Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Bowie this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 481–494 of 494 · this parliament
When he plans to announce the amount of private investment raised for Sizewell C.
Discussions with potential investors participating in the equity raise process are ongoing. We cannot comment further on the process, as it is commercially sensitive. The Government will continue to update the House as project’s development continues.
What his planned timeline is for downselecting small modular reactor technologies for UK deployment.
Great British Nuclear, the Department’s arm’s-length body responsible for helping deliver the government’s nuclear programme. is currently running a small modular reactor technology selection process for UK deployment. This is a live procurement and is on-going. The window for submitting tenders has now closed and Great British Nuclear is currently evaluating bids. We look forward to providing further information in due course.
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices on applications for large scale solar farms of the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Solar and protecting our Food Security and Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Land, dated 15 May 2024, UIN HCWS466.
The Written Ministerial Statement made in May by the previous government did not change the policy on this matter that is set out in the relevant parts of the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Renewable Energy and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). It quoted extracts from that NPS and the NPPF. Decisions on solar that is Nationally Significant Infrastructure will be guided by the NPS in full, noting there are transitional provisions in place as the NPS was only designated this January. The NPPF will continue to be a material consideration for Local Authority planning decisions on solar.
Whether he plans to expand the Renewable Energy Planning Database to include additional information on the types of agricultural land used by (a) existing solar projects and (b) solar projects in the planning pipeline, in the context of the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Solar and protecting our Food Security and Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Land, dated 15 May 2024, UIN HCWS466.
The Department plans to broaden the scope of the Renewable Energy Planning Database to provide information on the types of agricultural land used by existing solar projects and those in the planning pipeline, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement, ‘Solar and protecting our Food Security and Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Land dated 15 May.
Whether he plans to appoint a National Veterans Commissioner.
The Ministry of Defence is leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. The role of Veterans Commissioner is already established across the nations of the UK. The Ministry of Defence will work closely with our Veterans Commissioners to improve support for those who have served our country, including work to put the Armed Forces covenant fully into law.
What recent progress his Department has made in implementing the remaining recommendations of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review. published in May 2023.
Since the publication of Lord Etherton’s Independent Review in June 2023, and the Government response in December 2024, Defence continues to work at pace to deliver the intent behind the report’s recommendations. As of 18 July 2024, 30 of the 49 recommendations have already been made available to those affected. Work to implement the intent behind the remaining 19 recommendations is underway, including the recommendations for the memorial at the National Arboretum and the financial award for which the Government intend to begin accepting applications by the end of 2024. Defence encourages those affected to register their interest in applying for restorative measures by completing the LGBT veterans: support and next steps - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps.
Whether it is her policy to provide National Insurance relief for eligible employers recruiting veterans in their first civilian role after leaving military service.
The National Insurance contributions (NICs) relief for veterans means that businesses pay no employer NICs on salaries of up to £50,270 for one year of a veteran's first civilian employment. Businesses can claim the relief until April 2025.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support independent certification of agricultural land classification soil surveys by an appropriate body.
The Government is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of all commitments made by the last government to ensure they align with our new priorities and will have a beneficial effect. A decision regarding this specific policy will be made in due course.
How many applications have been received for Veterans’ ID cards.
The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from Ministry of Defence as part of their discharge process.Phase 2 extended access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card.Under Phase 2, as at 17 July 2024, 132,536 applications had been received for the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card and 117,924 card applications had been processed and posted.
How many Veterans’ ID cards have been delivered.
The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from MOD as part of their discharge process. Phase 2 extended access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card. Under Phase 2, as at 17 July 2024, 132,536 applications had been received for the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card and 117,924 card applications had been processed and posted.
What recent progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans, published on 17 July 2023.
The response to the independent review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans was published in December 2023. The response accepted the principle and intended outcome of all the review’s recommendations. Work is ongoing to implement changes to meet the review’s intent, which include transforming the way Ministry of Defence Welfare Services are delivered and improving the Veterans’ Gateway digital offer. An implementation timeline spanning the next 12-18 months has been developed to make the changes required to meet the review’s recommendations.
What the operating budget will be for the Office for Veterans Affairs in each financial year of this Parliament.
The resource budget for the Office for Veterans’ Affairs for financial year 2024-25 is £9.956 million. The budget for the remainder of this Parliament will be determined by the next Spending Review, which has not yet commenced.
If he will proceed with the planned GW-scale nuclear power plant at Wylfa, as announced by the previous Government on 22 May 2024.
Nuclear can play an important role in helping to achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of skilled jobs. As a site which has previously hosted a nuclear power station, and is now owned by Great British Nuclear, Wylfa can play an important role in new nuclear in the UK, and we will set out our plans for the site in due course.
With reference to sections 8 and 62 of the Electricity Act 1989, what his policy is on ensuring the right to public enquiry for Scottish communities in the event that a relevant planning authority objects to the (a) proposed construction, extension of operation of an onshore electricity generating station or (b) installation of an overhead electricity line.
Under the Electricity Act 1989, if a relevant planning authority objects to a section 36 or 37 application within the relevant time periods, Scottish Ministers must cause a public inquiry to be held and the application will be passed to the Scottish Government Planning and Environmental Appeals Division to consider. A public inquiry is not required where Scottish Ministers propose to grant the application subject to modifications or conditions that will give effect to the planning authority’s objection. Where the planning authority has not objected but other parties have, Scottish Ministers will consider those objections together with all other material considerations and determine whether a public inquiry should be held. The UK Government is committed to reforming the planning system to meet the needs of a modern economy and provide necessary economic growth. Whilst doing so, it remains committed to giving communities a role in engaging with proposals for developments in their local area.