Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Karl Turner

Thursday 10th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the significance of this sector, and that is why we have a £160 million agri-tech strategy, which is aimed at promoting exports and investment in high-tech agriculture for the future.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

The Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), refused to answer me, but I wonder whether the Secretary of State could estimate how many of the 12 immediate beneficiaries of the fire sale of the Royal Mail are Tory party donors?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Karl Turner

Thursday 24th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

We have been able to help people from deprived areas in Liverpool and across the country through the fact that the combination of the value of the maintenance grant and the maintenance loan is higher now for people from poorer backgrounds applying to university than it ever was before.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

9. What assessment he has made of the effect on postal services of the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Karl Turner

Thursday 18th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

My hon. Friend is right. One of the main objectives of our reforms is to allow greater diversity of provision, which means more short two-year courses and more part-time opportunities. We want to see a new freedom for universities to innovate, and those possibilities will arise as a part of our reforms.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

The £1.4 billion regional growth fund is clearly grossly underfunded, and if we had taken the advice of Ministers today we would have spent it 10 times over already. Did the Prime Minister give my constituents false hope yesterday, when he suggested to me that they should go to that fund for housing regeneration?