Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) reassurances about the health of Jagtar Singh Johal and (b) information on when he will (i) stand trial or (ii) be released his Department has received from the Indian Government.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Our consular staff in India visit Mr Johal regularly to monitor his welfare and ensure he is able to access his legal representatives. They last visited Mr Johal on 27 June. The British Government cannot interfere in the judicial processes of other countries any more than we would accept interference in our own judicial system. However, we can consider approaching the authorities if there are concerns that a trial does not follow internationally recognised standards for a fair trial or is unreasonably delayed compared to local cases. In our representations to the Government of India on Mr Johal's behalf, we have raised his right to a fair trial.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
What fiscal steps he is taking to grow the digital economy.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK's digital economy is thriving - growing ten times as fast as the wider economy - and we are pursuing a range of measures to reinforce its world-leading position. These include:
We are also embracing the opportunities presented by Distributed Ledger Technologies, including by:
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the funding allocated to build the Swift Secondary Academy in Blakenall ward in partnership with Windsor Academy Trust remains in place.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Despite extensive site searches, the department has so far been unable to secure a viable site for Swift Secondary Academy in its proposed location of Blakenall in Walsall.
The Walsall Local Plan does not allocate land for educational use and the council has previously indicated that it would not support the delivery of the school.
The funding for the school remains available, but given the lack of available sites and uncertainty over the future demographic need for additional school places in the area, we are currently reviewing the project's future.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information he holds on the progress that LocatED has made on finding and purchasing a site for the Swift Secondary Academy in Walsall North in partnership with Windsor Academy Trust.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Despite extensive site searches, the department has so far been unable to secure a viable site for Swift Secondary Academy in its proposed location of Blakenall in Walsall.
The Walsall Local Plan does not allocate land for educational use and the council has previously indicated that it would not support the delivery of the school.
The funding for the school remains available, but given the lack of available sites and uncertainty over the future demographic need for additional school places in the area, we are currently reviewing the project's future.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers have signed up to the Government’s voluntary reporting framework on disability, mental health and wellbeing since it was launched in November 2018.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The voluntary reporting framework was developed by the Government in partnership with employers and expert partners to support organisations to record and voluntarily report information on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. This approach recognises the potential power of transparency, both for employees within organisations and for external audiences. The Government continues to work with employers (including the Civil Service and the NHS) and expert partners to encourage sign up, but there is no requirement for them to notify the Government of how they are using it.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Chartered Institute of Building's report entitled from China Road to Silicon Road, published May 2019, and its finding that China’s Belt and Road Initiative could deliver a $178 billion boost to UK GDP, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for the UK of formally joining the Belt and Road Initiative.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK’s engagement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is focused on practical cooperation on infrastructure projects, including pragmatic steps and collaboration to help ensure that projects are delivered in line with the highest economic, environmental, social and financial standards in order to deliver sustainable development outcomes and opportunities for UK and international businesses.
UK firms have a global reputation for ensuring long-term efficiency and sustainability are built into infrastructure projects, making them natural partners for Chinese firms’ extensive project delivery capacity.
The UK has no plans formally to join the BRI. But the UK is keen to work closely with China to deliver practical cooperation on the potential opportunities from the BRI.
At the 10th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in June, I, as the Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade (DIT), signed a Departmental Memorandum of Understanding with China’s National Development and Reform Commission on Infrastructure Cooperation in Third Countries. It is a technical agreement that focuses on facilitating collaboration between UK and Chinese firms on projects overseas. Such infrastructure projects offer potential for UK companies across a number of sectors, including the construction sector, and the UK Government will provide support to UK companies as appropriate.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential benefit to the UK construction sector of China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK’s engagement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is focused on practical cooperation on infrastructure projects, including pragmatic steps and collaboration to help ensure that projects are delivered in line with the highest economic, environmental, social and financial standards in order to deliver sustainable development outcomes and opportunities for UK and international businesses.
UK firms have a global reputation for ensuring long-term efficiency and sustainability are built into infrastructure projects, making them natural partners for Chinese firms’ extensive project delivery capacity.
The UK has no plans formally to join the BRI. But the UK is keen to work closely with China to deliver practical cooperation on the potential opportunities from the BRI.
At the 10th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in June, I, as the Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade (DIT), signed a Departmental Memorandum of Understanding with China’s National Development and Reform Commission on Infrastructure Cooperation in Third Countries. It is a technical agreement that focuses on facilitating collaboration between UK and Chinese firms on projects overseas. Such infrastructure projects offer potential for UK companies across a number of sectors, including the construction sector, and the UK Government will provide support to UK companies as appropriate.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions his Department has had with the UK construction sector on the skills that sector can provide to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); and what assessment he has made of the importance of the BRI to future UK-China international partnerships.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK’s engagement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is focused on practical cooperation on infrastructure projects, including pragmatic steps and collaboration to help ensure that projects are delivered in line with the highest economic, environmental, social and financial standards in order to deliver sustainable development outcomes and opportunities for UK and international businesses.
UK firms have a global reputation for ensuring long-term efficiency and sustainability are built into infrastructure projects, making them natural partners for Chinese firms’ extensive project delivery capacity.
The UK has no plans formally to join the BRI. But the UK is keen to work closely with China to deliver practical cooperation on the potential opportunities from the BRI.
At the 10th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in June, I, as the Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade (DIT), signed a Departmental Memorandum of Understanding with China’s National Development and Reform Commission on Infrastructure Cooperation in Third Countries. It is a technical agreement that focuses on facilitating collaboration between UK and Chinese firms on projects overseas. Such infrastructure projects offer potential for UK companies across a number of sectors, including the construction sector, and the UK Government will provide support to UK companies as appropriate.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS trust was involved in the case on forced abortion heard at the Court of Appeal on 24 June 2019.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department does not hold this information. An order was made by the Court of Protection and upheld by the Court of Appeal which prevents the naming of the National Health Service trust involved in this case.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the case heard at the Court of Protection on 21 June 2019 and Court of Appeal on 24 June 2019 on forced abortion, what the total cost of that case was to the NHS trust.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department does not hold this information. An order was made by the Court of Protection and upheld by the Court of Appeal which prevents the naming of the National Health Service trust involved in this case.