Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential effect of reductions in the Official Development Assistance budget on (1) poverty, (2) inequality, and (3) the UK's reputation, in the global south.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is a world leader in development, committed to the global fight against poverty and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In 2020 we spent £14.5 billion Official Development Assistance (ODA) fighting poverty and helping those in need, despite the seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK and global economy. This included £1.7 billion supporting the effort to fight coronavirus, £1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance, and we gave more than half of our regional bilateral aid to countries in Africa.
In 2021, the UK will still spend over £10 billion and remain one of the largest ODA spenders in the world. Based on 2020 OECD data, the UK will be the third largest ODA donor in the G7 as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) in 2021 and will spend above the average for OECD Development Assistance Committee members (0.41%). As we move through the spending cycle, as is standard, we will review the impact of projects and our spend, in order to inform future spending decisions and policy making.
On 13 July the Government gave Members of Parliament the opportunity to debate its proposed course of action and a pathway back to 0.7%. The House voted clearly with a majority of 35 votes to approve the approach set out in the Treasury's Written Ministerial Statement. Improving economic forecasts shows that HMG may meet its fiscal tests to return to spending 0.7% of GNI on aid in financial year 2024/25.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the aid budget on (a) poverty, (b) inequality and (c) the UK’s reputation in the Global South.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK is a world leader in development, committed to the global fight against poverty and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In 2020 we spent £14.5 billion Official Development Assistance (ODA) fighting poverty and helping those in need, despite the seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK and global economy. This included £1.7 billion supporting the effort to fight coronavirus, £1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance, and we gave more than half of our regional bilateral aid to countries in Africa.
In 2021, the UK will spend over £10 billion and remain one of the largest ODA contributors in the world. Based on 2020 OECD data, the UK will be the third largest ODA donor in the G7 as a percentage of GNI in 2021 and will spend above the average for OECD Development Assistance Committee members (0.41%). As the Chancellor said during his budget speech of 27th October, improving economic forecasts shows that HMG is scheduled to return to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on aid in financial year 2024/25.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2021 to Question 45228 on Immigration Controls: Coronavirus, how travellers without access to the internet are able to complete the Passenger Locator Form for a return journey to the UK, in the context of there being a 48 hour window for people to complete that form before arriving in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
As stated in the Government’s response to Questions 45228, all passengers must complete the Passenger Locator Form online, however, once completed they can print off their finished form to show carriers before departing to the UK.
Passengers may seek assistance, from family, friends or another third party, to complete on their behalf.
There are dedicated helplines for members of the public who are encountering issues with completing the PLF form. Whilst these helplines can provide advice, they cannot complete the form on behalf of the passenger.
The contact telephone number from within the UK is 0800 678 1767 and is open Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm. These calls are free of charge.
The contact telephone number when outside the UK is 0044 207 113 0371 and is open Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm. These calls are charged dependant on the network provider.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on reducing the backlog of driving licence applications.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The information requested in questions 58489 and 58490 is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost as it would involve scrutinising each application that is awaiting processing. Paper driving licence applications are currently taking between six and ten weeks to process. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a rapid response corporate services team to engage key stakeholders, including trade associations. Formal four-weekly review meetings take place where stakeholders can raise issues/concerns and provide feedback from members. The DVLA has regular contact with key stakeholders to resolve issues and address concerns quickly. This includes providing information on timescales for processing applications, working to prioritise urgent applications where they are business-critical or employment is at risk and also provided a dedicated contact point for fuel companies to progress vocational licence applications.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average waiting time for (a) driving licence applications, (b) short-term medical driving licence applications and (c) applications to exchange a foreign driving licence for people in (i) Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, (ii) Oxfordshire and (iii). England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The information requested in questions 58489 and 58490 is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost as it would involve scrutinising each application that is awaiting processing. Paper driving licence applications are currently taking between six and ten weeks to process. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a rapid response corporate services team to engage key stakeholders, including trade associations. Formal four-weekly review meetings take place where stakeholders can raise issues/concerns and provide feedback from members. The DVLA has regular contact with key stakeholders to resolve issues and address concerns quickly. This includes providing information on timescales for processing applications, working to prioritise urgent applications where they are business-critical or employment is at risk and also provided a dedicated contact point for fuel companies to progress vocational licence applications.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of outstanding (a) driving licence applications, (b) short-term medical driving licence applications and (c) applications to exchange a foreign driving licence from people in (i) Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, (ii) Oxfordshire and (iii) England.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The information requested in questions 58489 and 58490 is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost as it would involve scrutinising each application that is awaiting processing. Paper driving licence applications are currently taking between six and ten weeks to process. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a rapid response corporate services team to engage key stakeholders, including trade associations. Formal four-weekly review meetings take place where stakeholders can raise issues/concerns and provide feedback from members. The DVLA has regular contact with key stakeholders to resolve issues and address concerns quickly. This includes providing information on timescales for processing applications, working to prioritise urgent applications where they are business-critical or employment is at risk and also provided a dedicated contact point for fuel companies to progress vocational licence applications.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support the growth of the cooperative and mutual sector.
