Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 1 November 2021, case number MP72287 on delays in processing passport renewal applications.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 16 February 2022.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department have made for the implications of her policies of the increasing number of management companies in the statutory charges recovery industry who take a proportion of the Statutory Fee which decreases the revenue for vehicle recovery operators; and will she make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of statutory charging guidance nor the number of management companies used by the police and National Highways for vehicle recovery operations.
Details of the contracts and of the obligations between the parties to those contracts, are between the police, National Highways and individual contractors or managing agents whom the police and National Highways employ to run schemes on their behalf. These, and any other arrangements that might be made for vehicle recovery are operational matters for the police and Highways England.
The Home Office met with representatives of the recovery industry on 11 August to listen to their concerns. We advised the representatives that vehicle recovery contracts continue to be operational matters between the police, National Highways and individual recovery operators.
The Home Office’s role is limited to setting the statutory charges which the Police and National Highways can levy when they have exercised their recovery powers.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with representatives from the recovery industry on the practice for Police forces and Highways Authorities to use Statutory Fees as an income generator for their own organisations; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of statutory charging guidance nor the number of management companies used by the police and National Highways for vehicle recovery operations.
Details of the contracts and of the obligations between the parties to those contracts, are between the police, National Highways and individual contractors or managing agents whom the police and National Highways employ to run schemes on their behalf. These, and any other arrangements that might be made for vehicle recovery are operational matters for the police and Highways England.
The Home Office met with representatives of the recovery industry on 11 August to listen to their concerns. We advised the representatives that vehicle recovery contracts continue to be operational matters between the police, National Highways and individual recovery operators.
The Home Office’s role is limited to setting the statutory charges which the Police and National Highways can levy when they have exercised their recovery powers.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of guidance to the statutory charges recovery industry on (a) punitive charges and (b) income generation; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of statutory charging guidance nor the number of management companies used by the police and National Highways for vehicle recovery operations.
Details of the contracts and of the obligations between the parties to those contracts, are between the police, National Highways and individual contractors or managing agents whom the police and National Highways employ to run schemes on their behalf. These, and any other arrangements that might be made for vehicle recovery are operational matters for the police and Highways England.
The Home Office met with representatives of the recovery industry on 11 August to listen to their concerns. We advised the representatives that vehicle recovery contracts continue to be operational matters between the police, National Highways and individual recovery operators.
The Home Office’s role is limited to setting the statutory charges which the Police and National Highways can levy when they have exercised their recovery powers.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times police forces have used their statutory powers to require a recovery of a vehicle in each of the last three years for which data is available.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of the validity of recovery industry reports that police authorities are imposing fees on recovery operators nor of the additional costs associated with the roadside removal and storage of electric vehicles compared to ICE vehicles.
Data on the volume of vehicles recovered and how much revenue is accrued or allocated in vehicle recovery fees is not routinely collected by the Home Office.
The Home Office is currently running a consultation to assess the current statutory fees and whether new levels of charges should be applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales. These charges will apply where the police have cause to remove or recover a vehicle in particular sets of circumstances. This consultation does not cover the way in which the police use their powers to order vehicle removal, or the operation of recovery schemes and contracts. These are matters between the police and individual recovery operators.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the additional costs associated with the roadside removal and storage of electric vehicles compared to ICE vehicles; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of the validity of recovery industry reports that police authorities are imposing fees on recovery operators nor of the additional costs associated with the roadside removal and storage of electric vehicles compared to ICE vehicles.
Data on the volume of vehicles recovered and how much revenue is accrued or allocated in vehicle recovery fees is not routinely collected by the Home Office.
The Home Office is currently running a consultation to assess the current statutory fees and whether new levels of charges should be applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales. These charges will apply where the police have cause to remove or recover a vehicle in particular sets of circumstances. This consultation does not cover the way in which the police use their powers to order vehicle removal, or the operation of recovery schemes and contracts. These are matters between the police and individual recovery operators.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money has been raised from statutory fees to contribute to police funding in each year since the last Government review in 2008.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of the validity of recovery industry reports that police authorities are imposing fees on recovery operators nor of the additional costs associated with the roadside removal and storage of electric vehicles compared to ICE vehicles.
Data on the volume of vehicles recovered and how much revenue is accrued or allocated in vehicle recovery fees is not routinely collected by the Home Office.
The Home Office is currently running a consultation to assess the current statutory fees and whether new levels of charges should be applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales. These charges will apply where the police have cause to remove or recover a vehicle in particular sets of circumstances. This consultation does not cover the way in which the police use their powers to order vehicle removal, or the operation of recovery schemes and contracts. These are matters between the police and individual recovery operators.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the statutory fees for recovery operations is allocated to (a) Highways England, (b) police forces, (c) management agencies and (d) recovery operators who carry out that work; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of the validity of recovery industry reports that police authorities are imposing fees on recovery operators nor of the additional costs associated with the roadside removal and storage of electric vehicles compared to ICE vehicles.
Data on the volume of vehicles recovered and how much revenue is accrued or allocated in vehicle recovery fees is not routinely collected by the Home Office.
The Home Office is currently running a consultation to assess the current statutory fees and whether new levels of charges should be applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales. These charges will apply where the police have cause to remove or recover a vehicle in particular sets of circumstances. This consultation does not cover the way in which the police use their powers to order vehicle removal, or the operation of recovery schemes and contracts. These are matters between the police and individual recovery operators.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the validity of recovery industry reports that police authorities are imposing fees of up to £50 plus VAT on recovery operators through statutory fees; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No assessment has been made of the validity of recovery industry reports that police authorities are imposing fees on recovery operators nor of the additional costs associated with the roadside removal and storage of electric vehicles compared to ICE vehicles.
Data on the volume of vehicles recovered and how much revenue is accrued or allocated in vehicle recovery fees is not routinely collected by the Home Office.
The Home Office is currently running a consultation to assess the current statutory fees and whether new levels of charges should be applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales. These charges will apply where the police have cause to remove or recover a vehicle in particular sets of circumstances. This consultation does not cover the way in which the police use their powers to order vehicle removal, or the operation of recovery schemes and contracts. These are matters between the police and individual recovery operators.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the passport office will reinstate the passport renewal service that was suspended during the covid-19 outbreak; and id will she make a statement.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Her Majesty’s Passport Office has continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the processing of passport renewal applications has not ceased during this period.
Face-to-face passport services were suspended on 24 March. We will determine when they will resume in due course.