Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Graham Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Alok Sharma]

We met the first two carbon budgets, and we are on track to meet the third. Of course, I recognise the need for further action: 2020 will be a year of climate action, as I have said, and we have new plans to decarbonise key sectors in industry.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

I congratulate the Department on its far-sighted announcement yesterday that sets the tone for COP26 by allowing onshore wind and solar projects, which have local support, to bid for funding. The announcement also floated a further pot for less developed technologies, such as tidal stream and wave, some of which the Energy Minister and I met last week. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should pursue this opportunity to develop diverse sources of green energy and look closely at the innovative tax credit proposal, innovation power purchase agreement, to help some of these technologies get off the ground?

[Alok Sharma]

I make the general point that innovation is vital in all sectors of industry, but particularly in the renewables sector. As my hon. Friend will know, the proposal that we set out will help the UK to achieve its 2050 net zero ambition. Ultimately, this is about achieving value for money by driving further cost reductions in renewable electricity.

International Climate Action

Richard Graham Excerpts

Thursday 26th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Andrea Leadsom]

As the hon. Lady will know, that would be a matter for comment by the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I am sure that the opportunity to raise the issue will come up at DEFRA questions soon.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

The decision to hold the UN climate change summit 2020 in Glasgow was a great success for Anglo-Italian diplomacy. It also highlights an advantage for Scotland of being a member of the United Kingdom, with some 30,000 attendees are expected. I do not share the concern of the hon. Member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) about the £1 billion coming from our international development fund. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that one of the advantages of the money is that it can be used to help to save forests in Indonesia, and does she agree that our climate change unit should continue its good work there?

[Andrea Leadsom]

My hon. Friend is exactly right. We are all delighted that COP 26 will be held in Glasgow. We shall all be there. It will be a great opportunity to visit Scotland as part of a stronger United Kingdom post Brexit. We all very much look forward to it. My hon. Friend is exactly right to say that the Ayrton fund offers a fantastic opportunity to contribute to low-carbon technologies for use in developing economies.

Net Zero Emissions Target

Richard Graham Excerpts

Wednesday 12th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

If the hon. Lady reflects on the progress that is being made, she will see that the accelerating take-up of electric vehicles makes a major contribution. Through the industrial strategy, we have funded the research and development of new electric powertrains for commercial vehicles—vans, lorries and agricultural vehicles—which will be important. We need to double down on that commitment, but we made the right strategic judgment three years ago when we targeted the future of mobility, including electric vehicles, as being one of the principal contributors not just to tackling climate change, but to creating jobs in the economy.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

I congratulate the Secretary of State on this important announcement. As he says, the challenge is now all about implementation. May I therefore encourage him to look closely at the Marine Energy Council’s proposals for how to stimulate the production of that side of green energy, which is still the Cinderella of the sector? In addition, may I ask him to work closely with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reduce the amount of illegal plastic waste currently being exported in a disgraceful way to Malaysia and elsewhere in south-east Asia, which will, if not stopped, damage our strong environmental commitments?

[Greg Clark]

I agree with my hon. Friend and recognise his long-standing campaigning and his contribution to creating a clean environment. In the quest to pursue the possibilities of new technologies and their research and development, I agree that marine and tidal technologies have an important role to play. Since 2010, we have made available over £90 million in grant funding, and we will continue not only to do that but, working with our universities and businesses, to accelerate the research and development that is taking place in all parts of the United Kingdom.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Graham Excerpts

Tuesday 30th April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Ah, where is young Graham? I was going to call the fella.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

My hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Martin Vickers) anticipated my question.

[Mr Speaker]

Well, that is a novel phenomenon—a Member who takes the attitude that someone else has asked the question and therefore says that he will desist. That is a most admirable trait, if an uncommon one.

