National Infrastructure Plan

Debate between Julian Huppert and Danny Alexander

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

The hon. Gentleman asks an important question. Let me address it briefly. On Royal Mail, he will know that 10% of the shares are owned by the employees, which I think is an extremely good step that has not been taken before in the sale of national assets. The Government should not own assets that they do not need and in which investment could be made more effectively in the private sector, particularly when their sale would release receipts that could then be used to invest further in our critical national infrastructure. That is why we are raising our target for sales from £10 billion to £20 billion. I think that we have been under-ambitious in the past. There are assets that could be sold, such as the Government’s stake in Eurostar. No final decision has been taken on that, but we are working towards ensuring that we can put those assets into the private sector, where they can be better run and better managed, and use the resources for the infrastructure projects contained in the plan.

[Dr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD)]

I very much welcome the announcement that the A14 toll will be scrapped and congratulate my right hon. Friend on listening to me and so many others on that. I also welcome the Renewable Energy Association’s comment that today is a good day for renewable electricity and renewable heat. Will he continue to campaign for this Government to be the greenest ever and resist any temptation to do anything else?

[Danny Alexander]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his remarks on the A14. It is fair to say that he has been one of the most assiduous campaigners in the House for the toll to be dropped, alongside many other hon. Members from the east of England. I certainly maintain my commitment both to renewable energy and to ensuring that this Government are the greenest ever. With the first green investment bank, the first renewable heat incentive, the strike prices and incentives for renewable energy and the many other policies we have announced, we are well on the way to achieving that objective.

Investing in Britain’s Future

Debate between Julian Huppert and Danny Alexander

Thursday 27th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Dr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD)]

There is much to welcome in the statement: increased funding for affordable housing, science and green investment—it is all excellent. The announcement on the A14 will be welcomed by many. There is a long history of schemes for that road coming and going, while the poor design continues and the Huntingdon viaduct is well beyond its design life. Can my right hon. Friend confirm whether it will be a toll road? I certainly hope that it will not be. Can he be clear on that point?

[Danny Alexander]

The road will be taken forward according to the plans set out previously. That will include some tolling for new capacity.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Julian Huppert and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 29th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Dr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD)]

10. How much VAT was paid by (a) sixth-form colleges and (b) further education colleges in 2012.

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Danny Alexander)]

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs does not collect data on the VAT paid on individual goods or services at a sufficient level of detail to indentify the amount paid by sixth-form colleges and further education colleges. VAT costs, like all other costs, are taken into account as part of the up-front funding allocation.

[Dr Huppert]

Sixth forms and further education colleges such as Hills Road and Long Road sixth-form colleges and Cambridge Regional college do excellent work. However, they face a large VAT burden—some £300,000 for sixth-form colleges and well over £1 million for Cambridge Regional college—that schools do not face, as well as receiving less funding than the school sector. Will my right hon. Friend agree to investigate whether that anomaly can be corrected, so that sixth-form colleges and FE colleges can have a level playing field?

[Danny Alexander]

As my hon. Friend will know, when we took office we found a situation in which sixth-form colleges were considerably less well funded for that group of pupils than schools. We are taking steps, year by year, to equalise the funding arrangements, and we will look again at that in the spending round in the first half of this year.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Julian Huppert and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 11th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Dr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD)]

16. What assessment he has made of the importance of capital infrastructure projects in helping rebalance the economy.

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Danny Alexander)]

Investment in infrastructure networks is a major determinant of growth and productivity, but historically such investment in this country has not kept up with the needs of a growing population. That is why this Government have increased capital expenditure compared with the previous Government’s plans, including with the extra capital we announced last week. In fact, public investment as a share of GDP is now higher on average in this Parliament than it was under the previous Government.

[Dr Huppert]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that, and I was delighted to see in the autumn statement extra capital investment, especially in housing, rail, cycling, science and broadband, particularly in Cambridge. What plans does he have to improve the energy infrastructure, including storage, to provide more certainty for investors?

[Danny Alexander]

That is an extremely good point, because on 29 November we introduced the Energy Bill, setting out the contracts for difference, which will deliver a stable financial environment of incentives, particularly for investment in renewables. Alongside that agreement, we set out the level of support consumers will pay for low-carbon generation—the so-called levy control framework—which will triple support for renewables between now and 2020, ensuring a great deal of investor confidence in that area. Along with gas investment, as set out in the autumn statement, that will help to bring forward massive investment that this country needs.