Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the UK–Africa Investment Summit being hosted by the UK in January 2020.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK-Africa Investment Summit will create new lasting partnerships that will deliver more investment, jobs and growth. This will benefit people and businesses across Africa and in the UK. The IMF estimates that Africa is home to eight of the world’s 15 fastest growing economies. By 2050, over 2 billion people will live in Africa and 1 in 4 global consumers will be African. But African countries receive less than 4% of foreign direct investment and around 20 million jobs a year must be created to keep pace with population growth. Hosted by the Prime Minister, the Summit will bring together UK and African business representatives, African leaders and delegations from 21 countries, international institutions and young entrepreneurs. As we strengthen our place in the world, we want the UK to be the investment partner of choice for African nations. We have world-leading expertise on tech and innovation, the City of London is the number one global exchange for African businesses, and we are committed to green growth.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support Scottish civil aviation.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to expanding and liberalising air access to new and existing global markets, ensuring enhanced connectivity for Scotland and all of the UK.
The government has joint-funded an air route, alongside Dundee City Council and Transport Scotland, from Dundee to London through a public service obligation (PSO) since 2014. This protects an important connection from the Tay Cities region into the capital, allowing business passengers to complete a full day of work without the need for an overnight stay.
Last year, as part of the Tays cities deal, the UK Government invested £8.1 million in the Aviation Academy for Scotland, a Tayside-wide partnership project aimed at providing specialist training and skills in the aviation industry.
In addition, the UK government has also agreed and legislated to devolve powers over Air Passenger Duty (APD) to the Scottish Government. This will enable the devolved administration to design and collect revenue through its own Air Departure Tax.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data entitled Cabinet Office ministerial meetings January to March 2019, published on 21 June 2019, if he will publish the (a) organisations and (b) individuals that attended (i) Roundtable discussion on Digital Transformation in Government on 12 February 2019; (ii) Roundtable on digital innovation in government on 17 January 2019; (iii) Discussion on Strategic Approach to Public Appointments on 21 January 2019; (iv) Roundtable on digital innovation in government, 24 January 2019; (v) Discussion of ongoing Civil Service Compensation scheme negotiations on 28 January 2019; (vi) Discussion on Strategic Approach to Public Appointments on 28 January 2019; (vii) Discussion of ongoing Civil Service Compensation scheme negotiations on 6 February 2019; (viii) Discussion on Public Appointments Events on 6 February 2019; (ix) Roundtable discussion on Workforce issues across the Public Sector on 12 February 2019; (x) Discussion on government outsourcing and innovation on 12 February 2019; (xi) Discussion on the work of the Government Digital Service on 19 February 2019; (xii) Discussion on Digital Accessibility on 19 February 2019; and (xiii) Discussion on Govtech and digital innovation in government on 26 February 2019.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Ministers regularly meet with a large number of external stakeholders as part of their normal duties.
The information on attendees at meetings as set out in the transparency data publication of 21 June 2019 is proportionate to the nature and depth of the engagement. In line with this approach we do not always publish lists of every attendee at larger roundtables and instead provide a general description of who was present and the names of the host organisation(s) where applicable.
Meetings (i), (ii), (iv) and (xiii) fall into this category. Meetings (i) and (xiii) were roundtables organised and hosted by third party organisations to which I was invited and actively contributed as a guest. Meetings (ii) and (iv) were roundtables organised by the Government Digital Service with the support of host organisations. A more detailed overview of the attendees at these roundtables is now set out below based upon records of who was invited; this may differ slightly from who attended on the day.
For meetings (iii), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x), (xi) and (xii), the published data already provides the name of every organisation(s) or individual(s) who attended the meetings.
Meeting (i) - Roundtable discussion on Digital Transformation in Government on 12 February 2019
Meeting (ii) - Roundtable on digital innovation in government on 17 January 2019
Meeting (iv) - Roundtable on digital innovation in government, 24 January 2019
Meeting (xiii) - Discussion on Govtech and digital innovation in government on 26 February 2019
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to continue to increase the number of UK technology business start-ups after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
We are confident the digital technology sector and its startup community will continue to go from strength to strength. As outlined in our Digital Strategy and Charter, our ambition is to ensure the UK is the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business - and that ambition remains after we leave the EU. Tech Nation and Dealroom have released figures showing that investment in UK tech reached £6.8 billion ($8.7bn) last year and has already reached £3.8 billion ($4.8bn) in the first half of 2019, showing that the UK tech ecosystem is still world-leading and remains in a strong position.
