Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help SMEs adopt digital technology.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To support more small businesses’ digitisation efforts, we announced at Budget 2024 that we would extend the work of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of industry experts and focuses on addressing the challenge of how to support SMEs to adopt and implement productivity-enhancing technologies, such as customer relationship management, accountancy, and resource planning software. We intend to publish a summary of the Taskforce’s draft recommendations soon and their full report will be published later this year.
We will be announcing further measures shortly.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of regulation of motor insurers in the context of increases in premiums.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts
However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).
On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the recent increase in motor insurance premiums.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts
However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).
On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to is enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help improve transport links between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Connectivity is essential for economic growth which is why the Chancellor committed £5m in the Budget to explore improvements to the A75, which is the key route for road transport, using the ferry between Cairnryan and Belfast and Larne. We look forward to continuing work with the Scottish Government on this project, and welcome the recent addition of flights between Edinburgh and Liverpool and Derry City Airport.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she plans to hold with stakeholders in the heritage sector; and how often she plans to hold such discussions.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since the General Election, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and her ministerial team have met with a wide range of stakeholders in the heritage sector, including representatives of the department’s arm’s length bodies. These meetings will continue periodically, in Westminster and around the country and we intend to announce the next date of the Heritage Council very soon.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential merits of introducing listed building consent orders to help support the decarbonisation of listed buildings.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK has the oldest building stock in Europe. Historic buildings - including listed buildings and buildings within Conservation Areas - have an important role to play in supporting growth in the construction sector and our transition to Net Zero. Listed Building Consent Orders (LBCOs) proactively encourage and streamline the sensible upgrade and development of our listed buildings, including installing decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.
I have written to Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on some of the opportunities around planning that support heritage-led development and growth, including LBCOs. My officials and I are working closely with officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to prioritise the roll out of LBCOs and support the wider Government's agenda around growth and decarbonisation.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take with his European counterparts to help develop defence projects.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
European security is this Government’s foreign and defence priority. We will strengthen relationships with key European Allies through bilateral defence agreements, such as our recent Trinity House Agreement with Germany, and an ambitious UK-EU security pact which will bolster Euro-Atlantic security and complement our commitment to NATO.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on support for care services for elderly people in rural areas in Wales.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
We are committed to resetting the relationship with the Welsh Government, and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales meets regularly with the First Minister to discuss a range of issues.
The Department for Health and Social Care also works collaboratively with the Devolved Governments on shared objectives. The First Minister for Wales has said improving access to social care in Wales is one of her priorities.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps she is taking to increase growth in rural areas.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
A prosperous rural economy will be underpinned by improvements to rural connectivity and productivity, the availability of affordable energy and access to services. To this end, the UK Government is investing £5 billion in broadband connectivity which will support growth in rural areas across the UK.
We are also providing more than £3 billion of UK-wide funding this year to farmers and land managers, supporting rural prosperity.