Gavin Newlands

The Department does not record data on correspondence acknowledging receipt of a complaint on Green Deal loan mis-selling which has been sent by this Department. Complaints on Green Deal mis-selling can be received through a number of routes, including email, post, and official Department and Ministerial correspondence.

For complaints about mis-selling, the Financial Ombudsman Service is responsible for initial reviews. For many, but not all, complaints about other Green Deal matters, such as installation quality, the Green Deal Ombudsman is contracted to complete initial reviews.

In all cases, decisions regarding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed, are the responsibility of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Complainants do not receive direct correspondence from the Financial Ombudsman Service as part of the reviews of complaints submitted to the Secretary of State. In addition to the work it completes on complaints to the Secretary of State, the Financial Ombudsman Service more generally handles Green Deal complaints about financing issues as part of its statutory role under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Some such complaints may subsequently be referred to the Secretary of State for review and may be the subject of associated correspondence between the Financial Ombudsman Service and the complainant, but such correspondence stands outside of the formal review process.

Under the Green Deal Framework regulations, loans can be reduced or cancelled where there has been a breach of the relevant rules, and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State is satisfied that the consumer has suffered, or is likely to suffer, a substantive loss. This applies to any complaint which meets the eligibility requirements regardless of whether it concerns a Green Deal Plan that was in place at a property prior to a complainant inheriting that property.

The Department does not record data on the number of complaints about mis-selling of Green Deal Plans by Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) received from complainants who did not enter the original credit agreement as the property “improver”. Complaints to my Rt, Hon. Friend the Secretary of State can be made under the Green Deal Framework regulations by original improvers or subsequent bill payers (other eligibility criteria must also met).

For complaints about mis-selling, the Financial Ombudsman Service is responsible for initial reviews. For many, but not all, complaints about other Green Deal matters, such as installation quality, the Green Deal Ombudsman is contracted to complete initial reviews.

In all cases, decisions regarding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed, are the responsibility of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Complainants do not receive direct correspondence from the Financial Ombudsman Service as part of the reviews of complaints submitted to the Secretary of State. In addition to the work it completes on complaints to the Secretary of State, the Financial Ombudsman Service more generally handles Green Deal complaints about financing issues as part of its statutory role under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Some such complaints may subsequently be referred to the Secretary of State for review and may be the subject of associated correspondence between the Financial Ombudsman Service and the complainant, but such correspondence stands outside of the formal review process.

For complaints about mis-selling, the Financial Ombudsman Service is responsible for initial reviews. For many, but not all, complaints about other Green Deal matters, such as installation quality, the Green Deal Ombudsman is contracted to complete initial reviews.

In all cases, decisions regarding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed, are the responsibility of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Complainants do not receive direct correspondence from the Financial Ombudsman Service as part of the reviews of complaints submitted to the Secretary of State. In addition to the work it completes on complaints to the Secretary of State, the Financial Ombudsman Service more generally handles Green Deal complaints about financing issues as part of its statutory role under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Some such complaints may subsequently be referred to the Secretary of State for review and may be the subject of associated correspondence between the Financial Ombudsman Service and the complainant, but such correspondence stands outside of the formal review process.

The UK Internal Market Bill ensures the UK can operate as a coherent internal market, guaranteeing UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining world-leading standards for consumers, workers, food and the environment.

The UK has some of the highest standards in the world on goods and some of the most robust standards on foods, with world-leading food, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards.

The Government has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud. A bespoke package of counter-fraud measures will be built into the scheme design, drawing on best practice and lessons learnt?from previous domestic and international?schemes.

In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords of rented homes in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.

The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes. Further detail on the eligibility for the scheme will be announced in the coming days, before the scheme’s full launch.

In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords of rented homes in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.

The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes. Further detail on the eligibility for the scheme will be announced in the coming days, before the scheme’s full launch.

Ministers in the Department hold many meetings with companies, including Rolls-Royce, to discuss a wide range of business issues.

Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in our transparency data, which is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

The Department continues to work closely with the fuel sector to ensure that plans are in place to maintain the supply of petroleum and diesel in the event of a public health emergency.

The sector is used to varying levels of demand, and disruptions to supply, for example during inclement weather, and is adept at directing resource to where it is most needed. In addition, the Government has a long-standing fuel supply contingency programme that can be deployed in support of industry to maintain fuel supplies as close to normal levels as possible.

