Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to provide information to domestic defence firms on the services provided by her Department's regional international trade advisers.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade’s ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ export promotion campaign showcases the support available to businesses, including our International Trade Adviser service. In addition, support is provided through the Export Support Service (ESS), a first point of contact service for any businesses seeking to trade internationally. Through the ESS, businesses can access support from DBT’s overseas network, UK Export Finance, UK Export Academy and our international events programme. Businesses can access digital support via great.gov.uk. We work with partners across all sectors, including Defence, to raise awareness of the support available.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a knife amnesty.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Many police forces provide amnesty bins all year round to provide the public with a facility to safely dispose of unwanted knives and other offensive weapons. It is for Chief Constables, directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions including how to allocate resources based on their local knowledge and experience.
The Government continues to encourage police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps of hotspot areas, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase of the operation took place between 13 to 19 November 2023 and saw 12,149 knives surrendered or recovered.
On 25 January we laid the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 in Parliament. Subject to parliamentary approval, this will prohibit the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes in England and Wales from 24 September 2024. From 26 August 2024 to 23 September 2024 we will be running a surrender and compensation scheme so that those who own zombie-style knives and machetes which will be banned, can surrender them and receive compensation.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of legislation on the proximity of motocross events to residential areas.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Under nationally set permitted development rights, land may be used for any purpose and moveable structures be set up on the land for up to 28 days per calendar year, of which up to 14 days can be used for motor car and motorcycle racing.
Where it is considered necessary to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area the local planning authority can consult the local community on removing a permitted development right by making an Article 4 direction.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many ‘meet the buyer’ events did UK Defence and Security Exports host in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
a) 2021
1
b) 2022
2
c) 2023
3
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps UK Defence and Security Exports is taking to help encourage SMEs to attend UK Defence and Security Exports supported (a) domestic and (b) overseas events.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE) encourages SME’s to attend UKDSE supported events, domestic and overseas, by:
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what overseas events UK Defence and Security Exports has supported in each year since 2019.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
2019 (22 overseas events)
2020 (5 overseas events attended others cancelled due to Covid-19 Pandemic)
2021 (6 overseas events attended, others cancelled due to Covid-19 Pandemic and Hurricane in USA)
2022 (9 overseas events supported, others cancelled for Covid-19 and Ukraine-related issues)
2023 (12 overseas events)
2024 (16 events planned, 4 delivered to date)
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many defence firms attended a trade mission that was supported by UK Defence and Security Exports in each year since 2019.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
UK Defence and Security Exports has supported a number of trade missions since 2019. However, it has not consistently recorded this information because trade missions are not part of the main published UKDSE events programme.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what trade missions UK Defence and Security Exports has supported in each year since 2019.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
UK Defence and Security Exports has supported a number of trade missions since 2019. However, it has not consistently recorded this information because trade missions are not part of the main published UKDSE events programme.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many trade missions UK Defence and Security Exports has supported each year since 2019.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
UK Defence and Security Exports has supported a number of trade missions since 2019. However, it has not consistently recorded this information because trade missions are not part of the main published UKDSE events programme.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to sustain the momentum of the economic recovery following indications that GDP increased in January and February.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
To sustain economic growth momentum, the government is continuing to pursue an ambitious policy agenda to increase growth and productivity across the economy. The OBR expects that policies announced at the previous three fiscal events will increase the size of the economy by 0.7% by 2028-29.
In addition to making full expensing permanent, a tax cut to companies of over £10 billion a year, the government has announced measures to boost labour supply, which the OBR predicts will increase the number of hours worked by the equivalent of over 300,000 full-time workers by the end of the forecast period.