Oral Answers to Questions

Carol Monaghan Excerpts

Tuesday 14th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

I am glad that my hon. Friend is not questioning me on inertia ratios and matrices. The capacity is there, but it requires planning ahead. That is why the industrial strategy mentions the need to invest in science and research and development—it is important that we do that—and the need to look forward to make sure that we have the skills in the workforce to fulfil the order books. The purpose of having a long-term industrial strategy is so that we are prepared to reap those very opportunities.

[Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP)]

6. What support his Department is providing to small businesses as a result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

[Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP)]

9. What support his Department is providing to small businesses as a result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Margot James)]

Small businesses are vital to the economy, and we are providing additional access to finance and support to help scale up businesses so that they are able to reap the benefits of future trade with the EU and the rest of the world.

[Carol Monaghan]

I wish everybody a happy Pi Day—“pi,” the mathematical version, not “pie,” the pork version.

The Conservative party broke its 2015 manifesto commitment by failing to consult the business community on the changes to national insurance for the self-employed. Will the Government now address the ongoing uncertainty that those changes could bring to workers’ rights, such as maternity and paternity pay, sick pay, annual leave and pensions?

[Margot James]

The Government are absolutely committed, as the Prime Minister has said on several occasions, to protecting workers’ rights as we leave the European Union. And not just to protect those rights but to enhance them, if necessary. She has set up the Taylor review to examine the details.

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[The Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation (Joseph Johnson)]

The UK is the No. 1 place in Europe for inward investment in technology, and the Government’s industrial strategy will deliver the Prime Minister’s vision of Britain as a magnet for international talent and a home to the pioneers and innovators who will shape the world ahead. We are making sure that our regulatory landscape and visa system are up to that challenge through a range of measures, including the tier 1 exceptional talent visa.

[Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP)]

T7. Scotland’s economy, from its thriving universities to our diverse food and drink sector, relies on EU freedom of movement. How does the Minister hope to close the skills gap and pave the way for a highly skilled economy if he cannot safeguard the rights of EU nationals living here?