Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the UK–Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement, what discussions they have had with the government of Kazakhstan regarding assistance in removing barriers to digital trade or signing a similar agreement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK continues to work to strengthen our trade and investment relationships with countries such as Kazakhstan. Fast growing economies such as Kazakhstan provide an abundance of opportunities for UK businesses across a wide range of sectors – notwithstanding our world leading digital sector.
The Department for Business and Trade is supporting British business to grab these opportunities through trade dialogues and regular exchanges including the annual United Kingdom-Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Investment that I co-chaired earlier this year in February in London.
At this moment, we are not expecting to launch negotiations with Kazakhstan on a Digital Trade Agreement.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government has taken recent steps to increase transparency on overseas ownership of UK property.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 created a new Register of Overseas Entities to crack down on foreign criminals using UK property to launder money. Government legislated for it within weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, and with the assistance of Parliament expedited regulations needed to launch the Register, which opened on 1 August 2022.
Please see my Written Ministerial Statement made on 1 February 2023, which provided an implementation update at the end of the six-month transitional period.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much from the public purse his Department spent on technical assistance programming delivered by UK-based organisations for (a) official development assistance spending and (b) non-official development assistance spending in 2021.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The International Development Strategy sets out how we will channel world-class British expertise to support partner countries by providing advice and exchanging lessons and evidence of what works. This supports good policy - the 'best buy' in development. We leverage partnerships across government, research, business and civil society to provide this.
FCDO takes a portfolio approach to programme management as a programme may be delivered through different delivery options and funding arrangements. We do not hold central records of the level of technical assistance included within our total programming and this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance they are providing to local authorities to help them meet net zero targets.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government is providing significant financial support to local authorities to meet the national net zero target. On top of the core funding, local authorities can access specific grant funds for net zero programmes, and the Government has ensured that local growth funding contains a Net Zero Principle to support net zero projects.
The Net Zero Strategy sets out the Government's commitments to enable local areas to deliver net zero. This includes funding five Local Net Zero Hubs in each region of England which support local authorities to develop net zero projects and attract commercial investment; and funding work to develop business models to increase private sector investment in local net zero.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support general practitioners to (a) provide the best care possible, (b) manage their workload and (c) cope with increasing budgetary pressures.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We will launch a recovery plan for general practice (GPs) in the coming weeks. This will focus on supporting GPs through providing them with the technology and tools that will help them deal with ever-increasing demand. Since September 2022 Our Plan for Patients has helped practices to recruit more support staff so GPs can spend their time doing the tasks only a GP can do and put in place state-of-the art telephone systems to make it easier to manage demand, triage callers, and ensure patients are seen at the right time by the right clinician for their needs.
In 2019 we agreed a five year GP contract framework with the British Medical Association (BMA) which was underpinned by a record level of additional investment. This was underpinned by an additional £4.5 billion for primary and community care by 2023/24 as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. We invested a further £1.5 billion announced in 2020 to create an additional 50 million GP appointments by 2024 by increasing and diversifying the workforce. We also made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. As agreed with the general practitioners committee of the BMA in 2019 as part of the five-year GP contract, the investment envelope is fixed, and no further funding will be provided. The five year framework ends in March 2024. Future funding arrangements for GP will be considered in due course.
As part of the 2020/21 GP contract to help maximise the time available for clinical tasks, the Government committed to a thorough review of levels of bureaucracy in GPs. As part of this work, in August 2022, a cross-Government concordat was published setting out seven principles to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy in general practice. The Department is continuing to work across Government and with the National Health Service to implement the solutions that emerge.
We recognise that high workloads can act as a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. The expanded primary care teams funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme will add extra clinical capacity
Public sector businesses are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, and so have the unit price of energy capped. HM Treasury have announced that from April 2023, a new scheme, the Energy Bills Discount Scheme to support businesses. The new scheme strikes a balance between supporting businesses over the next 12 months and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets.
We have accepted the independent pay review body’s (the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration) recommendation. The minimum and maximum pay thresholds for salaried GPs are being uplifted by 4.5%. The multi-year GP Contract provides funding clarity and certainty to practices until 2023/24. The agreed investment envelope is fixed and the core settlement covers all aspects of practice income and expenses, including salaried GP pay. As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is for GP practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees and themselves within the agreed GP contract funding envelope.
