Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of solar procurement decisions on UK-based manufacturing capacity and employment within the domestic solar supply chain.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Accelerating solar deployment presents valuable opportunities for employment and growth in the domestic supply chain. Our Solar Roadmap estimated that solar could support up to 35,000 UK jobs by 2030.
Key areas for growth include developing cutting-edge solar technologies, including perovskite and thin film panels. The Roadmap includes actions for government and industry to further support companies to increase production of these parts. .
The UK also has a strong electrical manufacturing sector, which could provide vital balance of system components. These are included in our Industrial Strategy, which has identified advanced manufacturing and clean energy industries as priority growth sectors.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of public procurement guidance in supporting SME participation and the domestic economy; and what steps he is taking to help mitigate market concentration by Chinese companies and associated national security risks.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s industrial strategy and economic growth ambitions are underpinned by large-scale public investment into UK manufacturing and proactive measures to secure demand for UK made products through the deployment of clean energy technology. Flagship investments include a £1bn allocation to Great British Energy ‘Engineered in the UK’ supply chain fund that will increase UK manufacturing capacity, drive down technology costs, and create and support jobs across the UK.
Government is taking strong steps to leverage supply and demand-side policies in its review of public procurement and across all public finance; such that long-standing industrial sectors, such as the steel sector and the port sector can remain globally competitive. The UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme includes a £544m Clean Industry Bonus in support of UK domestic manufacturers and suppliers for offshore wind sector.
Investment in the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny – we take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will ensure that UK‑based firms offering comparable pricing and British-backed warranties are prioritised in procurement processes over Chinese manufacturers.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s industrial strategy and economic growth ambitions are underpinned by large-scale public investment into UK manufacturing and proactive measures to secure demand for UK made products through the deployment of clean energy technology. Flagship investments include a £1bn allocation to Great British Energy ‘Engineered in the UK’ supply chain fund that will increase UK manufacturing capacity, drive down technology costs, and create and support jobs across the UK.
Government is taking strong steps to leverage supply and demand-side policies in its review of public procurement and across all public finance; such that long-standing industrial sectors, such as the steel sector and the port sector can remain globally competitive. The UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme includes a £544m Clean Industry Bonus in support of UK domestic manufacturers and suppliers for offshore wind sector.
Investment in the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny – we take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the development of domestic energy manufacturing capability, particularly where companies are willing to invest in UK production subject to demand visibility.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s industrial strategy and economic growth ambitions are underpinned by large-scale public investment into UK manufacturing and proactive measures to secure demand for UK made products through the deployment of clean energy technology. Flagship investments include a £1bn allocation to Great British Energy ‘Engineered in the UK’ supply chain fund that will increase UK manufacturing capacity, drive down technology costs, and create and support jobs across the UK.
Government is taking strong steps to leverage supply and demand-side policies in its review of public procurement and across all public finance; such that long-standing industrial sectors, such as the steel sector and the port sector can remain globally competitive. The UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme includes a £544m Clean Industry Bonus in support of UK domestic manufacturers and suppliers for offshore wind sector.
Investment in the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny – we take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that hospices in England receive sustainable funding.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are pleased to confirm that the Government has recently released £25 million for 2024/25, and that Hospice UK will distribute the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be available from April for 2025/26.
We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding in 2025/26 to support children and young people’s hospices. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. It will be transacted once again by the integrated care boards on behalf of NHS England. This is in line with National Health Service devolution and promotes a more consistent national approach, and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care.
I recently met with key palliative and end of life care, including hospice, stakeholders to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve equitable access to clinical trials for brain tumour patients; and what plans his Department has to help eligible brain tumour patients to access treatments through clinical trials.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department is committed to working with the pharmaceutical industry to develop a more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible clinical research system in the United Kingdom, ensuring that all patients, including those with brain tumours, have access to cutting-edge clinical research and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
Research is crucial in tackling brain cancer, which is why the Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being one of the largest areas of investment, at over £121.8 million in 2022/23, reflecting its high priority.
The Department is committed to ensuring that clinical trials are people-centred and more accessible, including for brain tumour patients. For example, the NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all brain tumour centres have equitable access to (a) funding, (b) resources and (c) recognition within national frameworks.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) is an independent organisation funded by 11 charities as well as by Government. The Centre of Excellence programme is community led, being designed and delivered by a committee of National Health Service professionals and scientists from centres across the United Kingdom. The centres that participate in the TJBCM Centre of Excellence initiative do so voluntarily.
All UK neuro-oncology centres are invited to apply for Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status, which is the main “national framework” in neuro-oncology, beyond the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines that apply to all hospitals treating brain tumours. Centres that are not awarded Centre of Excellence designation can also access support from TJBCM and through the Tessa Jowell Network, so all centres and their patients nationally can benefit from this standard-setting. The TJBCM works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support.
The TJBCM welcomes applications from any centre which provides treatment and care for patients with a brain tumour who can demonstrate how they meet the Tessa Jowell Standards of Excellence, to achieve the same high standards of treatment, care, and research. The mission works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support to develop its service, both in England and the devolved nations.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine the inclusion of tumour centres in the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access for all centres regardless of onsite surgical capacity.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) is an independent organisation funded by 11 charities as well as by Government. The Centre of Excellence programme is community led, being designed and delivered by a committee of National Health Service professionals and scientists from centres across the United Kingdom. The centres that participate in the TJBCM Centre of Excellence initiative do so voluntarily.
All UK neuro-oncology centres are invited to apply for Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status, which is the main “national framework” in neuro-oncology, beyond the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines that apply to all hospitals treating brain tumours. Centres that are not awarded Centre of Excellence designation can also access support from TJBCM and through the Tessa Jowell Network, so all centres and their patients nationally can benefit from this standard-setting. The TJBCM works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support.
The TJBCM welcomes applications from any centre which provides treatment and care for patients with a brain tumour who can demonstrate how they meet the Tessa Jowell Standards of Excellence, to achieve the same high standards of treatment, care, and research. The mission works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support to develop its service, both in England and the devolved nations.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of family businesses that may be required to (a) sell and (b) downsize as a result of the reduction in Business Property Relief; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the behavioural responses on the public finances.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The value of an ownership of a business, or share of a business, is included in an estate for inheritance tax purposes. Business property relief reduces the value of the interest in the business or its assets when calculating how much inheritance tax is due on the value of the estate.
Excluding claims by estates only holding shares designed as “not listed” on recognised stock exchanges, the Government has set out that around 500 estates claiming business property relief only in 2026-27 are expected to pay more inheritance tax as a result of the reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024. Any potential impact on businesses will depend on the individual circumstances, including the size of the inheritance tax liability, the ownership structure, and the value of non-business assets in an estate available to pay a liability. Furthermore, where any inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can in most circumstances pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) does not expect the reforms to have any significant macroeconomic impacts.
The behavioural impact of policies is accounted for in the normal way in the costings certified by the independent OBR. The OBR recently published more detail on the costings for the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief, including the potential behavioural responses, at https://obr.uk/download/october-2024-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-costing-of-changes-to-agricultural-and-business-property-relief/?tmstv=1739194105.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide funding for the ongoing (a) preservation and (a) repair of listed places of worship.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There is a range of funding available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies that supports places of worship. These include the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who have committed to investing around £100m between 2023 and 2026 to support places of worship; the Churches Conservation Trust, which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England's Heritage At Risk grants, funding £9 million worth of repairs to buildings on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register between April 2024 and March 2025.
On the 22nd of January, I was pleased to announce that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would continue from March 2025 to March 2026 with a budget of £23m. Further details can be found in this Written Statement.