Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Sturdy Excerpts
Tuesday 12th July 2022

(1 year, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Kwasi Kwarteng Portrait Kwasi Kwarteng
- Parliament Live - Hansard - - - Excerpts

The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that I have been to Coventry many times to discuss this issue and that we have landed gigafactories in Sunderland. There were none when I became Secretary of State and we now have two, and we are working all the time to land more of them here in the UK.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)
- Parliament Live - Hansard - -

T9. Given the changing ministerial personnel, will the Government reassure us of their ongoing commitment to generate growth to beat living cost pressures through backing science and technology projects such as BioYorkshire in my constituency, which has already brought some 40 new high-skilled jobs to the constituency with the relocation of Azotic Technologies?

Greg Hands Portrait Greg Hands
- Parliament Live - Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend is a consistent champion for his York constituents, and I assure him that we remain committed to delivering on the fastest sustained uplift in research and development funding, reaching £20 billion per annum in just two years’ time, from £15 billion today. That is a huge uplift, and of course we are going to make sure that all parts of the UK benefit from it. I am sure that part of that will be in and around York.

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Sturdy Excerpts
Tuesday 23rd March 2021

(3 years ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Kwasi Kwarteng Portrait Kwasi Kwarteng
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I think it is very easy for the right hon. Gentleman to get obsessed with the words “industrial strategy”. What this Government are committed to is action. That is why we launched the decarbonisation industrial strategy. That is why we are pursuing the fourth auction round in offshore wind. That is why John Kerry, who I was very happy to meet two weeks ago, said that this country is a world leader in decarbonisation.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con) [V]
- Hansard - -

Can the Secretary of State assure me that if the Government take the very draconian decision to ban summer holidays abroad this year, they will provide targeted support to compensate the travel sector, which will be decimated by this decision?

Kwasi Kwarteng Portrait Kwasi Kwarteng
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend will know—if he does not, I will let him know—that when I took office two months ago, the things that the travel and hospitality sectors assured me that they needed more than ever were a road map and support. I am pleased to say that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister came up with his road map on 22 February and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor extended unprecedented support to the economy on 3 March. I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss whether he wants to see further actions, but we have committed £407 billion—an unprecedented amount—to supporting the economy at this terrible time.

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Sturdy Excerpts
Tuesday 15th December 2020

(3 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Paul Scully Portrait Paul Scully
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

We call out British Gas and other employers if and when they are using unfair pressure in negotiations, but we do say that we need to retain flexibility as well, so that big companies can save as many jobs as possible in difficult times.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con) [V]
- Hansard - -

With the imminent review of tiers, can Ministers reassure me that they are pushing firmly within Government on the fact that many businesses, especially in places such as York, where the virus is very low, are at the stage where they can no longer be subsidised for low footfall or to stay closed, but need to be able to trade as normally as possible ultimately to survive?

Paul Scully Portrait Paul Scully
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I know the hospitality business in York has been affected, as it has around the country. Yes, we will continue to look at this and, when the data allows, we will move York and other areas into more forgiving tiers. For the hospitality sector—as I say, it welcomes Government support, largely, but wants customers—this is what is going to help the pubs, bars and restaurants in York and beyond to be able to survive and thrive.

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Sturdy Excerpts
Tuesday 10th November 2020

(3 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Nickie Aiken Portrait Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

What steps his Department is taking to support businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)
- Hansard - -

What steps his Department is taking to support businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ben Spencer Portrait Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

What steps his Department is taking to support businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

--- Later in debate ---
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait Nadhim Zahawi
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend makes an important point. It is a very difficult decision that we have grappled with. Independent bookshops are of great importance to local communities, with books playing a vital role in people’s mental health and wellbeing. The decision to close non-essential retail is part of a wider package of measures to make it clear that people should stay at home and accept this for a limited period of time. Of course, bookshops can offer delivery and click-and-collect services, which I am sure that her constituent, David Campbell, is probably considering.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy [V]
- Hansard - -

The Government’s new support measures for businesses provide a genuine lifeline. However, support to stay closed is not the long-term answer, and many will only remain viable if they can be open as normal for the pre-Christmas season. May I ask what the Minister is doing to urgently lobby Government and the Prime Minister on the necessity of keeping businesses going and getting them reopened from 2 December, including in hospitality, which is so important to a city like York?

Nadhim Zahawi Portrait Nadhim Zahawi
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend makes a very powerful point, and I absolutely agree with him. This is not the long-term answer, and I fully appreciate that retailers across England will be desperate to reopen in time for the important Christmas trading period. The regulations, as the Prime Minister said, will expire on 2 December, and we will return to the local restrictions thereafter—the tiered system. Of course, Ministers and officials are regularly engaging across Government, including my colleagues in BEIS, to ensure the sector can reopen safely on 2 December.

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Sturdy Excerpts
Tuesday 3rd March 2020

(4 years ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Alok Sharma Portrait Alok Sharma
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Within days of taking office I spoke to our major automotive manufacturers, and I have had meetings with a number of them. However, the right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We want to encourage electric vehicles, and we are also committed to securing investment for a UK gigafactory. Last year we announced up to £1 billion of new money to support R&D and supply chains for electric vehicles.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)
- Hansard - -

2. What steps he is taking to increase investment in research and development.

Bim Afolami Portrait Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

11. What steps he is taking to increase investment in research and development.

Alok Sharma Portrait The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Alok Sharma)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

The Government are already increasing public spending on research and development by £7 billion over five years, the biggest increase in public funding for R&D on record. Every pound of public expenditure on R&D leverages a further £1.40 of additional private investment, generating even greater returns for the UK.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy
- Hansard - -

Given that nearly 50% of the core science budget currently goes to just three cities in southern England, can the Secretary of State assure me that the increase in R&D funding will do more to favour the regions outside the south, so that in future both my city of York and other regional hubs across Yorkshire, such as Leeds and Hull, will receive their fair share for the purposes of research and innovation?

Alok Sharma Portrait Alok Sharma
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I know that my hon. Friend is hugely supportive of R&D, and that last month he opened the Institute of Technology at York College. I absolutely agree that that is part of our levelling-up agenda. We want to support centres of excellence across the country. In December last year UK Research and Innovation awarded £24 million to the University of York for a quantum communications hub, and we will set out our ambitious play strategy for R&D in the second half of this year.