Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's funding for Pub Is The Hub on local communities.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government recognises the important role of support organisations such as Pub is The Hub in helping local communities create and maintain vital community assets. Pub is The Hub has received funding from the department previously and their work demonstrates the wider role which pubs can play in running local services, nurturing community relationships, and helping communities to thrive socially and economically.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of restrictions on equity dilution on the capacity of fast growing companies to recruit.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Share awards can provide an important recruitment incentive and help align employee interests with those of the company. UK company law permits the allotment of shares for employee share schemes without applying the pre-emption provisions that otherwise require newly issued shares to be offered to existing shareholders first to avoid equity dilution. The Financial Conduct Authority’s Listing Rules require shareholder approval of employee share schemes while allowing companies in unusual circumstances to allot shares to retain or recruit a director without such prior approval.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of calling on the Investment Association to amend its principles of remuneration to provide greater flexibility for the dilution of equity in favour of employees in fast growing businesses.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government welcomes the Investment Association’s commitment to review and update its Principles of Remuneration later this year, and its stated objectives to simplify the Principles and ensure that they help support a competitive UK listing environment alongside promoting the right outcomes for shareholders.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Stamp Taxes on Shares modernisation, published on 27 April 2023.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs issued the consultation in question and is currently working on the summary of responses, which will be published in due course.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her Department’s policies of the recommendations in the report entitled Fixing the Carbon Leak published by the Commission for Carbon Competitiveness in July 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government welcomed and noted the Commission’s report, which made recommendations on a UK carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) and the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). In December 2023, the Government announced that it would implement a CBAM by 2027 and consult further on this in 2024.
In December 2023, the UK ETS Authority launched consultations on the approach to both free allocation and market policy, seeking views on how the Authority can best target support to industrial sectors at risk of carbon leakage and on market stability mechanisms, including the design of the cost containment mechanism.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the additional support measures for industries covered by the UK Emissions Trading Scheme in ensuring the (a) environmental and (b) economic sustainability of Welsh industry.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK ETS Authority is committed to protect our industry, including those in Wales, from carbon leakage as our economy decarbonises which is why we give free allocations to businesses at risk of carbon leakage under the UK ETS.
We have guaranteed free allocations at current levels until 2026 and are now consulting on changes to better target free allocations at sectors most at risk of carbon leakage from 2026 whilst maintaining their decarbonisation incentive.
A Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will also be introduced by 2027 and will work cohesively with the UK ETS to mitigate the risk of carbon leakage.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the constraints placed on Departments by the Civil Service headcount cap will not have a negative impact on resourcing for the delivery of commitments made in the Economic Crime Plan.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Through the Spending Review and the new Economic Crime Levy we are providing additional funding to tackle Economic Crime of £400 million up to the end of 2024/25.
The headcount cap announced by the Chancellor applies to the overall size of the Civil Service, excluding the devolved administrations. Policing, including Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) who are a major recipient of additional Economic Crime investment, are out of scope.
As part of the process, the Government will identify risks, and ensure this is implemented in a way which preserves frontline service delivery, business critical activity and key Government priorities.
This is not a recruitment freeze, but rather about stopping unchecked growth overall and moving towards a leaner and more efficient Civil Service workforce.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to advertise the role of S4C chair.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Preparations are being made to launch the process to appoint a new Chairman of S4C and the role will be advertised in due course. This will be a fair and open process, run in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she has made in appointing an interim chair of S4C.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
An interim appointment will be announced in due course, following consultation with the S4C board and the Welsh Government. He or she will fulfil the role from 1 April, when Mr Williams steps down, until a new permanent Chairman is appointed. This is consistent with the S4C Board’s standing orders.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for special educational needs and disability tribunal hearings.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We have appointed more judges and panel members to the SEND jurisdiction.
We have also increased sittings in SEND from just over 12,000 sitting days in 2019/20 to over 18,500 last year.
As a result, we have increased the volume of appeals we have disposed of from just over 8,000 in 2021/22 to nearly 11,000 in 2022/13.