Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the policy to reduce the sale of (a) petrol and (b) diesel cars by 2030 on the production capacity of the car industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Given the continued overseas demand for high-quality, UK-built vehicles, changes to policy in the nations we export to are more likely to affect levels of UK car production than changes in domestic policy. Like the UK, policy in key exports markets is toward greater electrification as the global shift to electric vehicles quickens.
Government’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate will ensure the UK’s share of ZEVs increases, putting our industry at the forefront of new technologies to grow the economy and attracting new inward investment, creating thousands of new jobs.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has provided to Wokingham Borough Council for active travel projects in the (a) 2022-3 and (b) 2023-4 financial year.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the 2022/23 financial year, Active Travel England awarded Wokingham Borough Council £127,359 of revenue funding through the Capability Fund and £606,215 of capital funding through the fourth tranche of the Active Travel Fund. So far in 23/24, Wokingham Borough Council has been awarded £63,680 through the Capability Fund. Capital funding for 23/24 is yet to be agreed.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a comparative estimate of (a) initial capital costs and (b) annual running costs of (i) pure electric vehicles, (ii) petrol cars and (ii) diesel cars in the Government car fleet.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government Car Service (GCS) provide a Departmental Pool Car Service to Departments as a shared resource. Ministers have access to this service which is managed by the receiving Department. The GCS currently operates 38 battery electric cars (33% of the GCS fleet). Initial capital costs to procure battery electric cars for the GCS fleet incurred an uplift of at least 18% compared to a similar fit for purpose car.
A comparison of annual running costs is not held at present by GCS. This is due to the fact that the electric battery fleet is charged at multiple locations across numerous Government departments, and that data is not recorded. However, in many cases, electric vehicles continue to benefit from significant savings on the cost of fuel. Charging a medium sized electric car at rates equivalent to the January 2024 electricity price cap equates to around half the cost of filling up an equivalent petrol vehicle. In addition to this, electric vehicles generally cost less to maintain due to fewer moving parts than their petrol or diesel equivalents.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of vehicles in the car fleet for (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials are pure electric cars.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government Car Service (GCS) provide a Departmental Pool Car Service to Departments as a shared resource. Ministers have access to this service which is managed by the receiving Department. The GCS currently operates 38 battery electric cars (33% of the GCS fleet). Initial capital costs to procure battery electric cars for the GCS fleet incurred an uplift of at least 18% compared to a similar fit for purpose car.
A comparison of annual running costs is not held at present by GCS. This is due to the fact that the electric battery fleet is charged at multiple locations across numerous Government departments, and that data is not recorded. However, in many cases, electric vehicles continue to benefit from significant savings on the cost of fuel. Charging a medium sized electric car at rates equivalent to the January 2024 electricity price cap equates to around half the cost of filling up an equivalent petrol vehicle. In addition to this, electric vehicles generally cost less to maintain due to fewer moving parts than their petrol or diesel equivalents.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much grant money has been given to (a) the Mayor of London and (b) London boroughs for (i) ULEZ and (ii) active travel schemes.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). While the Department for Transport works closely with TfL on a range of issues, decisions on spending are entirely matters for TfL and/or the London boroughs where funding is devolved at the borough level.
No grant money has been given to the Mayor of London for his recent expansion of ULEZ, indeed the department specifically prohibited the use of government-provided funds for it.
In 2020/21, government allocated TfL and London Boroughs £25m from the Active Travel Fund and has since required TfL to ring-fence set amounts of funding for active travel schemes, including funding for London Boroughs under the local implementation plan process, in the extraordinary funding settlements with TfL throughout the Covid era.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what grants were provided by her Department to (a) Wokingham Borough Council and (b) state-aided schools in Wokingham in the (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year; and how much was awarded in each grant.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Revenue funding covers ongoing or operational expenses associated with schools. The majority of this is provided on a per pupil basis to support learning and attainment, but it also includes other aspects such as school running costs and salaries.
