Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment she has made of the amount of Vehicle Excise Duty on (a) electric motorcycles and (b) electric quadricycles.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Different Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates apply to cars, vans, motorcycles, and other vehicles; the rate for each vehicle is calculated according to a range of factors, such as the type of vehicle, its date of first registration, weight, or CO2 emissions.
VED for motorcycles is currently based on engine size. There are four engine size ranges, with the lowest rate applying the smallest engines sized 150cc or less (currently £26) and to zero emission motorcycles. In contrast, the highest rate applies to engines sized 600cc and above (currently £121).
Quadricycles fall outside of the definition of an electric car or motorcycle in the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. Electric quadricycles therefore remain exempt from VED.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what criteria will he base the review of the Carr-Hill formula.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.
The review of the Carr-Hill formula will draw on a range of evidence and advice from experts, with a focus on how health need is reflected in funding. Further detail on the review will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help make the HM Revenue and Customs helpline more accessible to customers.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publish monthly performance data, including information on their telephony service, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports.
Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.
A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. This will reduce pressure on phone lines, freeing up HMRC advisors to help those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
As of 2024-25, there were more than 5.9 million users of the HMRC app, which allows people to manage their tax affairs quickly and easily.
HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap sets out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses. The Transformation Roadmap can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of the HM Revenue and Customs helpline.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publish monthly performance data, including information on their telephony service, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports.
Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.
A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. This will reduce pressure on phone lines, freeing up HMRC advisors to help those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
As of 2024-25, there were more than 5.9 million users of the HMRC app, which allows people to manage their tax affairs quickly and easily.
HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap sets out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses. The Transformation Roadmap can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on selling energy generated by community-led renewable energy schemes directly to the community.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore some of the policy and regulatory barriers to local supply. The Department is working closely with Ofgem, Great British Energy and other key stakeholders to determine how best to support local generation being matched with local demand.
The energy industry has also been working to make changes to industry rules to support the local trade of energy, including code modifications to the Balancing and Settlement Code, P442, and standardising the classification of local energy sites, P441. Further updates and outcomes from this work will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department holds data on the number of (a) cycle and (b) car parking spaces at each (i) Crown and (ii) Magistrate Court.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMCTS holds data on the number of car parking spaces at each Crown and Magistrates’ Court, which can be found in the attached spreadsheet. HMCTS does not hold equivalent data on the number of cycle parking spaces at each Crown and Magistrates’ Court.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to prevent people from selling high-powered e-bikes and scooters that are not legal for use on roads.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s legal framework for product safety places responsibility for the safety of e-bikes and e-scooters on the businesses manufacturing or importing them. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations.
Vehicles sold for a legitimate and permitted use but which are used on public land illegally is an enforcement matter for the police, under the Department for Transport’s road safety regime.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that self-employed delivery riders are included in mandatory training obligations designed to protect (a) themselves and (b) the public.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, self-employed people have duties with regards to health and safety where they employ others, or where their work creates a risk to others who are not their employees. Existing UK laws also require that all consumer products must be safe before businesses can place them on the market, including those sold online.
We recognise that new technologies and ways of working have made it more complex for businesses and workers to apply the law, which is why the Government has committed to consulting on a simpler framework for employment status.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Office for Product Safety and Standards on the enforcement of existing standards for (a) e-bike batteries and (b) conversion kits.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under existing UK product safety law, all consumer products, including e-bike batteries and conversion kits, must meet legal requirements for safety when placed on the market. Tackling unsafe e-bikes is a priority for the Office for Product Safety and Standards, in my Department. They and Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to enforce the law including removing non-compliant products from sale. OPSS has prohibited the supply of certain models of unsafe e-bike batteries, and published 22 separate product recalls for non-compliant e-bikes and similar products since 2022.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to hold online marketplaces accountable for the sale of (a) unsafe and (b) non-compliant e-bike products.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK product safety law is clear: all products must be safe before being placed on the market, including e-bikes.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards leads a national Online Marketplaces Programme of regulatory action to reduce risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods sold online. This involves a range of activities, including regulatory engagement with online marketplaces on products such as e-bikes and enforcement action where necessary.
The Government has also introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to allow updates to the product safety framework and ensure consumers are protected; recognising the increasingly important role of online supply chains.