As of 3^rd March 2020, there are 147 outstanding appeals, relating to the company Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS), which have been referred to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

The Regulations require that, before imposing any sanction, the Secretary of State gives notice to affected parties of his intention to impose a sanction and provides them with an opportunity to make representations before it is made final. To date, 83 Intention Notices have been issued in respect of the outstanding HELMS appeals.

The tables attached provide details of the age of the outstanding appeals, broken down by (i) constituency, (ii) local authority area and (iii) NUTS first level region.

I have had no such discussions with the Scottish Rugby Union, the Irish Rugby Football Union, the Welsh Rugby Union or the Rugby Football Union. The Government is clear that the existing list works well, and strikes the right balance between retaining free-to-air sports events for the public, and allowing rights holders to negotiate agreements in the best interests of their sport. The Government has no current plans of undertaking a review of the list, or of moving the Six Nations from the category B list to the category A list. As a Group B event, live coverage of the Six Nations Rugby tournament may be broadcast by a subscription television service provided that secondary coverage is offered to the eligible free-to-air broadcasters.

Phase One Acquisition spend from Financial Year 2014/15 to 2020/21 is £41.5m; no earlier spend reported. Companies involved are: CBRE, Lambert Smith Hampton, Carter Jonas, Valuation Office Agency, Montagu Evans and Deloitte. These companies also rely on sub-contractors for various technical matters.

£946,379,547.59 (including VAT where relevant) for compulsory purchase and £19,498,000 for statutory blight and discretionary schemes.

The Government recognises the challenges faced by the aviation sector at this time. The Government is committed to maintaining critical connectivity and through policies like Public Service Obligations the Department for Transport subsidises routes into London.

We have also taken action to support airports through the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS). This opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England. It will provide support up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities or COVID-19 losses – whichever is lower – in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.

The Government is keen to find ways to work closely with the industry to ease restrictions on international travel gradually and sustainably. The Secretary of State for Transport will lead a successor to the Global Travel Taskforce to develop a framework that can facilitate greater travel when the time is right, while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Department for Transport has engaged very regularly with the industry, including through both Ministerial meetings and official led sessions.

As announced on 22nd February as part of the roadmap for the phased lifting of restrictions in England, the Secretary of State for Transport will also now lead a successor to the Global Travel Taskforce to develop a framework that can facilitate greater international travel when the time is right, while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants.

The government is also developing a forward looking strategic framework on the recovery of the sector, which we engage with the industry on and will publish later this year.

Before Covid-19, aviation directly contributed at least £22 billion to GDP to the UK economy and supported around half a million jobs. This included the air transport and aerospace sectors, as well as the wider supply chain. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the aviation sector has been one of the worst affected sectors in the UK. Passenger numbers at UK airports fell by 99% at the height of the pandemic. Overall volumes of flight traffic in the UK is currently around 80% below equivalent 2019 levels. The air transport sector’s contribution to the UK economy dropped by 74% in 2020 compared to 2019 and tens of thousands of redundancy notifications have been made. In addition to the direct impact to the UK air transport sector, the wider supply-chain and economy has also been adversely impacted by the severe reduction in air passenger demand, jobs and air connectivity, with impacts on consumer spending and investment across the rest of the economy.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.

Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England.

In addition, through the Global Travel Taskforce, the Government will work closely with the industry to find ways to safely and gradually ease restrictions on international travel. We will set out more detail on this soon.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time.

Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firms can continue to draw upon the package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and VAT deferrals.

In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England. It will provide support up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities or COVID-19 losses – whichever is lower – in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.

Through the Global Travel Taskforce, the Government will work closely with the industry to find ways to safely and gradually ease restrictions on international travel. We will set out more detail on this soon.

The new UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) does not place any restriction on air services between points in the UK and points in the EU, ensuring that UK-EU trade can continue to travel freely by air. Furthermore, the TCA recognises that, at their discretion, EU Member states may permit UK airlines to operate non-scheduled air services within and beyond the EU. The TCA also allows the UK and individual EU Member States to negotiate and agree a bilateral exchange of additional “5th Freedom” all-cargo rights. My officials are engaging closely with EU Member States and with industry on these matters.

DfT has not produced economic forecasts of recovery and growth in the air transport or travel sectors. DfT maintain a capability to produce a range of passenger demand scenarios, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding the potential shape of recovery, for internal use.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.

Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.

In addition, through the Global Travel Taskforce, the Government will work closely with the industry to find ways to safely and gradually ease restrictions on international travel. We will set out more detail on this soon.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.

Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firms can continue to draw upon the package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and VAT deferrals.

In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England. It will provide support up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities or COVID-19 losses – whichever is lower – in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.

As of 31 January 2021, the Secretary of State for Transport has executed General Vesting Declarations (GVD) for permanent acquisition of 362 pieces of land or properties, by serving 4,060 notices on the interests in that land or those properties.

HS2 Ltd has 66.5 square kilometres (plus 2.2 square kilometres of subsoil) within act limits; reviewing and forecasting land requirements is an on-going process whilst design and construction plans continue.

a) The costs incurred to date for land and property acquisition is £2,345 million. Within this £1,202 million is for Compulsory Purchase, £287 million for Schemes, £624 million through Private Agreement, and £232 million for Statutory Blight.

b) The final amount of compensation payable will be dependent on a number of factors including the take-up of discretionary schemes. HS2 Ltd is currently tracking to deliver its programme of acquisitions within the funding envelope agreed with the Department.

• For Blight claims, 222 claimants have been compensated.

• For Phase One non-statutory Schemes, 345 parties have been paid (Need to sell/ Exceptional Hardship/ Rural Support Zone)

• For Phase 1 Access Licences, 1,552 claimants have received compensation

• For Phase One Compulsory Purchase Order Claims, 1,002 claimants have received compensation, from 2,742 total separate payments.

Until the final number of notices have been served, and the claims received, the final number is not possible to forecast.

The High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017 identifies an area of 66.5 square kilometres plus 2.2 square kilometres of subsoil which may be acquired or possessed for the purposes of building the railway from London to Birmingham. As at the end of January 2021, 26.45 square kilometres have been acquired under permanent acquisition powers, and 26.76 square kilometres are currently being occupied under temporary possession powers. Reviewing and forecasting land requirements is an on-going process whilst design and construction planning continues.

Market access arrangements for hauliers transporting equipment for cultural events was discussed regularly during negotiations between the UK and the EU, and they are subject to the provisions in the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA). During UK-EU negotiations, the UK put forward proposals for an exemption for specialist hauliers carrying out tours for cultural events, but the EU did not agree to our ask.

The provision of driver welfare in Operations Stack and Brock is the responsibility of the Kent Resilience Forum. In the event of significant disruption on the M20, the Kent Resilience Forum may take the decision to activate their Driver Welfare Plan, which includes the proportionate distribution of welfare at the roadside. Both the Department and the KRF monitor the situation closely and have the capability to increase the provision of welfare depending on the scale of demand, as demonstrated by the response to the extreme traffic disruption that occurred over the Christmas period as a result of France closing the border.

Now the that transition period has ended EU authorities require additional paperwork and checks when goods are moved from the UK to the EU. Border readiness checks are undertaken both in the EU and within the UK (to ensure that freight can enter the EU after it has left the UK). These additional checks take time and there will inevitably be a certain proportion that are not border ready (i.e. have the correct documentation), which may result in some disruption. DfT analysis has focused on a Reasonable Worst Case Scenario for planning purposes, which can be found here. Note that this is not an estimate but a scenario used for contingency planning purposes. As yet it is too early to use observed data to provide an estimate, as freight volumes have been low, as they usually are in early January.

Following the end of the Transition Period, all existing UK airlines are able to continue flying between the UK and the EU, including overflights and technical stops – the first four freedoms of the air.

The UK and individual EU Member States may also negotiate additional so-called fifth freedom rights for all-cargo carriers and may permit additional flexibilities for non-scheduled services.

The Department has received 90 notifications from operators indicating that they would be using the temporary relaxation of the enforcement of the EU drivers’ hours rules. The Department has not yet received the final notifications from all these operators about whether or not the relaxation was actually used. The relaxation ended on 30 December 2020 and there are no plans to extend this further given the current situation.

However, two separate and different relaxations of the enforcement of the EU drivers’ hours rules were granted (which both began on 23 December 2020 and will end on 22 January 2021). One is for the general haulage of goods in Great Britain and the other is for the international carriage of goods by road, related to substantial delays to border crossings. Details can be found on the gov.uk website.

