Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of what the Public Works Loan Board (a) principal and (b) debt repayments for local authorities will be in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Office for Budget Responsibility publishes the official forecast for local authority borrowing and spending in their Economic and Fiscal Outlook, including future spending on principal and debt interest. The latest estimate in the March 2023 forecast is published here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2023/.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Public Works Loan Board (a) principal and (b) debt repayments were for local authorities in the (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Figures for principal and interest repayments to the Public Works Loan Board for the financial years 2020-21 to 2022-23 are published in their annual reports and accounts. Links to those reports can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-work-loans-board-annual-report-and-accounts.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of removing application fees and healthcare surcharges from the Graduate visa on the likelihood of additional graduates remaining in the UK for work after completing their studies.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Graduate route was introduced in 2021 to help new graduates who have successfully completed their eligible study in eligible UK universities get a head-start on their career by allowing these graduates to work or look for work for up to three years immediately following their graduation.
A full impact assessment of the route was published in March 2021 and can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1248-4-march-2021
The Home Office has no plans to remove the application fee or to extend the length of stay for the Graduate route.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing Graduate visa applicants to pay their healthcare surcharge on an annual basis, rather than upfront.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Graduate route was introduced in 2021 to help new graduates who have successfully completed their eligible study in eligible UK universities get a head-start on their career by allowing these graduates to work or look for work for up to three years immediately following their graduation.
A full impact assessment of the route was published in March 2021 and can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1248-4-march-2021
The Home Office has no plans to remove the application fee or to extend the length of stay for the Graduate route.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing application fees for the Graduate visa.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Graduate route was introduced in 2021 to help new graduates who have successfully completed their eligible study in eligible UK universities get a head-start on their career by allowing these graduates to work or look for work for up to three years immediately following their graduation.
A full impact assessment of the route was published in March 2021 and can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1248-4-march-2021
The Home Office has no plans to remove the application fee or to extend the length of stay for the Graduate route.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to engage with UK universities on the effectiveness of the Graduate visa in reducing skills shortages in affected sectors.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Graduate route was introduced in 2021 to help new graduates who have successfully completed their eligible study in eligible UK universities get a head-start on their career by allowing these graduates to work or look for work for up to three years immediately following their graduation.
A full impact assessment of the route was published in March 2021 and can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1248-4-march-2021
The Home Office has no plans to remove the application fee or to extend the length of stay for the Graduate route.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the amount of time people holding Graduate visas can stay in the UK after successfully completing a course in the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Graduate route was introduced in 2021 to help new graduates who have successfully completed their eligible study in eligible UK universities get a head-start on their career by allowing these graduates to work or look for work for up to three years immediately following their graduation.
A full impact assessment of the route was published in March 2021 and can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1248-4-march-2021
The Home Office has no plans to remove the application fee or to extend the length of stay for the Graduate route.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - 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 officials in his Department (a) have had and (b) plan to hold with relevant stakeholders on increasing the number of trading standards officers to meet potential increase in demand arising from the (a) UK's departure from the EU, (b) recovery from the covid-19 outbreak and (c) changes in the environmental standards for goods and services.
Answered by Paul Scully
The role and number of trading standards officers is a matter for local authorities who fund and appoint them to consider.
BEIS officials regularly meet with stakeholders such as Chartered Trading Standards Institute, National Trading Standards Board and Trading Standards Scotland, as well as others, in relation to consumer policy enforcement. However, staffing levels are a matter for local authorities to decide.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - 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 officials in his Department (a) have had and (b) plan to hold with relevant stakeholders on potential increased demand on Trading Standards Scotland arising from the (a) UK's departure from the EU, (b) recovery from the covid-19 outbreak and (c) changes in the environmental standards for goods and services.
Answered by Paul Scully
The role and number of trading standards officers is a matter for local authorities who fund and appoint them to consider.
BEIS officials regularly meet with stakeholders such as Chartered Trading Standards Institute, National Trading Standards Board and Trading Standards Scotland, as well as others, in relation to consumer policy enforcement. However, staffing levels are a matter for local authorities to decide.
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the rate of transmission of covid-19 between (a) people who know each other and (b) people who do not know each other.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Public Health England has not made a comparative assessment. We continue to advise that members of the public continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces where they are likely to come into contact with those they do not regularly meet.