Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question
To ask the President of COP26, what recent assessment he has made of the potential role of private finance in delivering COP26 objectives.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Action from private finance will be vital in helping to deliver many of the commitments made by countries and companies at COP26.
For example, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, representing over 130 trillion dollars, will have a key role to play in mobilising capital to support green projects in emerging economies.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of allowing gene editing in Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
It is the UK Government's ambition for the whole of the UK to benefit from the cutting edge technology that the development of gene edited plants offers.
Agriculture and the legislation of gene edited plants is a devolved matter and the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill currently extends to England only. However, we are keen that all parts of the UK have the ability to unlock the potential of these technologies and are having ongoing discussions on the proposed policy changes with the Devolved Administrations. We have also invited them to join us in bringing forward this legislation and this invitation remains open as the Bill continues its passage through Parliament.
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, whether her Department has made representations to the Tunisian Government on the prosecution of members of the Tunisian Parliament which may carry the death penalty.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is monitoring legal cases being brought against politicians from the parliament and previous governments, including allegations of irregularities in the 2019 elections. We regularly raise respect for human rights and due legal process with the Tunisian Government.
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 recent assessment she has made of the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) social situation in Tunisia; what steps her Department is taking in response to the political roadmap of President Saied; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK closely monitors the economic and political situation in Tunisia and will continue to do so as the new constitution is published on 30 June and the referendum takes place, scheduled for 25 July. The UK stands ready to play a constructive role as Tunisia addresses significant political and economic challenges. We also regularly emphasise the importance of accountability and inclusive political participation in the democratic process, most recently during the visit of Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of State for North Africa, in June.
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, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed new Tunisian Constitution on democratic accountability in Tunisia, in the context of the low rates of participation of potential voters in the preceding online consultation.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK closely monitors the economic and political situation in Tunisia and will continue to do so as the new constitution is published on 30 June and the referendum takes place, scheduled for 25 July. The UK stands ready to play a constructive role as Tunisia addresses significant political and economic challenges. We also regularly emphasise the importance of accountability and inclusive political participation in the democratic process, most recently during the visit of Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of State for North Africa, in June.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support offenders in gaining employment following their release from prison.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our ambition to deliver a step-change in the number of prisoners who work in prison, on temporary licence, and secure employment on release.
We will open our doors to the private sector to overhaul the opportunities for work offered in prisons and on Release on Temporary Licence. We will implement dedicated Employment Advisors in prisons and develop a digital tool that will match prisoners to jobs on release.
We will establish more local employment boards to link prisons with business networks. The Secretary of State recently hosted an employment summit, attended by over 600 organisations, at which he set out this department’s commitment to improving employment rates for prison leavers and also establish ‘Employment Hubs’, the equivalent of a ‘jobcentre in a prison’ where prisoners can find out about job opportunities.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What steps his Department is taking to introduce a regulated asset base for the offshore grid.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our Net Zero Strategy delivers more offshore wind with a more coordinated offshore grid, through the Offshore Transmission Network Review.
Within this, Ofgem have consulted on options for delivery models for offshore connections, including a regulated asset base approach.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Carrier Strike Group’s ongoing deployment.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The carrier strike group has not only visited and worked with over 44 nations on its tour, but has had visits from 63 Ministers. It is great convenor and a great presence that, made in Britain, definitely does go around the world showing that Britain can do both soft and hard power, and do it with quality.
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 has taken to restart the Government’s consultation into the use of a Regulated Asset Base model for renewables and low carbon energy generating assets.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government consulted on the use of a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model for nuclear in summer 2019, concluding that RAB was a credible model for large-scale nuclear projects. The Government introduced the Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill on 26 October to establish the RAB model to fund new nuclear projects at a low cost of capital, saving consumers money. As set out in our response to the consultation, the Government will continue to consider whether a RAB model could be applied to other low carbon technologies, including transport and storage infrastructure for carbon dioxide (outlined in the Government’s response to the carbon capture, usage and storage business models consultation).
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 assess the fire risks posed by large scale lithium-ion battery storage.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Grid-scale lithium-ion battery energy storage systems are covered by a robust regulatory framework which requires manufacturers to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market, that they are installed correctly, and that any safety issues found after products are on the market or after installation are dealt with.
In 2018, BEIS set up an industry-led Storage Health and Safety Governance Group responsible for ensuring that an appropriate, robust, and future-proofed health and safety framework is sustained as the industry develops. In 2020 following a recommendation from this Group, the Government commissioned a gap analysis to identify any gaps in the health and safety standards landscape. This will be published in due course