The UK Government will remain a member of the European Conference of Ministers for Transport (ECMT) regime after the transition period as it is a multilateral agreement independent of the European Union.

Since leaving the EU on 31^st of January 2020, the UK no longer participates in EASA meetings. The Department for Transport has not discussed with any member state the possibility of mutual travel without the requirement for quarantine.

Since leaving the EU on 31^st of January 2020, the UK no longer participates in EASA meetings. The Department for Transport has not discussed with any member state the possibility of mutual travel without the requirement for quarantine.

The Government recognises the challenges consumers and businesses are experiencing regarding refunds for cancelled holidays and flights. In particular, we appreciate the frustration consumers may be experiencing. The government’s position is clear - if a customer asks for a refund, that refund needs to be paid. The Department for Transport is in regular conversation with UK airlines and is working with the wider sector, the regulator and consumer groups to help ensure airlines deliver on their commitments.

DfT has been engaging with a range of transport industry sectors to understand and monitor the impact of Covid-19. The Chancellor has set out an unprecedented range of support measures for businesses across the economy that the transport industry can access. This includes schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

We have discussed and agreed with HMT appropriate support to ensure continuation of key services. This includes services to support key workers and essential freight capacity. We have suspended normal rail franchise agreements and transferred all revenue and cost risk to the government for a limited period to safeguard minimum rail services. On Maritime Freight Capacity, support for operators on key routes across the Irish Sea (up to 5 routes) and GB-mainland Europe (up to 26 routes, incl. Eurotunnel). We have committed to funding worth almost £400 million to protect bus services for people who need to make essential journeys.

Any business that continues to experience financial distress after taking advantage of the cross-economy schemes and implementing all possible self-help measure can apply for bespoke support. This additional bespoke support is treated as the last resort.

We are continuing to discuss the support that may be required as we enter the restart and recovery phase of the Covid outbreak.

Ministers and officials have had regular meetings with the Confederation for Passenger Transport in recent weeks to discuss a wide range of matters. The Government has launched an unprecedented set of support measures to ensure that businesses, such as coach operators, have access to the funds they need to pay essential bills at this difficult time. This includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of October. Officials are engaging with both MHCLG and HMT to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are for the coach sector, and how these could be addressed.

Ministers and officials at the Department are in regular contact with representatives of the road haulage industry, including the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association, to understand the issues the industry is experiencing as a result of COVID-19, including operational and financial matters. The Department is working with the industry to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to allow for the continued operation of the road freight sector during the pandemic, and to identify barriers to accessing the available Government support measures.

Where a company, such as Flybe, is being taken under the management of an administrator, it would be a matter for the administrator if employees are able to access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. However, we would expect an administrator would only access the scheme if there is a reasonable likelihood of rehiring the workers.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth on 18th March 2020 to Question 28666.

As set out in the summary report of the longer semi-trailer trial for the year 2018, published on 2 March 2020, the net emissions reduction from the trial to date is around 37,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

The extent to which these savings would be achieved outside of the current trial setting would depend on the commercial appetite for using longer semi-trailers and the regulatory regime put in place.

The future of the longer semi-trailer trial is currently under consideration.

The Department currently has no plans to support the installation of liquid petroleum gas and natural gas refuelling stations on the road network.

Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) has a well-established refuelling network across the UK; it is reported at https://www.filllpg.co.uk/ that there are 1,937 confirmed stations.

There is an established refuelling network for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) within the UK for HGVs, which are the only road vehicles currently utilising LNG as an alternative fuel in the UK. Industry have advised that they have plans in support of the creation of new refuelling points across the strategic road network, should demand for LNG increase.

The final report of the evaluation of the national HGV speed limit increase in England and Wales (which will include Year three findings) will be published shortly. The interim reports have been published.

The Department is assessing industry proposals to increase the maximum authorised weights of HGVs involved in multi-modal journeys to 48 tonnes and hence make rail movements more competitive. There are significant environmental and economic benefits to a trial of such a proposal, but there are cost and feasibility issues related to infrastructure strengthening and road wear.

All drivers are required to hold a valid licence for the type of vehicle they operate. For drivers who operate vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, an additional 35 hours of periodic training is required every 5 years to maintain their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Drivers must have the full Driver CPC if they drive a lorry, bus or coach as the main part of their employment

There is no additional licencing scheme for delivery drivers beyond the driving licence. No discussions on such a scheme have taken place.

