Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Windsor Framework on peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The new approach, set out in the Windsor Framework, restores the balance needed to uphold the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. It restores the smooth flow of trade within the UK; protects Northern Ireland's place in the Union; and addresses the democratic deficit. These changes ensure that Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom is fully respected. The Framework therefore provides a new basis for future stability and prosperity in Northern Ireland, as we look ahead to the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of local authority grant funding available to parish churches to upgrade their facilities.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
It is the view of the National Church Institutions that Local Authority and Parish Council grant funding is not being made available to parish churches on a consistent basis, due to a lack of clarity in interpretation of existing law, specifically the Local Government Acts 1894, 1972 and the Localism Act 2011.
The Church Buildings Council, following legal advice, has concluded that the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 and the Local Government Act 1972 allow for all Local Authorities, including Parish Councils, to contribute to the upkeep of church property under certain circumstances – mainly related to the public benefit achieved. A briefing note is available here: Local Authority Investment | The Church of England
In Sir Bernard Taylor’s 2017 Review of the Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals, a recommendation was made that the law be clarified. See pp.31-32: The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Bishop of Bristol is bringing amendments to the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill in the House of Lords to clarify the law. She has the support of heritage bodies and the National Association of Local Councils. The Bishop’s amendments would enable parish churches to be treated the same as other faith and community buildings, which can apply for small grants to improve public access, upgrade facilities such as kitchens or toilets, or enable repairs of guttering, stonework or windows.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Scotland Office, what assessment he has made of the impact of the level of defence spending in Scotland on the Scottish economy.
Answered by John Lamont - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Defence spend contributes significantly to delivering thousands of high-skilled jobs and investment in Scotland, not least through shipbuilding at which we are a world leader.
The latest figures show that in 2021/22, MoD expenditure with industry and commerce in Scotland totalled more than £2 billion.
That is the equivalent of £370 per person and higher than the average of £310 per person for the whole UK.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support women in STEM roles.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We’ve made great progress in increasing the number of girls studying STEM subjects but we need to do more to get women into STEM roles to meet the demands of today’s workforce.
To support that we are launching a new STEM returners pilot that will encourage those who have taken a break to care for others back into work – giving them the opportunity to refresh and grow their skills in sectors where their talents are most needed.
By supporting STEM returners, there is significant opportunity to address skills shortages and boost our economy.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to support the launch of rockets and satellites from the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport has established the regulatory framework that enabled the first launch into space from the UK. The Department has licensed the UK’s first ever spaceport, Spaceport Cornwall, and the first orbital satellite launch from the UK, operated by Virgin Orbit. The launch on 9 January, though it did not reach its target orbit, demonstrated that our licensing regime and approach to public safety works well.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Defence Accommodation Strategy.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Following the publication of the Defence Accommodation Strategy, the single Services and other enabling organisations are drafting plans that will underpin the delivery of the Strategy’s objectives in providing high-quality subsidised accommodation our Service personnel deserve. These plans will be refreshed annually, reported on quarterly and the single Services will be spending £1.6 billion over the next 10 years improving and building new Single Living Accomodation. Ongoing assessment of Armed Forces’ personnel satisfaction will be front and centre in judging the success of the strategy and guiding future plans.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to expand broadband coverage in rural areas.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is investing £5 billion through Project Gigabit to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach areas across the UK. By the end of March 2022, we had delivered gigabit-capable broadband to over 740,000 premises, ahead of our target of 720,000 premises. Combined with commercial gigabit delivery, we are on track to hit our target of 85 per cent UK gigabit coverage in 2025.
We have launched procurements with a value of over £700 million to bring gigabit connections to hundreds of thousands more rural and hard-to-reach homes and businesses, and we recently signed our first contracts in North Dorset, Teesdale and North Northumberland.
As part of Project Gigabit the Government is investing up to £210 million in the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme to support rural homes and businesses with the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections. To date, we have issued over 106,000 vouchers to homes and businesses through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and previous iterations. Further information is available on the gigabit voucher website including eligibility criteria and how to apply for the scheme.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the Smart Export Guarantee Scheme to help ensure that microgenerators receive a price that reflects the market value of the electricity they sell.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a cost-reflective and market led mechanism and it is for suppliers to determine the value of the exported electricity and to take account of the administrative costs associated when setting their tariffs.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
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 is taking steps to introduce a regulated market for solar microgenerators.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government’s approach to supporting microgeneration including solar is through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). The SEG is a cost-reflective and market led mechanism whereby it is for suppliers to determine the value of the exported electricity.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
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 help ensure that energy suppliers pay a price that reflects the market value of energy produced by solar microgenerators.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) ensures small-scale generators are paid for the renewable electricity they export to the grid. It is a cost-reflective and market led mechanism. Suppliers determine the value of the exported electricity and take account of the associated administrative costs when setting their tariffs.