First elected: 6th May 2010
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Karl Turner, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Karl Turner has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to increase the maximum sentence for a conviction of dangerous driving from two years to seven years; and for connected purposes
Electricity Supply (Vulnerable Customers) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Sam Tarry (Lab)
The average salary for trainee solicitors and pupil barristers working for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as at 1st June 2020 is as follows:
(a) trainee solicitor £27,961
(b) pupil barrister £26,038
There are no plans to publish such a list.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown. This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.
However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.
The Prime Minister specifically said “It is actually a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office to deal with matters that relate to their time in office. That has been the practice for many years, as I say, across multiple political Administrations, both Labour and Conservative.”
The Privileges Committee inquiry relates to the conduct of the (now former) Prime Minister making statements at the despatch box on behalf of HM Government.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown.
This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.
However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.
The Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries remains ongoing. No further comment or information can be provided at this time.
The Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries remains ongoing. As such, it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of the investigation.
The rights of seafarers under employment law depend in part on whether they fall within the jurisdiction of the UK (or Great Britain). Ultimately this will be determined by the courts and tribunals.
Whether seafarers have the right to collective consultation about proposed redundancies under section 188 and the following sections of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ("the 1992 Act") is likely to depend on whether the establishment where they work has sufficient connection with Great Britain. This position is not affected by government plans to add the protective award to Schedule A2 of the 1992 Act.
The Department is making enquires to determine whether such representations in respect of the Insolvency Service's procedures have been received. Any representations will be responded to as is appropriate.
The department works closely with the Department for Transport at official level on topics surrounding seafarers’ wages. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation applies to those who work or ordinarily work in the UK and those Seafarers exploiting and exploring the UK part of the continental shelf are entitled to the UK National Minimum Wage, as well as to some workers on UK-registered ships. We have a proud record of extending the NMW to seafarers.
In October 2020, legislation came into force to extend the right to the minimum wage to all seafarers on domestic voyages in the UK territorial sea and to those working in the UK part of the continental shelf.
We will continue to consider the needs of all sectors of the economy and take measures where these are needed, taking an evidence-based approach.
Government is committed to the protection of workers’ rights for seafarers and those in offshore employment. In 2020 the Government extended minimum wage entitlement to seafarers on domestic voyages.
Seafarers can access ‘Seafarer working and living rights’ Pages for clear guidance on their rights.
We will continue to review the needs of the renewable energy sector and its workforce - and take action when needed - as we progress towards reaching Net Zero by 2050.
National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation applies to those who work or ordinarily work in the UK, as well as to some workers on UK-registered ships. We have a proud record of ex-tending the NMW to seafarers.
In October 2020, legislation came into force to extend the minimum wage to all seafarers on domestic voyages in the UK territorial sea or UK section of the continental shelf.
We will continue to consider the needs of all sectors of the economy and take measures where these are needed, taking an evidence-based approach if any further changes to the NMW legislation are needed.
The China export licences of five UK pork establishments were suspended following COVID-19 outbreaks at their sites in 2020 and 2021. The export licenses of three of these five establishments remain suspended.
High-quality UK agri-food and drink exports are an important part of our trading relationship with China, with over a quarter (28%) of our overall pork exports going to China in 2022, with a value of £95m. We recognise that these exports link to UK jobs, which is why Ministers have been consistently and proactively raising these suspensions as a priority with their Chinese counterparts to achieve the relisting of the pork establishments as soon as possible.
The China export licences of five UK pork establishments were suspended following COVID-19 outbreaks at their sites in 2020 and 2021. The export licenses of three of these five establishments remain suspended.
High-quality UK agri-food and drink exports are an important part of our trading relationship with China, with over a quarter (28%) of our overall pork exports going to China in 2022, with a value of £95m. We recognise that these exports link to UK jobs, which is why Ministers have been consistently and proactively raising these suspensions as a priority with their Chinese counterparts to achieve the relisting of the pork establishments as soon as possible.