There have been no recent discussions about this specific topic. The Department does hold regular working level discussions with the Health & Safety Executive.

There have been no recent discussions about these specific topics.

We have no plans to mandate that light goods vehicles are liveried to identify the driver, contractor or place of business. This would impose costs on small businesses and the light vehicle rental sector. It would also not be suitable for many commercial light goods vehicles, such as those used for more than one contract, driven by multiple drivers or on short term leases.

All employers with an annual pay bill over £3 million pay the apprenticeship levy. This includes road haulage operators.

The Secretary of State has discussed with the Secretary of State for Education issues raised by the transport sector regarding the training that attracts levy funding, the creation of apprenticeship standards, the funding levels attached to them and the availability of training providers and end point assessors.

There have been no recent discussions with the Association of British Insurers on insurance cover provided to contractor drivers.

Improving gender balance in the sector is vital if we are to address skills challenges and support businesses to benefit from building a broader pool of talent. Building skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths is a fundamental part of this, as many jobs in the sector require these skills.

The Department for Transport is leading efforts to promote the exciting training and career opportunities in the transport sector to under-represented groups. These include:

• The Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy 2016 set stretching ambitions for apprentice starts and increasing diversity within the sector including for women to represent 20% of technology and engineering apprenticeship starts. The most recent Annual Report ‘Three Years of Progress’ published on 11th July 2019 set out that:

• 15.4% of technical and engineering roles are female, making good progress to STAT’s ambition of 20% and up from 3% in 2015.

• We are seeing a higher proportion of women at higher levels of training. 27% of all degree level apprenticeship starts were female in 2018/19.

• 23.6% of women undertake apprenticeships in the sector.

• An aviation programme ‘Reach for the Sky’ launched in October 2019, with the aim of making the aviation industry diverse, inclusive and accessible to all, with a focus on encouraging the next generation into the sector. The Department has appointed eleven ‘Aviation Ambassadors’, a group of outstanding aviation industry role models, who will work to inspire the next generation to take up aviation careers, champion diversity and social mobility within the industry, and develop initiatives to tackle barriers to aviation careers.

• The maritime sector has improved gender balance through the creation of a Women in Maritime Taskforce, committing maritime companies to act upon a Pledge and Charter.

• In 2017, DfT’s Rail Strategic Vision set out a commitment to use franchise competitions to support a range of measures to improve diversity of the workforce including how the franchisee will attract young people into rail and address underrepresentation of women across all levels and grades. The Rail Sector Deal set out plans to improve the diversity of the sector.

• The Department for Transport led a cross-government campaign to promote engineering to young people, including under-represented groups, through 2018’s successful Year of Engineering campaign. The Department now works in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Education (DfE) to support the Engineering: Take a Closer Look legacy campaign, aimed at 13-16 year olds. This includes promoting engineering in transport, working with schools and the Girl Guides through design challenges and production of a booklet acknowledging aspirational female engineers from the transport sector.

• The Department’s Ministerial team and Permanent Secretary hosted a Women in Transport event to bring senior leaders from across industry together to tackle gender diversity issues on Monday 2^nd March and drive a co-ordinated sector response to International Women’s Day on 8^th March 2020.

There have been no recent discussions with EU representatives on the maintenance of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) after the transition period.

The Secretary of State may make Regulations under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, to take measures to prevent the spread of disease or threats to public health arising from the arrival or departure of any “vessel, aircraft, train or other conveyance”. This regulation making power is sufficiently broad so as to suspend or amend transport services in the event that they pose a sufficient threat to public health or the spread of disease. Any powers relating to international travel would need to be exercised in accordance with the United Kingdom’s international obligations. The powers apply to England and Wales and the Secretary of State may make regulations which apply to England. Welsh Government Ministers may choose to make regulations applicable to Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own legislative provisions.

Section 17 of the Bus Services Act 2017 provides powers for the secretary of state to require the provision of audible and visible information on board local bus services throughout Great Britain. In exercising their powers the Secretary of State must consult with both Scottish and Welsh Ministers.

Officials engaged with their Scottish and Welsh counterparts during the development of the policy proposals put to consultation in summer 2018, and both devolved administrations were invited to respond formally. We will continue to engage with the devolved administrations in finalising the policy and bringing forward Regulations.

