The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which body will have the responsibility for conducting reviews of the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks.
Nick Boles
The Institute for Apprenticeships will advise on funding rates for all newly developed apprenticeships and, where appropriate, the funding rate for standards and assessment plans when they are reviewed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proposals the Government plans to put forward at the Marrakesh Climate Change Conference in November 2016 to try to protect people who are most vulnerable to loss and damage caused by climate change.
James Wharton
Protecting those who are vulnerable to loss and damage due to climate change includes responding to disasters, helping people adapt to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming to manageable levels.
The UK Government has committed to increase the UK’s climate finance by at least 50%, and will provide £5.8 billion over the next 5 years, of which half will be focused on helping people adapt to climate change including the most vulnerable. We have also committed to contributing to the G7 InsuResilience target of an additional 400 million people gaining access to insurance by 2020. The UK is actively engaged on these issues within the United Nations, including through its seat on the Executive Committee that is responsible for guiding action on loss and damage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-11-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of business energy taxation on productivity between (a) 2005 and 2010, (b) 2010 and 2015 and (c) 2015 and 2020.
Damian Hinds
‘Fixing the Foundations’, published in July 2015, sets out the government objective of encouraging long term investment in economic capital to boost the productivity of the UK economy. The efficient use of energy can increase the amount of economic output possible for a given level of energy supply, boosting business productivity. A recent HM Treasury consultation, ‘Reforming the Business Energy Efficiency Tax Landscape’ set out proposals to boost business productivity by minimising administrative burdens and addressing perverse incentives to encourage productive long term investment that supports a dynamic economy. The consultation closed on 9 November 2015 and the government will respond to the consultation in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which British Overseas Territories will be included within the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Anna Soubry
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) made between the EU and other countries do not automatically apply to Overseas Territories. However, the UK does work to ensure that the impact of FTAs on Overseas Territories is assessed and taken into account during negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 25 February 2016 to Questions 27493 and 27494, and with reference to Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, what the evidential basis is for the Government’s conclusion that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership does not automatically apply to British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
Anna Soubry
The Government’s position, set out in the answers to Questions 27493 and 27494, is based on the wording of the treaties (Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union, Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 1972 Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the European Economic Community) and the longstanding practice of the UK.
Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is not relevant to the status of British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that “Unless a different intention appears from the treaty or is otherwise established, a treaty is binding upon each party in respect of its entire territory.” The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, and the UK has consistently adopted the position that treaties made by the UK do not extend to British Overseas Territories or the Crown Dependencies, unless this is done expressly. The first expression of this position was set out in the “Bevin Despatch” (Foreign Office Circular 118, 16 October 1950).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how frequently the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be reviewed.
Nick Boles
Provisional funding bands will be published in June 2016, and finalised in October 2016. The Institute for Apprenticeships will play a role in reviewing them once it is operational. The frequency of this will be agreed at that point.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Government’s support for climate risk insurance as part of her preparations for the COP22 UN Climate Change Summit in Marrakesh, to be held in November 2016.
Rory Stewart
The UK is proud to be a global leader in disaster risk finance and insurance and we are committed to contributing to meeting the G7’s InsuResilience collective target (set out in the 2015 G7 Leaders Elmau declaration) of helping up to an additional 400 million people in the most vulnerable developing countries to gain access to climate risk insurance by 2020. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the delivery of the Government’s plans to scale up the use of insurance and risk finance instruments in developing countries to enable: