Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors of the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'.
The Northern Ireland Office is committed to minimising the impact we have on our environment and supporting the wider UK Government’s Net-Zero commitment. We are committed to utilising video conferencing and dial-in facilities rather than travelling to meetings, using public transport rather than cars and taxis when travelling to meetings, and ensuring that electricity usage is minimised by implementing energy-efficient equipment. In line with the Government alignment to TCFD disclosures, the Northern Ireland Office will be reporting future metrics and targets in our Annual Report & Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government when in early 2024 they intend to consult on the impacts of the July 2023 High Court ruling in Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC on the VAT treatment of Private Hire Vehicles, as undertaken in paragraph 5.81 of the Autumn Statement 2023.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government remains committed to consulting on the impacts of this ruling, and will publish a consultation in due course.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in VAT rates on private hire vehicles and minicab journeys on (a) driver earnings and (b) jobs in the industry.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The VAT treatment of private hire vehicle services has not changed. The Government will consult on the potential impacts of the Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC High Court ruling, and will publish a consultation in due course.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on the timetable for legislating on national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There was insufficient parliamentary time to bring forward legislation on national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing during this Parliament, but the Government remains committed to doing so in due course.
Asked by: Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op) - Wakefield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department is making on introducing national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicles.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has taken action to support taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England to use their existing powers to set consistent licensing standards. The Government published the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards in 2020, statutory guidance, which focus on safeguarding standards to protect children and vulnerable adults, although the measures benefit all passengers. On 17 November 2023 the Government issued updated Best Practice Guidance, following consultation, which seeks to drive consistency on licensing issues outside of the scope of the statutory guidance and maintaining high standards of safety and accessibility.
The Government remains committed to legislating for national minimum standards when Parliamentary time allows. The guidance already issued would be a natural starting point when setting future legislation.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Earl Howe on 22 May where he stated that they plan to "engage stakeholders on the proposal set out in the levelling up White Paper to explore transferring the responsibility for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles to upper-tier and combined authorities" during the course of this year, when they intend to initiate that process.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport intends to carry out engagement on this issue early next year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the transition to fully electric taxi fleets in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Taxi policy is a devolved matter in all UK nations. However, the UK Government provides Plug in Vehicle Grants to support the transition to zero emission vehicles across the UK. These include a number of harder to transition vehicles including taxis, wheelchair accessible vehicles and vans. The eligibility for these grants is based on the vehicle design and capability. All grants are kept under continual review to ensure the best value for taxpayer's money.
Some local authorities in the devolved administrations may have received money to support chargepoint installation through the Levelling Up Fund, such as in Northern Ireland, which received £3 million towards the upgrade of the electric vehicle charging network.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies for traditional black cab drivers in the context of the growth of alternative taxi service providers.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has no plans to provide subsidies in this area.
Asked by: Lord Deben (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many private flights (1) took off, and (2) landed, in the UK in the most recent year for which figures are complete; and how much tax did those flights incur.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Data on receipts from Air Passenger Duty (APD) and chargeable passengers, including for the higher rate, can be found in the APD Bulletin on GOV.UK. [1]
Data on aircraft movements, including for business aviation and air taxis, are published by the Civil Aviation Authority. [2] These data are not collected from all UK airports, just those handling scheduled and major charter services, and so provide only a partial picture.
APD is the Government’s principal tax on the aviation sector, since tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. APD is paid by aircraft operators on a per passenger basis for flights departing UK airports; there are different rates according to a passenger's class of travel and the distance of their journey.
Operators with aircraft of over 20 tonnes equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers must pay the higher rate of APD, equal to £78 per passenger for domestic and short-haul flights and rising to £601 for ultra-long-haul flights. These private and business jets generally provide a higher class of service and so incur more in APD.
As with all taxes, the Government keeps APD under review and any changes are announced by the Chancellor at fiscal events.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-passenger-duty-bulletin
[2] https://www.caa.co.uk/Documents/Download/9116/47a460b2-0592-4ef7-b24b-aa5e27ccfce4/5623
Asked by: Lord Deben (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what tax is levied on private commercial flights (1) taking off, or (2) landing, in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Data on receipts from Air Passenger Duty (APD) and chargeable passengers, including for the higher rate, can be found in the APD Bulletin on GOV.UK. [1]
Data on aircraft movements, including for business aviation and air taxis, are published by the Civil Aviation Authority. [2] These data are not collected from all UK airports, just those handling scheduled and major charter services, and so provide only a partial picture.
APD is the Government’s principal tax on the aviation sector, since tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. APD is paid by aircraft operators on a per passenger basis for flights departing UK airports; there are different rates according to a passenger's class of travel and the distance of their journey.
Operators with aircraft of over 20 tonnes equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers must pay the higher rate of APD, equal to £78 per passenger for domestic and short-haul flights and rising to £601 for ultra-long-haul flights. These private and business jets generally provide a higher class of service and so incur more in APD.
As with all taxes, the Government keeps APD under review and any changes are announced by the Chancellor at fiscal events.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-passenger-duty-bulletin
[2] https://www.caa.co.uk/Documents/Download/9116/47a460b2-0592-4ef7-b24b-aa5e27ccfce4/5623