In Summer 2018 the Government published a public consultation on proposals to require the provision of accessible on-board information on local bus services throughout Great Britain.

We are currently finalizing our response to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.

In Summer 2018 the Government published a public consultation on proposals to require the provision of accessible on-board information on local bus services throughout Great Britain.

We are currently finalizing our response to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.

The Government will publish a White Paper on the recommendations of the Williams Review early this year, including those relating to data. The White Paper will include proposals to improve access for disabled passengers to the network.

The Department for Transport engages with the Office of Rail and Road on issues regarding the accessibility of the rail network including the importance of reliable and up-to-date accessibility information. The Williams Rail Review will shortly come forward with proposals to improve access for disabled passengers to the network.

The Department for Transport regularly engages with the Rail Delivery Group on how we can work together to make the rail network more accessible for disabled people and those with additional needs, including the provision of up to date information of accessible facilities on trains and at stations. However, this is not done under the terms of the Open Government License.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has been successful in promoting a market for sustainable renewable fuels. Building on that success, the Government nearly doubled targets for supply from 2018 to 2020 and set further targets out to 2032, providing investment certainty. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from low carbon fuels supplied in transport under the RTFO are important in the delivery of savings required to meet UK carbon budgets. The trade of low carbon fuels and feedstocks is global and we will continue to engage with counterparts internationally, including with our colleagues in the EU.

The Government has made significant progress in relation to policy on E10 and we will publish our response to the call for evidence on E10, as well as next steps, as soon as possible. The Department has been in regular consultation with officials from the Scottish Government in developing this policy, which could benefit the whole of the United Kingdom.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has been successful in promoting a market for sustainable renewable fuels. Building on that success, the Government nearly doubled targets for supply from 2018 to 2020 and set further targets out to 2032, providing investment certainty. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from low carbon fuels supplied in transport under the RTFO are important in the delivery of savings required to meet UK carbon budgets. The trade of low carbon fuels and feedstocks is global and we will continue to engage with counterparts internationally, including with our colleagues in the EU.

The Government has made significant progress in relation to policy on E10 and we will publish our response to the call for evidence on E10, as well as next steps, as soon as possible. The Department has been in regular consultation with officials from the Scottish Government in developing this policy, which could benefit the whole of the United Kingdom.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has been successful in promoting a market for sustainable renewable fuels. Building on that success, the Government nearly doubled targets for supply from 2018 to 2020 and set further targets out to 2032, providing investment certainty. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from low carbon fuels supplied in transport under the RTFO are important in the delivery of savings required to meet UK carbon budgets. The trade of low carbon fuels and feedstocks is global and we will continue to engage with counterparts internationally, including with our colleagues in the EU.

The Government has made significant progress in relation to policy on E10 and we will publish our response to the call for evidence on E10, as well as next steps, as soon as possible. The Department has been in regular consultation with officials from the Scottish Government in developing this policy, which could benefit the whole of the United Kingdom.

The Overseas Scale Rates (OSR) guidance was last updated in February 2019 and applied from 6 April 2019.

The published rates are designed to reflect the average cost of subsistence, including local taxes and gratuities, when staying overseas. This will, of course, vary from case to case as well as city to city.

Employers can pay or reimburse employees’ allowable travel expenses free of tax and National Insurance contributions in two ways. They can pay the actual expenses or use the scale rates HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) set. If they pay the actual expenses, they must check the employee’s receipts, but do not have to do this if they use the scale rates.

If an employee spends more than the amount their employer pays, they can claim tax relief on the difference. Guidance on how to do this can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-income-tax-relief-for-your-employment-expenses-p87.

The Overseas Scale Rates (OSR) guidance was last updated in February 2019 and applied from 6 April 2019.

The published rates are designed to reflect the average cost of subsistence, including local taxes and gratuities, when staying overseas. This will, of course, vary from case to case as well as city to city.

Employers can pay or reimburse employees’ allowable travel expenses free of tax and National Insurance contributions in two ways. They can pay the actual expenses or use the scale rates HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) set. If they pay the actual expenses, they must check the employee’s receipts, but do not have to do this if they use the scale rates.

If an employee spends more than the amount their employer pays, they can claim tax relief on the difference. Guidance on how to do this can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-income-tax-relief-for-your-employment-expenses-p87.

