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Written Question
Industry: Cheltenham
Monday 8th January 2018

Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)

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 promote engagement with residents and businesses in Cheltenham constituency on the industrial strategy in order to maximise the benefits of that strategy to that local area.

Answered by Claire Perry

The launch of the Green Paper, ‘Building our Industrial Strategy’, in January 2017, commenced an extensive period of consultation, capturing feedback to inform the development of the White Paper. Over 2,000 organisations from across the country responded to the consultation, including a wide range of businesses, public sector organisations and private individuals.

The White Paper set out the government’s approach to working with places to maximise the benefits of the Industrial Strategy, based on the belief that the people best placed to drive forward local economies are those who live, work and do business in them. It included a variety of new opportunities for Local Enterprise Partnerships to drive local economic growth. I am sure that GFirst, the LEP for Gloucestershire, will be keen to build on the area’s cyber security strength with Cheltenham home to GCHQ.

The White Paper also included proposals to work with local leaders to develop Local Industrial Strategies, which will establish new ways of working between national leaders in both the public and private sectors, harnessing their local insights to develop clear, long-term strategies for future growth. Universities, colleges and other local institutions will be key in this process.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 28 Nov 2017
Budget Resolutions

"Will the hon. Lady assist the House by saying how much extra it would cost in annual interest payments if she led a Government that borrowed an additional £500 billion?..."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

View all Alex Chalk (Con - Cheltenham) contributions to the debate on: Budget Resolutions
Written Question
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Tuesday 31st October 2017

Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)

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 is taking to encourage more energy suppliers to join the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Answered by Claire Perry

Energy suppliers with 250,000 or more domestic customer accounts are obligated to participate in the Warm Home Discount scheme. For 2017/18 this covers 15 suppliers.

Suppliers with less than 250,000 domestic customer accounts can apply to join the scheme voluntarily. Ofgem are responsible for approving applications from suppliers. To support a supplier’s decision to join the scheme voluntarily, Ofgem have published guidance on their website, which includes information about the application process and a supplier’s responsibilities when participating in the scheme: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/warm-home-discount-whd

There are three suppliers participating voluntarily in the Warm Home Discount scheme for 2017/18.

The Department will consult on the operation of Warm Home Discount for 2018/19.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 16 Oct 2017
Nuclear Safeguards Bill

"Do we not have to be very careful about our terminology? The Bill has absolutely nothing to do with safety standards as in the prevention of nuclear accidents—it is about safeguarding, which has an altogether different legal meaning. Is it not very important that we do not scaremonger about this?..."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

View all Alex Chalk (Con - Cheltenham) contributions to the debate on: Nuclear Safeguards Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 16 Oct 2017
Nuclear Safeguards Bill

"What a pleasure it is to follow my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare).

I support the Bill. The introduction of a Bill on nuclear safeguards is an entirely sensible contingency measure. It is sensible to cater for the possibility that no associate membership of Euratom can …..."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

View all Alex Chalk (Con - Cheltenham) contributions to the debate on: Nuclear Safeguards Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 16 Oct 2017
Nuclear Safeguards Bill

"It is a sensible contingency to deal with safeguarding. We will no doubt be able to consider other aspects in due course.

Were the Government not to introduce the Bill, they would be in complete dereliction of their duty. The background is as follows: the UK has a strong and …..."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

View all Alex Chalk (Con - Cheltenham) contributions to the debate on: Nuclear Safeguards Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 19 Jul 2017
Tuition Fees

"Has the hon. Lady read the report by the Sutton Trust, the social mobility charity, which was absolutely damning about social mobility in Scotland as a specific result of the SNP’s policy of capping places? Does she not deprecate the fact that social mobility in Scotland is going into reverse?..."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 12 Jul 2017
Euratom Membership

"Does my right hon. Friend agree that continued membership of Euratom would not in any way preclude the striking of free trade deals or controlling our borders, which are the stated aims of Brexit?..."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 12 Jul 2017
Euratom Membership

"If there is political will, any legal obstacle can be easily overcome...."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

View all Alex Chalk (Con - Cheltenham) contributions to the debate on: Euratom Membership
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 04 Jul 2017
European Union (Approvals) Bill

"Does the hon. Gentleman agree that a key bulwark of human rights in this country, and indeed across Europe, is the European convention on human rights, which is not affected by this Bill at all? That has to remain the key and most important element...."
Alex Chalk - View Speech

View all Alex Chalk (Con - Cheltenham) contributions to the debate on: European Union (Approvals) Bill