Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Marlesford, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A Bill to make provision for the management of Parliament Square; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision for the introduction of a new set of council tax valuation bands to apply to all dwellings bought or sold after 1 April 2000
A Bill to introduce a civil penalty for littering from vehicles and to require local authorities to publish details of contracts relating to litter clearance.
First reading took place on 18 July. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled. A bill to introduce a civil penalty for littering from vehicles and to require local authorities to publish details of contracts relating to litter clearance.
Lord Marlesford has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The cost of the original programme that replaced Parliament’s copper wire telephone system with voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephony, including the Microsoft Polycom handsets, was £8.3 million. It was necessary to update the telephony as the previous telephone system was end of life and can no longer be supported or maintained.
Members and other Parliamentary users with visual impairments can use speech recognition software to use Teams. Support is available from the Parliamentary Digital Service for anyone requiring help to use the system. As part of implementation of a new telephony solution for Parliament in the first half of 2024 the Voice Programme team is exploring options for more user-friendly telephone handsets including accessible solutions for visually impaired users.
The Daily Allowance rate was introduced on 1 October 2010 at £300 per day. Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for October 2022 are expected to be released by the Office for National Statistics on 16 November. It is therefore not yet possible to calculate a figure for the Daily Allowance adjusted for inflation by CPI for the month of October 2022.
Based on September CPI figures, if the Daily Allowance rate had been adjusted annually for inflation, it would be £417 per day from 1 September 2022.
The Daily Allowance rate was introduced on 1 October 2010 at £300 per day. If it had been adjusted annually for inflation by the Consumer Price Index, it would be £379 per day from 1 October 2021.
Following a consultation exercise and a lengthy debate on 30 April 2019, the House agreed that the lay members of the Conduct Committee should have full voting rights in order to bring a measure of independence to the conduct process. The House has not to date conferred voting rights on external members of other committees. In the House of Commons, the lay members of the Standards Committee (of which there are seven, alongside the seven MPs) have full voting rights, and the Independent Expert Panel which determines appeals and sanctions in cases of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct is made up entirely of external members.
As at 9 June, 763 Members of the House of Lords have completed Valuing Everyone training. Of these, 492 completed an evaluation form. In response to the question ‘Would you recommend the course to others?’, 460 Members out of 485 (95%) answered ‘yes’. In response to the question ‘Please rate your level of confidence calling out unacceptable behaviour AFTER the course’, 447 Members out of 485 (92%) answered ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
The total amount of financial support (excluding travel costs) paid to Members of the House of Lords in each month during 2020 was as follows;
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To date, £82,158 has been spent on Valuing Everyone training for members of the House of Lords. The same training courses have been offered to, and attended by, members of both Houses. This figure includes an assumption of cost per head, as well as 30% share of development costs, pilot sessions and administration fees.
Information on all Special Advisers, including names and pay bands, is published annually in the Annual Report on Special Advisers, as required by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
The latest iteration of the report is scheduled to be published in the Summer.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
Lord Marlesford
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
4 November 2021
Dear Lord Marlesford,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of those who died with COVID-19 in each of the last 20 weeks had received no vaccination against the disease (HL3492).
The data requested is provided, for England, in Table 1, using the most recent data we have available. Information on vaccination status is not included on the death certificate. It is obtained by linkage to the vaccination data from the National immunisation Management Service (NIMS) produced by NHS-E. While the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are responsible for the production of mortality data for England and Wales, we do not hold similar data for Wales. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Please note that the numbers of deaths of unvaccinated persons will depend on the changing number of people who are unvaccinated and the changing characteristics of unvaccinated people, which vary due to the selective vaccination roll-out and differences in uptake.
To compare the risk of death in unvaccinated and fully vaccinated individuals, we advise using the age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) for deaths involving COVID-19 for unvaccinated persons and for other vaccination statuses in our publication “Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 2 January and 24 September 2021” [1]. These take into account the changing size and age structure of the populations with different vaccination status. This data is for England only and covers approximately 86% of all deaths.These ASMRs show that the risk of death involving COVID-19 is much lower in fully vaccinated than in unvaccinated people.