Answered by John Glen
In my role as Economic Secretary, I have been a champion of the mutuals sector. It is clear to me that mutuals bring something different to other forms of running a business, with their clear focus on delivering the services their members and communities need.
The Government has sought to improve the business environment for co-operatives and mutuals. The Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 helped cut through the legal complexity involved in running a co-operative, improving their competitiveness. The ability of co-operatives to raise £100,000 of withdrawable share capital per member, increased from £20,000 in 2014, has also ensured that co-operatives have the necessary flexibility to raise funding and compete more effectively with companies.
Furthermore, following the interest rate cap rise from 2% to 3% in 2014, credit unions have been able to expand into higher-risk markets and provide an important alternative to high-cost lenders. The prize-linked savings scheme, which was offered through credit unions, has also helped increase individuals’ financial resilience and raise awareness of credit unions. Building societies and credit unions have also played a key role in supporting consumers through the COVID-19 pandemic by keeping their branches open, which I thanked them for in a letter in April 2020.
Mutuals have benefitted from financial support provided by the Government to businesses during the pandemic, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Mutuals also benefitted from the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, which provided significant flexibility for mutuals in holding their annual general meetings, as well as improved the insolvency regime for co-operatives. Credit unions have also benefited from the distribution of dormant asset funding by Fair4All Finance, including their £5m COVID resilience fund.
As we build back better from the pandemic, the Government is looking to support the growth of the mutuals sector. The Chancellor announced at Budget 2020 that the Government intends to bring forward changes to the Credit Unions Act to allow credit unions to offer a wider range of products and services. Officials have been engaging with credit unions to ensure changes meet the needs of members and credit unions. This measure will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
At Budget 2021, the Government also announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This will allow community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. First round bids are currently being assessed and funding decisions will be announced in due course.
I meet with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) on a regular basis to discuss various matters. Officials also engage regularly with the FCA and PRA to discuss how best to support the growth and stability of the mutuals sector. However, the regulators are independent of Government and the Government cannot direct them to consider specific issues.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of cooperatives and mutuals contribution to the economy.
Answered by John Glen
In my role as Economic Secretary, I have been a champion of the mutuals sector. It is clear to me that mutuals bring something different to other forms of running a business, with their clear focus on delivering the services their members and communities need.
The Government has sought to improve the business environment for co-operatives and mutuals. The Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 helped cut through the legal complexity involved in running a co-operative, improving their competitiveness. The ability of co-operatives to raise £100,000 of withdrawable share capital per member, increased from £20,000 in 2014, has also ensured that co-operatives have the necessary flexibility to raise funding and compete more effectively with companies.
Furthermore, following the interest rate cap rise from 2% to 3% in 2014, credit unions have been able to expand into higher-risk markets and provide an important alternative to high-cost lenders. The prize-linked savings scheme, which was offered through credit unions, has also helped increase individuals’ financial resilience and raise awareness of credit unions. Building societies and credit unions have also played a key role in supporting consumers through the COVID-19 pandemic by keeping their branches open, which I thanked them for in a letter in April 2020.
Mutuals have benefitted from financial support provided by the Government to businesses during the pandemic, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Mutuals also benefitted from the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, which provided significant flexibility for mutuals in holding their annual general meetings, as well as improved the insolvency regime for co-operatives. Credit unions have also benefited from the distribution of dormant asset funding by Fair4All Finance, including their £5m COVID resilience fund.
As we build back better from the pandemic, the Government is looking to support the growth of the mutuals sector. The Chancellor announced at Budget 2020 that the Government intends to bring forward changes to the Credit Unions Act to allow credit unions to offer a wider range of products and services. Officials have been engaging with credit unions to ensure changes meet the needs of members and credit unions. This measure will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
At Budget 2021, the Government also announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This will allow community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. First round bids are currently being assessed and funding decisions will be announced in due course.