GP contractors are entitled to financial assistance or reimbursement of premises costs, including notional or actual rent, business rates, water rates, and clinical waste disposal. The commissioner has discretion to provide further financial assistance if other costs rise exponentially, such as service charges, all budget dependent.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether alternative support is available for households which previously qualified for the Warm Home Discount but which are ineligible this year because they are unable to provide data on the energy performance of their accommodation.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government uses Valuation Office Agency data on property characteristics to identify households living in properties estimated to have high heating costs. If a household believes this property characteristic data is inaccurate and wants to provide alternative information, they will need an Energy Performance Certificate.
Energy suppliers can provide additional support to households through the Industry Initiatives element of the scheme, including financial assistance. This support can be provided irrespective of whether a household is eligible for a rebate.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding has been provided to Growth Hubs in each year since their establishment.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In 2022/23 BEIS provided £11m of core funding for the 38 Growth Hubs.
Levels of historic Growth Hub core funding by BEIS from 2015/16 to 2021/22 are set out in the Industrial Development Act 1982: Annual Report 2021 to 2022 (paragraphs 106 - 110).
Local Enterprise Partnerships and their Growth Hubs are encouraged to seek additional sources of funding, and have also delivered a number of separately funded programmes on behalf of Government.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to provide support to people whose property was previously eligible for a Warm Home Discount payment but is no longer eligible and has a low energy performance certificate rating.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Households not receiving rebates under the Warm Home Discount may still be able to receive assistance under the Industry Initiatives element of the scheme. This can include benefit entitlement checks, financial assistance, debt-write off, energy advice as well as energy efficiency measures. Over 327,000 households were helped under that route last winter.
For longer-lasting reductions in their energy bills, low-income households may be eligible for energy efficiency measures through government schemes including the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant. Over 39% of households in Bradford West have benefitted from energy efficiency measures installed under ECO since 2013.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to help (a) Southport and (b) other seaside towns preserve their cultural heritage..
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government works to preserve the rich cultural heritage of our seaside towns in many ways, including through the statutory heritage protection system, which recognises heritage assets of national significance and helps to protect them for the nation. There are currently 293 designated heritage assets in Southport, including 281 Listed Buildings.
Historic England, the Government's statutory adviser on heritage matters, regularly undertakes research and thematic designation projects which focus on recognising and protecting the cultural heritage assets of seaside towns – buildings, venues and other amenities which are often central to the local visitor economy. Historic England is currently working with local partners, such as Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, on initiatives which will assist in revitalising Southport’s economy and the appreciation and protection of its historic environment.
Through the High Street Heritage Action Zones programme, HM Government has invested over £23 million in coastal communities, breathing new life into high streets, benefiting local people and businesses, and providing assistance to much-loved historic buildings.
The recent announcement of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund included a range of projects focused on protecting and celebrating the cultural heritage of seaside towns. These include £50 million for the new major visitor attraction Eden Project North in Morecambe, transforming a derelict site on Morecambe’s seafront to create a world-class cultural and visitor destination. It also includes a £40 million for Blackpool to deliver a new Multiversity, a carbon-neutral, education campus in the Talbot Gateway Central Business District, £19 million to improve access to Bexhill's art deco De La Warr pavilion, and £20 million to renovate Great Yarmouth's North Quay. The announcement also confirmed that there will be a further round of the Levelling Up Fund, providing more opportunity to level up seaside communities and other places across the UK.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
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 is taking to support households who no longer receive the Warm Home Discount because they are not above the new high-energy-cost-threshold.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has expanded the Warm Home Discount scheme this year, providing £150 rebates to over 3 million households, an increase of 800,000.
Energy suppliers can provide additional support to households through the Industry Initiatives element of the scheme, including financial assistance. This support can be provided irrespective of whether a household is eligible for a rebate.
The Government is providing additional financial assistance this and next winter, including through the Energy Price Guarantee, Energy Bill Support Scheme and the Cost of Living Payments. The Government is developing a new approach to consumer protection in relation to energy, which will apply from April 2024 onwards.