Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people were recruited on to the Green Deal Apprenticeship Scheme.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
It is important that our workforce is equipped with the skills needed to adapt to changing technological advances, including green technologies. Our reforms to apprenticeships are one of the ways that we are supporting employers to develop the skills they need now and in the future.
New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry and there are now more than 500 different apprenticeship standards available, including plumbing and domestic heating technician, smart home technician and dual fuel smart meter installer: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/.
Prior to its launch in 2013, there was consideration by Government and stakeholders of whether the Green Deal could offer opportunities for apprenticeships, and £3 million was made available in funding for Green Deal advisors and installers.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what occasions the Regulatory Policy Committee has not rated a regulatory proposal following its assessment.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The better regulation framework sets out the grounds on which the independent Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) can rate an impact assessment. The RPC has only published an assessment without a rating once (for the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill). Relating to the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, the independent Regulatory Policy Committee noted that it appreciates the assessment the Government has provided and recognises that the analysis undertaken is the best possible in the time available.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the Regulatory Policy Committee to review its rating of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Regulatory Policy Committee’s (RPC) opinion on the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill was published on 21 October 2019 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-withdrawal-agreement-bill. Under the better regulation framework the RPC would be expected to review a revised impact assessment if there are changes to the legislative proposals that would significantly change the impacts on business.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of progress against the April 2016 NHS England General Practice Forward View plan to recruit an extra 3000 mental health therapists.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
NHS England has advised that its interim target of 800 extra Improving Access to Psychological Therapies therapists working in primary care by March 2018 has been met. NHS England is now analysing data to establish if the target to increase this number to 1,500 by March 2019 has been achieved.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses affected by Operation Kingfisher; and what plans his Department has made to mitigate the effects on those business.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
As preparation for EU exit, the government has already made £6.3bn available and we have created a £108m Brexit Business Preparedness Pot – which is being allocated across government.
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has – from this pot - introduced a £15m Business Readiness Grant Scheme to enable business representative organisations to aid SMEs across England and the UK to prepare for Brexit.
We will continue to monitor and work closely with businesses across the country to help ensure they are fully prepared for when the UK leaves the EU.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what conditions his Department has set which would trigger the implementation of Operation Black Swan.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Cabinet Office is not aware of the existence of an Operation Black Swan.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the estimated cost incurred will be in the event that the Government implements Operation Black Swan.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Cabinet Office is not aware of the existence of an Operation Black Swan.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria his Department has set for businesses which wish to apply for the bailout fund created by Operation Kingfisher.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
The first port of call for a business facing cashflow issues should be commercial lending. As the Bank of England have said, UK banks are well-prepared, well-capitalised, and publicly committed to continuing to lend to viable businesses.
Overall, the government has already made over £6.3bn available to prepare for EU exit. This includes £2 billion of core funding for departments for Brexit in 2020-21, which was confirmed in the recent Spending Round.
The UK economy remains resilient, but we will continue to closely monitor any developments in economic risks to firms, sectors, and regions. We are considering what further support may be needed and any announcements will be made in due course.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the potential (a) mortality rate and (b) number of suicides among benefit claimants in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not record mortality rates or information on the causes of benefit claimants’ deaths, as there is no causal relationship between somebody claiming a benefit and their death.
The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option. The Government is, however, continuing to plan for a range of scenarios, including a no deal exit from the EU. These contingencies ensure that DWP can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access DWP benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for national security should cross-border data sharing with the EU end as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Much of our national security cooperation with our European partners takes place outside the EU structures and so is not dependent on our membership. We continue to work intensively with operational partners to ensure that we are ready for any eventuality.