Please note, other factors such as the health of the people who are unvaccinated may differ from the vaccinated population and change over time, which will affect the age-standardised mortality rates.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
The Lord Marlesford DL
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
03 March 2021
Dear Lord Marlesford,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of the first 100,000 people to die as a result of COVID-19 died in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland; how many of those died (a) in hospital, (b) in care homes, and (c) elsewhere; and how many of those were (i) over 80 years old, (ii) over 70 years old, (iii) under 50 years old, (iv) BAME, (v) male, and (vi) female (HL13602).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths in England and Wales and produces a weekly report[1] on provisional numbers of deaths involving COVID-19. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. National Records for Scotland[2] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency[3] are responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
We cannot precisely organise deaths involving COVID-19 into the ‘first 100,000’ at this time. However, we have provided figures for deaths registered up to the end of Week 2 of 2021 (ending 15 January 2021) which is when deaths involving COVID-19 first passed 100,000 in total.
Table 1 below provides the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in the UK, and the proportion of these in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Table 2 provides the number of deaths involving COVID-19 by place of death in each UK country. Table 3 provides the number of deaths involving COVID by age group and sex. Please note that the UK totals in Table 3 are slightly different from Tables 1 and 2, as published data by age group and sex are only available for England and Wales combined (including non-residents) rather than England and Wales as individual countries.
The ONS has published a report on ethnic contrasts in deaths involving COVID-19 in England and Wales[4]. Table 4 shows the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in England and Wales; data have been published for deaths that occurred (rather than were registered) between 2 March 2020 and 28 July 2020. Please note this data includes only deaths that could be linked to the 2011 Census, as this was necessary to obtain ethnic group data. Because the method of calculation is different, the numbers do not relate directly to those in Tables 1 to 3.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Number and proportion of deaths involving COVID-19, weeks ending 13 March 2020 to 15 January 2021, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland [5][6][7][8][9]
- | UK | England | Wales | Scotland1 | Northern Ireland |
Number of deaths involving COVID-19 | 104,446 | 88,974 | 5,884 | 7,460 | 2,128 |
% of UK total | 100.0% | 85.2% | 5.6% | 7.1% | 2.0% |
Source: ONS, NRS, and NISRA
Table 2: Number of deaths involving COVID-19, weeks ending 13 March 2020 to 15 January 2021 by place of occurrence, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland [10][11]
Place of death | UK | England | Wales | Scotland1 | Northern Ireland |
All places of death | 104,446 | 88,974 | 5,884 | 7,460 | 2,128 |
Home | 5,256 | 4,376 | 286 | 459 | 135 |
Care home | 26,393 | 21,615 | 1,267 | 2,869 | 642 |
Hospital | 70,793 | 61,101 | 4,247 | 4,116 | 1,329 |
Other | 2,004 | 1,882 | 84 | 16 | 22 |
Source: ONS, NRS and NISRA
Table 3: Number of deaths involving COVID-19, weeks ending 13 March 2020 to 15 January 2021, by broad age group and sex, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Sex | Age group | UK total6 | England & Wales6 | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
People | All ages | 103,720 | 94,132 | 7,460 | 2,128 |
- | Under 1 year | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
- | 1-14 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
- | 15-44 | 1,004 | 941 | 49 | 14 |
- | 45-64 | 9,615 | 8,777 | 670 | 168 |
- | 65-74 | 15,798 | 14,305 | 1,188 | 305 |
- | 75-84 | 33,855 | 30,647 | 2,478 | 730 |
- | 85+ | 43,436 | 39,451 | 3,074 | 911 |
Males | All ages | 56,596 | 51,693 | 3,831 | 1,072 |
- | Under 1 year | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
- | 1-14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
