Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid General Dynamics UK in 2023-24 for the Ajax programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 the Ministry of Defence paid General Dynamics UK £437 million for the AJAX programme. All payments have been made in accordance with performance against the payment schedule and milestone plan within the extant fixed price contract. I am unable to publish the details of the milestones and payment schedule as this may prejudice the Department’s commercial interests.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2024 to Question 12549, whether the proposed £200 million guaranteed loan facility for Harland & Wolff under the Export Development Guarantee Scheme is compliant with the Subsidy Control Act 2022; and whether legal advice has been sought on this matter.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
For reasons of commercial sensitivity, UK Export Finance does not comment on ongoing commercial discussions.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) France and (b) Spain on the procurement of a new modular training aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The current RAF Capability Investigation seeks to fully understand the UK's sovereign requirements for future advanced fast-jet training solutions ahead of any potential future international engagement.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of schools (a) educating pupils on organ donation and (b) using resources produced by NHS Blood and Transplant.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Schools have flexibility over how they deliver the curriculum and cover important topics within it in a way that works for their context and communities. The department does not have data on how and whether schools are teaching about organ donation, but there are plenty of opportunities within the national curriculum for them to do so.
The teaching of blood, tissue and organs is covered in the biology national curriculum to pupils in England between the ages of 11 and 14 in key stage 3. While organ donation is not specifically mentioned in the national curriculum, schools may choose to cover it here.
At primary level, schools can talk about organ donation more generally in an age-appropriate way as part of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, which includes content on physical health and mental wellbeing. The Oak National Academy, an arm's length public body responsible for creating free curriculum resources, has produced a lesson that can be taught to pupils between the ages of 7 and 11 in key stage 2. This includes a section on organs, the transplant waiting list and relevant legislation.
Organ donation can be covered in more detail in RSHE for pupils aged 14 to 16 in key stage 4 within the context of healthy lifestyles and the choices that individuals make in adulthood.
Departmental officials are working with NHS Blood and Transplant to arrange to signpost schools to education resources on organ donation developed by NHS Blood and Transplant and its charity partners.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 12549 on Harland and Wolff: Export Credit Guarantees, what progress her Department has made on negotiations with Harland & Wolff in relation to compliance with applicable subsidy control rules.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
For reasons of commercial sensitivity, UK Export Finance does not comment on ongoing commercial discussions.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on compensation for infected blood scandal victims in the last 12 months.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
This was an appalling tragedy, and my thoughts remain with all those affected. The Government has accepted the moral case for compensation and justice must be delivered for the victims.
As such, the Government intends to respond in full to Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations for wider compensation following the publication of the Inquiry’s final report in May 2024.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to expedite compensation for those affected by the infected blood scandal.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government will respond in full to Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations on compensation following the publication of the Inquiry’s final report. Additionally, we will bring forward amendments at Report Stage of the Victims and Prisoners Bill in the Other Place with the intention of speeding up the implementation of the Government’s response to the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the surplus-sharing arrangements of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government considers the current arrangements to be working well for all parties. We will consider any suggested changes to the arrangements in the usual way.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2024 to Question 18074 on Falkland Islands: Ports, whether the Falkland Islands Government sought advice from his Department prior to the awarding of a contract to Harland & Wolff to support delivery of a port facility.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office played no role in Harland & Wolff being named as the preferred bidder for the delivery of a new port facility in Stanley. Further to my answer of 15 March 2024 to written PQ 18074, any potential redevelopment of the port facility in Stanley is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government and the awarding of contracts for the redevelopment of the port is a commercial matter between the Falkland Islands Government and the companies involved.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2024 to Question 18400 on Special Forces: Afghanistan and Iraq, what the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs' planned timetable is for concluding his review.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs' will await the findings of the Inquiry before assessing the record.