Climate Action and Extinction Rebellion

Richard Graham Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Claire Perry]

I will not correct the hon. and learned Lady on too many things, but we have a mixed, diverse energy supply, which is decarbonising very rapidly. We have not put the kybosh on tidal. In fact, we invested the same amount in R&D funding for tidal as we did with any other technology; it is just that other renewables have out-competed it much more rapidly. However, I was pleased to meet the renewable energy council with cross-party support recently to see what more we can do to support that. I believe that nuclear has a part to play. It is part of our zero-carbon future. We have a nuclear sector deal and it is an incredibly productive industry for the United Kingdom.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

I welcome what the Minister had to say on our cleanest and greenest year for electricity yet and her approach to the Committee on Climate Change, but does she share some of my concerns about the goals of Extinction Rebellion? This is an organisation that has pledged to take non-violent direct action but whose co-founder was arrested on charges of criminal damage against a corporate headquarters. To what extent are the Government also looking at how we can mitigate the potentially violent actions of this movement?

[Claire Perry]

My hon. Friend is right to point out that we should be able to have a civilised, important and strong debate about our aims. It is challenging, though, to see that there are acts of violence or acts of criminal damage. I am also aware that no political party or campaigning organisation is endorsing one of the key asks of Extinction Rebellion, which is a net zero emissions target by 2025. It is simply not something that can be delivered. It is right to have that challenge, but we have to be able to take what we do best in this country, which is to have a civilised debate, and apply it to the most important issue of our time.

Draft Patents (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 Draft trade marks (Amendment Etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018

Richard Graham Excerpts

Thursday 17th January 2019 General Committees

[Chris Skidmore]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Henry. Intellectual property is a vital part of the UK’s knowledge economy. The Government’s ambition, as part of our industrial strategy, is for the UK to be the most innovative country in the world, with a regulatory environment that supports that goal and encourages business to develop new ideas and technologies. The UK is renowned for having one of the best IP regimes in the world, and that will continue to be the case after our departure from the European Union. We will continue to deliver high-quality rights-granting services, lead best practice in enforcing IP rights, and retain our central involvement in international discussions on the development of a global IP system.

The Intellectual Property Office, which I am looking forward to visiting in Newport tomorrow morning, has been preparing for a range of outcomes to our negotiations with the EU. It is working to ensure that the IP system in the UK continues to function effectively once we have left the EU. The regulations, which were laid before the House on 28 November, form part of that preparation. They are necessary to ensure that the patent and trademark systems continue to function properly if no deal is agreed. In doing so, they give as much certainty and clarity for businesses as possible. The draft instruments use the powers granted by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to address deficiencies in retained law that would arise upon exit.

On the Patents (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018, the majority of UK patent law is domestic in origin or derives from various international agreements. Only a few specific areas are governed by EU legislation, and it is those that this instrument addresses. It focuses on supplementary protection certificates, which are a special type of IP right that applies to patented pharmaceuticals or agro-chemicals, which have to be authorised before they can be sold on the market. Because extensive testing is required to show that those products are safe for use, the authorisation process can prevent the full term of protection given by the patent from being exploited. SPCs are intended to offset that loss of time by giving an authorised product up to five and a half years’ additional protection after the expiry of the patent. They are provided by EU regulations that will be retained under the withdrawal Act.

SPCs take effect at a national level, so it will not be necessary to convert or replace existing rights on exit, as UK SPCs will continue to be enforced. However, it is still important to ensure that the current system remains functionally the same, so that users have certainty about the scope of their rights and the conditions in which those rights operate. The instrument therefore makes changes to the retained law, so that the SPC system can continue to operate effectively.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

I have received a letter from the chief patent counsel of Lilly UK, outlining their concerns about the potential erosion of critical intellectual property protection. The life science industry is worried that patients might not be able to continue to access new and innovative medicines. Will the Minister confirm that the UK will remain a hub for world-leading research in the life sciences?

[Chris Skidmore]

Absolutely. That is why these regulations are so important in the event of a no-deal exit. Obviously, under the EU withdrawal deal and the framework for agreeing a deal with the EU, those rights will automatically be protected. Pharmaceutical companies with significant research and development industries—companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Pfizer—use the SPC regime. In 2016, nearly £4 billion was invested in research and development through the pharmaceutical industry.