- | 15-44 | 587 | 554 | 27 | 6 |
- | 45-64 | 6,188 | 5,656 | 433 | 99 |
- | 65-74 | 10,036 | 9,119 | 729 | 188 |
- | 75-84 | 19,848 | 18,067 | 1,376 | 405 |
- | 85+ | 19,931 | 18,291 | 1,266 | 374 |
Females | All ages | 47,124 | 42,439 | 3,629 | 1,056 |
- | Under 1 year | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
- | 1-14 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
- | 15-44 | 417 | 387 | 22 | 8 |
- | 45-64 | 3,427 | 3,121 | 237 | 69 |
- | 65-74 | 5,762 | 5,186 | 459 | 117 |
- | 75-84 | 14,007 | 12,580 | 1,102 | 325 |
- | 85+ | 23,505 | 21,160 | 1,808 | 537 |
Source: ONS, NRS and NISRA
Table 4: Number of deaths involving COVID-19 by ethnic group and sex, deaths occurring 2 March 2020 to 28 July 2020, England and Wales[12][13]
Ethnic group | Sex | Aged 9 to 64 years | Aged 65 to 110 years |
Bangladeshi | Male | 61 | 112 |
Bangladeshi | Female | 19 | 54 |
Black African | Male | 159 | 188 |
Black African | Female | 85 | 96 |
Black Caribbean | Male | 95 | 514 |
Black Caribbean | Female | 67 | 306 |
Chinese | Male | 16 | 78 |
Chinese | Female | 8 | 55 |
Indian | Male | 180 | 525 |
Indian | Female | 80 | 357 |
Mixed | Male | 29 | 144 |
Mixed | Female | 30 | 99 |
Other | Male | 186 | 351 |
Other | Female | 85 | 226 |
Pakistani | Male | 119 | 286 |
Pakistani | Female | 75 | 156 |
White | Male | 1,939 | 20,531 |
White | Female | 1,184 | 18,201 |
Source: ONS
[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest
[2]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/
[3]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/
[4]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/updatingethniccontrastsindeathsinvolvingthecoronaviruscovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurring2marchto28july2020
[5] Weeks for Scotland run Monday to Sunday rather than Saturday to Friday, so Week 2 of 2021 is week ending 11th January 2021 rather than week ending 15 January 2021
[6] Figures for individual countries exclude deaths of non-residents. Figures for “England and Wales” totals include non-residents of England and Wales; for this reason, UK totals in Table 3 differ from Tables 1 and 2.
[7] Data in Tables 1, 3 and 3 are based on date a death was registered rather than occurred. Data in Table 4 are based on the date a death occurred, registered up to 24 August 2020. There is a delay between a death occurring and it being registered
[8] All figures for 2020 and 2021 are provisional.
[9] The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) definitions are as follows: coronavirus (COVID-19) (U07.1 and U07.2). We use the term “involving COVID-19” when referring to deaths that mentioned these ICD-10 codes anywhere on the death certificate, whether as the underlying cause of death or elsewhere.
[10] Deaths at home are those at the usual residence of the deceased (according to the informant)‚ where this is not a communal establishment. Other Communal Establishments include (for example) prisons, student residences, and hotels. Elsewhere includes all places not covered above.
[11] "Other" includes deaths in communal establishments other than hospitals and care homes, in hospices, and that occurred "elsewhere".
[12]Data in Table 4 includes only death records that could be linked to the 2011 Census, to obtain ethnic group data.
[13]The detailed composition of each ethnic group is available to download: https://www.ons.gov.uk/download/table?format=xlsx&uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/updatingethniccontrastsindeathsinvolvingthecoronaviruscovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurring2marchto28july2020/22f0c996.json
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Dear Lord Marlesford,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 28 May (HL4424), about the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the UK in each week since 1 May (HL7234).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent annual figures published are for deaths registered in 2019[1]. However, we do publish provisional weekly deaths registrations, which are currently available for deaths registered up to 10 July 2020[2]. National Records Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Cause of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10). Deaths involving COVID-19, as either a contributory or underlying cause of death, are identified by the ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2.
