of mechanics are well trained and have the skills they need to repair electric vehicles safely. Last year the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) endorsed IMI’s TechSafe professional standards and register for electric vehicle technicians. People will be able to use the register to check the electric vehicle competencies of technicians at their garage, supporting consumer confidence in this growing market. OLEV has also endorsed the National Franchised Dealers Association’s Electric Vehicle Approved scheme to recognise expertise and promote industry standards in electric vehicle retail and aftersales. Today, owners of electric vehicles can have substantially lower fuel and maintenance costs compared to those with conventional vehicles. 100% electric vehicles are designed to be as efficient as possible and there are generally three main components powering the vehicle: the on board charger, inverter and motor. This means there is less wear and tear on the vehicle and little stress on the motor, with fewer moving parts sustainable to damage. This means electric vehicles have reduced servicing requirements and the running and repair costs are minimal.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to increase the affordability of electric cars.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
We are currently investing nearly £1.5bn? between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles to reduce the up-front purchase price of electric vehicles, as well schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. Purchasers of electric vehicles also benefit from lower Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax rates from April. As part of our consultation on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, we are asking what the accompanying package of support will need to be to enable the transition and minimise the impacts on businesses and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply side measures already in place.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe large-scale disposable of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
Electric vehicle battery recycling is covered by the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, which ban the disposal of automotive and industrial batteries to landfill and incineration. This also establishes take-back and recycling obligations for industrial battery producers. The UK’s £274 million Faraday Battery Challenge is playing a leading role in promoting the reuse and recycling of battery components. This includes several industry led collaborative R&D projects and the Faraday Institution’s £10m ‘ReLib’ research project. ReLib is developing the technological, economic and legal infrastructure to allow high percentages of the materials in lithium ion batteries at the end of their first life to be reused or recycled. The Faraday Institution also participate in the Global Battery Alliance – a World Economic Forum initiative which aims to accelerate action towards a socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and innovative battery supply chain.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate provision of charging infrastructure for electric cars in towns and villages by 2035.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
We are currently investing nearly £1.5bn? between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in vehicles, as well schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. Government and industry have supported the installation of over 17,000 devices providing over 24,000 publicly available chargepoints. This includes over 2,400 rapid chargepoints – one of the largest networks in Europe. Our grant schemes and our £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle chargepoints installed across the UK. The first £70 million of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will create 3,000 new rapid chargepoints, more than doubling the number of rapid chargepoints across the UK by 2024. Along with the private sector, the Government will invest £1 billion in charging infrastructure – making sure that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station. On 21 January, we announced that Government has doubled the value of the On-street Residential Charging Scheme for 2020-2021 to £10 million to support the provision of up to 3,600 chargepoints for those that don’t have off-street parking.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to change the (a) application and (b) approval process for the second round of funding for the voluntary-aided schools: capital scheme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The first round of the voluntary-aided (VA) capital scheme ran from November 2018 to February 2019. The successful bid, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia (RCDEA) for a Catholic primary school in Peterborough, was announced in June 2019. Following receipt of in-principle agreement from the Department to provide capital funding, proposers are required to complete the statutory process to establish new VA schools. Peterborough City Council approved the statutory proposals from RCDEA on 27 January 2020.
A feasibility study will now be carried out before the Department gives final agreement to provide funding. We will announce further information about round two of the scheme in due course, taking into account lessons from the first round.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the most recent round of funding granted through the voluntary-aided schools: capital scheme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The first round of the voluntary-aided (VA) capital scheme ran from November 2018 to February 2019. The successful bid, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia (RCDEA) for a Catholic primary school in Peterborough, was announced in June 2019. Following receipt of in-principle agreement from the Department to provide capital funding, proposers are required to complete the statutory process to establish new VA schools. Peterborough City Council approved the statutory proposals from RCDEA on 27 January 2020.
A feasibility study will now be carried out before the Department gives final agreement to provide funding. We will announce further information about round two of the scheme in due course, taking into account lessons from the first round.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to launch the second round of the voluntary-aided schools capital scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The first round of the voluntary-aided (VA) capital scheme ran from November 2018 to February 2019. The successful bid, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia (RCDEA) for a Catholic primary school in Peterborough, was announced in June 2019. Following receipt of in-principle agreement from the Department to provide capital funding, proposers are required to complete the statutory process to establish new VA schools. Peterborough City Council approved the statutory proposals from RCDEA on 27 January 2020.
A feasibility study will now be carried out before the Department gives final agreement to provide funding. We will announce further information about round two of the scheme in due course, taking into account lessons from the first round.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the (a) terms of reference, (b) membership and (c) minutes of the meetings of the Digital Identity Unit.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Digital Identity Unit is a collaboration between DCMS and Cabinet Office. Further information on the work of the Unit will be published in the government’s response to the Digital Identity Call for Evidence in Spring 2020. Any additional information will be released in line with DCMS and Cabinet Office publication schemes.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timeframe is to enable access to the DVLA database of licences to private sector identity organisations that are not part of the Gov.verify project.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Digital Identity call for evidence, published in July 2019, sought views on how the government can support the development and secure use of digital identities across the public and private sector. A government response and next steps will be published in Spring 2020.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release, Prime Minister boosts schools with £14 billion package, published on 30 August 2019, when the £700 million for children with special educational needs will be allocated; and whether that funding will be ring-fenced.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
On 11 October 2019 we notified local authorities of their provisional allocations of high needs funding for the next financial year 2020-21, which included an additional £780 million, compared to their 2019-20 allocations. This additional £780 million will not be ring-fenced within the total high needs funding allocations to local authorities, which will rise to over £7 billion next year. The high needs allocations will form part of the dedicated schools grant to local authorities, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2020-to-2021.
The dedicated schools grant is ring-fenced and has to be spent by local authorities on education in accordance with the regulations and conditions of the grant.