Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Selaine Saxby and Jeremy Quin

Thursday 7th September 2023 Commons Chamber

[Jeremy Quin]

We commit to responding as soon as we can to the final report. The hon. Gentleman is right that we have accepted the moral case for compensation. After the final report comes through, we will be bringing out our response as swiftly as we can.

[Selaine Saxby (North Devon) (Con)]

9. What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the progress made on moving Afghan people from hotels to settled accommodation.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Selaine Saxby and Jeremy Quin

Thursday 11th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Jeremy Quin]

I sympathise hugely with the hon. Lady’s constituent. That is one of many, many—far too many—tragic incidences that we are aware of in the House. That does not alter the fact that the compensation scheme needs to be done properly and effectively. We need to come back with a solution and an answer to the report, and to make certain that it is done appropriately. As the hon. Lady knows, those who were infected were paid interim compensation last year of £100,000 per person. We still need to work through what the report envisages.

[Selaine Saxby (North Devon) (Con)]

In response to an earlier question about the emergency test, conversations with the Three network were mentioned. What reassurance can be given to constituents in remote rural areas, including some of my constituents who never received their alert and who are not with Three? I declare an interest: I am a Vodafone customer and my alert went off the next morning, as I was coming up the M5.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Selaine Saxby and Jeremy Quin

Thursday 16th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Selaine Saxby (North Devon) (Con)]

4. What progress his Department has made on relocating civil servants from London.

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Jeremy Quin)]

It is always a pleasure to share good news with you, Mr Speaker. Just three years into our 10-year programme, we have already hit 50% of our target to relocate 22,000 roles from London across the UK. Therefore, more than 11,000 roles have been relocated from London, spreading prosperity and opportunities across the whole of our United Kingdom.

[Selaine Saxby]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that Devon is the natural habitat for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and that, if we are keen to ensure our food security, surely we should locate the Department among our farmers, fishermen and the Met Office, not to mention our world-class universities specialising in climate and marine sciences, and where rurality is an immersive experience?

[Jeremy Quin]

Departments select places for role relocations using workforce and locational analysis, as well as many other factors, which I am sure would include those referred to by my hon. Friend. As she knows, DEFRA already has 550 full-time employees in Devon and nearly 2,000 across the south-west more widely. I know from previous experience as a Minister that she is a fantastic advocate for her constituency and I am certain that she will continue to make her case.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Selaine Saxby and Jeremy Quin

Monday 28th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Selaine Saxby (North Devon) (Con)]

17. Whether his Department is taking steps to procure British equipment to support Ukraine’s military.

[The Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin)]

I emphasise that decisions on equipment are in response to requests from Ukraine, and we consider how best to address Ukraine’s needs. The anti-tank weapons provided to the Ukrainian armed forces thus far have been taken from existing UK stocks, to ensure speed of delivery. The MOD continues to pursue options to meet Ukrainian requirements rapidly, including through UK industry and by actively convening our global partners.

[Selaine Saxby]

I have been contacted by manufacturers of military hardware in North Devon that work with the MOD and can rapidly move to provide items such as helmets and body armour. Are there any plans for a streamlined emergency procurement process to help speed this up?

[Jeremy Quin]

I emphasise that these are Ukrainian decisions. I urge UK companies to contact the Ukrainian embassy, as well as using other routes. In parallel, the Department for International Trade is meeting defence-ready trade associations such as ADS and Make UK on a weekly basis to rapidly consider industry offers to Ukraine and how they can be assisted. UK manufacturers of military hardware may also wish to forward offers to their trade association.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Selaine Saxby and Jeremy Quin

Monday 24th May 2021 Commons Chamber

[Aaron Bell (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the armed forces are supported by world-class technological capabilities.

[The Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin)]

To ensure that our armed forces are able to meet current and future threats, we are investing over £6.6 billion in defence research and development over the next four years. Defence will accelerate the use of the next generation technologies through focused investment on demonstrators and early prototypes, aggressively pursuing game-changing capabilities at pace. This includes areas such as directed energy and hypersonic weapons, forms of drones, artificial intelligence and automation.

[Selaine Saxby]

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is vital that our British troops have the best equipment in the world, that when that is produced here in Britain by small manufacturers like CQC in my constituency, the procurement process should be fair and transparent, and that where possible we should be buying British and supporting British jobs in places like Barnstaple?

[Jeremy Quin]

I absolutely agree that we need the best equipment. My hon. Friend has been a great advocate for CQC in her constituency. I am delighted that it recently secured an order for 27,000 operational travel bags for the British Army. Small and medium-sized enterprises perform an invaluable role in supporting defence and now account for over 21% of expenditure. I will publish a revised SME action plan later this year.