Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure (a) drivers living in the UK with EU licences and (b) UK licence holders seeking to drive in EU member states do not lose (i) licences and (ii) access to insurance after the age of 70.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since EU exit, bilateral arrangements are in place with all European Economic Area (EEA) countries for the recognition and exchange of the vast majority of UK licences.
For drivers living in the UK with EU licences, an EU licence can be used to drive in the UK until its expiry, up to the age of 70. If an EU licence holder is 67 or over when they become resident in the UK, they can drive until they are 70 or have lived in the UK for 3 years, whichever is longer and provided the licence remains valid. After this time, they must exchange their EU licence for a UK licence. They do not have to retake their test.
For drivers visiting the UK, an EU licence can be used to drive in the UK as long as it is full and valid, regardless of age.
For UK licence holders seeking to drive in EU member states, valid UK licences are recognised for use by visitors. UK licence holders who become resident in the EU are able to use their licences in line with local arrangements. These arrangements vary from country to country, with some enabling extended recognition until the licence expires (after which the UK licence must be exchanged for a local licence). Other countries require that the UK licence is exchanged for a local licence within a specified time period, determined by that country.
The treatment of drivers over the age of 70 varies across EU countries, however being aged over 70 does not in itself prevent a UK licence holder from using that licence in the EU or exchanging it for an EU one.
The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market. They use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses, including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving experience of the applicant. All UK vehicle insurance provides the minimum third-party cover to drive in the EU.
With respect to UK licence holders living in EU member states, insurance is a matter for insurance companies within those states.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the impact of raising wine duty on revenue raised by his Department.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government will make and announce any alcohol decisions at Spring Budget 2024. Duty freezes to alcohol duty over the last decade have amounted to a total tax cut of £12.9 billion to the alcohol industry, including the duty freeze up to 1 August 2024 announced at Autumn Statement 2023.
Before Autumn Statement 2023, since ending the duty escalator for wine in 2013, the wine industry has benefitted from cuts or freezes to wine duty at four out of the last nine fiscal events.
The latest receipts for alcohol duty including wine duty can be found at the following link:
Alcohol Bulletin commentary (November 2023 to January 2024) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to reduce excise duty on wine.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government will make and announce any alcohol decisions at Spring Budget 2024. Duty freezes to alcohol duty over the last decade have amounted to a total tax cut of £12.9 billion to the alcohol industry, including the duty freeze up to 1 August 2024 announced at Autumn Statement 2023.
Before Autumn Statement 2023, since ending the duty escalator for wine in 2013, the wine industry has benefitted from cuts or freezes to wine duty at four out of the last nine fiscal events.
The latest receipts for alcohol duty including wine duty can be found at the following link:
Alcohol Bulletin commentary (November 2023 to January 2024) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the easement for levying wine duty permanent.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As part of the new alcohol duty system, the Government introduced a wine easement for 18 months which will last until February 2025. During this period, all wine between 11.5-14.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) will pay duty as if it were 12.5% ABV. This gives the wine industry over two years to adapt to the new system.
The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and will evaluate the impact of the new rates and structures three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023. This will allow time to understand the impacts on the alcohol market, and for HMRC to gather useful and accurate data with which to evaluate the effects of the reform.
As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its yearly Budget process.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the Renters (Reform) Bill on relocation agents.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. The Impact Assessment for the Bill considers the impact on letting agents (which includes relocation agents).
It estimates that as a result of familiarisation costs and more stable private rented sector tenancies, letting agents will face costs of £1,085 per agent per year over the ten-year appraisal period. The reforms may also create new opportunities for letting agents, such as services which support landlords to meet their new requirements.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his planned timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of Prevent, published on 8 February 2023.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Independent Review of Prevent was published on 8 February 2023.
On 20 February 2024, the Government published the Independent Review of Prevent: One year on progress report. The report details full progress against the Review’s recommendations. This report can be found at the following link: Independent Review of Prevent - One year on progress report.
We have implemented 30 of the 34 recommendations and are making rapid progress on delivering the remaining four.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which recommendations of the Independent Review of Prevent, published on 8 February 2023, have been implemented.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Independent Review of Prevent was published on 8 February 2023.
On 20 February 2024, the Government published the Independent Review of Prevent: One year on progress report. The report details full progress against the Review’s recommendations. This report can be found at the following link: Independent Review of Prevent - One year on progress report.
We have implemented 30 of the 34 recommendations and are making rapid progress on delivering the remaining four.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will take steps to halt evictions from temporary asylum accommodation for the full duration that a severe weather emergency protocol is active.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has been agreed that the eviction or move on from asylum accommodation will pause for up to, but no more than three days, when Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is activated by a local authority and an individual does not have a housing offer from elsewhere.
The Home Office is working to ensure that individuals are offered support from Migrant Help or their partner organisation when they receive a decision on their asylum claim. This support includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the report published by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education entitled UNRWA Education: Textbooks and Terror, published in November 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware of the findings of this report. We take any allegation of the promotion of racism and discrimination extremely seriously and have been clear that incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable and should have no place in education. Any allegations of breaches of UN staff regulations and rules, including neutrality breaches, are reported to FCDO and investigated. We continue to urge all parties to condemn incitement wherever and whenever it occurs.
The UK-supported 2021 review of the Palestinian Authority (PA) curriculum found improvements in content, with previously flagged materials removed. What we really need to see is further curriculum reform from the PA and we continue to raise this with them regularly.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what his policy is on the use of the term genocide in reference to Uyghurs in Xinjiang province.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK Government's longstanding policy that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for the government. We are taking robust action in response to China's human rights violations in Xinjiang regardless. In October 2023, the UK led a joint statement with a record 50 signatories on Xinjiang at the UN, demonstrating a significant number of countries are prepared to call China out for its human rights violations. We have also imposed sanctions, enhanced export controls, provided guidance to businesses, and taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains. The UK Government also consistently raises human rights violations with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels - the Foreign Secretary last did so during a call with China's Foreign Minister in December 2023.