Oral Answers to Questions

Nusrat Ghani Excerpts
Tuesday 16th June 2020

(3 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alok Sharma Portrait Alok Sharma
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As the hon. Member will know, the latest figures show that over 49,000 loans have been approved, to the value of more than £10 billion. There is a significant number of lenders attached to the CBIL scheme, but if he has specific cases, he should definitely come and talk to me.

Nusrat Ghani Portrait Ms Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) (Con)
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I would like to put on record my remembrance of my good friend, Jo Cox. In the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, we are undertaking an inquiry into the impact of covid on our major industries. All of them rely on our maritime and ports sector to keep the supply chain going. Of the £22 billion—a vast sum of money—that is being put together for research and development, how much will be allocated to maritime innovation and tech?

Alok Sharma Portrait Alok Sharma
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I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all the work that she did as shipping Minister. We have made the commitment to £22 billion a year by 2025. That is the biggest increase in public funding of R&D, and no doubt, as projects come forward from that sector, we will look at them.