Tag: Adam Afriyie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the estimated cost per household will be to suppliers of having to issue an in-home display as part of the smart meter home display.

Andrea Leadsom

Energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic customers an In Home Display (IHD) for no upfront charge. Our latest Impact Assessment published in January 2014 estimates that IHDs will cost energy suppliers £15 per display.

GB trials and international experience demonstrate that real time feedback from In Home Displays are instrumental to energy savings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of current progress against the air quality target of 40 microgrammes of NO2 per cubic metre; and whether the Government expects to meet that target.

Rory Stewart

We have improved air quality significantly over recent decades and the UK currently meets the EU limit values for almost all pollutants. We have consulted on our draft revised air quality plans for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), which set out a range of local, national and international actions to lower levels of harmful emissions and are currently analysing all of the responses received. By the end of the year we will submit the finalised plans to the European Commission outlining how the UK will meet the EU limit values for NO₂ including those of 40 micrograms of NO₂ per cubic metre in the shortest possible time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the cyber security implications of driverless cars.

Anna Soubry

Government recognises that vehicle security is a priority to ensure the safety and security of the public and their data.

Government believes connected and autonomous vehicles should be “secure by design” and handle data appropriately. We are working closely with industry to achieve these aims as part of a wider programme of activity to ensure that the significant opportunities of these technologies can be realised safely and securely.

Connected technologies present cyber security challenges across a range of sectors. Cyber security has been identified as a key priority in the latest National Security Strategy. The Government has announced the formation of a National Cyber Security Centre, which will bring together the UK’s cyber expertise from different parts of Government into one organisation. The Government will also publish a new National Cyber Security Strategy later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the use of digital technology for improving attainment across the curriculum.

Nick Gibb

The Government’s approach is not to be interested in technology for its own sake, but rather how it can help teachers work more effectively and children to achieve. The Department has an enabling role so schools can take advantage of the opportunities, but not promoting particular approaches.

We are focused on three areas:

• Unlocking innovation in the ed-tech industry by moving to a common set of standards for data within schools and government.

• Building the evidence base of what works so schools can make informed decisions.

• Helping teachers and school leaders to build their knowledge and understanding of technology so that they are able confidently to make best use of it.

Technology presents a number of opportunities to improve outcomes for children. Used well, technology can be a huge aid to schools, but the international evidence shows that caution is needed to ensure technology is used to best effect.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much total government funding the UK contributed towards the budget of the EU in each year since 1992.

Mr David Gauke

Details of UK contributions to the EU Budget are published annually in a document entitled European Union Finances.

The latest edition (European Union Finances 2014) was published in December 2014 (Cm 8974) and is available in the House library. Table 3A on page 14 provides details of UK contributions, rebate and public sector receipts for the period 2008 to 2014.

Figures for years prior to 2008 can be found in previous editions of this publication, which are also be available in the House library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to work with other governments and international NGOs to increase stem cell and bone marrow donor registration globally.

Jane Ellison

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 December 2015 to Question 18582.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to support (a) peer-to-peer lending and (b) challenger banks.

Anna Soubry

Access to finance on flexible, competitive terms is essential for growing businesses. Challenger banks and alternative finance providers have an important role to play in widening choice and promoting competition.

Government is bringing into effect provisions in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 which will require the largest banks – where they decline lending requests from small business customers – to offer those customers the opportunity for their details to be referred to a government-designated funding platform. These platforms will be brought into operation later this year and will allow SMEs to match their requirements with offers from peer-to-peer platforms and challenger banks.

During the last 12 months, the British Business Bank has supported 3,301 businesses through the peer-to-peer platforms Funding Circle, RateSetter and Zopa. The British Business Bank also supports the growth of challenger banks by providing wholesale funds alongside private sector investors.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of whether his Department is on course to complete the roll-out of smart meters by 2020.

Jesse Norman

The Government is committed to every home and small business being offered smart meters by the end of 2020. The Programme is making good progress. More than 4.2 million meters have been installed in homes and businesses across Great Britain.

Data on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed in Great Britain is set out in the Government’s ‘Smart Meters, Great Britain, Quarterly report to end June 2016’, published on 29 September 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-release-and-data-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-2-2016

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to boost exports to (a) Indonesia, (b) Vietnam, (c) Thailand, (d) Malaysia, (e) the Philippines and (f) other countries in South East Asia.

