Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support people who have trained as youth workers to enter the youth workforce.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
DCMS funds a number of programmes that are stimulating demand for youth workers, including through our National Youth Guarantee, which is backed by over £500 million of investment into youth services.
In addition, the updated statutory guidance for local authorities’ youth provision puts an emphasis on the importance of youth work practice and on employing or encouraging the employment of individuals with youth work skills and qualifications.
To support the youth workforce, DCMS funds the National Youth Agency to set professional standards, qualifications and a curriculum for youth work, including a youth work apprenticeship and free-to-access training. DCMS also funds youth worker bursaries which allows youth workers and volunteers to gain qualifications in youth work. To date, DCMS has funded over 2,000 bursaries and we are providing £1,075,000 for over 700 adults who would otherwise be unable to undertake youth work qualifications due to cost.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of seeking views on the potential impact of different VAT rates for private hire vehicle operators on market competition as part of its planned consultation on the impacts of the July 2023 High Court ruling in Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The Government has published a consultation on the potential impacts of this court judgment on the PHV sector and its passengers. This consultation explores range of potential options to help mitigate any potential adverse effects that the court judgment could have on PHVOs, drivers, and passengers.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a 20% rate of VAT on private hire vehicle journeys on revenue generated for HM Treasury.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The Government has published a consultation on the potential impacts of this court judgment on the PHV sector and its passengers. This consultation explores range of potential options to help mitigate any potential adverse effects that the court judgment could have on PHVOs, drivers, and passengers.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2024 to Question 14272 on Defence: Space Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Skynet secure satellite communications programme continues to provide a significant boost to the UK space sector.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The SKYNET secure satellite communications programme, which is investing £5 billion over the next decade, provides a significant boost to the industry through direct investment into the sector and use of social value provisions in contracts.
SKYNET provides long-term investment in the UK space sector. This includes promoting the development of new technology and use of Small and Medium Enterprises.
Under SKYNET contracts, the Prime contractor is required to demonstrate social value. This includes measures such as investment into graduate or apprenticeship schemes. This will increasingly be part of our approach to major contracts for the space sector in support of our national policy ambitions under the recently-published Space Industrial Plan.
As we move towards the next generation of SKYNET, the investment in this programme will continue to help develop the thriving UK space sector.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed in the UK military space sector; and how many people in the UK military space sector were involved in satellite design as of 16 February 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The space sector is important for the UK, adding £7 billion to the economy in 2022. In that year, the sector employed 48,800 people, increasing from 47,000 the previous year. Many of these jobs work on a range of activities, both civil and military, for governments and a range of other customers. Defence accounts for an estimated 10.2% of total space industry income in 2022 and continues to be a significant part of government's support to the sector. The Skynet secure satellite communications programme, where we are investing £5 billion over the next decade, has provided a significant boost to the UK space sector. In the initial stage of the next generation of Skynet alone we have created up to 600 jobs. Defence has also committed £1.4 billion over 10 years to deliver cutting edge space technology, including a multi-satellite system known as ISTARI which is supporting high tech jobs in the UK as a world leader in science. We will continue to support growth in the space sector, including through the upcoming plan for the space sector which will be published in the coming months by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in close consultation with Defence, which will increase growth and resilience for this vital part of the economy.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to recognise police officer (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides as work-related accidents under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ819.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide support to local press organisations affected by proposed reductions in BBC funding for local news and radio.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government is committed to supporting local and regional news outlets as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information.
To date the Government’s support for the sector has included:
Introducing legislation for a new, pro-competition regime for digital markets, which among many other things will help to rebalance the relationship between news publishers and dominant online platforms;
The delivery of a £2 million pilot innovation fund - the Future News Fund;
The zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers;
The extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025;
The publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy.
The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the Government, and decisions about how it delivers its services are ultimately a matter for the Corporation. However, the Government has been clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK. These services are a key part of the BBC’s public service remit and an example of how the BBC can use its licence fee funding to provide content that is directly relevant to audiences, particularly in areas that may be underserved by the market.
The Government expects Ofcom as the BBC’s independent regulator to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies on VAT in the private hire sector of the High Court verdict in Uber vs. Sefton Council.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Uber Britannia Limited v. Sefton Borough Council High Court case is not a tax case and does not have a direct bearing on the tax treatment of private hire vehicle services. Indeed, the VAT rules, which apply to all businesses, have not changed.
The Government recognises, however, that this ruling may have VAT implications for the private hire vehicle sector and is currently assessing what the impact of these may be, as the Government keeps all taxes under review.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department had with interested parties at the WHO FCTC 2030 tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama on 26-27 January 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
Officials did not attend the tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama in January 2023.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which officials were present at the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 2030 tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama on 26-27 January 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
Officials did not attend the tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama in January 2023.