Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much have each local authority in Wales paid to the Crown Estate to access Crown Estate land in each year of the last five years.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Crown Estate operates as an independent and unified commercial entity, engaging in a variety of business activities across Wales, England and Northern Ireland.
To achieve efficiency in its operations, The Crown Estate runs many of its functions at a whole enterprise level. Reflective of its whole enterprise approach, The Crown Estate runs a single set of accounts across its functions, which are not disaggregated according to administrative areas or local authorities. Extracting the relevant information from the existing accounts into a bespoke format for each local authority in response to this question would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold for Written Parliamentary Questions.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the Crown Estate to publish the fees it receives from local authorities in (a) Wales (b) England and (c) Northern Ireland to access its land.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Crown Estate receives payment on its assets from local authorities through regulating leases. The terms of those leases are determined based on several factors, including the nature and value of the asset, the specific terms and conditions of the lease, and the intended use of the land.
Each lease agreement is tailored to reflect these variables, ensuring that the terms are fair and appropriate for both The Crown Estate and the local authority involved.
Publishing details of those fees would risk prejudicing the commercial interests of both The Crown Estate and the local authorities involved.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fees the Crown Estate charges for leasing land to local authorities in Wales.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Crown Estate receives payment on its assets from local authorities through regulating leases. The terms of those leases are determined based on several factors, including the nature and value of the asset, the specific terms and conditions of the lease, and the intended use of the land.
Each lease agreement is tailored to reflect these variables, ensuring that the terms are fair and appropriate for both The Crown Estate and the local authority involved.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using alternative methods of determining eligibility for compensation in the event of an acquittal following a re-trial.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the statutory Miscarriages of Justice Application Service (MOJAS). Individuals who have had their convictions quashed in an out of time appeal are eligible to apply for compensation, including those who have subsequently been acquitted of all offences at a retrial. The Law Commission is currently undertaking a review of the criminal appeals process which includes MOJAS. I will be considering their findings once their review is complete.