Anna Soubry

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has established a regional network to support UK trade and investment across South East Asia. This helps provide UK companies with access to the fast-growing markets of the region. The network is on target to assist nearly 10,000 businesses this year. UKTI has directly assisted in export deals with the region worth £2bn in the first six months of this financial year, putting us on track to deliver the UK’s best ever trade figures for the region. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister urged the European Union to accelerate negotiations on the EU-ASEAN FTA, a deal that is worth an additional £3 billion a year to the UK economy.

Closer collaboration across the region, supported by continued investment from government, has enabled UKTI to operate ever more efficiently, working with more British businesses and securing a higher value of business wins. Six regional priority sectors have been identified- reflecting UK strengths as well as the scale of opportunities in the region – enabling a more strategic approach to trade delivery in Infrastructure, Education, Energy, Financial & Professional Services, Consumer Retail and Healthcare.

Significant investment is also being made in the development of additional trade service capacity, being delivered by industry partners in the region, principally through Chambers of Commerce. This represents the government’s growing focus on the region as a global growth engine, and is indicative of the continuing importance that this government places in seeking out global opportunities to boost the UK economy.

In July of this year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister led a trade mission to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. The mission was made up of 30 British businesses, and included the signing of trade deals worth over £750 million. Concurrently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary for State for Business, Innovation and Skills led the inaugural Northern Powerhouse delegation, comprising over 50 UK companies, to Singapore and Malaysia.

During his visit to Indonesia, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Government will make available up to £1 billion to finance infrastructure projects involving UK business, in Indonesia through its export guarantee scheme. The UK welcomes the recent commitments made by President Joko Widodo’s government on deregulation and improving the business and investment environment in Indonesia, as well as the talks between Indonesia and the EU on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will benefit both Indonesia and the UK. Richard Graham MP, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Indonesia and the Asian Economic Community (AEC) has paid two visits this year to Indonesia, pushing forward trade priorities and promoting work on second-tier cities within Indonesia.

Two-way trade with Vietnam more than doubled between 2009 and 2014, reaching £2.81 billion, with the UK being amongst Vietnam’s largest trading partners within the EU. During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s visit in July, the first by a serving British Prime Minister, Rolls Royce and Vietnam Airlines signed an agreement totalling £340 million, Prudential announced a £100 million investment and ZincOx agreed a £75 million investment for hazardous waste recycling.

In the past year, over 1000 UK businesses have been helped to trade with Thailand. Notable improvements to the business environment include: British beef and lamb now being allowed to be imported into the Thai market after a 20-year hiatus, which will bring business of some £9m over the next five years; the British Embassy Bangkok, with other embassies and Chambers, encouraged the Thai authorities not to proceed with new regulations which would have directly impacted foreign ownership of over 5000 companies, many British, as well as deter further UK investment opportunities; finally the Government has encouraged the Thai authorities, with strong support from the Thai Prime Minister, to sign up to the Construction Transparency Initiative, which should improve public procurement practice for major infrastructure projects.

Exports to Malaysia (the UK’s second largest export market in ASEAN) have risen by almost 25% between 2010 and 2014. Over the past four years, there have been more UK Ministerial and VIP visits to Malaysia promoting trade and investment than ever before, including two visits by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Recent successes include a £4.2bn supply and maintenance deal between Rolls Royce and Air Asia. Posts have successfully worked to tackle market access barriers, for example, helping to open up engineering and legal services in Malaysia.

In the first half of this year UK exports to the Philippines grew by 44%, the third highest growth in exports to any country worldwide. Major deals include a £90m contract for the supply of electronic voting machines, a £70m deal for a British solar company and the appointment of Arup as the lead designer on the country’s second largest airport.

Lord Puttnam, UK Trade and Cultural Envoy to Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam has also made two visits to the region this year, strengthening important business and governmental links and working on campaigns ranging from infrastructure to education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the extent of electoral fraud in Ghana; and whether her Department has participated in election observation in Ghana in the past and what plans it has to do so in future.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID supported the conclusion of the UNDP Needs Assessment Mission conducted 3-11 November 2014, that the Ghana Electoral Commission, despite its good reputation, continues to suffer from many challenges, primarily poor performance in managing the voters register; inadequate coordination among other institutions involved in the electoral process; and lack of communication and consultations with key stakeholders, including political parties. This increases the potential for electoral fraud. DFID staff have participated in previous election observation and plan to do so again, as part of the overall UK effort to support Ghana in achieving peaceful and credible elections in 2016.