Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how he plans to use the Northern Powerhouse to increase productivity in County Durham.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
In his Manchester Speech of 27 July, the Prime Minister made clear this Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse as part of its ambitions to level-up the country, unlocking untapped productivity and economic potential in all places, including County Durham.
This commitment builds on a track record of investment in economic growth in the North East. Of the £3.4 billion Government has invested in Growth Deals across the Northern Powerhouse, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has received £379.6m across the three rounds of the Local Growth Fund. This investment in innovation, business support, skills, economic assets and infrastructure and transport and connectivity, will help people gain access to new jobs and opportunities and provide businesses with the environment needed to grow and become more productive. In County Durham, £17m of Local Growth Funding has been invested at the National Formulation Centre and National Photonics Centre. These leading innovation centres will boost productivity but also provide facilities and expertise to help companies of all sizes develop new technologies and turn them into commercially viable products that will grow the local economy.
The Northern Powerhouse’s emphasis on transport connectivity as a driver of productivity will also be of direct benefit to Durham, for example the £780 million upgrade to the East Coast Mainline.
Local economies are a crucial part of this: Bishop Auckland is also one of 50 places across the Country that has progressed to the second phase of the £675 million Future High Streets Fund, which will help local leaders to reinvent their town centres. Those successful towns will now receive up to £150,000 of new funding to work up detailed project proposals, based on their initial plans.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the National Association of Local Councils on the delivery of the Northern Powerhouse.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and his officials engage with local councils through a range of different organisations and forums, including Local Enterprise Partnerships and Transport for the North, where local councils are represented at board level.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings her Department has had with Durham County Council to discuss preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
BEIS Ministers and officials have been engaging throughout the country with businesses of all sizes and their representatives, trade associations and local enterprise partnerships, including through regular meetings. We communicate regularly with intermediaries to ensure businesses obtain information quickly and efficiently. We will continue to engage across the business population to ensure their priorities are reflected and that businesses have the latest information on how to prepare themselves for Brexit, including through a targeted series of roadshows and events.
The Government also has a business readiness website designed to keep businesses and consumers informed about what no deal might mean for them, with information on a range of measures that may need to be taken in order to prepare. These notices are being regularly updated with the latest information, for example BEIS have published 18 sector specific guides with the top three to six priorities per sector on GOV.UK. These guides can be easily accessed through an interactive business search tool https://www.gov.uk/get-ready-brexit-check
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the practice of employers requiring waiting staff to pay for clients' unpaid bills.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The 1996 Employment Rights Act already defines the limited circumstances in which it is allowable for deductions to be made from pay to cover cash shortages.
The Government is committed to ensuring fair remuneration for lower-paid workers across the economy. In April 2019, the National Living Wage rate was increased to £8.21 per hour, a rise of 4.9 percent. It is estimated that 230,000 workers in the hospitality sector benefitted directly from this increase.
In order to further support fairness for workers in the hospitality sector, through the Good Work Plan, the Government will shortly bring forward legislation to ensure that all tips left to workers will go to them in full. New rules will benefit over a million workers, many of whom are in low-paid jobs.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on an application from Aquind to join the list of projects of common interest for an interconnector project.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Aquind interconnector project was included on the third EU list of projects of common interest, published in November 2017, and the Government supported the application of the project at that time. Selection of the fourth PCI list is ongoing, and the Government is currently considering its position on all candidate projects, including the Aquind interconnector.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will review the mineworkers’ pension scheme surplus-sharing arrangements between Government and scheme beneficiaries.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government does not intend to review the surplus sharing arrangements which have worked well for all parties. However, the Government is considering proposals from the Trustees for changes including greater protection of bonuses that have already accrued.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
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 reform the mineworkers’ pension scheme in line with the 1993 actuarial review.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to review the existing arrangements, agreed between the Government and the Trustees in 1994, on the basis of the 1993 review. The scheme has been working well for all parties. The Government is considering proposals from the Trustees for changes including greater protection of bonuses that have already accrued.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the accounting officer for his Department has sought a written ministerial direction for expenditure on contingency planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
No. For information, the only ministerial direction issued by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for European Union exit preparations related to the development of a UK database for product safety. This is to ensure critical protections remain in place on leaving the European Union. This was issued on 19 March 2018.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-preparations-beis-ministerial-direction
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
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 with his international counterparts to monitor implementation of the (a) Capacity Building for International Negotiations Programme in the Pacific Region and (b) Pacific Regional Nationally Determined Contributions Hub.
Answered by Claire Perry
Monitoring of the Capacity Building for International Negotiations programme will begin on completion of the delivery contract, which is currently being finalised following procurement. As with all BEIS International Climate Finance funding, the programme will be monitored and reported upon in line with cross government good practice, including the publication of annual reviews of progress on implementation, financial reporting and value for money. This will include activities conducted in the Pacific region.
The German Development Agency GIZ (who are setting up the Pacific Regional Nationally Determined Contributions Hub) are submitting quarterly reports to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on how funds are being spent and progress against pre-agreed indicators. In addition, the British High Commission in Suva meet GIZ at least once a month.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his assessment is of the potential costs to the pharmaceutical industry of Article 45 of the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
There will be no cost to the pharmaceutical industry as a result of Article 45 of the draft Withdrawal Agreement. The Article requires the UK to share marketing authorisation data with the European Medicines Agency or Member States where needed for assessing generic marketing applications when requested. Member States will also be required to provide the UK with the same information when requested. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency already regularly shares and receives such data with the European Medicines Agency and other Member States.