Tag: Kevin Brennan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the role of the PrescQIPP Programme is in relation to clinical commissioning groups.

Alistair Burt

The PrescQIPP NHS Programme currently has no direct role within the Department as it is an independent social enterprise.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) use its materials to improve the prescribing of medicines. These are mainly publicly available for CCGs and Health Boards, with some additional subscription-only content. Their governance and annual work programme is overseen by a strategic oversight group representing the users.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the level of procurement of British steel by local authorities in the UK.

Matthew Hancock

The Government has not made an assessment of the level of procurement of British steel by local authorities in England and it does not collect or hold this information centrally.

Last year Government issued guidance across central government, which sets out how government buyers should source steel for major projects in a more strategic and transparent way. This is underpinned by more detailed guidance explaining how Government departments should take into account the social impacts of competing suppliers as well as environmental factors for certain procurements involving steel.

In April 2016, Government announced that the guidance on procuring steel would be extended to the wider public sector. We are working with key stakeholders to take this forward so that we can maximise take-up of the guidance across the wider public sector.

As local government procurement policy is a devolved matter, it is for the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to determine how they will conduct any assessment for their local authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on the potential merits of establishing a materials catapult for manufacturing.

Joseph Johnson

The Department refers proposals for new Catapults to Innovate UK, who have an established process for considering the case for new Catapult Centres. This includes proposals for Materials Centres. Innovate UK currently consider the broad materials needs of the manufacturing sector are well served by existing Catapults and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of legislative proposals in the Trade Union Bill on the finances of the Labour Party.

Nick Boles

The proposals in the Bill are not about party funding. The Trade Union Bill is about employment and industrial relations. We are introducing a greater level of transparency into union activities by requiring union members to make an active decision to contribute to a union’s political fund.

If union members want a political fund, this will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the funds available. Therefore no assessment has been made in relation to the impact on the finances of any political party.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the devolved administrations, (b) civic society and (c) industry on the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry

The Government first announced it was exploring options for bringing private capital into UK Green investment Bank plc (GIB) in the Autumn Statement 2013. It was subsequently confirmed in both the 2014 Autumn Statement and 2015 Budget debate that work was progressing on this matter.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills set out firm proposals to move GIB into private ownership in a written ministerial statement of 25 June.

On 15 October 2015, My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills made a further written ministerial statement in order to provide an update on work to implement the proposals and the need to repeal legislation relating to GIB.

On 18 November, the Government published a detailed policy document on the future of GIB setting out the case for moving the company into private ownership and seeking to address a number of concerns that had been expressed about this.

In support of these various publications and announcements, there has been substantial engagement and correspondence on the matter with environmental groups, stakeholders, members of Parliament and the Devolved Administrations, particularly the Scottish Government which raised a number of specific concerns. Much of the stakeholder engagement activity has been undertaken by GIB itself in view of its strong existing relationships with relevant stakeholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Government’s proposal to sell the Green Investment Bank (GIB) will include provision for the (a) sale of all GIB assets and (b) future of the GIB team.

Anna Soubry

It is the Department’s intention to sell GIB as a going concern. The assets and staff are an inherent part of that company.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the proportion of (a) public and (b) private investment was in each project in which the Green Investment Bank has invested.

Anna Soubry

The information requested can be found in the Transaction Table on the Green Investment Bank website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 23263, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his Department’s meetings with the National Audit Office on the issue of value for money from the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry

The Government has held a number of discussions with the National Audit Office at a working level about the future sale of the Green Investment Bank. The Government does not intend to place any minutes of those discussions in the Library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any of the devolved administrations have refused to consent to the provisions dealing with public sector exit payments contained within the Enterprise Bill.

Greg Hands

The public sector exit payment cap will come into effect at a date after the Enterprise Bill has received Royal Assent. The Enterprise Bill is currently expected to receive Royal Assent by May 2016. A set of secondary regulations which will give effect to the public sector exit payment cap are currently expected to come into force during autumn 2016.

In the response to the consultation the Government stated that ‘the government would request Legislative Consent Motions from the Devolved Administrations where appropriate, however it would be for the Devolved Administrations to decide the approach they wish to take to this measure.’

On 7 December 2015 the Northern Ireland Assembly declined to agree a Legislative Consent Motion. Subsequently, no provisions relating to Northern Ireland are included in the clauses relating to exit payments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Best in Class, published by the CBI in December 2015, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of Swedish four box grid approach to analysing the attractiveness of international markets.

Anna Soubry

In CBI’s Best in Class report, the reference to the Swedish four box grid approach was part of a wider recommendation on allocating overseas resources for business support.

The UK Government recognises that it has a crucial role to play in supporting businesses that export and invest in international markets.

The Government is committed to focusing UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) overseas resources for business support in those markets that can deliver greatest benefit for the UK. UKTI uses similar publicly-available market data to Sweden (including GDP growth, political risk and the ease of doing business) in its assessment of export markets, but importantly this is just one input into the opportunity-focused, five-year rolling business planning process being developed to guide resource decisions.