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Written Question
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Intellectual Property
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on smallholder farmers of the measures in the Intellectual Property Chapter of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership relating to the requirement for signatory countries to ratify the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 1991.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK’s accession to CPTPP will not change the UK’s existing commitments under the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

The Government does not foresee any impacts on UK small farmers due to the UK’s legal obligations under CPTPP Article 18.7.2 because there will be no changes to the UK’s existing legislative framework in this area.

UPOV provides for plant breeders’ rights, aiming to encourage the development of new varieties of plants, with benefits such as food security and mitigating climate change.

Mechanisms are available within CPTPP to discuss issues raised by signatory countries.


Written Question
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Domestic Visits
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on how many occasions Ministers from her Department and its predecessor Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Across the UK Government we are committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for all citizens, no matter where in the country they call home. All citizens contribute to the strength of the United Kingdom which is the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen.

We do not hold information centrally on all Ministerial visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland conducted since the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was established in February 2023. However, we are able to provide some detail of recent Ministerial visits.

This week, the Minister for Science visited Edinburgh for Arctic Science Summit Week.

In December 2023, Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy visited the compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales.

In May 2023, Chloe Smith MP also visited the compound semiconductor cluster in May 2023 during her time as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Earlier this month, the Minister for AI and Intellectual Property visited Belfast for CyberNI Week. The Minister also visited Belfast for CyberNI week in April 2023, along with a visit to the Intellectual Property Office HQ Newport, Wales in November 2023.


Written Question
Arts: Exports
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) support and (b) increase (i) creative and (ii) cultural exports.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In June 2023, the Government and the Creative Industries Council launched the Creative Industries Sector Vision, which sets out our long term strategy for supporting and growing the creative industries. The Sector Vision can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industries-sector-vision

The Government is delivering on its plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030.

Since 2010, the Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, from film and television, to animation, video games, orchestras, theatres and more. The Chancellor announced further support at the Spring Budget, with £1 billion of additional tax relief over the next five years. This has led to significant growth in the creative industries over the last 14 years, helping to double the economic value of the creative industries and create more than one million new jobs since 2010.

Our tax reliefs are driving inward investment, helping unleash job creation and economic growth across the country. The Government’s generous screen sector tax reliefs have driven a record breaking spend of £6.3 billion on film and high-end TV production in 2022, of which £5.4 billion - 86% - was inward investment.

Our tax reliefs have also helped drive an increase in cultural and creative service exports. DCMS works with other departments including FCDO and DBT, industry bodies and trade associations to promote the creative industries overseas, from delivering creative trade missions to HMG-backed funding schemes. Examples include the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, delivered by the British Film Institute, which provides grants to develop, distribute and promote independent UK and UK co-produced screen content in international markets and the Music Export Growth Scheme, which provides grant funding to support UK-based independent music SMEs to develop export campaigns to grow their international business and export revenue. My department is also committed to ensuring that the interests of the creative industries are pursued in the UK’s ambitious programme of Free Trade Agreements, including on audiovisual services, intellectual property rights and supporting the movement of creative professionals.


Written Question
Arts: Competition
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has a long-term strategy to support the (a) expansion and (b) global competitiveness of creative industries.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In June 2023, the Government and the Creative Industries Council launched the Creative Industries Sector Vision, which sets out our long term strategy for supporting and growing the creative industries. The Sector Vision can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industries-sector-vision

The Government is delivering on its plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030.

Since 2010, the Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, from film and television, to animation, video games, orchestras, theatres and more. The Chancellor announced further support at the Spring Budget, with £1 billion of additional tax relief over the next five years. This has led to significant growth in the creative industries over the last 14 years, helping to double the economic value of the creative industries and create more than one million new jobs since 2010.

Our tax reliefs are driving inward investment, helping unleash job creation and economic growth across the country. The Government’s generous screen sector tax reliefs have driven a record breaking spend of £6.3 billion on film and high-end TV production in 2022, of which £5.4 billion - 86% - was inward investment.