Through our extensive engagement with the sector, we understand that the primary barriers to growth for startups are having adequate access to both finance and talent. That is why for finance, Government announced a new £2.5 billion British Patient Capital programme, which is expected to attract a further £5 billion in private investment, in order to support UK companies with high growth potential to access the long-term investment they need to grow and go global.
To continue to attract international talent, we have doubled the number of Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visas to 2,000, and taken doctors and nurses out of the Tier 2 visa cap, freeing up many more skilled worker visas to other sectors, including tech. At the end of March this year, Home Office launched the new Start-Up and Innovator visa routes for entrepreneurs, which will replace a route exclusively for graduates, opening it up to other talented business founders.
In the Autumn Budget 2017 we also announced investment of £21 million to expand Tech City UK into a nationwide network – Tech Nation – aimed at accelerating the growth of the digital tech sector across the country. The funding will help Tech Nation support 40,000 entrepreneurs and up to 4,000 start-ups as they scale their businesses across the UK including Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Newcastle. And at London Tech Week last week, the PM launched a study into tech competitiveness - this will identify key opportunities and support mechanisms for business growth in the digital tech sector.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to increase private sector involvement in delivering the global goals.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The private sector has a critical role to play in delivering the Global Goals. DFID is taking a number of steps to facilitate this, including:
- Harnessing the expertise, knowledge and resource of the UK private sector to deliver the Global Goals through the Great Partnership initiative.
- Supporting businesses to measure progress on delivering the Global Goals through our support for the World Benchmarking Alliance, launched in 2018, which will rank companies on their contributions to the Global Goals. We have also supported the Global Reporting Initiative, which helps businesses understand and communicate their impact on issues such as climate change and human rights.
- Supporting the UN Global Compact to encourage businesses to operate responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations in line with Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
- Investing up to £3.5bn of additional capital in CDC, the UK’s Development Finance Institution, which invests in businesses across Africa and South Asia to create jobs.
- Holding a National Conversation to find out more about the public’s views on how their savings and pensions can be invested in the Global Goals, while providing a financial return.
- Deepening our partnership with the City of London, through the Sustainable Development Capital Initiative, which is aiming to develop new investment products to mobilise private investment in developing countries to deliver the Global Goals.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen financial ties with (1) India, and (2) China, after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Bates
Over the last decade, the United Kingdom has developed strong financial links with both India and China through the Economic & Financial Dialogues held with each country. For example, agreements have been reached with China that have established London as the leading global centre for Renminbi trading, with a 39% share – more than Hong Kong and New York combined. And the City of London has played a key role in the development of the Indian masala bond market, with over US$5 billion raised through masala bonds on the London Stock Exchange to date. The Government is looking forward to holding the tenth edition of the dialogues with both India and China in 2019.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ensure that the City of London remains a truly competitive, global financial hub after Brexit; and if they do, whether such plans would involve cuts to corporation tax.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is home to the world’s preeminent financial centre and the government is committed to maintaining and enhancing this position post-Brexit. In addition to our natural advantages, such as a central time zone and the English language, we have strengths across all the major sectors – banking, asset management, and insurance – alongside a globally respected regulatory system, and world-class legal and professional services.
Alongside these strengths, we also already have a competitive tax offer. The UK corporation tax rate is the lowest in the G20 at just 19 per cent, and is legislated to fall to 17 per cent in 2020. All together, these factors have made the City of London the world’s leading financial centre and will continue to do so.
As the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in his Mansion House speech in June, the government has a long-term vision for the future of UK financial services, based on ensuring the continued innovation, resilience, and openness of the sector. This includes strengthening the UK’s already world-leading positions in the markets of the future, whether in Fintech, green and sustainable finance, or rupee and renminbi products.
Asked by: John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of international flights (a) to and (b) from each UK airport in the event that (i) the north-west runway at Heathrow is built and (ii) if no additional airport capacity is built in the South East of England.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has fully assessed the impact of expansion in the South East on the UK’s connectivity, as set out in Chapter 3 of the Updated Appraisal Report. The Government is clear that a Northwest Runway at Heathrow will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, while regional airports will continue to develop their point-to-point networks.
This conclusion is supported by the analysis which shows that passenger numbers and international flights at airports outside of London are expected to increase by 80% and 71% respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow. In addition, passengers from all across the UK are expected to use the connections made available at an expanded Heathrow, with nearly 6 million additional trips from passengers outside of London and the South East being made via the airport in 2040.
