Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help prevent Iran from developing long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Iran's ballistic missile programme is destabilising for the region and poses a threat to European security. UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (UNSCR 2231), which was unanimously adopted in the Security Council and underpins the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), calls on Iran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, including launches using such ballistic missile technology. Alongside France and Germany, we have written regularly to the UN Secretary-General, most recently on 31 January, to draw attention to Iranian missile activity inconsistent with UNSCR 2231. We urge Iran to fully abide by UNSCR 2231 and all other relevant resolutions.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to accelerate the process for veterans to obtain a certificate of service to enable them to apply for a veterans railcard.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
All Service leavers are provided with a Certificate of Service as part of the discharge process. Should a veteran require a replacement for any reason, they can simply request a replacement by phoning the Joint Personnel Administration Call Centre (JPAC) on 0800 085 3600 and a replacement is issued free of charge usually within two to five working days of the request.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect public services from the risk of hostile cyber threats.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Our National Cyber Strategy sets out how we will ensure that the UK remains a leading democratic cyber power, one that is more resilient to and is able to counter cyber threats.
Our Government Cyber Security Strategy (GCSS) will ensure that all government organisations across the whole public sector are resilient to cyber attack.
Both of these strategies are supported by £2.6 billion of taxpayer’s money over the next three years.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention of the officer corps of the Army Reserve.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The new Army Reserve under 'Future Soldier' is being delivered through the Army Reserve Transformation programme. This will implement measures to improve recruitment and retention across the Whole Reserve Force, including resetting policy and culture, developing a fit-for-purpose Army Reserve estate, and delivering an Army Reserve which gives its people a sense of purpose and belonging.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on ongoing support provided by the armed forces in Scotland in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I am in regular contact with Ministers in the Ministry of Defence about the support provided by our armed forces in Scotland in response to Covid-19.
Currently, service personnel are providing acute care to a number of hospitals in Scotland, driving ambulances and providing other services to the Scottish Ambulance Service, and they are administering vaccinations across Scotland.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the context of the Government's COP26 commitments on the transition to net zero, whether his Department has plans to extend the funding for the Aerospace Technology Institute to 2031.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Published in October 2021, the Net Zero Strategy sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy, including the aerospace sector, to meet our net zero target by 2050, keep the UK on track for meeting carbon budgets, to deliver our Nationally Determined Contribution by 2030.
In line with the Net Zero Strategy and the Government’s COP26 commitments on the UK’s transition to net zero, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer extended the funding to the Aerospace Technology Institute programme from 2026 to 2031 as part of the most recent Spending Review.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a green skills roadmap to help meet environmental targets; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure a joined up approach by the Government on improving green skills.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government set out its plans for working with industry to develop a skilled workforce and enable workers, industries, and places to transition to a net zero economy. The policies set out in the Net Zero Strategy represent a first step in addressing the challenges and opportunities identified by the Green Jobs Taskforce.
This includes delivering a Lifetime Skills Guarantee and growing key post-16 training programmes (such as apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps and T levels) in line with the needs of employers.
In order to drive this agenda, the Government has announced a cross-cutting delivery group to include representatives from across different government departments, industry, the skills sector and other key stakeholders, maintaining the momentum generated by the Taskforce to drive action across the green skills agenda. The Government will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to allocate further funding to training and retraining programmes in high carbon sectors.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government is very aware of the challenges we face in our aim for net zero and is committed to supporting green skills across the country.
The department aims to reform the skills system so that training providers, employers and learners are incentivised and equipped to play their part in delivering the transition to net zero. This is demonstrated in our recent publication of the Net Zero Strategy, published in October 2021.
Building on the Skills for Jobs White Paper, the Net Zero Strategy sets out how our skills reforms will strengthen links between employers and providers, support workers in high carbon sectors with the transition, and help to build a pipeline of future talent.
At the recent Spending Review, we set out investment of £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the course of the parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up. This will support the sector to reform and deliver the technical and skilled education our economy needs. This includes funding for programmes in green sectors crucial to the net zero transition.
Through the National Skills Fund investment, we are delivering skills bootcamps, which are short, flexible courses covering digital, technical, and green skills. Green skills bootcamps are available in areas such as housing retrofit, solar, nuclear energy and vehicle electrification. Several fully funded level 3 qualifications included in the free courses for jobs offer can support learners into green jobs. For example, we have included technical qualifications in engineering and construction.
We have also increased future funding for apprenticeships, where there are a growing number of standards supporting green and low carbon sectors such as the energy supply industry, agriculture and recycling. The department will continue to ensure that the existing skills programmes can be directed to support the net zero agenda and help to identify where the evidence tells us we might need to go further or faster.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take in response to Iran's non-compliance with the 2015 Joint Combined Plan of Action nuclear agreement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are currently engaged in negotiations in Vienna aimed at restoring the JCPoA. There is a fair and comprehensive offer on the table and Iran should seize the opportunity to conclude a deal now.
If a deal is not swiftly concluded, and Iran continues its nuclear escalation, we will have to change our approach. Iran will be responsible for missing the opportunity to restore the JCPoA and for bringing about the collapse of the deal.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK has access to an adequate supply of skilled labour to ensure that the UK shipbuilding enterprise can deliver the strategically important naval programmes necessary to ensure that the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary can fulfil their tasks.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Secretary of State for Defence is firmly committed to the UK's shipbuilding enterprise and is leading work across Government to deliver an innovative and competitive shipbuilding sector which supports jobs, skills and prosperity throughout the country. Further detail on how Government will develop a sustainable pipeline of skilled workers for the sector will be set out in the Refresh to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, to be published later this year.