Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of knife arches operated by the police in ensuring safe night-time economies.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not conducted any recent assessments of the effectiveness of knife arches operated by the police. Whether or how to deploy knife arches remains a decision for police forces to take at a local level.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions his Department has had with local police forces on the use of bleed control kits.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The use of bleed control kits is determined at the local level and the Home Office has not held discussions with police forces on their use.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has visited any brick manufacturers since 7 February 2023.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade, has not visited any brick manufacturers since 7 February 2023. However, officials within the Department for Business & Trade are in regular contacts with firms and trade associations in the construction sector, including those that manufacture bricks.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she last visited a clay quarry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not visited a clay quarry in her current role. However, officials within the Department for Business & Trade are in regular contacts with firms and trade associations in the construction sector, including those that produce or use mineral products such as clay.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he last visited a brick manufacturer in the context of the brick manufacturing sector's carbon emissions.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero.
Data covering the 1 January 2023 until 31 March 2023 is due to be published shortly. In line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals.
The Government is working with these sectors to support decarbonisation. To date, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has given over £3m to energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects in the brick, tiles and construction products sector. Subject to business case approval, Phase 3 will open in early 2024.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he last visited a clay quarry in the UK in the context of that industry's carbon emissions. .
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero.
Data covering the 1 January 2023 until 31 March 2023 is due to be published shortly. In line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals.
The Government is working with these sectors to support decarbonisation. To date, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has given over £3m to energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects in the brick, tiles and construction products sector. Subject to business case approval, Phase 3 will open in early 2024.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of UK-made (a) clay bricks, (b) roof tiles and (c) drainage pipes in public procurement.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The driving principle behind public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector contracting authorities are required to purchase products and services through competitive tender in accordance with public procurement legislation, and are responsible for their own commercial decisions, including the award of contracts.
The Government wants UK businesses to be successful in bidding for UK public contracts. That is why we introduced the Procurement Bill, currently being considered by Parliament. This Bill will reform public procurement and make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including British SMEs and social enterprises, to bid for public sector contracts - lowering barriers to entry to the market.
We also want UK businesses to be successful in competing for public contracts in other countries around the world, which we achieve by negotiating guaranteed market access for UK suppliers in many international free trade agreements. Our membership of the World Trade Organisation's Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) gives British businesses access to £1.3 trillion in public procurement opportunities overseas, including opportunities in some of the world's major economies.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Questions 184828 and 184829 on Defibrillators, when he plans to open the application process for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund to community groups.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. On 26 May 2023, the Department published the Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund (Grant Administration) for a supplier to manage grant applications for Automated External Defibrillators from local organisations and community groups. The notice is available at the following link:
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2c6e4cd1-3302-448d-8ebe-2795fb996843
It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded to a supplier to expand defibrillator access in the community by Summer 2023.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 146994 on Defibrillators: Public Places, what his Department's estimated timeline is for completing the procurement processes for the £1 million fund to expand defibrillator access in the community.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage in its process of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. The Department will publish shortly an invitation for organisations to bid for the fund through GOV.UK. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded to a supplier to expand defibrillator access in the community by August 2023.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Number of defibrillators to be increased with new funding, published by his Department on 29 December 2022, when his Department plans to invite interested parties to bid for this grant funding.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage in its process of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. The Department will publish shortly an invitation for organisations to bid for the fund through GOV.UK. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded to a supplier to expand defibrillator access in the community by August 2023.