I want to mention some of the individual drugs that have benefited from an SPC regime being in place. The blockbuster anti-cancer drug Humira was initially developed by Cambridge Antibody Technology in the UK. Cervarix from GSK, a vaccine that protects against cervical cancer, had global sales of £123 million in GSK’s last quarterly statement. My hon. Friend makes an incredibly valid point. We need certainty and stability to ensure that companies are able to continue to develop future products through R&D. Having this stability will ensure that future products can benefit from coming to market, and from the additional five and a half years’ protection that the SPC guarantees.

In particular, the draft instrument confirms that authorisations granted in the UK can continue to be used as the basis for an SPC application, and to determine the duration of an SPC. It also ensures that courts and tribunals competent to decide legal challenges to SPCs in the UK retain that jurisdiction. Other technical adjustments ensure that the SPC system is legally sound immediately after exit, and avoid discontinuity.

This approach of maintaining systems that users are familiar with also applies to other areas of patent law dealt with in this instrument, including the interaction of plant variety rights and the granting of compulsory licences for manufacturing a patented medicine for export to a country with a public health need.

The second statutory instrument before the Committee deals with European trademarks and their continued protection after our exit from the EU. It is currently possible to obtain trademark protection in the UK under the Trade Marks Act 1994, and in the European Union under the European trade mark regulation. The two systems run in parallel, so protection covering the UK may be obtained under either. There is also a great degree of harmonisation between the systems, so the protection provided is essentially the same.

Around 1.3 million EU trademarks are currently enforced, and around 10% are owned by UK businesses. After our exit from the EU, trademarks registered under EU regulation would no longer cover the United Kingdom, as it would cease to be a member state. To avoid any loss of rights, the Government have committed to the continued protection of EU trademark rights in the UK.

This instrument provides those replacement domestic rights on exit day. These created UK rights will be fully independent UK trademarks, which can be challenged, signed, licensed or renewed separately from the original EU trademark. This instrument also provides that these rights retain their original EU filing date and any other relevant dates relating to the original application.

[Richard Graham]

This is very important for three of the greatest trademarks in the United Kingdom: single Gloucester cheese, double Gloucester cheese and the Gloucestershire Old Spot pig. Could the Minister confirm that these trademarks will be protected regardless of whether we leave the European Union with a deal?

[Chris Skidmore]

Absolutely. Trademark protections that are currently in force will continue to be in force, as a result of these regulations. The specific brand names that my hon. Friend talked about are actually what are called agricultural geographical indications—GIs. They fall within the remit of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, but we recognise the close relationship between trademarks and GIs, and officials continue to work closely to provide a robust framework across all forms of intellectual property.

The policy on non-agricultural GIs is handled by the Intellectual Property Office. They are protected by the trademark system and therefore will continue to be protected in the UK in the same manner as outlined for trademarks. My hon. Friend, as the MP for Gloucester, cares passionately about protecting the origins of his cheese; having been on this Committee, he can go back to his constituents and tell them that he is doing all he can to protect the trademarking system in the UK, and to ensure stability and continuity for the cheese-making industry—and particularly for his constituents, and for employers in the locality.

The instrument also sets out how applications for EU trademarks that are pending on exit day, of which there are an estimated 85,000, will be handled. Those with pending applications will be able to file a new application with the Intellectual Property Office, claiming the earlier filing date of the EU application, within nine months of exit.

In conclusion, these regulations are a vital part of ensuring the intellectual property system continues to function if the no-deal outcome arises. They are essential for safeguarding rights and to provide maximum certainty and clarity. I commend them to the Committee.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Graham Excerpts

Tuesday 20th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)]

11. What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing remuneration at a fair market rate for self-generators of solar power putting surplus energy on the networks.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

24. What progress he has made on his proposals on the solar export tariff.

[The Minister for Energy and Clean Growth (Claire Perry)]

The Government and my Department remain enthusiastic about the role of solar generation and its role in decarbonisng power in the UK. However, as the market matures and installation is now possible without Government subsidy, we believe that it is the right time to close the feed-in tariff scheme. We already have 13 GW of solar capacity supported under current schemes. Indeed, at one point in May this year, solar provided more power generation than any other source.

