Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the Australian software company Atlassian to leave the UK and move to the USA; and what assessment they have made of the impact that this will have on their ambition to cement the UK "as a global tech superpower", as outlined in their Digital Strategy, published on 13 June.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
While Atlassian has been UK-domiciled since 2014, its headquarters have remained in Sydney since its founding in 2002 and it has been listed on the Nasdaq stock market in New York since 2015. Her Majesty’s Government does not comment on individual decisions taken by specific businesses.
The UK’s digital economy continues to outpace rivals across Europe and beyond. Our technology market recently became only the third globally to be valued at US $1 trillion and in 2021 37 technology companies went public on the London Stock Exchange.
The recently published Government digital strategy sets out the UK’s vision for harnessing digital transformation, accelerating growth, and building a more inclusive, competitive and innovative digital economy for the future. This will strengthen the UK’s position as a science and technology superpower.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Cheltenham General Hospital about reinstating a full doctor-led 24/7 service at its Accident and Emergency department; and if there are plans to reinstate that service, what is the timetable for doing so.
Answered by Lord Kamall
There have been no specific discussions. Cheltenham General Hospital operates a consultant-led accident and emergency service between 8am and 8pm and a specialist nurse-led service between 8pm and 8am. This has been in place since 2013, following a public consultation and examination by the local Health Oversight Scrutiny Committee.
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 proportion of the research and innovation budget is allocated to support the maritime sector in the financial years (1) 2022–23, and (2) 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Callanan
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI’s) detailed three-year budget allocations were confirmed in March, setting out how UKRI will invest £25 billion in world-class research and innovation, including £206 million in new funding for development of clean maritime technologies in 2022/23 to 2024/25. The breakdown of allocations within each UKRI Council are still to be set.
Additionally, as part of their wider research programmes, the Met Office carries out research to develop ocean forecasts, which underpins operational services provided to support the maritime sector. Funding for this is in the order of £1.5 million per annum in 2022/23 and 2023/24.
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 discussions they have had with local authorities regarding the potential advantages of supporting maritime projects through the (1) Levelling Up, and (2) Shared Prosperity, funds.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Maritime projects are a crucial part of our heritage and modern economy. Officials from my department have recently met with Maritime UK for a briefing session on Levelling Up Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund and have consistently engaged with local authorities on the design and scope of both funds.
A key theme of the Levelling Up Fund is transportation, while the UKSPF will build pride in place – with both funds working to support and benefit maritime organisations. We would welcome future bids for maritime projects.
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 providing to enable the deployment of technologically mature but presently economically unviable decarbonisation technologies, such as shore power.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
We made a commitment in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan to consult on the appropriate steps to support and, if needed, mandate the uptake of shore power in the UK. We conducted a call for evidence between 7 February and 25 April. My officials are currently analysing the responses and will publish a summary in due course. We recognise the barriers to the uptake of shore power, and we will be using the evidence provided in the call for evidence responses to inform our policy development. We intend to publish a further consultation on specific proposals of shore power later this year.
We will aim to publish a Government response to the shore power consultation as part of the refresh of the Clean Maritime Plan in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop a strategy for deploying (1) shore power, and (2) electric recharging infrastructure, at UK ports, harbours and marinas.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
We made a commitment in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan to consult on the appropriate steps to support and, if needed, mandate the uptake of shore power in the UK. We conducted a call for evidence between 7 February and 25 April. My officials are currently analysing the responses and will publish a summary in due course. We recognise the barriers to the uptake of shore power, and we will be using the evidence provided in the call for evidence responses to inform our policy development. We intend to publish a further consultation on specific proposals of shore power later this year.
We will aim to publish a Government response to the shore power consultation as part of the refresh of the Clean Maritime Plan in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help the maritime sector realise the ambitions set out in Maritime 2050: Navigating the Future, published on 24 January 2019 and updated on 12 September 2019.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government is determined to deliver for the maritime sector and our coastal communities. We are working hand in hand with industry to achieve this by delivering on the recommendations of Maritime 2050. We have recently published the Maritime Recovery Route Map, setting out actions that Government and industry will take to enhance skills, achieve Net Zero, harness technology to innovate, strengthen infrastructure, and boost our competitive advantage. This, coupled with the steps set out in the recently published Future of Freight Plan, will help us and industry drive levelling up across the country, meeting the aspirations of the Coastal Powerhouse Manifesto.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the recommendations contained within the Maritime UK and Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group Maritime UK: Coastal Powerhouse Manifesto, published in September 2021.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government is determined to deliver for the maritime sector and our coastal communities. We are working hand in hand with industry to achieve this by delivering on the recommendations of Maritime 2050. We have recently published the Maritime Recovery Route Map, setting out actions that Government and industry will take to enhance skills, achieve Net Zero, harness technology to innovate, strengthen infrastructure, and boost our competitive advantage. This, coupled with the steps set out in the recently published Future of Freight Plan, will help us and industry drive levelling up across the country, meeting the aspirations of the Coastal Powerhouse Manifesto.
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 what progress they have made with the horse racing sector to address animal welfare issues, including fatality levels.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare, including the welfare of racehorses. Ensuring the welfare needs of racehorses are well met throughout their entire life, is a priority. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), British racing’s governing and regulatory body, is responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses. The BHA works alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible.
The racing industry’s independent Horse Welfare Board (HWB) was formed in 2019 and includes members from across the racing industry, veterinarians and animal health and welfare experts. We have welcomed their recent publications, including “A Life Well Lived” (copy attached to this answer) which sets out a strategic plan to improve the welfare of horses before, during and after their racing career. The strategy contains 20 recommendations and 26 specific projects for the industry aimed at ensuring the best possible safety and quality of life for racehorses. The Board has subsequently produced “Euthanasis Guidelines" and published an “Aftercare Funding Review” which recommends a strategic approach to aftercare in Britain, applicable to any horse bred for racing. The public consultation on the use of the whip opened on 1 July 2021 and closed on 6 September 2021. The BHA published a “Whip Consultation Update" in January 2022 and we look forward to seeing the results of the consultation and the BHA’s recommendations.
One of the plan’s five identified outcomes (outcome 3 - 'Best possible safety') aims to reduce and minimise, as far as reasonably possible, avoidable injuries and fatalities to racehorses. This targets a reduction in injuries and fatalities on racecourses but also those that occur in, or as a result of, training or pre-training methods, or which are linked to breeding. The HWB has underlined the importance of data to better understand the causes of injuries and fatalities to help achieve this outcome. A number of projects and initiatives have been identified, at varying stages of development, aimed at capturing more information that could identify actions which would reduce the risk of racehorse injuries and fatalities.
Defra Ministers and officials will continue to engage with the sector to ensure that the welfare of racehorses and reducing the fatalities and injuries that result from racing, remain at the forefront of the BHA’s priorities in delivering the plan’s outcomes. We will be monitoring closely how the industry responds to the Board’s recommendations so that the welfare needs of racehorses are met both during and after their racing lives.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is any limit on the number of refugees currently in Rwanda who will be resettled in the UK under the provisions of the UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
A small number of the most vulnerable refugees in Rwanda will be resettled in the UK as part of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
More details on the resettlement of vulnerable refugees will be set out in due course.