Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, which human rights issues Ministers raised with their Saudi counterparts during the Great Futures conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 and 15 May 2024.
Answered by David Rutley
UK ministers regularly raise human rights concerns with the Saudi authorities where appropriate. We will continue to raise human rights with the Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels, including via Ministers and the British Embassy in Riyadh.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of the Great Futures programme in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
GREAT FUTURES showcases how UK expertise can help Saudi Arabia deliver against Vision 2030, their ambitious strategy to drive economic and societal change across the country. Including trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural engagement, GREAT FUTURES is designed to create opportunities, connect with senior government and business decision-makers from Saudi Arabia’s ultra-ambitious giga-projects, and establish long-lasting relationships.
The requested information is not currently available as the final costs are still being reconciled.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Ministers attended the Great Futures conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 and 15 May 2024.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
5 UK Ministers attended the conference.
The GREAT FUTURES launch event in Riyadh on 14-15 May 2024 is the flagship moment that kickstarts a year-long programme bringing to life the sheer scale of opportunities for UK businesses in Saudi Arabia linked to Vision 2030. The purpose is to forge partnerships across a number of sectors by gathering together some of the UK's most creative and innovative companies with their Saudi counterparts.
The Deputy Prime Minister led a strong Ministerial delegation comprising Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade; Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary; Lord Johnson, Minister for Investment; Lord Markham, Minister of Health; and Sir Steve Smith the PM’s Special Representative for Higher Education. The delegation of more than 450 UK companies made this the largest trade delegation the UK has sent anywhere for a decade.
Some 50+ agreements and MOUs were signed during the two days. The Deputy Prime Minister and Saudi Minister of Commerce convened a Pillar 1 meeting of the UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership where they agreed the ambition of increasing bilateral trade from £17bn to £30 billion by 2030.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of manufacturing armed forces uniforms abroad on security.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of armed forces uniforms are manufactured in the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of manufacturing all British armed forces uniforms in the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a breakdown of countries with current British Armed Forces uniform manufacturing contracts.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are telecare devices being sold that will no longer be fully operational after the Public Switched Telephone Network is switched off.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
It is a known risk that some analogue telecare devices may not be digitally compatible or perform as reliably on digital networks. In November 2021, the Technology Enabled Care Services Association (TSA), the industry and advisory body for technology enabled care in the UK, released a statement requesting service providers discontinue purchasing new analogue-only units. Where there is an ongoing requirement to communicate in analogue protocols, providers can procure ‘hybrid’ alarms that communicate in both analogue and digital protocols.
Despite this, some telecare suppliers are still selling analogue devices to private customers. Also, telecare service providers may be re-issuing analogue devices to new customers, given the devices’ typical lifespan of five to seven years, before replacing them with digital alarm devices at the end of their lifespan. Alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department of Health and Social Care is developing a Telecare National Action Plan which will set out actions that a range of stakeholders, including telecare suppliers and service providers, are expected to take to ensure the safety of telecare users in the switch to digital lines. This will include actions to help telecare providers to better understand and manage the risks associated with the use of analogue telecare devices and will be published in the coming months, following stakeholder feedback.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many premises were able to access a gigabit-capable broadband connection in each constituency in the period between March 2019 and March 2024.
Answered by Julia Lopez
Constituency-level statistics detailing the percentage of premises with access to a gigabit-capable connection over this period are available from the independent website Think Broadband.com.
As of March 2024, over 81% of premises across the UK are able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from just 6% in March 2019.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on patients receiving letters from the NHS of changes to the universal service obligation.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for ensuring that the universal postal service meets the reasonable needs of customers as well as being financially sustainable and efficient. The Government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.
The Government expects Ofcom to take full account of users’ needs, including users of important public services, in assessing the feedback on its recent Call for Inputs.
The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the obligations on postal deliveries.