--- Later in debate ---

[Richard Graham]

I am very grateful, Mr Speaker.

I think my right hon. Friend the Minister, who has done a lot to support renewable energy, may have covered my key point. However, does she agree that there are hundreds of churches, schools, local authorities and co-operative groups around the country, not least in my own constituency of Gloucester, that will benefit hugely from her announcement of what will replace the current system, and that it would be totally wrong for energy companies to benefit from free energy were there not to be a replacement system?

[Claire Perry]

I hope my hon. Friend caught my point that I agree it would be wrong to have power provided to the grid for free. In his constituency, there are now more than 1,300 feed-in tariff installations, and he should be proud of that. He is right; there are many such organisations. I was lucky to meet a group of people from all different faiths who were really committed to a zero-carbon future in many places of worship. That is happening right across the country. There is value in that, and we want to see it continue.

Energy Policy

Richard Graham Excerpts

Monday 25th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

Order. The Secretary of State has been very thorough in answering questions but, as the House can see, a great many people wish to ask questions. We have about 20 minutes left for the statement, which will allow everyone to get in if we can have just short questions and short answers.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

I have to say that this is a sad day for Swansea, for Gloucester—the home of Tidal Lagoon Power plc—and, indeed, for other innovative sources of marine energy more widely. Since the project was entirely financed by entrepreneurs and institutional investors, not by the Government, the only real point of argument was the price at which the Government were prepared to buy the energy through the grid. Will the Secretary of State tell us at what price he would have approved the Swansea project? Will he also confirm that his Department will lay out a programme of how it will develop a real strategy for taking forward tidal and other forms of marine energy?

[Greg Clark]

I know that my hon. Friend has been a great champion for this technology and that he will be disappointed with the conclusion that has had to be reached. At the point of considering any proposal, we are required to examine the cost of alternatives, and the costs of low-carbon alternatives, including offshore wind and nuclear, were more competitive than those for this programme. It is not possible to specify a particular price, because such an assessment has to be made at the point of a decision. However, I have said very clearly that far from being against tidal technology, I am in favour of it, but a value-for-money case has to be presented. We will continue to be open to proposals that can demonstrate such a case.

Leaving the EU: Airbus Risk Assessment

Richard Graham Excerpts

Monday 25th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

We need an agreement. The right hon. Gentleman is right that regulatory standards are increasingly international, but the idea that we would find ourselves unable to operate to the standards required for aircraft produced in Europe would be unacceptable not only to Airbus, but to Bombardier in Northern Ireland, which communicated in very similar terms its requirements for the future.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

Given that the clear aim of the Government, and indeed Airbus Group, is to achieve a frictionless and zero-tariff exit agreement, has not the statement from Airbus generated more heat than light? Is not the simple truth that we make the engines, wings and landing gear for the Airbus, that it is incredibly important that we continue to do so, and that there is no reason for us not to arrive at an agreement that enables us to do so?

[Greg Clark]

I agree with my hon. Friend. I hope that the House can tell that I regard the prospect of a good agreement as being within our grasp. That is our objective, and it is what this company and many others want from us.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Graham Excerpts

Tuesday 12th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

We are getting on with major infrastructure investments that would be good for the whole United Kingdom and that the previous Government did not take.

[Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)]

T9. Like all good films, I hope that a Government response to the Hendry review is “Coming Soon”, but meanwhile, will the Minister share with us whether she agrees that the opportunities for marine energy, whether tidal stream, tidal lagoon or waves, are enormous? Does she agree that they deserve more support and encouragement to develop this fantastically innovative source of additional low-carbon, domestically produced energy?

[Claire Perry]

I must pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s brilliant chairmanship of the all-party group on this technology area. He is absolutely right: we do think that water power has incredible potential. That is why the Government have invested over £100 million since 2010 in investigating various forms of the technology and why we are keen to continue to pursue opportunities, but they have to be at the right price for consumers.