I meet with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) on a regular basis to discuss various matters. Officials also engage regularly with the FCA and PRA to discuss how best to support the growth and stability of the mutuals sector. However, the regulators are independent of Government and the Government cannot direct them to consider specific issues.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to engage with the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Prudential Regulation Authority to protect mutuals and co-operatives.
Answered by John Glen
In my role as Economic Secretary, I have been a champion of the mutuals sector. It is clear to me that mutuals bring something different to other forms of running a business, with their clear focus on delivering the services their members and communities need.
The Government has sought to improve the business environment for co-operatives and mutuals. The Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 helped cut through the legal complexity involved in running a co-operative, improving their competitiveness. The ability of co-operatives to raise £100,000 of withdrawable share capital per member, increased from £20,000 in 2014, has also ensured that co-operatives have the necessary flexibility to raise funding and compete more effectively with companies.
Furthermore, following the interest rate cap rise from 2% to 3% in 2014, credit unions have been able to expand into higher-risk markets and provide an important alternative to high-cost lenders. The prize-linked savings scheme, which was offered through credit unions, has also helped increase individuals’ financial resilience and raise awareness of credit unions. Building societies and credit unions have also played a key role in supporting consumers through the COVID-19 pandemic by keeping their branches open, which I thanked them for in a letter in April 2020.
Mutuals have benefitted from financial support provided by the Government to businesses during the pandemic, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Mutuals also benefitted from the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, which provided significant flexibility for mutuals in holding their annual general meetings, as well as improved the insolvency regime for co-operatives. Credit unions have also benefited from the distribution of dormant asset funding by Fair4All Finance, including their £5m COVID resilience fund.
As we build back better from the pandemic, the Government is looking to support the growth of the mutuals sector. The Chancellor announced at Budget 2020 that the Government intends to bring forward changes to the Credit Unions Act to allow credit unions to offer a wider range of products and services. Officials have been engaging with credit unions to ensure changes meet the needs of members and credit unions. This measure will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
At Budget 2021, the Government also announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This will allow community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. First round bids are currently being assessed and funding decisions will be announced in due course.
I meet with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) on a regular basis to discuss various matters. Officials also engage regularly with the FCA and PRA to discuss how best to support the growth and stability of the mutuals sector. However, the regulators are independent of Government and the Government cannot direct them to consider specific issues.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the levels of (a) resilience and (b) competition that mutuals and co-operatives bring to the economy.
Answered by John Glen
In my role as Economic Secretary, I have been a champion of the mutuals sector. It is clear to me that mutuals bring something different to other forms of running a business, with their clear focus on delivering the services their members and communities need.
The Government has sought to improve the business environment for co-operatives and mutuals. The Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 helped cut through the legal complexity involved in running a co-operative, improving their competitiveness. The ability of co-operatives to raise £100,000 of withdrawable share capital per member, increased from £20,000 in 2014, has also ensured that co-operatives have the necessary flexibility to raise funding and compete more effectively with companies.
Furthermore, following the interest rate cap rise from 2% to 3% in 2014, credit unions have been able to expand into higher-risk markets and provide an important alternative to high-cost lenders. The prize-linked savings scheme, which was offered through credit unions, has also helped increase individuals’ financial resilience and raise awareness of credit unions. Building societies and credit unions have also played a key role in supporting consumers through the COVID-19 pandemic by keeping their branches open, which I thanked them for in a letter in April 2020.
Mutuals have benefitted from financial support provided by the Government to businesses during the pandemic, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Mutuals also benefitted from the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, which provided significant flexibility for mutuals in holding their annual general meetings, as well as improved the insolvency regime for co-operatives. Credit unions have also benefited from the distribution of dormant asset funding by Fair4All Finance, including their £5m COVID resilience fund.
As we build back better from the pandemic, the Government is looking to support the growth of the mutuals sector. The Chancellor announced at Budget 2020 that the Government intends to bring forward changes to the Credit Unions Act to allow credit unions to offer a wider range of products and services. Officials have been engaging with credit unions to ensure changes meet the needs of members and credit unions. This measure will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
At Budget 2021, the Government also announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This will allow community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. First round bids are currently being assessed and funding decisions will be announced in due course.
I meet with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) on a regular basis to discuss various matters. Officials also engage regularly with the FCA and PRA to discuss how best to support the growth and stability of the mutuals sector. However, the regulators are independent of Government and the Government cannot direct them to consider specific issues.