Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 March on Transport Update, whether the construction of HS2 between Birmingham and the point where it joins the West Coast Main Line near Handsacre will be affected by the construction rephase.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is continuing to work through the implications of the funding settlement with HS2 Ltd and further details will be confirmed formally shortly.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Windsor Framework, published on 28 February 2033, whether manufacturers and growers in Northern Ireland have to meet EU standards if their goods are only being sent to other parts of the UK and not to the EU.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Only the absolute minimum (less than 3%) of EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland, to avoid a hard border and maintain Northern Ireland's unique access to the EU market, alongside its unfettered access to the UK internal market. Those rules which do apply on goods are applied to goods produced in Northern Ireland. But this reflects what we have heard time and again is the balance businesses want in order to prosper:
- Companies producing for their most important market in Great Britain will retain completely unfettered access to the UK market in all scenarios.
- There are many areas of goods rules within the scope of the old Protocol where no international or EU standards apply - in retail sectors like jewellery, clothes, homeware, footwear and furniture, covering a quarter of Northern Ireland manufacturers. In those cases UK national rules set the standards for goods on the market in Northern Ireland.
- Elsewhere in manufacturing, it is international standards which apply in practice, with commitments from the UK and EU in the TCA to maintain them.
- Fourthly, in agrifood, the rules in place reflect longstanding arrangements and integrated supply chains. But through this agreement they now do so within a dual regime - with retail trade into Northern Ireland able to use UK food safety standards and flow smoothly.
- This dual regime is also consistent with existing devolution arrangements, which mean it is entirely possible constitutionally to have different standards across the UK. Those differences are accommodated through the market access principle in the UK Internal Market Act 2020, enabling goods made in one market to be sold in another, even if rules differ across the different nations. That principle will be protected and strengthened under this deal
This is a pragmatic form of dual-regulation - resolving real-world barriers, and recognising UK standards in critical areas like agrifood retail trade and medicines supplies; while protecting the market access, and longstanding arrangements, of Northern Ireland producers.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the third round of levelling up bids will be invited by his Department.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer to Question UIN 140117 on 14 February 2023.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to assess the work of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation; and if he will make a report to Parliament on monies released to Yevgeny Prigozhin to pursue a court case against a British journalist.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
HM Treasury is considering its approach to licensing to see if any changes are required to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s (OFSI) licensing practice in relation to legal fees licence applications. We need to carefully balance the right to legal representation - which is a fundamental one - with wider issues of public policy.
HM Treasury does not comment on specific licensing cases. We will update Parliament appropriately on the wider considerations in due course.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the letter to him from the Local Government Association of 1 February, what plans he has to (a) adopt a place-based approach and (b) return to multi-year settlements.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The mission we have set out in the White Paper is that by 2030, everywhere in England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution with a simplified long-term funding settlement.
Our policy statement released in December, provided multi-year certainty to local authorities into 2024/25. This statement supports councils’ budget setting processes, allowing local authorities to plan over the rest of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to make it easier for public notices to be published in non print publications; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Policy responsibility for each specific type of public notice lies with a range of different government departments. The Government is mindful of the potential effect that any changes to the existing publicity requirements for public notices might have on transparency and local democracy, as well as the potential effect on the sustainability of the local news sector as a whole. We recognise the continued importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve and that there will continue to be a need to reach out to people who cannot digitally access information.
At the same time, to help address the desire for more digitalisation and greater audience reach in the publication of public notices, the local newspaper sector has been working with Google to develop an online Public Notice Portal. The Portal is intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences, providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. The Government is monitoring the Portal’s development, and the effect that it has on the transparency of public notices.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Rolls Royce small modular reactor; and whether he has plans to use them for energy generation.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has awarded up to £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in April becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.
As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023 for the next nuclear projects, including SMRs.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January to Question 114516 on Richmond House, to what use the existing Whitehall entrance and reception hall of Richmond House will be put; and what estimate the Commission has made of the cost of (a) heating and (b) lighting this space in the next 12 months.
Answered by Charles Walker
The Whitehall entrance and reception hall of Richmond House will continue to be used as an access route within the building. The Commission has not made any estimate of the cost of (a) heating and (b) lighting this space in the next 12 months; data is not collected on heating and lighting costs for individual spaces within the building.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supplying Challenger battle tanks to the Ukrainian army.
Answered by James Heappey
As confirmed by the Secretary of State for Defence on 16 January 2023, the UK will send a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, together with armoured recovery and repair vehicles. The gifting of these tanks is part of a significant new package of combat power to increase Ukraine's capabilities and accelerate Ukrainian success on the battlefield.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to initiate public information announcements across appropriate media warning of the danger of walking or playing on ice over waterways and ponds.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is not responsible for water safety.
Fire and Rescue Services may make local decisions to publish water safety information according to local circumstances or need.