Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they take to ensure that small businesses offering personal services advertising as cash only pay all their taxes and charges and are not avenues for money laundering.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to creating a level playing field for all sectors by ensuring that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time. Like all other businesses, those which exclusively accept cash must meet their tax obligations.
HMRC’s approach to tax evasion aims to tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. Their activities include national campaigns and specialist task forces that incorporate intensive bursts of activity in targeted high risk trade sectors (including the retail and service industry) and locations across the UK. HMRC also works with customer groups and third parties, such as other local and central Government agencies, to reduce error and fraud within these sectors. This includes providing customer education highlighting the importance of keeping accurate records.
HMRC uses a range of data and intelligence sources, including compliance visits, when necessary, to ensure businesses are complying with their tax obligations but also aren’t engaged in any other illicit activity like money laundering. If suspicions of money laundering are identified, and it is appropriate for HMRC to investigate, the department works with the appropriate prosecuting authority to pursue a criminal prosecution for money laundering.
HMRC take any report of suspected tax evasion seriously and operate a confidential Fraud Telephone Hotline and an online reporting tool available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 27 September (HL10352), what plans they have in concluding future negotiations with train providers to bear a proportion of the costs that train operators face as a consequence of failing to provide quality service to rail customers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are currently no plans to negotiate any variations to the Intercity Express Programme’s contracts with Agility to extend the incentive regime. The contracted arrangements for instances where full service provision is not offered are contained in the existing contracts, as articulated in previous responses.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the usage figures for Worcestershire Parkway station, published on 8 September, which showed that despite the COVID-19 pandemic a volume of journeys from the station had been reached that was not expected to have been achieved for another 11 years, what assessment they have made of the continued need for the Department for Transport to use Transport Analysis Guidance monitoring systems for assessing the likely value of new railway stations.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The business case for Worcestershire Parkway forecasted a range of demand scenarios to account for uncertainty around the modelling. These included different assumptions on external events, expectations for housing growth and level of abstraction from surrounding stations. We are due to receive a report on the station’s performance from Worcester County Council. We will work through the findings on the differences between the forecasted demand and actual performance and use this to help inform future stations appraisals.
The Transport Analysis Guidance continues to be recommended best practice for transport appraisal. We recognise the analytical challenges associated with forecasting demand for new stations, and valuing the benefits they bring. Following research carried out by Leeds ITS for Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), published on their websites research catalogue as "Rail Openings Appraisal (COF-ECO-ROA)", we are reviewing our guidance in this area and plan to bring forward improvements to it in future.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce a pilot scheme to abolish peak-time railway fares, similar to that introduced by ScotRail with funding from the Scottish Government.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are no current plans to introduce a pilot scheme to abolish peak time railway fares in England. Peak and off-peak fares are an important tool to manage demand and alleviate crowding on peak time services by encouraging those who can travel off-peak to do so.
In recent years, we have introduced several initiatives to support passengers and improve affordability of rail. We have successfully launched flexible season tickets to support commuters’ return to the rail following the pandemic. We have also saved a generation of passengers a third off their fares through the 16-17 and 26-30 Railcards and went even further in November 2020 by extending these savings to former servicemen and women through a new Veterans Railcard.
We are now rolling out single leg pricing to most of London North Eastern Railway’s (LNER’s) network following a successful trial. We will carefully consider the impacts of expanding single leg pricing to most of LNER’s network before taking decisions on any wider extension.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 September (HL10070), whether, when a train is not provided or runs in reduced formation (such as having five carriages instead of ten), the revenue of the train provider is reduced proportionately; and whether there is provision for the train provider to pay liquidated damages to the train operator to compensate them for the reputational damage and for any compensation paid to passengers in such cases.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Intercity Express Programme contracts requires the daily provision of trains of the correct formation to operate the planned timetable.
As there has been full transfer of delivery risk passed to the train supplier, when a train provided that is shorter than that planned there is a reduction in the lease charge.
The effect of this is that Hitachi will suffer the financial impact of these circumstances arising from the loss of income.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to contracts to supply railway rolling stock as part of the Intercity Express Programme, whether Hitachi is required to provide sufficient serviceable trains to meet the timetable commitments of train operators; and if so, whether Hitachi is required to pay compensation to train operators when it fails to do so, whether this applies for every affected journey, and whether this includes liquidated damages to compensate for loss to the train operator's business, including loss incurred by refunding passengers for poor service.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Intercity Express Programme contracts requires the daily provision of train sets sufficient to operate the planned timetable.
As there has been full transfer of delivery risk passed to the train supplier, when a train is not provided there is no charge.
The effect of this is that Hitachi will suffer the financial impact of these circumstances arising from the loss of income.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the overcrowding on trains operating between the Thames Valley and the Midlands.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
CrossCountry has increased the number of services on this route as part of its timetable re-organisation in May 2023, although some trains have become busier as a result.
We expect CrossCountry to monitor this and seek opportunities to mitigate it in future. The Department is working on a new contract for CrossCountry. Subject to demonstrating an appropriate business case, the intention is that this will facilitate increased capacity on CrossCountry routes in future.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much is spent at present in subsidies for rail freight, including for the development of express parcel delivery traffic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Domestic and international rail freight services are private operations run on a commercial basis. The Government provides some limited support in specific areas.
The Government incentivises modal shift from road to rail through the £20 million per year Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme.
The Government provided £2.155 million to rail freight projects through the First of a kind competition for cutting edge ideas to help transform the railway. These projects include rail freight express parcel delivery.
DfT also contributes to some of the Operations, Maintenance and Renewals Charges (OMRC) charges for international freight trains using the Channel Tunnel under the terms of the commercial agreements which established the Channel Tunnel. This amount is variable but is approximately £13m per year.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much per annum is allocated to road building in England, as opposed to maintenance.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
For the Strategic Road Network, funding for enhancements, which includes junction improvements and widening schemes as well as new roads has been allocated as follows as part of the Road Investment Strategy.
£m | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | Total |
| 2,027 | 1,773 | 1,983 | 2,228 | 2,474 | 10,485 |
For local roads funding varies depending on progress with individual local authority schemes and the amount would vary from year to year. In some cases schemes do not progress to construction due to low or poor value for money. The current forecast spend from 2023/24 onwards is as per the table below but these are liable to change as various schemes update their financial information.
£m | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | Total |
| 115.2 | 156.38 | 168.51 | 339.48 | 853.80 | 1,633.37 |
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much it would cost to reduce public transport fares by (1) 30 per cent, and (2) 40 per cent, taking into account the likely increase in passenger numbers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department does not have this information available.