The accompanying dataset2 to our provisional weekly deaths bulletin includes UK data on deaths involving COVID-19, which refer to deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.
Table 1 shows the provisional number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered each week in the UK from the week ending 8 May up to the week ending 10 July 2020, broken down by country.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered each week in the UK, week ending 8 May up to the week ending 10 July 2020[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Week number | Week ended | UK | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
19 | 08-May-20 | 4,426 | 3,716 | 211 | 415 | 84 |
20 | 15-May-20 | 4,214 | 3,624 | 180 | 336 | 74 |
21 | 22-May-20 | 2,872 | 2,455 | 134 | 230 | 53 |
22 | 29-May-20 | 2,000 | 1,715 | 105 | 131 | 49 |
23 | 05-Jun-20 | 1,697 | 1,488 | 100 | 89 | 20 |
24 | 12-Jun-20 | 1,204 | 1,057 | 57 | 69 | 21 |
25 | 19-Jun-20 | 849 | 744 | 39 | 49 | 17 |
26 | 26-Jun-20 | 651 | 574 | 30 | 35 | 12 |
27 | 03-Jul-20 | 561 | 497 | 35 | 18 | 11 |
28 | 10-Jul-20 | 388 | 344 | 22 | 13 | 9 |
[3]Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes U07.1, U07.2
[4]Figures are based on deaths registered up to 1 May 2020
[5]All figures for 2020 are provisional
[6]Weekly deaths for Scotland are produced by NRS: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats
[7]Weekly deaths for Northern Ireland are produced by NISRA: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats
[8]England, Wales and Northern Ireland weekly deaths run from Saturday to Friday, Scotland deaths run from Monday to Sunday
[9]Northern Ireland week allocation differs from other countries. For example, week 1 is week ending 10-Jan. This has been adjusted for the purpose of aggregating the data
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Dear Lord Marlesford,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the UK in each week during 2020 (HL4424).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing weekly numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent annual figures published are for deaths registered in 2018[1]. However, we do publish provisional weekly deaths registrations, which are currently published for deaths registered up to 1 May 2020[2]. National Records Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Cause of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10). Deaths involving COVID-19 either as a contributory or underlying cause of death are identified by the ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2.
Data can refer to deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate (and may not always be the underlying cause of death), and deaths where COVID-19 was recorded as the underlying cause of death.The accompanying dataset[3] to our provisional weekly deaths bulletin includes UK data on deaths involving COVID-19, which refer to deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.
Table 1 shows the provisional number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered each week in the UK up to 1 May 2020, broken down by country.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered each week in the UK, 28 December 2019 to 1 May 2020[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Week number | Number of deaths involving COVID-19 | ||||
UK | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
11 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
12 | 113 | 100 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
13 | 607 | 515 | 21 | 62 | 9 |
14 | 3,801 | 3,330 | 134 | 282 | 55 |
15 | 6,889 | 5,899 | 304 | 610 | 76 |
16 | 9,495 | 8,335 | 409 | 650 | 101 |
17 | 9,005 | 7,806 | 413 | 658 | 128 |
18 | 6,676 | 5,748 | 281 | 523 | 124 |
Source: Office for National Statistics
[4]Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes U07.1, U07.2
[5]Figures are based on deaths registered up to 1 May 2020
[6]All figures for 2020 are provisional
[7]Weekly deaths for Scotland are produced by NRS: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats
[8]Weekly deaths for Northern Ireland are produced by NISRA: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats
[9]England, Wales and Northern Ireland weekly deaths run from Saturday to Friday, Scotland deaths run from Monday to Sunday
[10]Northern Ireland week allocation differs from other countries. For example, week 1 is week ending 10-Jan. This has been adjusted for the purpose of aggregating the data
In 2016, the Government negotiated the Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C which fixes the cost of electricity provided by Hinkley Point C. There is no cost to the consumer until Hinkley Point C starts to produce electricity. The strike price is £92.50 per Megawatt-hour. The household bill impact depends on a variety of factors such as the future electricity generation mix, wholesale gas price, wholesale electricity price and decarbonisation pathway.
