Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of progress by (a) the oil and gas sector and (b) her Department towards meeting (i) targets and (ii) commitments under the North Sea Transition Deal.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with trade unions on workers' needs in the context of the transition from oil and gas to renewable energy.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the joint statement by international NGOs on humanitarian law in Gaza, published by Amnesty International on 15 May 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected and civilians to be protected.
We have one of the most robust arms export systems in the world, enshrined in law through the Export Control Act, and implemented through our Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Foreign Secretary has reviewed the most recent advice about the situation in Gaza and Israel, and his latest assessment leaves our position on export licences unchanged. We will keep the position under review.
Hamas, along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), are already sanctioned by the UK in their entirety and are subject to an asset freeze and arms embargo. The UK, working closely with the US and other allies, has imposed several new rounds of coordinated sanctions against Hamas since 7 October, to disrupt the terrorist group's financial networks and cut off their access to funding.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to prevent public contracts from being awarded to companies that blacklist workers.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 contain exclusion grounds which allow contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from procurements where their tender does not comply with labour law or where the supplier is guilty of grave professional misconduct.
For example, a breach of the The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010, which prohibit the compilation, usage, sale or supply of blacklists of trade union members and activists, would render the supplier liable to potential exclusion.
In all cases, individual departments and other public sector bodies are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
The Procurement Act, which is expected to go live in October 2024, builds on and clarifies the exclusions measures in the existing regime. This includes specific measures enabling the exclusion of suppliers for professional misconduct.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of when the report of the independent review of political violence and disruption will be published.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Department is considering Lord Walney’s report carefully, and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Warrior infantry fighting vehicles are (a) held by the armed forces and (b) awaiting disposal.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are currently 632 Warrior platforms held by the Armed Forces. 80 platforms are awaiting disposal, with nine more platforms due a decision for disposal during financial year 2024-25. This is in-line with planned fleet reductions laid out within the Integrated Review 2021.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) are (a) held by the armed forces and (b) awaiting disposal.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The British Army's fleet of Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) totals 114 as at May 2024, 97 of which are FV107 Scimitar platforms. As the Army's entire CVR(T) active fleet has been withdrawn from service, all 114 are currently in the disposal process.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many FV107 Scimitar vehicles are (a) in use and (b) waiting for disposal by the Army.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The British Army's fleet of Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) totals 114 as at May 2024, 97 of which are FV107 Scimitar platforms. As the Army's entire CVR(T) active fleet has been withdrawn from service, all 114 are currently in the disposal process.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has had discussions with the Bank of England on incorporating the impact of climate change in inflation modelling.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Treasury meet with the Bank of England regularly to discuss their assessment of the economy, inflation and the impact of shocks and structural trends, including climate change.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government’s official forecaster. They published their latest assessment of the economic and fiscal outlook (EFO) which includes inflation on 6th March. The Fiscal risks and sustainability report, published in July 2023, included discussion of the long-term impact of climate change on the fiscal position.
The Bank of England has operational independence over monetary policy and publishes its own forecasts, including for inflation, in its quarterly Monetary Policy Report.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15307 on Shell: Nigeria, if he will publish the (a) dates (b) attendee lists, (c) minutes and (d) any other relevant details of his Department's meetings with Shell on action to address the risks of pollution from oil production in the Niger Delta.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK continues to encourage a coordinated effort between the Nigerian Government, oil and gas companies, and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination in Nigeria. In the most recent meeting, which took place in January, the British High Commissioner met representatives from Shell where he discussed the future of environmental clean-up in the Niger Delta. We do not routinely publish details of meetings with external stakeholders.