Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on working practices of the civil service in Scotland.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Civil Service HR team within Cabinet Office regularly engages with its counterparts in the Scottish Government on a range of workforce matters where there are shared interests and to share best practice. This also ensures consistency in approach and ways of working (as appropriate) across both bodies.
All UK Government civil servants are expected to adhere to the principles set out in the Civil Service Code throughout their working practices. Civil servants working for the Scottish Government, and their agencies, have their own versions of the code, as do the Welsh Government. However, both the Scottish and Home Civil Service adhere to the same core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much spending from the National Productivity Fund has resulted in Barnett consequentials funding to Scotland in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Scottish Governemnt have received Barnett Consequentials totalling £111.2 million (2017-18) and £189.0 million (2018-19) following allocations made to the National Productivity Investment Fund.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to promote entrepreneurship and start-ups by means of the Government's Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Our Industrial Strategy sets out our aim to make Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
We are ranked top 10 in the world for doing business by the World Economic Forum and World Bank and amongst the very best in Europe. But as the Patient Capital Review identified, we could do better in the longer-term process of building up successful businesses to reach large-scale and as the Scale-Up Taskforce has highlighted, more can be done to increase the number of businesses that achieve their full potential.
So as part of the Industrial Strategy, we have an action plan to unlock over £20bn of investment in high potential businesses, including through establishing a new £2.5bn Patient Capital investment fund incubated within the Government owned British Business Bank (BBB). The BBB, through its Start Up Loans programme, has lent over £410m to more than 55,000 entrepreneurs across the UK to start their own businesses. The New Enterprise Allowance Scheme from the Department of Work and Pensions also provides money and support to help people receiving certain benefits to start their own business.
Through the Industrial Strategy we are continuing to invest in 38 Growth Hubs across England alongside the Business Support Helpline. Business support is devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All businesses can access core services, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, on GOV.UK.
More widely, the Small Business Commissioner has been launched with the purpose to assist small businesses to prevent and resolve late payment issues with their larger business customers. And we are opening up public procurement to SMEs, with a commitment to one pound in every three of central government procurement spend going to SMEs by (directly or via the supply chain) 2022.
We will also drive change through the biggest increase in public investment in R&D in our history, raising total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. Finally, we will support businesses to access international markets. This means driving up exports by the Government and private sector including identifying smaller businesses with the potential to succeed and grow as exporters.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has received representations since April 24th 2018 from the Scottish Government on the creation of common frameworks for agriculture after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Ministers and officials are in regular contact with the Scottish Government on the need for common frameworks. The Secretary of State last met Ministers from the Scottish and Welsh Governments and senior officials from Northern Ireland on 14 May 2018 when the need for common frameworks was discussed.
It is our intention that each administration has the freedom to design policies that support their farming sectors and enhance their environment. We are working with the devolved administrations to identify where common frameworks are required. Common frameworks should only be established where they are needed; whether this is to maintain a functioning UK internal market, to strike trade deals, or to provide the certainty required to meet international obligations.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department has provided to the devolved administration in Edinburgh to devise agricultural policies for the period after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Agriculture is a devolved responsibility, and it is the Government’s intention that each administration has the freedom to design policies that support the individual characteristics of their agricultural industries and unique landscapes.
The Government has committed to work closely with the Devolved Administrations and stakeholders to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the individual needs of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; subject to where common frameworks may be necessary.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the merger of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police with Police Scotland.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The two Governments have established an official level Joint Programme Board (JPB) to oversee arrangements for delivering the transfer of the British Transport Police’s functions in Scotland. Membership of the Board includes representatives from both Governments, the two Police Authorities and the two Police Forces.
The UK Government’s ambition is to see a smooth transition to the new arrangements for policing the railways, with the focus on ensuring the continued effective policing of the railways once responsibilities are split between the British Transport Police and Police Scotland, including appropriate coordination arrangements.
Whilst significant progress has been made on a number of aspects of integration, including preparing the secondary legislation which will transfer those BTP officers and staff currently responsible for policing the railways in Scotland to Police Scotland, a number of significant operational issues remain to be resolved. For this reason the Scottish Government announced in February that the planned 1 April 2019 transfer date would not be achieved. A detailed re-planning exercise is now underway to ensure robust delivery plans are in place for all of the key elements of the programme and to establish a new delivery date.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the establishment of UK-wide frameworks for agriculture after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
We are committed to working closely with the devolved administrations on the development of common frameworks that work for the whole of the UK and reflect the devolution settlements of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Common frameworks should only be established where they are needed, whether this is to maintain a functioning UK internal market, to strike trade deals, or to provide the certainty needed to meet international obligations.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on the inclusion of support for the aerospace sector in the Tay Cities Deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Government is working with the Tay Cities region to fulfil the commitment we made in the 2016 Budget to agree a City Deal with the local area. In line with the national Industrial Strategy, we are keen that City Deals build on local strengths and support key sectors, and the UK Government will consider supporting any local proposals in our reserved policy space that support these aims. All proposals will need to have the support of key stakeholders and will need to show that they use public money effectively to drive growth and productivity.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many mobile phone masts there are in Ochil and South Perthshire constituency.
Answered by Margot James
I refer the hon member to the answer to written question 133562 answered on 28th March.
Asked by: Luke Graham (Conservative - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's timescale is for eliminating mobile phone not-spots on motorways.
Answered by Margot James
The action taken by mobile operators as a result of the 2014 agreement with Government, has helped to improve coverage on the UK's roads. We recognise that there is further to go, which is why the Government has a Manifesto commitment to deliver full and uninterrupted mobile phone signal on all major roads by 2022.