The Government has been working for over a year to help businesses to understand and prepare for their new obligations, including customs paperwork for export to the EU.

The Government undertook significant readiness activity prior to 1 January, identifying key customer groups and delivering a high volume of targeted communications and engagement, including sending over 11 million letters and emails and hosting 50 webinars with over 30,000 attendees to date, preparing businesses for the new rules.

Through the cross-Government campaign since August the Government has reached 41m adults (15+) and 16m business decision makers through radio, and 18m adults (15+) and 3.5m business decision makers through print and digital articles, promoting key readiness messaging for importers and exporters.

The Government will continue to assess carefully how traders are adapting to the new customs arrangements over the next few weeks and months.

HMRC are unable to provide the information requested as HMRC do not categorise employees as “customs officials”.

To?give the devolved administrations the upfront certainty to plan and deliver their coronavirus response,?we have guaranteed they will receive at least £16bn in additional resource funding this year on top of their Spring Budget?funding.

Any additional funding provided to the Department for Transport to support Transport for London will result in Barnett consequentials for the devolved administrations and these will contribute towards the guaranteed funding.

Where additional funding is being provided to departments in-year, the devolved administrations generally receive consequential funding using programme comparability rather than overall departmental comparability. Given local transport is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, a comparability factor of 100% will be applied as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.

The Treasury is currently working with the devolved administrations to update and publish comparability factors in a revised Statement of Funding Policy alongside the upcoming Spending Review.

Any additional funding provided to the Department for Transport to support Transport for London will result in Barnett consequentials for the devolved administrations.

As is the normal process,?changes to departmental and devolved administrations’ funding will be confirmed at Supplementary Estimates.

Therefore, to?give the devolved administrations the upfront certainty to plan and deliver their coronavirus response,?we have guaranteed they will receive at least £14bn in additional funding this year on top of their Spring Budget?funding. This means a total increase this year of at least £7.2bn for the Scottish Government, £4.4 billion for the Welsh Government, and £2.4 bn for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage to or from Great Britain. The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the United Kingdom, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales of non-excise goods and the VAT Retail Export Scheme will not be extended to passengers travelling to the EU, and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government has also continued to meet and discuss with key stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including Glasgow Airport and smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free before.

The final costing will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage to or from Great Britain. The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the United Kingdom, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales of non-excise goods and the VAT Retail Export Scheme will not be extended to passengers travelling to the EU, and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government has also continued to meet and discuss with key stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including Glasgow Airport and smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free before.

The final costing will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage to or from Great Britain. The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the United Kingdom, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales of non-excise goods and the VAT Retail Export Scheme will not be extended to passengers travelling to the EU, and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government has also continued to meet and discuss with key stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including Glasgow Airport and smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free before.

The final costing will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

Forecasts of future receipts are produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on a regular basis as part of their Economic and Fiscal Outlook series. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked the OBR to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast to be published in November.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK’s principal tax on the aviation sector. The OBR’s Fiscal Sustainability Report, published in July, has estimated APD receipts over the next five financial years under various scenarios. Under the central scenario, the OBR estimated that APD would raise: £1.3bn in 2020-21; £3.7bn in 2021-22; £3.8bn in 2022-23; £3.9bn in 2023-24 and; £4.1bn on 2024-25. The report acknowledges that these figures are “hugely uncertain”.

Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of stakeholders across sectors as part of ongoing policy development and implementation.

Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport are in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the sector and its workers.

The UK government has agreed a £1.6 billion funding and financing package for Transport for London to protect key services. This is comprised of £1.095 billion of grant funding from the Department for Transport and a £505 million PWLB loan.

As a result of this package, the devolved administrations will receive over £200 million of additional funding: over £100 million for the Scottish Government, £65 million for the Welsh Government, and over £35 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Government seeks, as far as possible, to protect people’s jobs and incomes. This is an unprecedented jobs retention scheme and the Government has been working hard to set out further details on the scheme. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on 19 March 2020. Full details can be found in the guidance available at www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme and www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme, which provides answers to these questions.

The Government seeks, as far as possible, to protect people’s jobs and incomes. This is an unprecedented jobs retention scheme and the Government has been working hard to set out further details on the scheme. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on 19 March 2020. Full details can be found in the guidance available at www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme and www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme, which provides answers to these questions.