The Government is a co-shareholder in the Sizewell C project company with EDF. The Government has committed to invest c.£1.2bn in Sizewell C’s development. The project has been designated to benefit from the new Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model for nuclear, which will entail a levy on all licensed electricity suppliers in Great Britain; suppliers may choose to pass those costs to their consumers. The RAB model will include incentives on cost and schedule control, with the exact details finalised at the project’s Final Investment Decision.
The capital costs for Sizewell C are commercially sensitive, and subject to ongoing development and a live equity raise. We are therefore unable to discuss this further at this time.
In 2016, the Government negotiated the Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C which fixes the cost of electricity provided by Hinkley Point C. There is no cost to the consumer until Hinkley Point C starts to produce electricity. The strike price is £92.50 per Megawatt-hour. The household bill impact depends on a variety of factors such as the future electricity generation mix, wholesale gas price, wholesale electricity price and decarbonisation pathway.
The Government is a co-shareholder in the Sizewell C project company with EDF. The Government has committed to invest c.£1.2bn in Sizewell C’s development. The project has been designated to benefit from the new Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model for nuclear, which will entail a levy on all licensed electricity suppliers in Great Britain; suppliers may choose to pass those costs to their consumers. The RAB model will include incentives on cost and schedule control, with the exact details finalised at the project’s Final Investment Decision.
The capital costs for Sizewell C are commercially sensitive, and subject to ongoing development and a live equity raise. We are therefore unable to discuss this further at this time.
The Secretary of State granted development consent for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station on July 20th 2022, after thorough consideration of all relevant information.
Commercial negotiations on the project are strictly separate from consideration of the application for development consent. To date these negotiations have been constructive, but are ongoing and no decisions have been made.
The decision on the application for development consent for Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station was announced on 20 July 2022. The then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Paul Scully took the decision on behalf of the Secretary of State who had confirmed that his delegation of the decision-making powers to Minister Scully in respect of the Sizewell C application should continue, notwithstanding Minister Scully’s move to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The Government does not hold information on the area of land in England used for solar installations.
Further information is available on GOV.UK.
The Government has been holding constructive negotiations with the developer of Sizewell C since January, CGN has a stake in the project up to the point of Final Investment Decision (FID), however no decisions on the project have been taken, including the potential final configuration of investors. The Government has committed to bring at least one large-scale nuclear project to the point of FID by the end of this Parliament and have entered negotiations with Sizewell C on that basis. Any investment in nuclear projects is subject to thorough scrutiny and needs to satisfy our robust legal, regulatory and national security requirements.
As we stated in our response to the consultation on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) for nuclear published on 14th December 2020, we believe that a RAB is a credible model for funding nuclear projects, as it should reduce the cost of finance and thereby reduce consumer bills.
We are also considering whether a RAB model could be applied to other low carbon technologies, including transport and storage infrastructure for carbon dioxide (outlined in the government’s response to the carbon capture, usage and storage business models consultation).
We have always been clear that any new nuclear project must provide value for money for consumers and taxpayers.
Currently no decisions have been taken concerning Government financing of the Sizewell C nuclear power project, ahead of the final investment decision.
The Government continues to explore the use of a Regulated Asset Base model for new nuclear projects and believes that this could be a viable means by which to finance new projects. Decisions on how the model would be applied to new projects have yet to be taken and would be subject to value for money and all relevant approvals.
BEIS officials are engaged regularly with representatives from both EDF Energy and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (the ONR) on a wide range of matters relating to nuclear reactors.
As we stated in our response to the consultation on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) for nuclear published on 14th December 2020, we believe that a RAB is a credible model for funding nuclear projects, as it should reduce the cost of finance and thereby reduce consumer bills.
We are also considering whether a RAB model could be applied to other low carbon technologies, including transport and storage infrastructure for carbon dioxide (outlined in the government’s response to the carbon capture, usage and storage business models consultation).
