Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed in the UK military space sector; and how many people in the UK military space sector were involved in satellite design as of 16 February 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The space sector is important for the UK, adding £7 billion to the economy in 2022. In that year, the sector employed 48,800 people, increasing from 47,000 the previous year. Many of these jobs work on a range of activities, both civil and military, for governments and a range of other customers. Defence accounts for an estimated 10.2% of total space industry income in 2022 and continues to be a significant part of government's support to the sector. The Skynet secure satellite communications programme, where we are investing £5 billion over the next decade, has provided a significant boost to the UK space sector. In the initial stage of the next generation of Skynet alone we have created up to 600 jobs. Defence has also committed £1.4 billion over 10 years to deliver cutting edge space technology, including a multi-satellite system known as ISTARI which is supporting high tech jobs in the UK as a world leader in science. We will continue to support growth in the space sector, including through the upcoming plan for the space sector which will be published in the coming months by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in close consultation with Defence, which will increase growth and resilience for this vital part of the economy.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to recognise police officer (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides as work-related accidents under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ819.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide support to local press organisations affected by proposed reductions in BBC funding for local news and radio.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government is committed to supporting local and regional news outlets as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information.
To date the Government’s support for the sector has included:
Introducing legislation for a new, pro-competition regime for digital markets, which among many other things will help to rebalance the relationship between news publishers and dominant online platforms;
The delivery of a £2 million pilot innovation fund - the Future News Fund;
The zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers;
The extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025;
The publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy.
The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the Government, and decisions about how it delivers its services are ultimately a matter for the Corporation. However, the Government has been clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK. These services are a key part of the BBC’s public service remit and an example of how the BBC can use its licence fee funding to provide content that is directly relevant to audiences, particularly in areas that may be underserved by the market.
The Government expects Ofcom as the BBC’s independent regulator to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies on VAT in the private hire sector of the High Court verdict in Uber vs. Sefton Council.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Uber Britannia Limited v. Sefton Borough Council High Court case is not a tax case and does not have a direct bearing on the tax treatment of private hire vehicle services. Indeed, the VAT rules, which apply to all businesses, have not changed.
The Government recognises, however, that this ruling may have VAT implications for the private hire vehicle sector and is currently assessing what the impact of these may be, as the Government keeps all taxes under review.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department had with interested parties at the WHO FCTC 2030 tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama on 26-27 January 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Officials did not attend the tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama in January 2023.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which officials were present at the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 2030 tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama on 26-27 January 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Officials did not attend the tobacco control and taxation workshop in Panama in January 2023.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with which countries officials in his Department have been liaising in preparation for the Tenth Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Officials from the Department meet with officials from other countries on a wide range of tobacco control issues, including those related to the Tenth Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in November. For example, most recently, Departmental officials have met with counterparts from Australia and Canada.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve learning outcomes for boys.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for all pupils no matter their gender, and raising attainment is a priority. The Government has successfully driven up standards over the past decade. In 2010, only 68% of schools were rated good or outstanding compared to 87% today.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation, Star Assessments and Renaissance Learning shows attainment for all pupils, including boys, has fallen compared to pre-pandemic levels. In response to this, the Department is taking action to support schools, increasing core schools funding in the Autumn Statement 2022. The additional funding will mean that the core schools’ budget is a net £2 billion higher than published at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25.
The Department continues to deliver the proposals set out in the Schools White Paper, which aim to improve outcomes for all pupils, including boys. This includes providing an excellent teacher for every pupil, securing high standards in curriculum, behaviour and attendance, and providing targeted support for every pupil who needs it.
For teachers, the Department remains committed to delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract and retain the very best teachers. In addition, the Department will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by the end of 2024 and has recently announced a £181 million incentive package for Initial Teacher Training. This package of support will secure more high quality teaching, which is the single most important in school factor on attainment.
The Department continues to promote the use of phonics and supports schools to offer a high quality, knowledge rich curriculum, both of which are critical to ensuring boys are able to achieve well in later life. In addition, the Government has established the Oak National Academy, setting aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support it to provide high quality resources to schools.
The Department continues to support schools through the Pupil Premium, National Tutoring Programme and Recovery Premium. More than £1 billion is available to support tutoring up to 2023/24, with a further £1 billion of Recovery Premium funding in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.
The Government remains committed to raising overall attainment, and reducing the number of pupils in underperforming schools, by creating a stronger and fairer school system. The Department will continue to support schools, trusts and authorities to deliver excellent outcomes for every pupil.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to improve learning outcomes for boys.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for all pupils no matter their gender, and raising attainment is a priority. The Government has successfully driven up standards over the past decade. In 2010, only 68% of schools were rated good or outstanding compared to 87% today.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation, Star Assessments and Renaissance Learning shows attainment for all pupils, including boys, has fallen compared to pre-pandemic levels. In response to this, the Department is taking action to support schools, increasing core schools funding in the Autumn Statement 2022. The additional funding will mean that the core schools’ budget is a net £2 billion higher than published at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25.
The Department continues to deliver the proposals set out in the Schools White Paper, which aim to improve outcomes for all pupils, including boys. This includes providing an excellent teacher for every pupil, securing high standards in curriculum, behaviour and attendance, and providing targeted support for every pupil who needs it.
For teachers, the Department remains committed to delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract and retain the very best teachers. In addition, the Department will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by the end of 2024 and has recently announced a £181 million incentive package for Initial Teacher Training. This package of support will secure more high quality teaching, which is the single most important in school factor on attainment.
The Department continues to promote the use of phonics and supports schools to offer a high quality, knowledge rich curriculum, both of which are critical to ensuring boys are able to achieve well in later life. In addition, the Government has established the Oak National Academy, setting aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support it to provide high quality resources to schools.
The Department continues to support schools through the Pupil Premium, National Tutoring Programme and Recovery Premium. More than £1 billion is available to support tutoring up to 2023/24, with a further £1 billion of Recovery Premium funding in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.
The Government remains committed to raising overall attainment, and reducing the number of pupils in underperforming schools, by creating a stronger and fairer school system. The Department will continue to support schools, trusts and authorities to deliver excellent outcomes for every pupil.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve smokers’ awareness of reduced risk products other than vapes and e-cigarettes.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government is taking a range of actions to improve smokers’ awareness of evidence-based alternatives to smoking. Evidence shows that nicotine replacement therapy along with behavioural support from a stop smoking service is the most effective way for a smoker to quit. The Government will continue to monitor evidence on other reduced risk products and their effectiveness in supporting quit attempts.