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Written Question
Black Sea: Shipping
Wednesday 21st February 2024

Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the disruption to shipping from Ukraine via the Black Sea on food supplies to the developing world.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

As a result of Ukrainian resilience and innovation, as well as our support and that of international partners, over 13 million tonnes of agricultural produce has been exported through the Black Sea since September 2023. These are the highest levels since the war began, which is a remarkable achievement.

These supplies are crucial for the resilience of global grain markets and global food security, which are especially important for the developing world. Developing countries, including Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan, have directly received significant quantities of grain from Ukraine via the corridor.


Written Question
Health Services: Israel
Monday 20th December 2021

Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what collaboration is taking place between the UK and Israel in the digital health sector; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

Digital health collaboration between the United Kingdom and Israel includes the UK-Israel Tech Corridor, where the Leeds Corridor pairs National Health Service organisations with Israeli health technology companies to advance their product or clinical work. The UK also plans to host a UK-Israel Innovation Summit next year, where digital health will feature.


Written Question
Innovation: Investment
Thursday 27th May 2021

Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure investment for projects in the UK Innovation Corridor; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The R&D Places Strategy, to be published later this year, will ensure that research and innovation benefits the economy and society in nations, regions and local areas across the UK contributing to the Government’s wider levelling up ambitions. We want to build on existing place-based funding initiatives and work with stakeholders to promote increased private investment across the UK to support promising research and innovation that drives local economic growth.


Written Question
Advanced Research and Invention Agency
Thursday 27th May 2021

Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the newly launched Advanced Research and Invention Agency will support the UK’s ambition to become a global scientific superpower and the work of the UK Innovation Corridor in emerging sectors such as Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and R&D.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Advance Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) will cement the UK’s position as a science superpower, building on the UK’s proud history of scientific excellence by seeking to fund transformational advances in science and technology – discoveries that create new technologies and new industries that drive our future economy. ARIA will be equipped for this work by having minimal research bureaucracy and prioritising agility: it will move quickly and decisively to ensure the UK retains its competitive edge in R&D. We will appoint an exceptional and visionary leadership team and entrust them to set the research agenda on where and what to fund for ARIA.


Written Question
Infrastructure: Finance
Thursday 27th May 2021

Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the announcement in the 2021 Budget of £100 billion of funding for infrastructure, how that funding will be allocated across the South East region to (a) transport projects, such as East West Rail and the West Anglia mainline, (b) the roll out of high speed broadband and 5G and (c) other services to support the long-term growth of that region and places within the UK Innovation Corridor.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

The Government has committed to increase investment in infrastructure for the benefit of the whole of the UK. As part of this, we will invest £760 million to deliver the next phase of East West Rail, reinstating direct rail services between Bicester and Bletchley and creating 1500 skilled jobs. Local areas in the South East will also benefit from the Government’s landmark £5bn commitment to support the rollout of gigabit connectivity in the hardest to reach parts of the country and our ambition for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027. Furthermore, in 21-22 we are investing £14.6 billion in research and innovation grants and facilities across the UK, backing the priorities set out in the UK Government’s Research and Development Roadmap. The Government welcomes any endeavour that aims to support innovation and ‘build back better’, including the initiatives of the Innovation Corridor to link opportunities in the South East.


Written Question
Free Zones: Anglesey
Monday 24th May 2021

Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of designating Anglesey a Freeport on the ability to (a) resolve the issue of reduced trade flows in the central corridor and (b) use the central corridor to facilitate the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Freeports will be national hubs for international trade, innovation and commerce, regenerating communities across the UK by attracting new businesses, spreading jobs, investment and opportunity to towns and cities up and down the country.

We want to ensure that the whole of the UK can benefit, which is why we remain committed to establishing a Freeport in Wales as soon as possible.

Any Freeport in Wales will be allocated by a fair and open process. The government will not be analysing the merits of any specific locations in advance of that.

We have reiterated our commitment to ensure Freeports policy upholds our obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol.


Written Question
Quarantine: Coronavirus
Thursday 19th November 2020

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether people who have recently recovered from covid-19, and who have a recent positive antibody test, can be exempt of quarantine measures, upon entering the UK.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

There is currently no exemption for those with a recent positive antibody test.

