Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing compensation for small shareholders for the loss of their shares in Northern Rock Plc.
Answered by Bim Afolami
HM Treasury considers the issue of compensation for former Northern Rock shareholders to be settled. Both the Upper Tribunal in 2011 and the Court of Appeal in 2013 upheld the independent valuation of Northern Rock shares at nil value immediately prior to public ownership, and that no compensation was therefore due. HM Treasury does not intend to revisit this issue.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of delivering compensation to former Northern Rock PLC shareholders.
Answered by Bim Afolami
HM Treasury considers the issue of compensation for former Northern Rock shareholders to be settled. Both the Upper Tribunal in 2011 and the Court of Appeal in 2013 upheld the independent valuation of Northern Rock shares at nil value immediately prior to public ownership, and that no compensation was therefore due. HM Treasury does not intend to revisit this issue.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she plans to reply to the correspondence of (a) 26 January and (b) 26 March 2024 from the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran on concerns raised by a constituent about the conduct of Post Office Limited towards postmasters.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The correspondence from the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran was responded to on 8 May 2024.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofcom on (a) the impartiality of and (b) sanctions on GB News.
Answered by Julia Lopez
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of issues. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets out rules to ensure that broadcast news is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. The Government is committed to a free and independent media and does not interfere with Ofcom's regulatory or operational decisions, including how broadcast content is regulated.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Ofcom on impartiality rules in broadcasting.
Answered by Julia Lopez
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of issues. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets out rules to ensure that broadcast news is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. The Government is committed to a free and independent media and does not interfere with Ofcom's regulatory or operational decisions, including how broadcast content is regulated.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on delivering Levelling Up funding to local authorities.
Answered by Jacob Young
Across the three major Levelling Up funds, the Department has allocated £10.4 billion and released over £4 billion to local authorities.
The Funds are multi-year programmes that local authorities will continue to spend over the lifetime of the Funds. As is typical with capital programmes, spending will peak in the later years.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Spring Budget 2024 on his Department’s spending plans.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Spring Budget was not a Spending Review, and as such departmental spending limits are unaffected.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the (a) level of seafarers pay and (b) number of seafarers on the (i) capacity and (ii) functions of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Navy Command is introducing a number of recruitment and retention initiatives. An independent benchmarking survey has been engaged to ensure levels of pay, leave and assignment length are competitive with industry to ensure the RFA remains at the leading edge of UK shipping operators and employers.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary on the potential impact of trends in the level of pay on (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) training.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Navy Command is introducing a number of recruitment and retention initiatives. An independent benchmarking survey has been engaged to ensure levels of pay, leave and assignment length are competitive with industry to ensure the RFA remains at the leading edge of UK shipping operators and employers.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of steps being taken to ensure that vessels transiting Scottish and UK territorial waters are not carrying sanctioned cargo.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
In delivering maritime security in the UK Marine Area, the UK operates a layered approach to coastal and maritime defence, including onshore resources and surveillance capabilities, to detect those seeking to smuggle illicit goods or to facilitate illegal entry into the UK. Through the Economic Deterrence Initiative, the Government is investing in the maritime intelligence capability of the Joint Maritime Security Centre to enhance sanctions enforcement. For vessels transiting through UK waters, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) details the right of innocent passage and freedom of navigation. The UK remains fully committed to upholding UNCLOS.