Table 1 below shows the forecast number of international passenger Air Transport Movements (ATM) from the Department’s 2017 UK aviation forecasts.[1] The Government recognises that all three schemes for expansion in the South East are projected to result in regional airports experiencing somewhat slower growth in international flights than they might otherwise have seen. However, there is still expected to be strong growth at non-London airports relative to today. Expansion will also improve the UK’s connectivity as a whole with more frequent services to important destinations around the world, providing benefits for passengers and freight-operators across the UK, supporting economic growth.
It is recognised that Table 1 does not reflect this hub benefit nor the considerably greater scope that expansion brings for more domestic flights from regional airports to Heathrow, which would provide passengers from across the country access to a vast network of international destinations. In addition, the modelling does not take account of the future commercial strategies which individual airports could employ to take advantage of the opportunities from both greater connections and growing demand outside London.
Heathrow expansion has been supported by a range of UK airports, including Liverpool John Lennon, Glasgow and Newquay.
Table 1: International passenger Air Transport Movements at modelled UK airports, thousands
International passenger ATMs (000s) | No expansion | LHR NWR | ||||
2030 | 2040 | 2050 | 2030 | 2040 | 2050 | |
Gatwick | 266 | 277 | 280 | 255 | 273 | 279 |
Heathrow | 467 | 473 | 474 | 698 | 719 | 730 |
London City | 69 | 65 | 66 | 39 | 55 | 52 |
Luton | 100 | 95 | 88 | 99 | 97 | 89 |
Stansted | 166 | 182 | 183 | 121 | 163 | 182 |
Birmingham | 115 | 173 | 185 | 97 | 130 | 183 |
Bristol | 56 | 59 | 66 | 49 | 58 | 59 |
East Midlands | 52 | 71 | 90 | 53 | 67 | 84 |
Edinburgh | 52 | 63 | 71 | 51 | 63 | 72 |
Glasgow | 44 | 47 | 55 | 43 | 46 | 53 |
Liverpool | 23 | 25 | 43 | 25 | 27 | 42 |
Manchester | 179 | 214 | 272 | 159 | 207 | 245 |
Newcastle | 26 | 29 | 35 | 22 | 28 | 34 |
Other small UK airports | 140 | 217 | 351 | 113 | 137 | 232 |
Total | 1755 | 1990 | 2258 | 1825 | 2069 | 2338 |
[1] An ATM represents a single use of a runway – either a landing or a take-off – so the numbers of take-offs and landings are each half of the total displayed.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) short-term and (b) long-term risks to the UK financial services after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Suella Braverman
The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations.
We have been clear in our ambition to agree a broad and comprehensive trade agreement with the EU, which should cover financial services and protect the role of the City of London as a top global financial centre in the future. In March this year, London was named once again as the world’s leading financial centre; we are committed to maintaining that position.
We have also been clear that a good deal on financial services is in the mutual interest of the UK and the EU. Firms across the EU will continue to want to access the unrivalled depth and breadth of London’s capital markets.
We will also seek to establish strong cooperative oversight arrangements with the EU and will continue to support and implement international standards to continue to safely serve the UK, European and global economy. It is in both sides’ interests to ensure that we agree oversight arrangements that promote the maintenance of financial stability.
The Government has previously confirmed that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision – in relation to all sectors of the economy, including financial services.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff from (a) his Department and (b) Homes England attended MIPIM international property conference 2018; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of their attending that event.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Four members of staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and eleven from Homes England attended MIPIM as part of a wider UK Government delegation led by the Department for International Trade. MHCLG contributed £50,000 to the DIT led HMG presence, and spent approximately £2,789.44 on staff transport, accommodation and subsistence. The cost to Homes England was £45,898.20.
MIPIM is attended by most cities and combined authorities in the UK, including Greater Manchester, Sheffield City Region, the Midlands, London, and Leeds City Region, all of whom had stands at the event and sent senior delegates. The conference therefore presents an opportunity for Government to engage with these local and combined authority leaders, and to support them in promoting the opportunities that exist within regeneration and infrastructure projects in their areas to global investors. The property sector has a crucial role to play in many of the UK Government’s and MHCLG’s priorities, including delivering new homes and communities and upgrading vital infrastructure. The UK remains a hugely attractive place to invest for the global property community and we are putting in place the policies needed to support domestic and international investment.
The Right Honourable member may remember from his time in the Department that it is common practice for officials to attend MIPIM events.