Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Future Offshore Wind Scenarios project estimated the number of jobs that would be supported by deploying sufficient offshore wind capacity to meet the Government's net zero target in 2050.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Future Offshore Wind Scenarios project did not estimate numbers of jobs. The Offshore Wind Industry Council’s Skills Intelligence Report 2023 estimates that employment in the offshore wind sector will rise from over 32,000 in 2022 to over 104,000 by 2030.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national workers have (a) applied and (b) been granted permission to work in UK territorial waters under the Immigration (Offshore Worker Notification and Exemption from Control (Amendment)) Regulations 2023 from 12 April to 21 June 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
These regulations do not provide anyone with permission to work in UK waters and all foreign nationals will need to apply for the appropriate permission to work under a points-based system immigration route before commencing work.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national workers have (a) applied and (b) been granted permission to work on vessels servicing the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm under the Immigration (Offshore Worker Notification and Exemption from Control (Amendment)) Regulations 2023 from 12 April to 21 June 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
These regulations do not provide anyone with permission to work in UK waters and all foreign nationals will need to apply for the appropriate permission to work under a points-based system immigration route before commencing work.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of the former ministers that have been given legal representation paid for by the public purse for (a) parliamentary and (b) Privileges Committee inquiries.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
There are no plans to publish such a list.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown. This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.
However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 23 May 2023, Official Report, vol 733, column 292, what the evidential basis is for his statement that it is a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office during (a) a parliamentary inquiries and (b) privileges committee inquiries of Parliament.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Prime Minister specifically said “It is actually a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office to deal with matters that relate to their time in office. That has been the practice for many years, as I say, across multiple political Administrations, both Labour and Conservative.”
The Privileges Committee inquiry relates to the conduct of the (now former) Prime Minister making statements at the despatch box on behalf of HM Government.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown.
This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.
However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the British Embassy in Beijing has held recent discussions with their Chinese counterparts on the reinstatement of export licences to (a) Cranswick abattoir in Watton, Norfolk, and (b) Pilgrim’s UK abattoir in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government believes that a positive trade and investment relationship with China is beneficial for both countries, where it is consistent with our values and national security. UK agri-food exports are an important part of our overall trading relationship with China, but we are aware of the challenges that some businesses have faced in recent years. Ministers have raised UK pork exports in recent senior level engagement with their Chinese counterparts, and our Embassy in Beijing continues to push the Chinese authorities for a swift resolution.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide funding for the total cost of the 2022 non-consolidated pay award for (a) not-for-profit, (b) social enterprise and (c) other organisations delivering (i) community healthcare and (ii) other NHS-funded services.
Answered by Will Quince
Independent providers, including not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment. This includes the pay scales that they use and any non-consolidated pay awards they choose to make. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate, and how to recoup any additional costs they face if they choose to utilise the terms and conditions of NHS staff on the Agenda for Change contract.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on employment in UK industries of the continued inability of British pork producers to regain export licenses for China.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The China export licences of five UK pork establishments were suspended following COVID-19 outbreaks at their sites in 2020 and 2021. The export licenses of three of these five establishments remain suspended.
High-quality UK agri-food and drink exports are an important part of our trading relationship with China, with over a quarter (28%) of our overall pork exports going to China in 2022, with a value of £95m. We recognise that these exports link to UK jobs, which is why Ministers have been consistently and proactively raising these suspensions as a priority with their Chinese counterparts to achieve the relisting of the pork establishments as soon as possible.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of China not reinstating the export licences of British pork producers on the UK economy.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The China export licences of five UK pork establishments were suspended following COVID-19 outbreaks at their sites in 2020 and 2021. The export licenses of three of these five establishments remain suspended.
High-quality UK agri-food and drink exports are an important part of our trading relationship with China, with over a quarter (28%) of our overall pork exports going to China in 2022, with a value of £95m. We recognise that these exports link to UK jobs, which is why Ministers have been consistently and proactively raising these suspensions as a priority with their Chinese counterparts to achieve the relisting of the pork establishments as soon as possible.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many pork export licences to China were voluntarily surrendered by UK abattoirs in 2020; and how many and what proportion of these surrendered licenses are yet to be reinstated.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The China export licences of five UK pork establishments were suspended following COVID-19 outbreaks at their sites in 2020 and 2021. The export licenses of three of these five establishments remain suspended.
High-quality UK agri-food and drink exports are an important part of our trading relationship with China, with over a quarter (28%) of our overall pork exports going to China in 2022, with a value of £95m. We recognise that these exports link to UK jobs, which is why Ministers have been consistently and proactively raising these suspensions as a priority with their Chinese counterparts to achieve the relisting of the pork establishments as soon as possible.