Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish quarterly lists of the identified benefits arising from the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
We will not be publishing quarterly lists of the identified benefits. Outside the European Union, Parliament is now able to take advantage of a whole host of regulatory opportunities, spanning from agriculture to financial services, and immigration reform to improved medical regulations. The government has legislated to deliver many of these benefits already.
On 22 June 2022, we published an interactive dashboard cataloguing over 2,400 pieces of retained EU law (REUL), spanning across 300 unique policy areas. The Brexit Freedoms Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, will strengthen the Government’s ability to amend, repeal and replace REUL and will support the Government’s ambition to ensure that, now that we have left the EU, the UK can be the “best regulated economy in the world” and move away from the EU’s obsolete “one size fits all” regulatory model.
To ensure that the public knows how much EU-derived law there is on the UK statute book and how much progress the Government is making to reform it, we will be updating the catalogue of REUL on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the uptake of maritime qualifications in (1) schools, and (2) colleges.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Provision is already available for both those under 16 in a school setting seeking to understand more about the industry, and for post-16 students studying at level 2 and 3, who may be seeking to undertake a qualification to progress into an apprenticeship or into employment and wish to take a qualification which will involve a work-based setting.
There are around 40 qualifications focusing on aspects of maritime studies approved for funding for young people and adults, some of which are available only to adults. Others are available to those of school age or in further education. There are 12 apprenticeship standards in this sector approved for delivery, including Maritime Mechanical and Electrical Mechanic, Marine Surveyor, and Seafarer.
The Careers & Enterprise Company is supporting schools and colleges to embed best practice in the delivery of careers information, advice, and guidance, so young people are aware of the full range of training and careers available to them and have access to a broad range of employers and workplaces, including those in the maritime sector. This will be delivered through the national roll-out of Career Hubs, Careers Leaders training, and the Enterprise Adviser Network.
The department has recently established the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce (UKSST). This group is made up of representatives from across industry, trade unions, and training providers. It will look to address skills barriers in the sector by utilising and catalysing existing skills provisions. As part of this, existing provision will be reviewed to see how it can best meet the present skills demand and future needs. UKSST’s work will be driven by the needs of stakeholders from across the sector.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they made an assessment in 2020 of whether limiting their support of UK airlines through access to furlough funding would have an impact on the airlines’ staff numbers and post-pandemic capacity.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The economic impact of the pandemic was widespread across large parts of the economy. It was right that the Government made support available for all businesses that needed it for the whole of the UK. To clarify, any entity with a UK payroll, including airlines, was able to apply for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).
When designing and implementing the scheme, the Government carefully considered its impacts on individual sectors and on the economy as a whole, and adapted its approach in response to the changing health and economic context.
In addition to CJRS, the Government provided unprecedented support to the aviation and aerospace sectors throughout Covid-19, with over £12 billion made available through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, and grants for research and development.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to consult with local authorities on a long-term plan for dealing with future climate change events causing (1) extreme heat, and (2) flooding.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are consulting local authorities on the development of the UK's third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3). This is our long-term plan for building a more climate resilient country and our response to the latest assessment of UK climate risks, which is due for publication in 2023 and will run until 2028. This programme will address the advice contained in the third and latest assessment of UK climate risk (CCRA3) from January 2022, which included 61 climate risks and opportunities to the UK, including those related to overheating and floods.
We are primarily consulting local authorities through the Local Adaptation Advisory Panel, a Defra-hosted forum focused on climate adaptation issues that brings together central and local government, as well as via the Local Government Association. We are also engaging with groups like the Environment Board of the local representative organisation the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT).
This work builds on previous central-local government collaboration on the development of previous NAPs, including NAP2. NAP2, published in 2018 and running until 2023, includes actions for local government
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the condition of runways at UK airports and their ability to withstand climate change-related weather conditions.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Safety is our utmost priority in aviation and therefore in extreme heat UK airports have increased monitoring of operations, including runway inspections.
There are a number of factors that can impact wear of runways. To mitigate these risks, regular rehabilitation and resurfacing works are scheduled by all major airports to keep their runways in the best condition to support aircraft movements safely. In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority requires all certified airports to inspect their runway a minimum of two times a day along the standard international guidelines for inspection.
HM Government recognises that the fight against climate change is one of the greatest and most pressing challenges facing the modern world. The third National Adaptation Programme is due in 2023. It will showcase the government’s strategy and plans to tackle the effects of climate change, including how to protect people, infrastructure and the environment in heatwaves.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to enable the deployment of technologically mature but presently economically unviable decarbonisation technologies, such as shore power.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is supporting the decarbonisation of the UK Maritime sector through a two-pronged approach: R&D funding and investment; and a comprehensive policy and regulatory programme.
Building on the success of the first Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, in March 2022 the government announced a £206m R&D fund to be managed by the newly established UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE will work in partnership with industry to tackle supply and demand barriers and speed the transition of the UK toward a decarbonised maritime sector. The UK SHORE programme is being scoped and is considering different kinds of projects. The programme will aim to deliver a suite of interventions transforming the UK into a global leader in the design, manufacture and operation of clean maritime technology – boosting both jobs and economic growth.
Earlier this year a 12 -week call for evidence on the uptake of shore power in the UK was launched as part of a commitment in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan. The responses to the call for evidence have been analysed and were published in July 2022. The next step is to use the evidence to develop policy proposals and consult on them later this year.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in establishing clean maritime clusters.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned a study into maritime clusters. The work was delivered by E4Tech and UMAS and identified a wide range of UK locations where innovation strengths could combine with local demand for clean solutions, providing a foundation for maritime clusters. Based on this work, clusters are being considered as one option as part of wider initiatives such as Centre for Smart Shipping, which forms a part of the newly established UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK Shore).
UK SHORE is a £206m Research and Development investment programme, which will work in partnership with industry to tackle the technological barriers to maritime decarbonization and speed the transition of the UK toward a decarbonised maritime sector. It will deliver a suite of interventions transforming the UK into a global leader in the design, manufacture and operation of clean maritime technology – boosting both jobs and economic growth.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the research and innovation budget they have allocated to support the maritime sector in (1) this, and (2) the next, financial year.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The proportion of DfT’s R&D budget allocated to the maritime sector is 15.4% in 22-23, and 22.4% in 23-24.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to unlock private investment in coastal communities not covered by a freeport.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
My Government places great emphasis on ensuring Coastal Communities are at the forefront of the Levelling Up agenda. Our £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in every part of the UK, including coastal areas and I am keen to see bids come forward from coastal communities in the second round of the Fund. Regeneration and Infrastructure projects - which have the potential to boost private investment - will be a key focus of this work
Furthermore, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will provide £2.6 billion of investment across the whole of the United Kingdom by 2025, with building pride in place, including in coastal communities, a key theme of the Fund's work. Every coastal community in the UK will receive an allocation and places will be empowered to identify and build on their own strengths and needs at a local level
Levelling Up funding will unlock the potential of coastal communities by regenerating town centres and getting infrastructure match fit, making coastal communities a more attractive place to do business and boosting private investment.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with partners to introduce a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme, which is now in the final stages of development.