Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide (a) funding and (b) other support to the Tranzfuser programme.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recently announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for the financial year 2025/26 to support early-stage games studios and talent. This funding will support all existing strands of the UKGF, including the Tranzfuser programme.
The UKGF is administered by UK Games Talent and Finance Community Interest Company which works closely with DCMS on the fund’s design and delivery.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on a Free Trade Agreement.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
On 29 July 2024 the Secretary of State for Business and Trade announced the Government’s intention to deliver negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council, India, Israel, South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey.
The Secretary of State has spoken to Minister Barkat a number of times since the July 2024 General Election, including on the Free Trade Agreement.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the UK's nuclear energy capacity on delivering the AI Opportunities Action Plan, (b) the costs of regulatory processes on building new nuclear and (c) existing plants being decommissioned without replacement on AI.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, AI datacentres are a potential new consumer of nuclear power. We see the potential benefits of nuclear-powered datacentres and are considering how to unlock this potential.
Regulatory processes involve multiple steps to demonstrate the nuclear power plant will be safe, secure and can manage its waste, non-proliferation, and environmental obligations. There are multiple variables that drive timelines and costs.
The Department undertakes regular modelling on future energy scenarios, including on demand changes driven by new technology and plans for generating assets. This forms part of the considerations on the wider AI sector.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a similar scheme to the Small Business Investment Company in the USA.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to supporting small businesses, recognising their vital role in driving economic growth and innovation. The government continually reviews its support for small businesses to ensure it remains effective and responsive to their needs.
The government will publish its Small Business Strategy in 2025 after the Phase 2 Spending Review. This will set out the government’s vision for supporting small businesses, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy and across key policy areas.
The government already has schemes in place that deliver outcomes similar to the US’s SBIC scheme: providing finance to small businesses.
Currently, the UK offers a range of support mechanisms for small businesses, including the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), and the Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme which provide tax reliefs to investors who make new equity investments in high risk, early stage Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), in order to help them grow and develop.
Additionally, the British Business Bank plays a crucial role in improving access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through various programmes, helping them to grow and succeed. These include programmes which provide funding to professional equity and debt fund managers, as well as guarantees to enable high street lenders provide additional finance to SMEs.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of levels of demand for new housing in different areas of the UK; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new homes on the economy of the different regions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In December 2024, the government implemented a new standard method for assessing local housing needs. This method aligns with the government’s ambition for 1.5 million new homes over this parliament, and better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable. Indicative housing figures for each local authority and region in England are published on gov.uk.
Investment in housing and infrastructure today drives future productivity growth and higher living standards, making these areas pivotal to the success of the Growth Mission. This government is committed to kickstarting economic growth and getting Britain building.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 24615 on Housing: Carbon Emissions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned amendments to building regulations on the economy.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024. It set out proposals for improving the energy efficiency of new homes and buildings. An impact assessment was published concurrently, which included an assessment of the economic impact of the proposals, and the consultation invited consultees to offer their views on this assessment.
We are carefully considering the feedback received. We intend to introduce new energy efficiency standards later this year and will publish an updated impact assessment at that time.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen the UK’s place within the international F-35 Lightning II supply chain programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The F-35 programme is not a workshare programme. It is a competitive international supply chain where F-35 work is won and secured on merit. The UK has been successful in securing F-35 work to date and are well placed to secure work in the future.
Through Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office approximately 15% of every F-35 aircraft delivered globally is manufactured by UK companies. The UK is the design authority for a range of significant Lightning aircraft components, securing highly skilled jobs within the UK and providing significant economic benefit. For example, the rear fuselage, batteries, ejector seats and actuators are manufactured in the UK for the entire F-35 global fleet. This manufacturing and equipment support for the global fleet of F-35 includes over 100 UK-based Tier 1 suppliers and has created over 20,000 jobs in the UK.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be resuming the annual evidence reviews on tobacco-based products previously undertaken by Public Health England.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Public Health England did not previously publish annual evidence reviews on tobacco-based products. However, Public Health England did publish a series of reports on nicotine vaping products over 10 years. They are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/e-cigarettes-and-vaping-policy-regulation-and-guidance
These reports aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. Heated tobacco products were also assessed in two of the reports. The final report in the commission was published in 2022, and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update
The Department continues to monitor emerging data, and we are working closely with stakeholders and experts, including internationally, to ensure we are researching the long-term health impacts of vaping. We are exploring additional research and will set out plans in due course.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue new guidance on the use of (a) Novarapid, (b) Insulin flextouch, (c) Insulatard and (d) Levimir for diabetes patients before March 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In late 2024, the Department issued communications on the discontinuation of both Novorapid Flextouch and Insulatard Penfill cartridges to the National Health Service, advising on suitable alternatives. The Department is working with NHS England and clinical experts to develop management advice for healthcare professionals ahead of the discontinuation of Levemir, in December 2026. This will be communicated at the earliest opportunity. There are no plans to issue guidance on Insulin Flextouch.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her planned timetable is for the proposed consultation on e-invoicing.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a public consultation on e-invoicing to promote its wider use across UK businesses and government departments.
HMRC and Department for Business and Trade will be publishing a joint consultation with an expected publication date of early 2025. The consultation will run for 12 weeks and will be open to all business sizes and sectors, individuals, and software providers.