Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2021 to Question 48387 on Aerospace Industry and Defence: Manufacturing Industries, if he will extend the SC21 Competitiveness and Growth programme beyond the expiry date of March 2022 to enable the aerospace and automative sectors to take into account the delays in access as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lee Rowley
A decision on continued funding for the Supply Chain 21 Competitiveness & Growth programme will be made as part of the Department’s business planning, which will determine future spending priorities following the conclusion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the SC21 Competitiveness and Growth programme beyond the expiry date of March 2022 to enable the aerospace and automative sectors to take into account the delays in access as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
An extension of the programme remains subject to the Department’s financial position following Spending Review 2021. The Government remains committed to supporting SMEs to improve their productivity and competitiveness. Earlier this year, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £500m for the Help to Grow programme which will look to improve SME leaders' approach to management and the importance of adopting digital technologies to improve productivity.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2020 to Question 126183 on Consumer Goods: Safety, whether the UK plans to provide information to the European Safety Gate portal.
Answered by Paul Scully
Products placed on the market before 1 January 2021 that have been found to present a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers, or that are non-compliant, will be notified to the European Commission as part of the Withdrawal Agreement. Additionally, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement commits the UK and the EU to use best endeavours to establish arrangements for the exchange of certain information, between the UK’s Product Safety Database and the EU’s Safety Gate RAPEX database, on unsafe products.
The UK in respect of Northern Ireland market surveillance authorities and enforcement authorities will also continue to notify unsafe products to the European Commission via Safety Gate RAPEX in line with the Northern Ireland Protocol, information from which the European Commission will subsequently make available on their Safety Gate website.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the mutual recognition of qualifications between the UK and Ireland to enable British and Irish citizens to exercise their rights and privileges under the Common Travel Area.
Answered by Paul Scully
If no immediately effective arrangements relating to professional qualifications are agreed with the EU this year, on 1 January 2021 the Government will put in place a temporary system of recognition that allows holders of EU qualifications, including Irish qualifications, to seek recognition of their qualifications in the UK. This will ensure that the UK meets its commitments under the Common Travel Area.
The Government published a Call for Evidence on the recognition of professional qualifications and regulation of professions in August 2020. As it takes forward this work, the Government will ensure that individuals with Irish professional qualifications continue to have a means of applying for recognition in the UK.