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Written Question
Pension Funds: Energy
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to make investment in energy infrastructure more attractive for pension funds.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is attracting tens of billions of private investment into energy infrastructure from a wide variety of sources. Autumn Statement 2023 announced planning and grid reforms which could bring forward £90 billion of investment in energy infrastructure over 10 years, and since September 2023 alone companies have announced plans for £30 billion of new energy investment.

Autumn Statement added to the significant progress government has already made in creating the right enabling environment for infrastructure in decarbonization, as set out in Powering Up Britain. This includes:

- Innovative financing mechanisms and business models to provide revenue support and long-term certainty for investors in green industries, including Contracts for Difference (CfDs) for renewable energy generation, Regulated Asset Base (RAB) for nuclear, and models for CCUS and hydrogen.

- A strong public finance offer, including the £22bn in financial capacity in the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) which enables it to partner with the private sector and government to increase net zero infrastructure investment.

Spring Budget 2024 delivers and builds on announcements from Autumn Statement, creating the enabling environment for net zero investment through energy system reforms. This includes:

- Confirmation of the parameters of the 6th Contracts for Difference (CfD) round for offshore wind, with the largest ever budget set at £1 billion.

- Seizing the growth opportunities of the net zero transition, with an additional £120 million for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator targeted at manufacturing capacity in the clean energy sectors where the UK has the strongest current or potential advantage: CCUS, hydrogen, offshore wind, networks, and nuclear. This brings overall funding for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator to over £1 billion.

- The pensions reforms currently being developed by the Government, Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator, which will also help ensure that pension funds are investing in the full range of asset classes including infrastructure.


Written Question
Renewable Energy: Investment
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to report entitled Financing the Future: Energy, published by the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association on 26 February 2024, what steps her Department plans to take to encourage private capital investment in green energy.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK saw £60bn of investment in 2023, meaning that since 2010 the UK has seen £300bn of public and private investment into low carbon sectors. The Powering Up Britain Plan, backed by substantial government funding, seeks to attract private capital for green energy.

We've bolstered investor confidence with announcements on the UK Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) sector and the Hydrogen Strategy. In December 2023, we unveiled Europe's largest simultaneous commercial-scale green hydrogen projects, supporting 125MW in the inaugural Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1).

We’ve allocated over £1 billion for the flagship Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme's Allocation Round 6 (AR6) and £1.1 billion to the Green Industries Growth Accelerator, to support the expansion of domestic green manufacturing capacity and strengthen clean energy supply chains.


Written Question
IVF
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on the number of children born as a result of IVF treatment in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) publishes annual reports on the number of children born as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and has a live database containing this information, that can be found on their website. The following table shows the number of live births as a result of IVF treatments, in each of the last 10 years:

Year of treatment

Live births due to IVF treatments

2021

18,523

2020

15,280

2019

21,057

2018

21,236

2017

22,086

2016

21,305

2015

20,801

2014

20,066

2013

19,000

2012

17,967

Source: data is from the HFEA annual report on fertility treatment and the HFEA dashboard.

Note: live births for 2019, 2020, and 2021 are preliminary, and have not yet undergone quality assurance processes, to verify that the data is correctly recorded on the register.


Written Question
Special Guardianship Orders
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children have been subject to a special guardianship order in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government does not collect figures in relation to how many children are subject to a special guardianship order at any one time.

However, the following table extracted from the publicly available Family Court Statistics Quarterly figures provides details on the number of children involved in orders from 2013 until 2022. Data for public law cases in 2022 has not been published due to data issues resulting from the reform of public law services.

The number of these orders has remained relatively stable over that period.

