Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support the Government is giving to UK companies involved with the Galileo project who already have to deicide where they will locate their supply chains after March 2019.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 16 January 2018 to Question 122184. The principle set out in the Joint Report issued by the UK and EU negotiating teams on 8 December was that UK entities would be able to continue to participate in all EU programmes financed by the current Multiannual Financial Framework which ends in 2020. There will be further discussions on the individual programmes during Phase 2 of the negotiations. My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State and I continue to engage regularly with the UK space sector companies involved in the Galileo programme.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings he has had and with which companies on investment uncertainties in respect of the Galileo project after March 2019.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State, my predecessor (Jo Johnson) as Minister for Space, and the UK Space Agency have engaged with many UK space companies and the UK space trade association to discuss issues relating to business and space, including the EU Galileo Programme. These views are informing Government’s approach to the ongoing EU exit negotiations.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what advice his Department has given to UK companies involved in the Galileo Project who are already having to decide where they will locate their supply chains after March 2019.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 16 January 2018 to Question 122184. The principle set out in the Joint Report issued by the UK and EU negotiating teams on 8 December was that UK entities would be able to continue to participate in all EU programmes financed by the current Multiannual Financial Framework which ends in 2020. There will be further discussions on the individual programmes during Phase 2 of the negotiations. My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State and I continue to engage regularly with the UK space sector companies involved in the Galileo programme.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support the Government is providing to UK companies that have already been excluded from bidding for projects from the European Space Agency on the basis that the UK is leaving the EU.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The European Space Agency (ESA) is independent of the European Union. Therefore our support for the European Space Agency is largely unaffected by the decision to leave the European Union. Indeed we made subscriptions of €1.4 bn at the ESA Ministerial meeting in Lucerne in December 2016 which is allowing UK companies to bid for ESA grants and contracts.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK leaving the EU will affect the contracts to produce the payloads for the European Union Global Navigation satellite system in the UK.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Joint Report issued by the UK and EU negotiating teams on 8 December was clear that UK entities would be able to continue to participate in all EU programmes, including the space programmes, financed by the current Multiannual Financial Framework, which ends in 2020. Clearly there will be further discussions on exactly what this means for the individual programmes during Phase 2 of negotiations, but the principle set out in the report is that eligibility of entities located in the UK will be unaffected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
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 supports the development of a domestic UK satellite launch capability.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Government has an exciting ambition to take the UK into the commercial space age. We are actively supporting the development of a commercial market for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight in the UK, by helping industry to develop new technologies, infrastructure and services. This will establish the UK as a world leading destination for space launch.
We are putting in place new regulation, working internationally to secure agreements and evaluating proposals for grants that would help get the first missions from the UK off the ground.
We welcome engagement from any company seeking to offer small satellite launch capability from a UK spaceport.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
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 has made an assessment of the potential for industrial growth in the space industry comparing (a) the simple provision of Spaceport services to overseas launch companies and (b) the additional inclusion of an indigenous Launch manufacturing industry.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The UK Space Agency’s call for grant proposals on low cost access to space is ongoing. 26 proposals were submitted in response to the call, demonstrating strong interest in the UK market for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight.
Proposals came from spaceports all over the UK, working with vehicle operators from the UK, other European nations and the US. All the proposals submitted were commercial-in-confidence. Several proposals remain under consideration as part of this ongoing grant funding call, and the UK Space Agency is working hard to ensure that any grant funding recommended delivers clear benefits for the UK. Final announcements of the outcome of the call for grant proposals will be later in this financial year.
Further information about the call for grant proposals on low cost access to space can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/commercial-spaceflight
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many indigenous launch companies were successful in the most recent development grant funding round for a satellite launch programme and spaceport.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The UK Space Agency’s call for grant proposals on low cost access to space is ongoing. 26 proposals were submitted in response to the call, demonstrating strong interest in the UK market for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight.
Proposals came from spaceports all over the UK, working with vehicle operators from the UK, other European nations and the US. All the proposals submitted were commercial-in-confidence. Several proposals remain under consideration as part of this ongoing grant funding call, and the UK Space Agency is working hard to ensure that any grant funding recommended delivers clear benefits for the UK. Final announcements of the outcome of the call for grant proposals will be later in this financial year.
Further information about the call for grant proposals on low cost access to space can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/commercial-spaceflight
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason self-employed adoptive parents are excluded from the financial support offered to other workers to allow them to take full leave and settle an adopted child from the care system into their family.
Answered by Nick Boles
Society benefits from parents being able to take time off work to care for their children whilst remaining in employment. Employed adopters have a statutory entitlement to Adoption Leave and Pay (subject to eligibility requirements) on the basis that individual employers would otherwise not offer socially optimal levels of leave and pay.
However, self-employed adopters can decide how much time off to take. Since affordability may limit the time away from work that some self-employed adopters can take, statutory adoption guidance says that Local Authorities should consider making a payment equivalent to Maternity Allowance in cases where adopters do not qualify for any statutory payment because of self-employment. This payment is discretionary and means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most, as part of a package of post-adoption support.