Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Viscount Waverley, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Viscount Waverley has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Viscount Waverley has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
In September 2021, in response to Chinese government sanctions being placed upon Members of both Houses of Parliament, Mr Speaker and the Lord Speaker determined that the Ambassador of China would no longer be permitted access to the Parliamentary Estate. The decision of the Speakers remains unchanged.
Following appointment to ministerial office, all ministers receive induction briefings from their departments to support them in their ministerial duties.
The UK plays an active role within the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and will continue to work with partners globally to tackle money laundering and the financing of terrorism. We will continue to seek provisions in our trade agreements that address the trade-distorting effects of corruption.
The Government is also committed to publishing a Trade Strategy in Spring 2025 that will be growth-based and future focused and will set out the government’s approach to future trade policy including our overarching approach to trade levers such as trade agreements.
The Government is working closely with industry to ensure that sufficient installers are available to install heat pumps. The Heat Pump Association (HPA) estimate that as of 2023, the heat pump installer workforce is made up of between 4,000 and 10,000 trained and active installers. Nearly 8,000 individuals completed training in 2023, so we are well in line with current workforce training needs.
To meet future demand, the Government is supporting trainees in England taking training relevant to heat pumps and heat networks under the £5 million Heat Training Grant. Industry is also investing in upskilling the existing workforce. Octopus Energy has invested £10 million in a new training centre in Slough, Ideal Heating have announced a multi-million-pound training centre in Bridgehead near Hull, and Aira is investing £300m in the UK heat pump market, including setting up training academies.
As G20 countries and members of the UN Security Council, the UK and China have a shared responsibility to work together. This Government will take a long-term, consistent and strategic approach to UK-China relations; cooperating where we can, competing where we need to and challenging where we must.
We take a close interest in the relationship between the US and China as P5 members. We engage with the countries individually in pursuit of our interests. The US is an indispensable ally, and we are committed to the depth and breadth of the UK-US relationship across defence, intelligence and foreign policy. We will continue to work with the US on the basis of our shared values and interests. With China, we will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing our relations, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
A strong UK-China relationship is important for both countries, and investment and growth are priorities for this government. China is one of our biggest trading partners and therefore it is important to have serious, pragmatic discussions with its leaders, cooperating where we can, competing when needed and challenging where we must.
The Prime Minister met President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in November and agreed that the Chancellor should visit Beijing in 2025 to discuss economic and financial cooperation with her counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng. Ministerial travel will be confirmed in the usual way.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) publicly lists jurisdictions with weak anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing regimes. The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLRs) require regulated businesses, including banks, to undertake ‘enhanced due diligence’ in respect of business relationships and transactions involving countries on the FATF’s lists, defined as ‘High Risk Third Countries’.
Croatia was listed by the FATF in June 2023, so is a High Risk Third Country for the purposes of the MLRs. While enhanced due diligence measures are required, there is no expectation that services linked to a particular country should be withdrawn due to a country’s listing by the FATF.
The Government is working at pace to implement the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. We have recruited a case management team and are developing the IT arrangements. We expect the scheme to commence in Summer 2025.
It would not be appropriate to comment on the scope of any specifications under the enhanced tier at this stage. Work is underway to identify which foreign powers will be placed on the enhanced tier and an impact assessment will be published alongside any regulations which specify countries on the enhanced tier of the scheme.
The proposed foreign entities to be included on the enhanced tier will be subject to formal debate and agreement by both Houses of Parliament in due course.
The Government is working at pace to implement the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. We have recruited a case management team and are developing the IT arrangements. We expect the scheme to commence in Summer 2025.
It would not be appropriate to comment on the scope of any specifications under the enhanced tier at this stage. Work is underway to identify which foreign powers will be placed on the enhanced tier and an impact assessment will be published alongside any regulations which specify countries on the enhanced tier of the scheme.
The proposed foreign entities to be included on the enhanced tier will be subject to formal debate and agreement by both Houses of Parliament in due course.
The Government is working at pace to implement the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. We have recruited a case management team and are developing the IT arrangements. We expect the scheme to commence in Summer 2025.
It would not be appropriate to comment on the scope of any specifications under the enhanced tier at this stage. Work is underway to identify which foreign powers will be placed on the enhanced tier and an impact assessment will be published alongside any regulations which specify countries on the enhanced tier of the scheme.
The proposed foreign entities to be included on the enhanced tier will be subject to formal debate and agreement by both Houses of Parliament in due course.
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders of any of the participating European countries.
However, non-EU nationals that hold a residency card or permit in a Schengen Area country and those holding documents showing they qualify as Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries will not be required to register for EES, this includes British citizens.
The planning application for a proposed new Chinese Embassy is currently with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The timing of determining the application is a matter for them as the local planning authority. No further comment can be made in respect of this, or any prospective scheme, as to do so may prejudice any future decision the Deputy Prime Minister in her role as Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may need to make should this application come before her in the future.