The China export licences of five UK pork establishments were suspended following COVID-19 outbreaks at their sites in 2020 and 2021. The export licenses of three of these five establishments remain suspended.
High-quality UK agri-food and drink exports are an important part of our trading relationship with China, with over a quarter (28%) of our overall pork exports going to China in 2022, with a value of £95m. We recognise that these exports link to UK jobs, which is why Ministers have been consistently and proactively raising these suspensions as a priority with their Chinese counterparts to achieve the relisting of the pork establishments as soon as possible.
Department for Business and Trade officials are currently considering all recommendations that the Low Pay Commission have recently made, including those relating to seafarers and the accommodation offset. We will respond to these recommendations in due course.
Department for Business and Trade officials are working closely with the Department for Transport on their Seafarers Wages Bill, these discussions include accommodation provisions and the deduction of costs for seafarers.
The Low Pay Commission recently recommended that seafarers be exempt from accommodation offset while on-board ships, the Government is considering this and will respond in due course.
The Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries is ongoing.
As such it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.
The transaction between Macquarie Asset Management and Equitix in April is a commercial matter for the companies involved and has not been assessed by the Department.
The Government welcomes publication of the report. The Government’s ambition for up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 and plans to strengthen energy security and attract investment into the UK, means that the skilled workforce must grow. It is expected that the sector will need to grow to support around 90,000 jobs by 2030.
The Government works with industry on the development of a skilled offshore wind workforce through the Offshore Wind Industry Council Investment in Talent Group and the Green Jobs Delivery Group, the central forum for action on green jobs and skills.
All large offshore wind projects must submit a supply chain plan to the Government when bidding for support from the Contracts for Difference scheme. These plans include an applicant’s commitments on addressing skill gaps and shortages. Leasing Round 4 projects have not yet bid for Contracts for Difference due to their stage in the development cycle. All six projects are preparing Development Consent Applications.
The Green Jobs Delivery Group is the central forum for action on green jobs and skills. Through this forum the Government is delivering its green jobs commitments as outlined in the Net Zero Strategy, and the Powering Up Britain Plan.
The Powering Up Britain plan sets out how the Government will grow the economy whilst decarbonising and supporting up to 480,000 jobs in 2030. Over 80,000 jobs are being supported or in the pipeline because of new government policies and spending since 2020.
The Government does not plan to set job targets, but is focused on delivering green jobs. In 2024, the Green Jobs Delivery Group will publish a Net Zero and Nature Workforce Action Plan.
The Future Offshore Wind Scenarios project did not estimate numbers of jobs. The Offshore Wind Industry Council’s Skills Intelligence Report 2023 estimates that employment in the offshore wind sector will rise from over 32,000 in 2022 to over 104,000 by 2030.
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not had any discussions with either of my Rt Hon. Friends on this particular topic.
The Department has not had any discussions with the Home Office on this topic.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the issues set out since taking up his position at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The Department does not record this data. The Office for National Statistics publishes annually the number of jobs in offshore wind, with the last data relating to 2020[1].
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets with the Home Secretary to discuss a wide range of issues.
In March 2020 the “Offshore wind Sector Deal - one year on” policy paper was published on the GOV.UK website, which includes a section on developing skills and improving diversity in the sector. It noted that the sector has introduced a workforce and skills model developed by the National Skills Academy for Rail to track and report on workforce data, and that data was being gathered from the operators, developers and original equipment manufacturers, with plans to gather data from regional offshore wind clusters over the longer term.
The Government is committed to ensuring the economic benefits to the UK arising from offshore wind deployment is maximised.
Developers of offshore wind farms and offshore wind turbine manufacturers are responsible for contracting for vessels to build offshore wind farms. This is a commercial matter for the companies concerned.
As of 7 June, 244 loans have been issued under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), with a total value of £1.57 billion.
Issuing new loans is the priority for lenders and the Government. We are working with the British Business Bank, HM Treasury and the lenders on providing regular and transparent data publication going forward.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. The scheme will help businesses to retain staff and reduce the need for redundancies.