We have always been clear that any new nuclear project must provide value for money for consumers and taxpayers.
Currently no decisions have been taken concerning Government financing of the Sizewell C nuclear power project, ahead of the final investment decision.
The Government continues to explore the use of a Regulated Asset Base model for new nuclear projects and believes that this could be a viable means by which to finance new projects. Decisions on how the model would be applied to new projects have yet to be taken and would be subject to value for money and all relevant approvals.
BEIS officials are engaged regularly with representatives from both EDF Energy and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (the ONR) on a wide range of matters relating to nuclear reactors.
As we stated in our response to the consultation on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) for nuclear published on 14th December 2020, we believe that a RAB is a credible model for funding nuclear projects, as it should reduce the cost of finance and thereby reduce consumer bills.
We are also considering whether a RAB model could be applied to other low carbon technologies, including transport and storage infrastructure for carbon dioxide (outlined in the government’s response to the carbon capture, usage and storage business models consultation).
We have always been clear that any new nuclear project must provide value for money for consumers and taxpayers.
Currently no decisions have been taken concerning Government financing of the Sizewell C nuclear power project, ahead of the final investment decision.
The Government continues to explore the use of a Regulated Asset Base model for new nuclear projects and believes that this could be a viable means by which to finance new projects. Decisions on how the model would be applied to new projects have yet to be taken and would be subject to value for money and all relevant approvals.
BEIS officials are engaged regularly with representatives from both EDF Energy and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (the ONR) on a wide range of matters relating to nuclear reactors.
I assume my noble Friend is referring to our announcement to the House that we are entering negotiations with EDF, in relation to Sizewell C. Our aim is to bring at least one large-scale nuclear project to the point of Final Investment Decision by the end of this Parliament. No decision has yet been taken to proceed with Sizewell C, and the successful conclusion of these negotiations will be subject to full Government, regulatory and other approvals, including value for money.
Before entering into commitments to support any nuclear project, the Government’s assessment would include whether the project was expected to contribute to the target of net zero emissions by 2050.
We continually engage with new nuclear developers to understand the merits of their proposed projects and we remain willing to discuss new nuclear projects with any viable developers and investors wishing to develop sites in the UK, including at the Wylfa site. Hitachi still own the site at Wylfa, we will have discussions with them about the future of the site in due course.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold a copy of the Lifecycle Assessment of the Carbon Footprint of the proposed Hinkley Point C (HPC) project report.
While there are references to the Lifecycle Assessment in the Sustainability Statement which accompanied the application for development consent for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (and which was considered by the Examining Authority), a copy of the Lifecycle Assessment was not submitted with the application.
The Government consulted on a Regulated Asset Base as a possible funding model for new nuclear projects. The consultation set out a proposed test to assess value for money for consumers and taxpayers.
The Government’s response to the consultation was published on 14 December 2020 and is available at the GOV.UK website.
Nuclear power provides a reliable source of low-carbon electricity. The Government is pursuing large-scale new nuclear projects subject to clear value for money for both consumers and taxpayers and all relevant approvals. We continue to engage regularly with developers to understand the available options. The Government uses advisors to support discussions with developers, including on the value for money of proposed new nuclear projects.
In 2019, the Government consulted on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) as a possible funding model. A RAB has the potential to reduce the cost of raising private finance for new nuclear projects, thereby reducing consumer bills and maximising value for money for consumers and taxpayers. We will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
The Government is looking at options for the financing of new nuclear projects. In 2019, we consulted on a Regulated Asset Base as a possible funding model that could attract private finance with the potential to bring significant investment for future nuclear projects at a lower cost to consumers, enabling low carbon power to be delivered at scale. We will respond in due course.
The timetable for examining each application for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects is for an Examining Authority, appointed by the Planning Inspectorate, to decide. In finalising a timetable, the Examining Authority will take account of the need to ensure that all parties to an examination have an opportunity to consider and comment on the application under consideration. Once the examination commences, the timetable will follow the statutory provisions set out in the Planning Act 2008.
