Tag: Alex Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 10 of the Government’s publication entitled UK Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, what revisions have been (a) made or (b) planned to the UK’s Supply Chain Code of Practice in the offshore oil and gas industry since July 2014.

Matthew Hancock

There have been no revisions nor are there planned revisions to the UK’s Supply Chain Code of Practice for the offshore oil and gas industry since July 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 11 of the UK Government’s publication entitled, Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, what funding has been allocated to date to companies in the offshore industry supply chain through the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative during the current period of low oil prices.

Matthew Hancock

The time period in question is covered by current round of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI). AMSCI 2014 has yet to announce any successful bids as the assessment phase is still on-going. Decisions are made by an Independent Investment Board.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 223458, what the current (a) employment protections and (b) collective bargaining rights are for contractors working in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Jo Swinson

A contractor’s employment protections will depend on the facts of the working relationship and the contract under which they are working. This is irrespective of whether the individual is being contracted for offshore work or not. Contractors who are actually workers or employees would be entitled to the same basic employment protections as other offshore workers with a similar status, and indeed would have common collective rights. Contractors who are self-employed may be entitled to a smaller number of employment protections, depending on the terms of their contract. There is no single list of the protections and rights of offshore workers and contractors because these will be specific to the contract, the location of the work place and the employment status of the contractor. The Government is exploring how to add clarity to this as part of the employment status review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps have been taken since July 2014 to revise the UK Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership; and when that Strategy is next due for review.

Matthew Hancock

The Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy is under constant review by the Oil and Gas Industry Council. The Council met in November 2014 and is due to meet next in March 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2015 to Question 221932, what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies in the offshore drilling sector since the introduction of the Investment Allowance.

Priti Patel

The government understands the challenges currently facing the UK oil and gas industry and is following developments in the North Sea closely.

The Investment Allowance rewards companies investing in the long-term future of the basin – at all stages of the investment life cycle – and we would expect it to significantly reduce the effective tax rate for companies investing in the UK Continental Shelf.

Work on the design of the new Investment Allowance has been progressing rapidly since December – the government published a consultation document on its proposals on 22 January.

The government recognises the importance of the industry to local economies and as an employer. The report published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in partnership with Oil and Gas UK and OPITO (the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation) in December, “Fuelling the next generation: A study of the UK upstream oil and gas workforce” highlighted both the sector’s current contribution to employment and its future potential. The government will continue to work closely with industry through the Oil and Gas Industry Council and with the newly-formed Scottish Energy Jobs Taskforce to support jobs in the sector, develop the industry’s skills base and make sure this potential is realised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 221932, when the Joint Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy was published; what discussions he has had regarding the Strategy with his ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills since the fall in international oil prices; and what updates his Department has proposed to the Strategy since July 2014.

Priti Patel

Actions on fiscal matters fall under the responsibility of HM Treasury (as stated in the industrial strategy) and these actions are taken forward in collaboration with the Oil and Gas Fiscal Forum. The Forum is separate from the Oil and Gas Industry Council, who have responsibility for the Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, in partnership with BIS.

The Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy is kept under review by the Oil and Gas Industry Council. The Council met in November 2014 and is due to meet next in March 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) mean and (b) median duration to assessment, duration to treatment and duration to departure was in (i) type 1 and (ii) all accident and emergency departments in each month in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The information has been placed in the Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 221932, what estimate he has made of the effect of the reduction in the rate of Supplementary Charge on levels of (a) employment, (b) exploration activity, (c) infrastructure maintenance and (d) decommissioning in the offshore oil and gas industry to date.

Priti Patel

The government recognises the importance of the UK oil and gas industry and its contribution to energy security and the UK economy. We are committed to the future of the industry and creating the right conditions to maximise economic recovery.

At Autumn Statement, the government published a radical plan for the future of the oil and gas fiscal regime and set out a package of measures, including the reduction in the rate of the Supplementary Charge, to tackle the fiscal challenges and ensure the UKCS continues to attract investment, simplify the current system, and remove barriers at all stages of the production life cycle. The package is expected to drive around £7bn of additional investment and 350m barrels of oil equivalent production.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in preparing a cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment and training of minors; and when he expects to publish a report on that issue.

Anna Soubry

The report has been submitted by the Army to Ministry of Defence (MOD) HQ, for consideration. It is not possible to provide a publication date for the report until the report’s findings have been considered.

The terms of reference of the report are as follows:
Question – “What is the cost overhead to MOD of Phase 1 training for Junior Entry (JE) soldiers versus Standard Entry (SE) soldiers joining the Army?”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of (a) refuse-derived fuel and (b) solid recovered fuel produced in the UK exported annually for use in energy from waste plants overseas.

Dan Rogerson

In 2012 (the most recent year for which definitive figures are available), 977,452 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel and 7,783 tonnes of solid recovered fuel were exported from England and Wales for use in energy from waste plants. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is collected separately and falls under the responsibility of the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive respectively.