Year

Public Law

Private Law

Total

2013

4,923

1,863

6,786

2014

4,852

1,944

6,796

2015

5,514

1,949

7,463

2016

5,668

1,812

7,480

2017

5,758

1,581

7,339

2018

5,920

1,501

7,421

2019

5,835

1,544

7,379

2020

5,268

1,196

6,464

2021

6,124

1,293

7,417

2022

*

1,184

*


Written Question
Airspace: Horn of Africa
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) the safety of overflying British aircraft of recent Traffic Collision Avoidance System events over air space controlled by Somalia and Somaliland.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The safety and security of British airlines and the travelling public are a top priority for my Department. Management of airspace is a sovereign responsibility and it is for airlines to take decisions on routings. DfT provide additional advice to UK airlines operating outside of the UK where we deem it necessary

In relation to Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) events within Somali airspace, a high number of TCAS events may indicate an inadequate Air Traffic Control provision within the area but it also means that the protections are working and aircraft are being kept separated. Should an aircraft’s TCAS be unserviceable, then protection is still provided by aircraft with a serviceable TCAS. It is also of note that this airspace is not routinely or regularly used by UK operators.


Written Question
Asylum: Religion
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his Department's procedure is for the verification of religious conversion when cited as a reason for the validity of an application for asylum.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

All asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religion or belief, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations, so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.

Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims, including those based on religious conversion, and all caseworkers receive extensive training and mentoring support before making such decisions.

Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

The degree of weight to be given to evidence from church witnesses will depend on how much knowledge and experience a church witness has, and the individuals concerned, and the way in which the claimant may have engaged in church activities. Evidence from a senior church member is not considered to be determinative.

In such cases, decision-makers must decide whether a conversion is genuine on the balance of probabilities. Decision-makers must consider all evidence in the round, including, where relevant, such factors as the claimant’s participation in church activities, the timing of their conversion, their knowledge of the faith, and the opinions of other members of the congregation as to the genuineness of the conversion.

Protection is normally granted where a claimant has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention or a claimant faces a real risk of serious harm. Those found not to need protection are refused, and the decision can be subject to legal challenge where appropriate, either via appeal to the independent courts or through a judicial review, depending on the decision in question. Once appeal rights are exhausted, they are liable for removal and enforcement action pursued where necessary.


Written Question
Asylum: Religion
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the role of the Church of England is on advising on the validity of religious conversion claims where the threat of religious persecution is given as a material basis for the claim.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

All asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religion or belief, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations, so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.

Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims, including those based on religious conversion, and all caseworkers receive extensive training and mentoring support before making such decisions.

Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

The degree of weight to be given to evidence from church witnesses will depend on how much knowledge and experience a church witness has, and the individuals concerned, and the way in which the claimant may have engaged in church activities. Evidence from a senior church member is not considered to be determinative.

In such cases, decision-makers must decide whether a conversion is genuine on the balance of probabilities. Decision-makers must consider all evidence in the round, including, where relevant, such factors as the claimant’s participation in church activities, the timing of their conversion, their knowledge of the faith, and the opinions of other members of the congregation as to the genuineness of the conversion.

Protection is normally granted where a claimant has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention or a claimant faces a real risk of serious harm. Those found not to need protection are refused, and the decision can be subject to legal challenge where appropriate, either via appeal to the independent courts or through a judicial review, depending on the decision in question. Once appeal rights are exhausted, they are liable for removal and enforcement action pursued where necessary.


Written Question
Perinatal Mortality: Coroners
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to enact section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Work to publish the response to the 2019 consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths was paused during the pandemic, and since then the landscape of maternity investigations has changed significantly.

The findings of the consultation were complex, and it is imperative that they are carefully considered when deciding whether the coronial jurisdiction should be extended to include the investigation of stillbirths.


Written Question
Asylum: Religion
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who applied for asylum who changed their religious adherence had their claim (a) granted and (b) refused in each of the last five years.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

This information is not recorded in a reportable format.

Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within the ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

This does not include information regarding whether the asylum applicant changed their religion.


Written Question
Asylum: Religious Freedom
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications were granted on the basis of the risk of persecution on religious grounds in each of the last five years.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

This information is not recorded in a reportable format.

Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within the ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

This does not include the grounds for granting leave to remain in the UK.