The Energy White Paper will be published in the Autumn. We will engage our stakeholders in the implementation of its policy package, including through formal consultations, where appropriate.
All nuclear site licences are assessed and granted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). Site licensees are required to comply with stringent safety and security regulations overseen by the ONR.
A nuclear site licence does not confer any special status on shareholders, regardless of the size of their stake, and does not entitle them to hold a nuclear site licence now or in the future. An individual site licence is not transferable; any significant change in the management structure of NNB Generating Company (SZC) Ltd would trigger a revision and reapproval of the site licence to reflect the new arrangements.
The Government is reviewing options for the financing of new nuclear projects. In 2019, we consulted on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) as a possible funding model for future nuclear projects. The consultation sought views from stakeholders on proposed design principles for a nuclear RAB, including risk sharing arrangements with consumers. Our consultation was not project specific, as each project has its own financial considerations. We are currently considering consultation feedback and will respond in due course.
The Examining Authority at the Planning Inspectorate will proceed with its consideration of EDF’s application in line with the published guidance on current procedures for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. The Planning Inspectorate is considering ways in which the process can be conducted to ensure that Interested Parties are able to take part. There are currently no plans to pause the application at the end of the pre-examination stage. Further information is available at the GOV.UK website.
The Government has set out that construction and associated activities can continue during the Covid-19 outbreak. No restrictions have been placed upon the sale of building materials. The Government is working with the construction industry to ensure the continued operation of the supply chain, including developing Site and Branch Operating Procedures for firms and merchants.
Shrubland Hall, associated structures and parkland remain on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Historic England is continuing to work with the owners and the local authority, with the ambition of improving the condition of the buildings and parkland and putting in place appropriate conservation management planning, so that the site can be removed from the Register in due course.
The SFI standards payment rates have been set to balance good value for money for the taxpayer and delivery of ambitious environmental outcomes.
Defra sets payment rates based on the net income the farmer would forgo on their land and the net costs of delivering the action for the average (median) farm eligible for the action, which is the methodology used in our environmental schemes such as Countryside Stewardship. These rates are independently verified by evidence from specialist consultancies.
We currently have no plans to introduce a ban on the installation, sale or use of wood-burning stoves in private dwellings. Woodburning stoves are subject to strict controls in terms of emissions of air pollutants and some households in rural areas rely on the use of these appliances to heat their homes. In Smoke Control Areas woodburning stoves use must comply with the relevant legislation restricting smoke emissions. The recently introduced Environment Act 2021 will make it easier for local authorities to enforce these requirements. Outside of these areas, from 1 January 2022, all new solid fuel burning stoves entering the market must adhere to specific air quality standards and in October 2020 we introduced new legislation to phase out the most polluting fuels used for domestic combustion with most measures coming into force on 1 May 2021.
The Government are aware of the challenging position facing the horticulture industry during this period and are grateful for the letter from the Master of the Company of the Gardeners highlighting some of the issues faced by the sector. A response can be expected from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs imminently.
The Government continues to assess the decision on garden centres, but concluded at the last review that it was too early to ease any restrictions on such retail environments. Social distancing requirements will continue to be considered in accordance with this review.
Stores can operate Click and Collect services as long as orders are taken online, by telephone or via post and customers remain outside of the store to collect their goods.
In this situation, as generally, businesses are advised to operate with strict adherence to the social distancing guidelines.
The A12 Trunk Road between the M25 and Ipswich
National Highways is currently working through an extensive programme to rebuild concrete roads which have come to the end of their serviceable life, and which require high levels of intervention to maintain them. National Highways will be reconstructing the carriageway and replacing it with a modern asphalt surface. This will improve safety, create smoother quieter journeys and extend the life of the A12 to make it fit for the future. There are two such schemes currently underway on the A12:
A12 Margaretting Bypass (junctions 13 to 15) a £65million concrete road reconstruction scheme – expected completion by summer 2024.