Our tax reliefs have also helped drive an increase in cultural and creative service exports. DCMS works with other departments including FCDO and DBT, industry bodies and trade associations to promote the creative industries overseas, from delivering creative trade missions to HMG-backed funding schemes. Examples include the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, delivered by the British Film Institute, which provides grants to develop, distribute and promote independent UK and UK co-produced screen content in international markets and the Music Export Growth Scheme, which provides grant funding to support UK-based independent music SMEs to develop export campaigns to grow their international business and export revenue. My department is also committed to ensuring that the interests of the creative industries are pursued in the UK’s ambitious programme of Free Trade Agreements, including on audiovisual services, intellectual property rights and supporting the movement of creative professionals.


Written Question
Higher Education: China
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and (b) representatives of higher education institutions on the potential impact of such institutions' collaboration with Chinese higher education bodies linked to the People's Liberation Army on national security.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The government takes the risk of foreign interference in our higher education (HE) sector extremely seriously, regardless of its source. The department has made it clear that it will not accept collaborations that compromise national security. The department recognises concerns about interference in the HE sector and regularly assesses the risks facing academia, working with partners across government. The department will continue to take steps to significantly strengthen the UK’s protections from overseas interference in our HE sector, helping to safeguard intellectual property and sensitive research.

The ‘Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023’ will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom. The Act will enable the Office for Students to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions and student unions, and to take appropriate action.

The department expects Confucius Institutes at UK universities to operate transparently and within the law, and with a full commitment to the government's values of openness and freedom of expression. The department has taken action to remove any direct or indirect government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK.

The ‘Integrated Review Refresh’, published in 2023, committed to launching a review of legislative and other measures designed to protect the academic sector, to identify what more the government could or should be doing. This is currently underway and is led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This will include an assessment of the risks to research security as a result of collaboration with international bodies.

The department also works with the sector to improve HE providers’ overall resilience and economic security. The department has encouraged Universities UK to publish a number of guidelines and case studies to enable HE providers to assess risks associated with international collaboration.


Written Question
Scallops: Isle of Man
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK businesses welcome protection for iconic British food and drink in Japan, published on 27 February 2024, what is the status of the application for the provision of protected status to Isle of Man Queenies.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the Intellectual Property provisions do not extend to the Crown Dependencies. Therefore, at present there is no application for the protection of Isle of Man Queenies in Japan. Isle of Man Queenies remain fully protected in the UK.


Written Question
Public Sector: Companies
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many spin-outs from public sector bodies the Government Office for Technology Transfer has supported with (a) financial grants and (b) knowledge asset management advice.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) does not directly support spinout companies. GOTT provides funding, advice, networks and guidance to public sector organisations to support the exploitation of public sector Knowledge Assets (such as intellectual property and data) to deliver economic, social, and financial benefits to the UK.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Monday 5th February 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department takes to ensure no mRNA vaccines are (a) procured and (b) supplied in breach of a patent.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Government has signed contracts for the supply of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, under which suppliers are required to warrant that the receipt and use of their vaccines will not infringe on any intellectual property rights.


Written Question
Trade Agreements: Canada
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to support businesses impacted by the suspension of trade negotiations with Canada.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The pause in negotiations does not impact our existing trade agreement with Canada, which underpins £25.9bn worth of trade a year. This agreement is comprehensive. It maintains zero tariffs on food and drink and a wide range of industrial goods, guarantees UK services companies access to the Canadian market, and protects Intellectual Property.


We continue to work closely with dairy exporters to monitor the impact on recent changes to market access arrangements on cheese. We are also engaging extensively with businesses who may be impacted by impending changes to the arrangements for rules of origin.


Written Question
Hitachi: Wylfa Power Station
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to acquire the Intellectual Property for the proposed advanced boiling water reactor development at Wylfa from Hitachi.

Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Wylfa is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects.

As a first step towards developing the new nuclear National Policy Statement, the Government is consulting on a proposed way forward for determining how new nuclear developments might be located. Separately, Great British Nuclear is working with Government to support access to potential sites for new nuclear projects.

Given the NPS consultation and any discussion regarding sites would be commercially sensitive, it is too early to say more on any approach to specific sites.