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Tag: Nigel Huddleston

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2023 Statement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

    Nigel Huddleston – 2023 Statement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

    The statement made by Nigel Huddleston, the Minister for International Trade, in the House of Commons on 18 July 2023.

    The Secretary of State for Business and Trade signed the accession protocol to the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership on Sunday 16 July in Auckland. The UK will be the first new member since CPTPP was created. With the UK as a member, CPTPP will have a combined GDP of £12 trillion and will account for 15% of global GDP. Accession to the agreement sends a powerful signal that the UK is using our post-Brexit freedoms to boost our economy. It will secure our place as the second largest economy in a trade grouping dedicated to free and rules-based trade. It gives us a seat at the table in setting standards for the global economy.

    The agreement is a gateway to the wider Indo-Pacific, which is set to account for the majority of global growth and around half of the world’s middle-class consumers in the decades to come. That will bring new opportunities for British businesses abroad and will support jobs at home. More than 99% of current UK goods exports to CPTPP countries will be eligible for zero tariffs. The UK’s world-leading services firms will benefit from modern rules, ensuring non-discriminatory treatment and greater transparency. That will make it easier for them to provide services to consumers in other CPTPP countries.

    In an historic first, joining CPTPP will mean that the UK and Malaysia are in a free trade agreement together for the first time. That will give businesses better access to a market worth £330 billion. Manufacturers of key UK exports will be able to make the most of tariff reductions to that thriving market. Tariffs of around 80% on whisky will be eliminated within 10 years, and tariffs of 30% on cars will be eliminated within seven years. Joining CPTPP marks a key step in the development of the UK’s independent trade policy. Our status as an independent trading nation is putting the UK in an enviable position. Membership of that agreement will be a welcome addition to our bilateral free-trade agreements with more than 70 countries. I pay tribute to the many officials and Ministers who have worked on this deal over the past two years, some of whom are in the Chamber today.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential correlation between left-handedness and levels of educational attainment; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department does not hold data on whether pupils are left-handed and therefore has not made an assessment of their levels of educational attainment.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of left-handed pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department does not collect data on the number of left-handed pupils in primary and secondary schools.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of women on boards and at senior executive levels of FTSE companies.

    Caroline Dinenage

    We have more women on boards than ever before and no all-male boards in the FTSE 100. We have established the new, independent Hampton-Alexander Review which will have a particular focus on improving gender representation in the all-important executive layer of the FTSE companies.

    I fully endorse the business-led target of 33% women on FTSE 350 boards by 2020 and would like to go further.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage competition and switching between providers in consumer markets.

    Nick Boles

    The Government is determined to encourage more consumers to vote with their feet in key markets like energy, banking and telecoms. We are currently conducting a Call for Evidence on a set of six “switching principles”. Once fully implemented, these will make the process quicker and easier for consumers.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what powers are available to local authorities to restrict the use of fireworks.

    Anna Soubry

    Restrictions on the use of fireworks already exist under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 and are enforced by the police. Beyond this, excessive noise from fireworks can be considered a statutory nuisance under Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Act gives local authorities powers to prevent or abate noise nuisance coming from premises and land.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of further restrictions on the use and sale of fireworks.

    Anna Soubry

    Restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks already exist under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 and the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015. The majority of people have a sensible and responsible attitude to fireworks and, on balance, I do not believe that further restrictions on their use would be necessary or proportionate.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the introduction of mandatory defibrillators on aircraft.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is responsible for the regulations relating to equipment to be carried on aircraft operating in Europe and competent national authorities, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) being such a body in the UK, are responsible for oversight of the compliance. The EASA regulations do not require aircraft to carry defibrillators.

    Cases of sudden cardiac arrest are very rare when compared to the number of passengers carried. There is no evidence that airline passengers are at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest, and it would not be proportionate to make carrying defibrillators in an aircraft compulsory.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to widen access to basic bank accounts.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Improving access to banking services is central to the Government’s agenda. I am therefore delighted that the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK have been offering new basic bank accounts since January 2016.

    For the first time, truly fee-free basic bank accounts are available for anyone who doesn’t have an account, or can’t use their account due to financial difficulty.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the evidential basis is for clearing the 700 MHz band of spectrum requiring £600 million in funding; and what discussions his Department had with representatives of the programme making and special events sector prior to agreeing that figure.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In March 2015, Government announced funding of up to £600m to fund the clearance of the 700MHz band and, as part of the programme, we are committed to safeguarding the ongoing benefits of PMSE to the UK economy. Ofcom have published a consultation outlining alternative spectrum bands for PMSE users, and we are currently working with Ofcom to look at how PMSE users can be supported if they need to buy new equipment.