Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing Vehicle Excise Duty on the uptake of electric (a) cars, (b) vans and (c) motorcycles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMT is responsible for setting tax rates, including vehicle excise duty and company car tax rates, and carry out assessments relating to fiscal measures they take.
From 2025, electric vehicles will still have preferential first year rates of vehicle excise duty in comparison to the most polluting vehicles, in addition to having preferential rates of company car tax out to April 2028. This will continue to support the uptake of all electric vehicles.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on the levelling up agenda for the devolved Nations.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Our Levelling Up White Paper sets 12 national missions to level up the whole of the country including across all four home nations. We are taking action to ensure the benefits are felt in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including putting local voices at the heart of decision making through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, launching an Innovation Accelerator in Glasgow City Region, and establishing a UK National Academy to provide a first-class education to every child in the UK. Ministers in this department are working closely with parliamentarians and other leaders from all parts of the UK. We are also investing £1.49 billion in City and Growth Deals in every part of Scotland, £791 million across Wales, and £617 million for deals covering the whole of Northern Ireland, helping to create jobs and boost local economies right across the UK.
The Levelling Up Fund will bring further meaningful investment to every part of the UK. Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund saw over £341 million awarded to 29 successful projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Results for round 2 of the Fund, which will provide even more vital investment, will be announced by the end of the year.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) capping or (b) greater regulation of the profits of Distribution Network Operators to help give consumers greater confidence in the equity of energy bills.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ofgem uses the price control process to set the amount that Network Operators can spend and the returns they can make on investment, in a way that allows the funding needed for a more resilient, low-carbon network while protecting consumers from excessive costs. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem and the network companies throughout the development of the price controls. The next electricity distribution network price control will commence in April 2023, with Final Determinations from Ofgem expected shortly.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of public funding for the research of (a) adult- and (b) juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government primarily funds research into rare conditions, such as Huntington’s disease and Juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
From 2017/18 to 2021/22, funding for research into Huntington’s disease was £32.6 million and in 2021/22, expenditure was £4.9 million. The NIHR and UKRI welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including adult Huntington’s disease and Juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR and UKRI award funding through open competition to ensure the highest quality research is funded.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has taken steps to establish an online fuel comparison tool.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Competition and Markets Authority’s Road Fuel Review published on 8 July, recommended the Government considers an open data scheme to improve consumers’ access to fuel prices.
In response, the Government committed to further work and analysis to assess the feasibility of this recommendation. This includes implementation timescales, legislative vehicles, and its efficacy in delivering fuel price transparency.
The Government will gather evidence of existing schemes in other countries to understand how they work and their impact to date on consumer behaviour and fuel pricing. It will aim to conclude its assessment by Spring 2023.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with the devolved administrations on developing consistent guidance and support for people with Huntington's disease.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While there have been no specific discussions, we regularly engage with the devolved administrations on support for people with rare conditions, such as Huntington’s disease.
The UK Rare Diseases Framework, published in January 2021, sets out the ambition to improve the lives of those with rare diseases. The nation-specific action plans provide details on how each administration will meet the shared priorities of the Framework.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the rate of Value Added Tax on sunscreen, sunblock and other sun safety products.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The standard rate of VAT applies to the vast majority of goods and services, including sun safety products.
High-factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and is therefore VAT free when dispensed by a pharmacist.
One of our reservations is that there is no guarantee any wider reduction in tax would be passed on to consumers, so while we keep all taxes under review, we have no plans to make changes.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government’s response to e-petition 607712 on Do not reform the Human Rights Act, what steps the Government is taking to safeguard human rights in the UK.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The UK is committed to protecting and respecting human rights. We have a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. We have strong human rights protections within a comprehensive and well-established constitutional and legal system.
This Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to ‘update the Human Rights Act... to ensure there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government’. The Government stands by this commitment.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in (a) Malta, (b) France, (c) Canada, (d) New Zealand, (e) Greece and (f) representatives of regional or state governments in the (i) USA, (ii) Spain and (iii) Australia on protection for transgender people and banning conversion practices.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has engaged with a wide range of international counterparts including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Malta, to understand the approaches they have taken to ban conversion therapy. We will continue to engage with counterparts around the world that are committed to protecting everyone from conversion practices to share insight and develop our approach.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of extending the extra cost of living payment for pensioners that receive a winter fuel payment beyond 2023.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Pensioner households will receive a one-off pensioner Cost-of-Living payment in 2022/23, worth £300. This will be paid in November or December as a top up with the Winter Fuel Payment. Therefore, a household with someone of State Pension age will receive £500 and a household with someone aged 80 or over will receive £600.
No decisions have been taken regarding 2023/24.