Asked by: Ross Thomson (Conservative - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to reduce the risk of fraud from the availability of personal information on the Companies House database.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government considers that it is important that the information on the companies register should not become a tool for abuse. In response to concerns about the availability of residential address information on the register, we brought regulations into force in April to make it easier for people to have this information suppressed. We are also currently considering a broad package of reforms to Companies House, including the protection of personal information. We plan to consult on these reforms in 2019.
Asked by: Ross Thomson (Conservative - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decommissioning of oil platforms on the economy in north east of Scotland.
Answered by Claire Perry
With increasing numbers of offshore oil and gas fields reaching the end of their economic life, forecasts from industry estimate that the annual expenditure for decommissioning over the next 5 years will be in the region of £1.7 to £2 billion. While decommissioning is a major cost for industry, and the taxpayer, it offers significant opportunities for the supply chain that will deliver the constituent elements of decommissioning activity. This encompasses a wide range of activities, covering a broad range of skills and expertise.
With recent estimates from industry suggesting that decommissioning will represent around 11 per cent of total expenditure on oil and gas for 2017, decommissioning is already benefitting the north east of Scotland and the rest of the UK’s economy. Whilst we don’t have specific figures around the economic impact of the increase in decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations, we expect to see an increasing proportion of the offshore oil and gas industry focussing on decommissioning activities in the coming years.
Asked by: Ross Thomson (Conservative - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) Scottish local authorities on maximising the value of the 2015 Aberdeen city deal for the local and regional economy.
Answered by Margot James
UK Government, Scottish Government and Aberdeen City Region agreed the full Aberdeen City Region Deal in November 2016. The Government continues to work closely with all partners to ensure the deal drives growth and builds economic resilience, helping to diversify the wider economy of the North East of Scotland. The Deal provides £250 million for the City Region including investment in the establishment of the new Oil and Gas Technology Centre to exploit remaining oil and gas reserves and drive innovation in decommissioning technology.
Asked by: Ross Thomson (Conservative - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress is being made on creating sector deals as part of the industrial strategy.
Answered by Claire Perry
There is good progress being made on a number of early sector deals, including the life sciences sector, which published a report to Government last week and intent to have reached agreement on six sector deals for the white paper later this year. The early sector deals will serve as an example of how Government can work with sectors of the economy to enhance their earning power. We are prepared to work with any sector which can organise strong leadership to address shared challenges and opportunities to grow the earning potential and engagement in their sector.
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