Any entity with a UK payroll can apply to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as long as they have: (1) created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020, (2) enrolled for PAYE online and (3) a UK bank account. This applies to any employer, including those employing seafarers.
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has now announced that the scheme will be extended, in full, until the end of July. After July, we will introduce more flexibility to the furlough scheme so that we move out of it in a measured way that protects people’s incomes and helps support furloughed employees as they return to work. This will run for three months from August through to the end of October.
My Department has been working closely with the sector, including the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA), through the Visitor Economy Working Group to produce guidance on the reopening of the tourism sector. This will include guidance on hotels, caravans and other guest accommodation. This guidance will be published shortly.
VisitEngland are working on a common industry standard quality mark. Whilst work is ongoing, it will be designed to complement COVID-19 Secure Guidelines produced by the Government.
We will look at opening forms of holiday accommodation in Step 3 of the government’s recovery strategy, currently planned for 4 July at the earliest. This will be subject to the further scientific advice and the latest risk assessment at the time.
We remain in regular contact with caravan park stakeholders - including the BH&HPA - through the Visitor Economy Working Group and the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group.
There were 50 apprenticeship starts in England on the Seafarer (Deck Rating) apprenticeship standard in the 2021/22 academic year, 40 starts in 2022/23 and 20 starts reported so far, August to October, for 2023/24. The department cannot identify whether the apprenticeship employer is a private shipping company.
The Condition Data Collection (CDC) is one of the largest and most comprehensive data collection programmes in the UK’s public sector. It collected data on the building condition of government funded schools in England. It provides a robust evidence base to enable the Department to target capital funding for maintaining and rebuilding school buildings.
The key, high level findings of the CDC programme were published in May 2021 in the ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey: Key Findings’ report. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.
Individual CDC reports have been shared with every school and their responsible body to use alongside their existing condition surveys to plan maintenance schedules and investment plans. The Department plans to publish detailed school level CDC data. The Department is still preparing the data and will publish it as soon as possible.
Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Our funding is directed both to maintaining the condition of the school estate and rebuilding schools. The Department has allocated over £13 billion for improving the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed this financial year.
The ten year School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) is condition led. 400 of the 500 available places on the programme have been provisionally allocated. A list of these schools and the methodology used to select them is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.
Of the 400 so far selected, none are in Kingston upon Hull East constituency. There is one school in City of Kingston upon Hull Local Authority.
The 239 schools announced in December 2022 will enter delivery at a rate of approximately 50 per year, over a five year period from 2023. The Department is currently undertaking due diligence on these schools prior to scheduling them, with schools prioritised according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The scope and funding for each project will be confirmed following detailed feasibility studies and condition surveys of buildings.
Where a school identifies significant safety issues with a building, that cannot be managed within local resources, the Department considers additional support on a case-by-case basis. This includes applications for Urgent Capital Support (UCS) from eligible institutions. Schools eligible for Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) can apply for UCS where there are urgent health and safety issues that threaten school closure and cannot wait until the next CIF bidding round.
We are committed to supporting apprentices to safely continue and complete their apprenticeship.
Apprentices have been able to continue their training remotely and in COVID-safe workplaces, and apprentices who were due to undertake their end-point assessment in January, February or March are able to return to training providers’ venues if they need practical training.
Following the announcement from my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 22 February 2021, all further education learners and apprentices can return and access face-to-face teaching in training providers’ premises from 8 March 2021.
We have introduced a range of flexibilities to enable apprenticeships to continue wherever possible. Where training cannot continue, or where the remote delivery of off-the-job training or lack of access to the workplace compromises the quality of the apprenticeship, the employer or provider should initiate a break in the apprentice’s learning. When apprentices resume training, providers will be able to consider whether and how to reschedule the training to ensure the apprentice has every opportunity to complete their apprenticeship at the planned time.
We continue to work with employers, training providers and end-point assessment organisations to provide support and flexibilities to ensure apprentices have the necessary skills and knowledge to complete their apprenticeship programmes. Our guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response.
