Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to following the example set in the Australia–Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty by recognising publicly that the formal statehood and sovereignty of small island states will not lapse under international law even in the event of catastrophic sea level rise.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sea level rise is a matter of critical concern particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We have taken careful note of the Pacific Islands Forum 2023 Declaration on the continuity of statehood in the face of sea level rise and are considering its content in detail. The UK also welcomes the International Law Commission's ongoing work on these issues. We also continue to work with SIDS to drive global ambition of emissions reductions, and support adaptation and resilience in SIDS including through programmes such as the global £500 million Blue Planet.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with other countries on ways to formally recognise the legal continuity of small island developing states under international law, notwithstanding the existential threat posed by human-caused sea level rise.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sea level rise is a matter of critical concern particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We have taken careful note of the Pacific Islands Forum 2023 Declaration on the continuity of statehood in the face of sea level rise and are considering its content in detail. The UK also welcomes the International Law Commission's ongoing work on these issues. We also continue to work with SIDS to drive global ambition of emissions reductions, and support adaptation and resilience in SIDS including through programmes such as the global £500 million Blue Planet.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following changes in the leadership of the Confederation of British Industry, whether they plan to renew their relationship to help business and Government work in partnership.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is focused on driving long-term, sustainable economic growth and an ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. Following the changes that CBI have put in place over the past year, and the vote of confidence that their members gave them at their EGM last summer, Government is rebuilding a working relationship with the business organisation.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government why a grant of £8 million was recently paid to Vertical Aerospace to develop a flying taxi company at a time when the firm faced material uncertainty.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A research consortium led by Vertical Aerospace, including four universities, was awarded an Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme grant to develop propeller technology.
The ATI Programme co-funds UK research and development activity with industry to develop zero-carbon and ultra-efficient aircraft technology. Grants are awarded after a competitive process, with only the best projects recommended - those that offer real innovation, emissions reduction and tangible economic benefits to the UK.
Due diligence checks are completed ahead of all awards, with grants paid in arrears based on activity delivered against an agreed plan. Safeguards are in place in the event of business failure.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they propose to take to reduce the approximately 71 per cent of candidates who drop out of the application process for the Armed Forces, and whether the primary cause of such drop outs is the slow process of recruitment.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Recruitment and retention are absolute priorities and we have introduced a range of measures to respond to the current recruitment challenge, which is affecting many other militaries across the world. While it does take time to recruit the right people to our Armed Forces, we have sped up Army recruitment by 9% in the last year, and the majority of regular soldiers join in less than 140 days. There are a multitude of factors which impact on a candidate’s engagement with Armed Forces recruiting systems, and we are actively seeking to address these within our measures.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a legislative control framework before implementing the Future of Flight Action Plan.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We already have a regulatory framework for drones and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing). Key legislation includes Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation, Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft, the Air Navigation Order 2016 and the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021.
The Action Plan outlines activities to identify and develop any further regulation as needed.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cause of the fire at Terminal 2 of Luton Airport on 10 October 2023; and whether the cause has been established to be a diesel or an electric car.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A joint investigation by Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has concluded, indicating that the fire started accidentally, with the most likely cause being an electrical fault or component failure that originated in the engine bay of a diesel vehicle while it was in motion.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that all those considering leaving work permanently are subject to ‘work search’ requirements before they receive benefits.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Universal Credit regulations 2013/2015 determine the conditionality expectations that are relevant to individuals who are claiming Universal Credit.
For those who are expected to look for or prepare for work this will include up to 35 hours a week of work-related and work preparation activities, with an expectation that they take all reasonable actions to find work and move towards financial independence as quickly as possible. If they fail to comply and meet their agreed commitments without good reason a sanction may be applied.
If a claimant is found to have voluntarily left their employment without good reason, they will be sanctioned for a fixed period of at least 91 days.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the delay in Great British Nuclear's selection of small modular reactor designs for public support and its awarding of contracts for development.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
At Spring Budget, we announced the launch of the next phase of the Great British Nuclear (GBN) Small Modular Reactor selection process, allowing vendors to bid for potentially multi-billion-pound technology development contracts. It is important that this process is robust. Companies will have until June to submit their tender responses, at which point GBN will assess these and negotiate final contracts, with the goal of announcing successful bidders later in 2024. The aim is for the competition to be the fastest of its kind in the world.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the reason for the further delay in Great British Nuclear making a decision on selecting small modular reactor designs, which was to have been by the spring to allow for development contracts to be agreed by the summer, and what is now the proposed schedule.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There is no delay. At Spring Budget, we announced the launch of the next phase of the Great British Nuclear (GBN) Small Modular Reactor selection process, allowing vendors to bid for potentially multi-billion-pound technology development contracts. It is important that this process is robust. Companies will have until June to submit their tender responses, at which point GBN will assess these and negotiate final contracts, with the goal of announcing successful bidders later in 2024. The aim is for the competition to be the fastest of its kind in the world.