A12 Marks Tey (junction 25) to Stanway (junction 26) a £37milllion concrete road reconstruction scheme – expected completion by summer 2024.
National Highways is also delivering major improvements to increase capacity, reduce congestion and improve safety at M25 junction 28. This circa £160million junctions enhancement scheme is expected to complete by summer 2025.
The A14 between Cambridge and Ipswich
There are ongoing road works on the A14 Haughley (junction 47a) to Tothill (junction 49) as part of a £37 million concrete road reconstruction scheme expected to be completed by summer 2024. National Highways is currently reconstructing the carriageway and replacing it with a modern asphalt surface.
Most of this stretch of the A12 is single carriageway apart from dual carriageway sections at Wickham Market, Saxmundham, Wangford and Kessingland. The Government is considering an Outline Business Case from Suffolk County Council for a number of improvements to the A12 which includes dualling between the B1438 and the B1079. It would be for the Council to identify any further improvement proposals and to bid for Government funding as and when future funding opportunities arise.
Under Section 8 of the Road Traffic Act (1991), a person is guilty of an offence if they use, or permit or cause another person to use, a motor vehicle or trailer on a road when the condition of the motor vehicle or trailer or of its accessories or equipment, or the weight, position or distribution of its load or the manner in which it is secured, is such that the use of the motor vehicle or trailer involves a danger of injury to any person. Enforcement in this area is conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s enforcement officers and the police.
National Highways engages with organisations who have the necessary powers to take enforcement action. Commercial operators and drivers are legally obliged to ensure their loads are effectively secured, and risk finding themselves subject to disciplinary action by the Traffic Commissioner responsible for the issue of heavy goods operator licences, if found to be littering with an unsecure load.
National Highways are currently working with a local authority to trial the use of Artificial Intelligence and camera technology to provide evidence of littering to support local authority enforcement. This trial forms part of National Highways’ approach to reduce littering and litter on the strategic road network, thus increasing performance against its litter performance metric. If the trial is successful, National Highways will consider potential future roll out.
In the second Road Investment Strategy (2020-25) National Highways were allocated £6.5bn for the operation and maintenance of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). A proportion of this funding will be allocated within National Highways to carry out its litter clearance duties. For 2021/22 National Highways reported that 60.8% of its network was predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This was an improvement from 49.2% reported for 2020/21. The performance for 2022/23 will be published later this summer.
Customer satisfaction of the SRN is provided through the Strategic Road User Survey (SRUS) which is undertaken by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users. For period April 22 to March 23, 73% of those surveyed were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the overall safety, condition and management of the road network.
The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act (1990); Section 89(1) places a duty on National Highways to ensure that the motorways and some trunk roads, so far as is practicable, is kept clear of litter and refuse. The relevant district or Local Authority manages litter collection on the rest of the roads in England.
The Department and the Highways Monitor challenge National Highways on litter performance. National Highways is committed to reporting annually on the percentage of the Strategic Road Network which is predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
National Highways does not have litter enforcement powers on the strategic road network, Local Authorities do have the powers to take forward civil and criminal prosecutions if they have sufficient evidence to do so.
The Department has no current plans to reallocate funding for buses to light rail, including tramways. Light rail is largely devolved and it is for local authorities to determine if light rail interventions are appropriate and proportionate, and to identify funding.
The table below shows the number of fatal road collisions in Great Britain reported by the police using the STATS19 system where a police officer attended the scene and allocated the contributory factor ‘Not displaying lights at night or in poor visibility’ to a pedal cyclist involved in the collision.
Year | Fatal collisions |
2017 | 2 |
2018 | 3 |
2019 | 4 |
2020 | 4 |
2021 | 4 |
There are currently 1,102,021 vehicles in the historic vehicle taxation class. Of these 595,823 are currently licensed and attract a nil rate of vehicle excise duty.
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs publish official statistics on structural tax reliefs ever year. The latest estimate for the historic tax class was published on 12 January is £130m for 2022-23.