The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated value of Network Rail was on the most recent date for which figures are available.
Claire Perry
As at 31 March 2015 Network Rail’s Net Assets totalled £6,391 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken to promote use of the UK Guarantees Scheme in Scotland.
David Mundell
The HM Treasury Infrastructure support Guarantee scheme has been available for nearly three years and is well understood in the market by key infrastructure players.
A range of projects have already been supported in Scotland, including Ineos Petrochemicals in Grangemouth and a Biomass project in Speyside with others currently participating in the process. Those interested in the scheme should contact IUKfinance@hmtreasury.gsi.gov.uk.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of households that will move into work as a result of moving onto universal credit by 2020.
Priti Patel
Once fully rolled-out, up to 300,000 more people are likely to be in work as a result of Universal Credit (UC).
Evidence from “Universal Credit at Work Spring 2015” show claimants are more likely to be in work, spend more time in work, and earn more than their counterparts on Jobseekers Allowance.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce financial incentives for bus and coach companies to bring forward capital investment in Passenger Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations-compliant vehicles ahead of the deadline for compliance of January 2017.
Andrew Jones
By January 2017 all buses designed to carry over twenty-two passengers on local or scheduled services must comply with the Passenger Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR). Bus operators have had a long time to prepare for these new duties, and around 89% of vehicles are already compliant compared to just 59% in 2009/10. We have no plans to introduce financial incentives ahead of the deadline.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-11-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid from the public purse in backdated guardian’s allowance to people who have been granted leave in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs does not hold the requested information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many times he has visited each parliamentary constituency in Wales in an official capacity in the 2015-16 session of Parliament.
Stephen Crabb
Wales Office Ministers regularly visit Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales. In each instance, the respective honourable Member is notified of the visit.
Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Wales Office website, and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office Business Plan are published in the Wales Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Wales Office Ministers are always keen to receive invitation requests from honourable Members.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-04.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to work with credit card companies to support customers who are struggling with persistent debt.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, which includes the credit card sector. Consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.
The FCA is currently undertaking a thorough review of the credit card market through its ‘credit card market study’. The market study is investigating three areas, one of which is the extent of unaffordable credit card debt. On the 3rd November 2015 the FCA published its interim report which found that the market was working reasonably well for most customers. However, the FCA expressed concern about the scale of potentially problematic debt in this sector and the incentives for firms to manage this.
The interim report also included the FCA’s early thinking on potential remedies which include measures to give consumers more control over their credit limits, measures to encourage customers to pay off debt quicker when they can afford to, and proposals that firms do more to identify earlier those consumers who may be struggling to repay and take action to help them manage their repayments. The FCA is currently asking for feedback on the findings and potential remedies.
The Government is looking forward to the full report in the spring and would encourage interested parties to give their views to the FCA to assist it in addressing the issues it has identified.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to implement the original text of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 about a European rail network for competitive freight, in the light of the recent decision by the European Court of Justice.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department for Transport, as a member of the Executive Board, and Network Rail, as a member of the Management Board, for Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Mediterranean, will work with their Corridor partners to implement the extension of the British element of this Corridor to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Felixstowe and Southampton by 2018. In accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 as amended by Regulation (EU) 1316/2013, these extensions will be based on market studies and will take into consideration existing passenger and freight operations on those routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2015-11-04.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the value for money of the estimated £46 million of public funds provided to Kids Company over the last 15 years.
Lord Bridges of Headley
Kids Company delivered important work for vulnerable young people and received support from successive governments over a 15 year period, beginning in 2002.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 2 December (HL3879), whether they will publish the draft Bill for setting up the Historical Investigations Unit and other legacy bodies that was presented to political parties at those negotiations, and why they did not provide that information in that answer.
Lord Dunlop
The matter of how best to move forward and achieve broad consensus in support of legislation to establish the legacy bodies, including whether to publish the draft Bill, is currently being considered.