Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it remains her policy for Homes England to acquire Ministry of Defence land through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to meet the government's housebuilding commitments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homes England works closely with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the Ministry of Defence and other landowning Departments, providing targeted and expert support to help prepare land for sale, tackling issues that have previously delayed or prevented land release.
Homes England can acquire public sector sites where this offers the best option – and value for money – to accelerate the remediation and release of a site and its build out for housing.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with (a) OpenAI, (b) Google, (c) Anthropic and (d) Meta on workers’ rights.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Plan to Make Work Pay sets out an ambitious agenda to ensure employment rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and contribute to economic growth.
Its reforms will strengthen the rights of workers, address the fragmented labour market enforcement framework, and support workers in balancing responsibilities outside work.
The Government is committed to working in partnership with businesses, trade unions and other stakeholders to deliver the Plan to Make Work Pay.
We have not had any engagement with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or Meta on workers' rights.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what criteria his Department is using to select sites as AI Growth Zones.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Central government will lay out a selection process, and local / regional authorities will be able to nominate themselves to host an AI Growth Zone. Important criteria will include power infrastructure or line of sight to power, along with supportive local planning authorities.
The selection process will open in spring 2025, and we welcome interest from areas with strong power infrastructure and economic potential.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of investing in industrial sites in Luton North constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DBT works with all regions in the UK to understand in detail the areas sector by sector potential for investors. In Luton, DBT has a strong working relationship with Luton Borough Council and the South Midlands Growth Hub, where we have a shared understanding of Luton’s strengths in areas such as manufacturing, automotive, creative & digital and the green economy.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) increase employment in AI growth zones.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) will be closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans. This is to ensure AIGZs deliver substantial regional and national benefits, such as upskilling and employment opportunities.
The investment in AI-enabled data centres will have a spillover effect in local communities, providing construction jobs, enhancing local skills, rejuvenating areas, and therefore driving the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for AI talent and investment.
UK government and local authorities will actively seek to secure the best deal possible for local communities where data centres are built, ensuring they benefit from ongoing direct employment.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of designating industrial sites in Luton North constituency as AI growth zones.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are committed to working in partnership with regional and local authorities on AI Growth Zones (AIGZs). The selection process will open in spring 2025, and we welcome interest from areas with strong access to power infrastructure and economic potential. AIGZs will be closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans, to ensure they deliver substantial regional and national benefits.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of designating sites in Bedfordshire as AI Growth Zones.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are committed to working in partnership with regional and local authorities on AI Growth Zones (AIGZs). The selection process will open in spring 2025, and we welcome interest from areas with strong access to power infrastructure and economic potential. AIGZs will be closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans, to ensure they deliver substantial regional and national benefits.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what representations his Department has made to industry on investment in towns historically impacted by de-industrialisation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department works across the UK, including towns impacted by deindustrialisation, to showcase strong commercial investment opportunities to potential investors and support business to grow, and provides extensive support to small businesses through the network of Growth Hubs. The government’s Industrial Strategy will focus on tackling barriers to growth in highest potential growth-driving sectors and places, creating the right conditions for increased investment, high-quality jobs and ensuring tangible impact in communities right across the UK. The National Wealth Fund will support its delivery and mobilise billions of pounds of investment. Through the Government owned British Business Bank, we are also investing over £1billion through their regional Investment Fund programmes.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment from (a) OpenAI, (b) Google, (c) Anthropic and (d) Meta in local communities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade will continue to work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Office for Investment to support significant overseas companies to invest and expand their footprint in the UK, and ensure that local communities benefit from the digital industrial revolution. As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan presented earlier this month, AI Growth Zones will be established across the UK. Government will support these dedicated hotbeds of development to build the infrastructure needed to power and train cutting-edge AI. By partnering with the private sector, we will create vibrant hubs that attract investment, support new jobs, and rejuvenate communities.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to attract investment to towns historically impacted by de-industrialisation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department works across the UK, including towns impacted by deindustrialisation, to showcase strong commercial investment opportunities to potential investors and support business to grow, and provides extensive support to small businesses through the network of Growth Hubs. The government’s Industrial Strategy will focus on tackling barriers to growth in highest potential growth-driving sectors and places, creating the right conditions for increased investment, high-quality jobs and ensuring tangible impact in communities right across the UK. The National Wealth Fund will support its delivery and mobilise billions of pounds of investment. Through the Government owned British Business Bank, we are also investing over £1billion through their regional Investment Fund programmes.