Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support the financial services sector.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Edinburgh Reforms, launched by the Chancellor on 9 December, take forward the government’s ambition for an open, sustainable, and technologically advanced financial services sector that is globally competitive and acts in the interests of communities and citizens across all four nations of the UK. These reforms build on the work the government is already taking forward through the Financial Services and Markets Bill and the reforms to Solvency II announced at the Autumn Statement.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the £400 arising from the Energy Bill Support Scheme will be delivered to park home residents.
Answered by Graham Stuart
I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave my Hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch on 8th November to Question 78634.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that Ukrainian driving licences remain valid 12 months after entry to the UK; whether they will be required to take a test to exchange the licence for a GB equivalent; and what support is being given to help with the process of exchanging to a GB equivalent.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Ukrainian driving licences are already valid for 12 months in Great Britain for driving most cars and motorcycles, and can be exchanged without test for a UK licence. Work is ongoing in respect of Ukrainian bus and lorry licences. Following this question, I have asked officials to consider whether there are further measures we might take in this regard.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to bring forward proposals on long-term funding for the PE and Sport Premium for primary schools.
Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith
My right hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Education, confirmed on the 25 of June that the £320 million PE and sport premium will continue for the 2022/23 academic year, supporting primary schools to continue to improve the PE, sport and physical activity which they offer.
The position of the PE and sport premium beyond the 2022/23 academic year will be confirmed in due course. Any decisions beyond the 2024/25 financial year are subject to the outcome of future spending reviews in the usual way.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that people in caravan parks who are connected to utilities through the park owners will be able to receive the £400 payment through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for St Albans on 20th June 2022 to Question 18990.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timeframe is for changing the annual index of park home pitch fees from the Retail Price Index to the Consumer Price Index.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents and this includes changing the pitch fee review inflationary index from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). We will introduce the required legislation when the parliamentary timetable allows.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government maintains a database of firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England that have gone into liquidation in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government does not maintain a specific database of firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England that have gone into liquidation in each of the last three years.
However, the Government does hold data from the Insolvency Service on liquidations of firms in the wider construction sector in England and Wales. The table below sets out Registered Compulsory Liquidations and Registered Creditors' Voluntary Liquidations to three-digit level Standard Industrial Classification from 2018 to Q3 of 2021.
Description | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 to Q3 | |
2,754 | 2,881 | 1,874 | 1,619 | ||
Construction of buildings | 876 | 975 | 637 | 538 | |
Development of building projects | 419 | 420 | 280 | 251 | |
Construction of residential and non-residential buildings | 457 | 555 | 357 | 287 | |
Civil engineering | 144 | 156 | 117 | 121 | |
Construction of roads and railways | 24 | 31 | 35 | 51 | |
Construction of utility projects | 23 | 19 | 11 | 12 | |
Construction of other civil engineering projects | 97 | 106 | 71 | 58 | |
Specialised construction activities | 1,734 | 1,750 | 1,120 | 960 | |
Demolition and site preparation | 57 | 57 | 28 | 24 | |
Electrical, plumbing and other construction installation activities | 624 | 646 | 407 | 361 | |
Building completion and finishing | 564 | 606 | 406 | 309 | |
Other specialised construction activities | 489 | 441 | 279 | 266 | |
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government maintains a database of complaints levelled against general building firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector; and how many complaints have been made by subcontractors against general building firms that have engaged their services over the last three years.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring that we have a high-quality and professional construction industry in the UK, and to strengthening consumers’ rights and access to redress in the domestic construction sector. We have recently consulted on proposals to reform competition and consumer policy. This includes proposals for mandatory alternative dispute resolution in the home improvements sector.
At present, the Government does not maintain a database of complaints levelled against general building firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England.
There are also several market-led mechanisms, including online forums and public reviews, that highlight those in the sector who are not doing the right thing.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government maintains a database of complaints levelled against general building firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England; and how many customer complaints have been made against general building firms for work that has failed building control inspections in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring that we have a high-quality and professional construction industry in the UK, and to strengthening consumers’ rights and access to redress in the domestic construction sector. We have recently consulted on proposals to reform competition and consumer policy. This includes proposals for mandatory alternative dispute resolution in the home improvements sector.
At present, the Government does not maintain a database of complaints levelled against general building firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England.
There are also several market-led mechanisms, including online forums and public reviews, that highlight those in the sector who are not doing the right thing.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government maintains a database of complaints levelled against general building firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England; and how many customer complaints have been made against general building firms for unsafe work over the last three years.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring that we have a high-quality and professional construction industry in the UK, and to strengthening consumers’ rights and access to redress in the domestic construction sector. We have recently consulted on proposals to reform competition and consumer policy. This includes proposals for mandatory alternative dispute resolution in the home improvements sector.
At present, the Government does not maintain a database of complaints levelled against general building firms operating within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector in England.
There are also several market-led mechanisms, including online forums and public reviews, that highlight those in the sector who are not doing the right thing.