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  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his oral statement of 15 September, how the measures announced in that statement will increase security at the Hinkley C project.

    Jesse Norman

    As announced on 15 September, following the comprehensive review of the Hinkley Point C project, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State announced new safeguards for future foreign investment in critical infrastructure.

    In respect of Hinkley Point C, the Government is able to prevent the sale of EDF’s controlling stake prior to the completion of construction. This agreement has been confirmed in an exchange of letters between the Government and EDF.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether EDF will incur a penalty in the event that Hinkley Point C starts to generate electricity by 2025.

    Jesse Norman

    Under the contract for difference, if Hinkley Point C does not start generating electricity four years after 2025 then there will be reductions to the contract term. This means that for every day that Hinkley is late, the period of time where EDF is getting increased certainty on the price of electricity generated from Hinkley is reduced. If neither reactor at Hinkley is generating electricity by 2033, there is an option to cancel the contract.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department made before the announcement of 15 September 2016 of the extent of the potential security issue facing the development of Hinkley Point C.

    Jesse Norman

    Security matters are an integral part of reaching agreement on all new nuclear developments. Following my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State’s announcement on 28 July 2016, the Government undertook a comprehensive review of the Hinkley Point C project; the review considered all component parts of the Hinkley deal. In the interest of security, we do not comment on security-specific matters.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Department for Education on reskilling in the energy industry.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a number of issues.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on reports of the use of ammunition produced and exported by Primetake, a company based in Lincolnshire, to kill Abdul-Rahim al-Faraj by security forces in Saudi Arabia; and whether he plans to investigate such reports.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of claims by Mr al-Faraj’s family that ammunition produced in the UK was used in the incident that killed him. The UK Government takes decisions on all arms export licensing applications on the basis of close and careful consideration, assessing them against the EU and National Consolidated Arms Export Licensing Criteria, which includes an assessment of whether there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression.

    The Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman stated that Mr al-Faraj was suspected of previously killing security forces personnel and indicated that substantial arms and ammunition were found on the premises during the operation.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he is providing to Fintech after the vote to leave the EU.

    Simon Kirby

    The UK is recognised as the world’s leading FinTech capital, with recent reports such as EY’s ‘UK FinTech: on the cutting edge’ and Deloitte’s ‘Connecting Global FinTech: Hub Review 2016’ placing the UK and London as the number one location for FinTech in the world.

    The government is determined to continue to help support UK FinTech firms as they innovate and grow, and wants to ensure that the UK remains the location of choice for FinTech firms. As such, we are continuing to implement a range of our previously announced policies which are designed to reduce barriers to entry for FinTechs, help industry accelerate the development of key FinTech initiatives and ease access to foreign markets. We are also assessing other initiatives which can further help support the growth of UK FinTech, in consultation with the industry.

    In July, we launched our second FinTech Bridge with the Republic of Korea – increasing the opportunities for trade and investment between our two nations on FinTech, and deepening regulatory and government collaboration.

    Following the vote to leave the European Union, the government is engaging extensively with the sector. I will be meeting with the sector this month to discuss what they are looking for out of the European negotiations, and what more the government can do in the short and medium term to support the sector.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority are adequately ensuring that companies disclose the financial risk to their company associated with climate change.

    Simon Kirby

    Climate change is not only a huge threat to our natural environment, but to our economic prosperity too. The private sector’s involvement is crucial if we are to be successful in reaching the ambitious targets agreed in Paris last year. The UK government and regulators are together at the forefront of engaging with the private sector to address this pressing issue:

    • The Prudential Regulation Authority’s pioneering report on the impact of climate change on the UK insurance sector last year kick-started the global debate around climate-related financial risks.

    • The Bank of England is leading global efforts to develop the international framework for green finance as co-chair of the G20 Green Finance Study Group.

    • Governor Carney’s speech in Berlin last week stressed the importance of disclosure in addressing climate-related financial risks.

    The Financial Stability Board, chaired by Governor Carney, set up an industry-led Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures in late 2015, under the leadership of Michael Bloomberg. The Task Force is developing recommendations for voluntary, consistent, comparable, reliable and clear disclosures around climate-related financial risks for companies to provide information to investors, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders. The Task Force published its initial report in April, and will publish a final report in early 2017. The Government looks forward to the publication of the Task Force’s report.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent the loss of technologies being developed in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK has a long and strong history in science, research and innovation, and a world-leading reputation, being ranked third in the Global Innovation Index in 2016. We have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament. Looking ahead, we want to ensure that the excellent work being done by our researchers, universities and innovative businesses continues. The Government has committed to underwrite payment of EU research funding for specific projects even when they continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arms and security-related sales and services the UK is (a) contracted to provide and (b) planning to provide in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The UK does not have commercial contracts with other countries for arms and security related sales and services. Through bilateral government-to-government arrangements the UK works closely with its international partners and allies to support the development of their defence and security capabilities across a broad range of areas.

    To produce the information would involve collecting data from all branches and services involved in international defence engagement activity which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his response to the results of his Department’s consultation on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges that closed in June 2016.

    Margot James

    The Government launched its consultation on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges to gain views on proposed actions towards tipping abuse. We are analysing submissions to this exercise and will announce further action in due course.