The Government will confirm arrangements for the PE and Sport Premium in the 2020-21 academic year as soon as possible. The position for the 2021-22 academic year and beyond will be considered at the forthcoming Spending Review.
The attached table shows the number of apprenticeship starts in maritime-related apprenticeships in the Yorkshire and the Humber region from 2015/16 to Quarter 1 of 2019/20.
The UK remains in discussion with Norway on bilateral quota exchanges for 2021 across a range of stocks, including Arctic stocks. In conducting these discussions, the Government considers the interests of the entire UK and associated industries.
The Government will continue to work with all our fishing fleets and processors, so that they can take advantage of future opportunities.
The UK-Norway fisheries framework agreement, signed on 30 September 2020, provides the legal framework for annual negotiations between the UK and Norway. These negotiations concern the exchange of quota between the parties and access to waters. This agreement respects other treaties to which the UK is already party.
Significant funding is being made available by government to improve the infrastructure needed for the fishing industry, improve sustainability and help it adapt as we move away from the CFP.
The Government has announced £32.7 million in funding to support the seafood sector which meets the Government’s manifesto commitment to maintain funding for the sector. The new domestic funding scheme in England, the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme, opened on 6 April. This scheme will support the long-term sustainable growth of the seafood sector and includes support to deliver improvements to vessels and to support port infrastructure.
In addition to this support, on Christmas Eve the Prime Minister announced a further £100 million that will support investment to modernise and rejuvenate the sector. This will include funding for infrastructure projects that support the development and modernisation of ports, harbours, and landing sites across the UK in order to land, process and market more sustainably managed fish.
The Government has also safeguarded investment in the sector by making up to £23 million available to support seafood businesses affected by the impact of Covid-19 and new trading conditions. With regards to the proposed freeport, no comparative assessment has been conducted. However, freeports will play a significant role in boosting trade, attracting inward investment and driving productive activity across the UK. This will level up communities across the country through increased employment opportunities. This is more important than ever as we begin to recover from the ongoing economic impacts of Covid-19.
The situation will continue to change over the coming days and weeks. The Department for International Trade stands ready and continues to assess the support provided to UK businesses. The Department has expanded the Export Support Service to help businesses deal with the trade implications of the situation. This is available through our Digital Enquiry Service (https://www.gov.uk/ask-export-support-team) and helpline (0300 303 8955), currently open Mon-Fri 0800-2200.
The Travel and Transport companies who were involved in the Thought Leadership activity on the UK Pavilion were: Royce, Vertical Aerospace ltd, BP, Atkins Acuity, Riversimple, Ryze Hydrogen, Wrightbus, Ev.energy, Arity, Thales, CoMoUK, Artemis Technologies, ZigZag, Thompson Aero, Space Hub Sutherland, Aston Martin, Wood group PLC, Shell, LEVC, JLR.
Expo 2020 Dubai runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Between 1 October and December 31, the latest reporting period available, spend on contracted staffing services at the UK Pavilion of £103,754 was reported. This excludes salaries of DIT staff. Spend on DIT staff working at the event and staff located in the UK providing critical support was reported to be £669,474.
The activity at the UK Pavilion is arranged by the UK Government via the Department for International Trade (DIT) and also by sponsors and UK companies/organisations using the space to deliver their own events and messages. The number of UK companies from the Travel and Transport Industries that have taken part in the DIT programme as speakers, panellists and providers of podcasts online and physically to date is 20. The number of companies (UK and Overseas) who participated as audience was in excess of 300 and continues to be counted as our on-demand content is accessible until the end of Expo 2020 Dubai, on 31st March 2022.
The UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is the centre point of a business culture education and tourism programme that promotes the UK and UK companies in a number of different ways. UK expertise and excellence is promoted through the retail of food and drink, physical showcasing, thought leadership sessions, business and networking events and through online podcasts, virtual events and media/communications.
Costs are routinely assessed each month as part of the department’s financial governance process and are expected to remain affordable within DITs 2021-22 control totals.