Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that pauses in the funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) do not exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.
We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands, and we are helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the the potential impact of pauses of future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on stability in the West Bank.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.
However, we remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the those who desperately need it. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands.
Regarding the situation in the West Bank, as we have stated we support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, and the Palestinian Authority has an important long-term role to play. We must work with our allies to provide serious, practical and enduring support needed to bolster the Palestinian Authority. We already provide technical and practical support and are ready to do more. The Palestinian Authority must also take much needed steps to reform, including setting out a pathway to demonstrate progress. Just as the Palestinian Authority must act, so must Israel. This means releasing frozen funds, halting settlement expansion and holding to account those responsible for extremist settler violence.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with EDF on (a) the adequacy of its capital funding for the completion of the Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station and (b) China General Nuclear's payment contributions beyond their contractual cap.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
HPC is not a Government project. The financing of HPC is a matter for EDF and its shareholders and has not been the subject of discussion with the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much insurance premium tax was collected from car insurance in each year since 2010.
Answered by Bim Afolami
HMRC does not hold the information requested.
Insurance Premium Tax returns do not include a breakdown of the tax due on specific products, as this may impose an excessive administrative burden on customers.
Information on monthly Insurance Premium Tax receipts is published in the document, “HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK”, found at the link below.
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of decreasing insurance premium tax for car insurance.
Answered by Bim Afolami
IPT is a tax on general insurance premiums charged at two rates: a standard rate at 12%, including car insurance, and a higher rate at 20%. Insurance pricing is a decision which is affected by a wide range of factors, and the taxes that insurers pay are just one part of this. It is hard to predict the impact of an IPT reduction on motor insurance pricing because this depends on how insurers react. Furthermore, revenue raised from IPT helps the Government to fund vital public services, including the NHS, education and defence. The Government currently has no plans to reduce Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) on car insurance.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports that insurance premiums for 17 to 20-year-olds have risen by more than £1,000 since last year.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance and trends in the market.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made on the potential impact of increased insurance premiums for young drivers on (a) affordability and (b) the increased risk of uninsured drivers.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance and trends in the market.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with car insurance providers on the potential impact of insurance premiums on the number of new drivers on the roads.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance and trends in the market.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in car insurance prices in the last 12 months.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance and trends in the market.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support the (a) development of and (b) private investment in marine energy technologies; and whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the announcement of Horizon Europe Programme funding for the EURO-TIDES multi-turbine tidal energy project.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to support the development of marine energy technologies through research funding. This is on top of the unprecedented 94MW of tidal stream capacity that has been secured through the Contracts for Difference scheme.
The Department continues to engage with the Department for Business and Trade on maximising private investment opportunities for the marine energy sector.
The recent success of UK tidal stream developers in securing Horizon Europe funding will be of great benefit to the UK and is representative of the UK’s strength in the tidal sector.