For those planning to travel into England, they should check the current travel corridor list to see whether they need to isolate for 14 days. They will still be required to abide by the new national restrictions set out here even if they do not need to self-isolate on arrival.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november.

The Government is actively working on the practicalities of using testing to release people from self-isolation earlier than 14 days. The Global Travel Taskforce is working at pace to consider how testing, technology and innovation can drive a recovery for international travel and tourism, without adding to infection risk or infringing on our overall NHS test capacity.


Written Question
Mobile Phones: Railways
Wednesday 23rd January 2019

Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Budget 2017, how much of the £35 million allocated to establishing trials to provide mobile connectivity to passengers on the Trans-Pennine rail route has been spent.

Answered by Margot James

The Government’s Trans-Pennine Initiative (TPI) has three objectives: to trial delivery of high capacity fibre using the rail corridor, to trial provision of high speed connectivity to the train and to create a 5G testbed at Network Rail’s ‘Rail Innovation Development Centre’ (RIDC).

At Budget 2017, the Government allocated £35 million to projects that will support improvement to rail passenger connectivity, including the TPI. We are in the process of concluding a review of the responses to the Call for Information on the design phase of the project, after which we will determine the next steps including expenditure.

DCMS launched a Call for Information on the mobile connectivity aspects of the proposal, which closed in the summer of 2018. We are in the process of concluding our review of the responses received, after which we will determine the next steps.


Written Question
Mobile Phones: Railways
Wednesday 23rd January 2019

Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on establishing trials to provide mobile connectivity to passengers on the Trans-Pennine rail route as set out in Budget 2017.

Answered by Margot James

The Government’s Trans-Pennine Initiative (TPI) has three objectives: to trial delivery of high capacity fibre using the rail corridor, to trial provision of high speed connectivity to the train and to create a 5G testbed at Network Rail’s ‘Rail Innovation Development Centre’ (RIDC).

At Budget 2017, the Government allocated £35 million to projects that will support improvement to rail passenger connectivity, including the TPI. We are in the process of concluding a review of the responses to the Call for Information on the design phase of the project, after which we will determine the next steps including expenditure.

DCMS launched a Call for Information on the mobile connectivity aspects of the proposal, which closed in the summer of 2018. We are in the process of concluding our review of the responses received, after which we will determine the next steps.


Written Question
Job Creation: North West
Monday 16th October 2017

Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)

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 job creation schemes in (a) the North West and (b) Blackburn with Darwen.

Answered by Margot James

The Northern Powerhouse is about boosting growth across the North by building on its economic assets and addressing barriers to productivity including the creation of new job opportunities to ensure an economy that works for everyone. They are 7 million people in employment in the Northern Powerhouse and the North West accounts for almost half of that. Proof that the steps we are taking to support job creation schemes in the North West are working.

Small businesses are playing their part in this through access to national support through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline and we have invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area), providing businesses across England with access to tailored local advice and support to help them grow. Lancashire’s business growth hub (Boost) which covers Blackburn and Darwen has worked with over 3,000 local SMEs and created over 1,300 new jobs in its first three years.

In February this year, we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Fund for small businesses across the North, ensuring they access to finance they need to start-up and grow. This fund has now made 39 investments/loans into businesses in the North West totalling £7.11m (over half of that invested across the Northern Powerhouse) which are forecasted to create 409 jobs.

The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) supports eligible projects and programmes raising private sector investment to create economic growth and lasting employment. Since its launch in 2010 it has invested £2.6 billion to help local businesses grow and take on more staff across England. In the North West, 46,676 jobs have already been contracted of which 249 are in Blackburn with Darwen.

Over the past few years, we have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund in the North West for projects to boost local economies and Growth Deal 1 and 2 allocations aim to create over 35,000 jobs across the North West. The Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership, which covers Blackburn with Darwen have now received over £320m as part of their Local Growth Funding to give businesses the support and opportunities they need to achieve their potential which aims to see up to 11,000 jobs created across Lancashire

Projects such as the Blackburn – Bolton Rail Corridor, Blackburn Town Centre improvements, Café Northcote at the Cathedral Quarter, Making Rooms Fab Lab and the Pennines Gateway initiative are just some of the locally-chosen projects in Blackburn and Darwen that are set to benefit over the next few years helping unlock new growth potential, create jobs and establish a network of centres focused on innovation and industrial excellence in key growth sectors for the whole of Lancashire.