The following revenue grants were allocated to Wokingham Borough Council and/or schools within the council in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years: the Dedicated Schools Grant, Pupil Premium, PE and Sports Premium, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Recovery Premium, National Tutoring Programme, Teachers’ Pension Employer Contribution Grant and Universal Infant Free School Meals.
Other grants were allocated in specific financial years, to support schools with growing costs and the 2023 teachers’ pay award. These include: the Schools Supplementary Grant (2022/23), Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (2023/24), Teachers’ Pay Additional Grant (2023/24).
Wokingham Borough Council’s revenue grant allocations can be found in the separate table provided. The total school revenue funding grants, broken down by individual schools within the local authority, are published annually, in full. For 2022/23, these can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics. The 2023/24 financial year school revenue funding statistics are scheduled to be published in the same format in January 2024.
Additional revenue funding is provided for post-16 provisions, such as sixth forms and colleges.
The department also allocates capital funding each year to support local authorities to provide sufficient childcare, mainstream and high needs school places, as well as keeping the school buildings that they are responsible for safe and operational. The following capital grants were allocated to Wokingham Borough Council in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years: the Basic Need Capital Allocations Grant, High Needs Provision Capital Allocations Grant, Childcare Expansion Capital Grant and School Condition Allocations (SCA).
Larger multi-academy trusts and voluntary-aided bodies in Wokingham will also have been allocated SCA funding for the schools for which they are responsible, although allocations typically cut across local authority boundaries. Smaller academy-trusts and voluntary aided bodies will have been invited to bid into the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), to apply for funding for specific projects. Outcomes for CIF for 2022/23 and 2023/24 can be found on GOV.UK.
State-funded schools in Wokingham will also have been allocated funding to spend on their capital priorities or contribute to larger projects through an annual Devolved Formula Capital allocation.
In 2022/23, eligible schools and sixth-form colleges also received an allocation from an additional £447 million of capital funding to improve energy efficiency.
More information on school condition funding, including allocations for 2022/23 and 2023/24, can be found on GOV.UK.
Wokingham Borough Council’s grant allocations for Basic Need, High Needs, Childcare and (for its maintained schools) total SCA for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years can be found in the separate table provided.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on whether Post Office managers received bonuses that were based on profits that were higher due to reclaims from sub postmasters affected by Horizon issues.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss a range of matters related to Horizon.
What Post Office Limited (POL) did with the monies claimed from postmasters due to errors in the Horizon system is a complex matter. We will approach POL and write when we have seen what information is available and in what form. However, Postmasters who paid Post Office money due to errors in the Horizon system will be paid this back as part of their compensation.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on the amount of money the Post Office reclaimed from sub postmasters affected by the Horizon issues.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss a range of matters related to Horizon.
What Post Office Limited (POL) did with the monies claimed from postmasters due to errors in the Horizon system is a complex matter. We will approach POL and write when we have seen what information is available and in what form. However, Postmasters who paid Post Office money due to errors in the Horizon system will be paid this back as part of their compensation.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on what the Post Office did with the money it claimed from sub postmasters affected by Horizon issues.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss a range of matters related to Horizon.
What Post Office Limited (POL) did with the monies claimed from postmasters due to errors in the Horizon system is a complex matter. We will approach POL and write when we have seen what information is available and in what form. However, Postmasters who paid Post Office money due to errors in the Horizon system will be paid this back as part of their compensation.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on the level of provision for (a) repayments and (b) compensation related to Horizon.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss the topic of Horizon compensation delivery.
Postmasters who paid shortfalls which were recorded in Horizon to the Post Office are paid those amounts back in their compensation claims, as well as any other financial and personal damage which they have suffered as a consequence of the IT system.
Government has made funding available for both the Horizon Shortfall Scheme and for Overturned Convictions compensation. Post Office has published its provisions for both in its annual accounts and Government has published the level of funding available on the Subsidy Transparency Database.