Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Monday 25th October 2021 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

T5. May I press the Secretary of State on a point about the Llanhilleth Miners Institute, which does fantastic work? It was a safe haven for my community during the floods last year. It applied to the UK community renewal fund in May and got council support but, like others, it has heard nothing since. Will he please consider an extension to the time that the Llanhilleth Miners Institute will have in which to spend any grant, should it be successful?

[Michael Gove]

The hon. Gentleman makes a fair point. We want to make sure that the money is out of the door as quickly as possible, but we will, of course, look at every project, and will look to work with Llanhilleth to see what we can do to deliver effectively.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Thursday 25th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

It sounds like a brilliant idea. I know that this investment in Falmouth will not cost us a packet; I know that it will be a good investment for the future. Absolutely: we need to make sure that the G7, which is coming to Cornwall for all the right reasons, leaves a lasting legacy of environmentally sustainable investment. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend for precisely that goal.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Would the Chancellor describe the enforcement powers of the lobbying registrar as draconian or a bit of a soft landing?

[Michael Gove]

I have not given the issue much thought lately, but I will look closely at it and write back to the hon. Gentleman.

EU Exit: Negotiations and the Joint Committee

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Monday 19th October 2020 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for the three important points he makes. First, I am sure that the French President and others are increasingly aware of the point he makes about the consequence of no deal. Secondly, the automotive sector is vital not just to the economy of the west midlands but to the whole UK, and we need to make sure that we invest in it for the future. And his third point is right: we need to have our own state aid regime, not the European one, but we also need to make sure that it is consistent with our market principles.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

The Road Haulage Association is afraid that trade will grind to a halt if there are insufficient customs agents to help goods to cross the border in January. Some 50,000 customs agents are needed. On paper, the Government have allocated £84 million to the task of training the necessary people. I know the Minister has good attention to detail, so will he tell me how many customs agents have been trained from the allocated money?

[Michael Gove]

It is a matter for the market.

EU Exit: End of Transition Period

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Monday 13th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. A significant number of businesses have taken significant steps in order to prepare themselves for life outside the customs union and single market, but one of the reasons for the campaign we are launching now is to ensure that every business has the information it needs. I hope to work with my hon. Friend and other hon. Members in order to ensure that business has the support it needs to take advantage of the opportunities and also to deal with the changes that are coming next.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

It was only yesterday that the Government announced £100 million to develop HMRC systems to reduce the burden on traders. Why have these systems not already been developed?

[Michael Gove]

They have; we are just improving them.

Future Relationship with the EU: Negotiations

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Tuesday 19th May 2020 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend is a brilliant advocate for our farmers in the beautiful part of Wales that she is so lucky to represent, and she is absolutely right that the uncertainty over whether or not we will leave on 31 December is deeply damaging. I am afraid that the uncertainty generated by the Labour party is a problem, because they cannot have their date and eat it.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

What concrete proposals to improve workers’ rights will the Minister take to these negotiations, which he has just said is his ambition?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Thursday 18th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

What plans does the Secretary of State have to build more public drinking fountains across the UK?

[Michael Gove]

I will not be building them myself, but—[Interruption.]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Thursday 7th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

No one is keener on getting on with things, and indeed on saving money, than my right hon. Friend, whose own record in government is one of the most distinguished over the past seven years—and, in fact, beyond. He is absolutely right: in delay there lies no plenty.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Keep Wales Tidy does a great job in Blaenau Gwent, too. What steps are the Government taking to address the problem of plastic waste at the manufacturer level?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Thursday 26th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

Their voices are certainly not ignored, not least because they have such an excellent and articulate representative in my hon. Friend, whose dramatically increased majority at the last general election is testament to his hard work on behalf of all his constituents.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Can I press the Secretary of State to confirm whether the Government have undertaken an assessment of the impact of Brexit on the food and drink manufacturing sector, and to explain how they have consulted with businesses as part of that process?

[Michael Gove]

Not only have I spoken to the farming union representatives I mentioned earlier, but I have had regular conversations with the Food and Drink Federation and others across the food and drink sector. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that food and drink is the UK’s biggest manufacturing sector. We see huge opportunities outside the European Union to export more and make the most of British produce, because we are so lucky that British food and drink is the best in the world.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Thursday 20th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

In Blaenau Gwent, we are proud of our Tudor Brewery. However, although beers can trade on their Britishness, there is no guarantee that they are produced on these shores. With calls to buy British ever louder, what are the Government doing to ensure that customers know that British brands are made in Britain?

[Michael Gove]

The hon. Gentleman makes a good case and I look forward to enjoying a pint of Blaenau Gwent-brewed beer before too long. Outside the EU, we will have the capacity, should we choose to exercise it, more effectively to brand British food as British. As I said earlier, Members of all parties recognise that provenance matters for food and drink, and British is always best.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Tuesday 23rd June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

The excellent work that is done in Stafford prison is close to my hon. Friend’s heart, and he is absolutely right. We need to make use of the most sophisticated means that psychologists can devise to help people to tackle the problems that led them to offend. I had the opportunity earlier this week to talk to the psychologist in charge of that work at the National Offender Management Service, and to guarantee her all support in the weeks and months ahead in dealing with those terrible crimes.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

23. Lord Laming is inquiring into looked-after children and the criminal justice system. As well as rehabilitation, what is the Justice Secretary doing to help youngsters who have been in care to avoid a life in crime?

[Michael Gove]

I welcome Herbert Laming’s work. He has been an inspirational figure in social work. He is right to draw attention to the high number of male and particularly female offenders in our jails who spent their lives in care. Working with the Education Secretary and the Minister for Children and Families, who has responsibility for children in care, I hope we can work on the reforms of the coalition Government to ensure that more children in dysfunctional homes can be adopted and fostered quickly, and that there are better educational outcomes for children who have to spend their lives in care.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Gove and Nick Smith

Monday 7th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

I appreciate the care with which my hon. Friend puts his question. I also appreciate the fact that he has been a very strong advocate for faith schools in his own constituency, including St Mary’s, whose cause he has championed with particular eloquence. Many schools will want to offer RE as a GCSE, and indeed we would encourage them to do so, but the core element of the English baccalaureate relates to five subjects which we believe are the essential academic knowledge that students should be able to master. The news from the Russell group of universities last week that the subjects that we have chosen for the English baccalaureate are the subjects that they expect students to have if they are to go on to leading universities ensures that there is an appropriate match between schools and universities in advancing social mobility rather than seeing it decline, as happened over the past 13 years.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

10. What steps he is taking to ensure the provision of good quality youth services.