Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on how many occasions the Change in Circumstances Review assessment process in the Export Controls Joint Unit has led to extant export licences being revoked in each year since 2010; and what the destination country was in each case.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.
The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK’s export control responsibilities. The MOD advises DBT on the risks of diversion of exported goods and national security risks arising from hostile state activity. The Department of Business and Trade, with DBT Secretary of State as the decision-making authority, decides whether to amend, suspend or revoke any relevant licences.
We publish comprehensive Official Statistics every quarter about the decisions we make on licence applications, including any decisions to suspend or revoke licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 November 2023, what progress his Department has made on the development of a common mobile app strategy, framework and technical standards.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) has convened discussions with Chief Digital and Information Officers and Chief Technology Officers from across government to identify key principles and guardrails for the mobile app strategy. The strategy will be finalised next year, as set out in the 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data.
Alongside this, the Government Digital Service (GDS) is developing a GOV.UK App that builds upon the success of the existing GOV.UK One Login identity checking app, which has been downloaded over 5.7 million times.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria are used to decide to initiate the Change in Circumstances Review process in the Export Controls Joint Unit.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences and refuse new licence applications as circumstances require.
The Government can and does respond quickly and flexibly to changing or fluid international circumstances. ECJU has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.
The criteria for initiating this process can include, but are not limited to, protests, coup d’etats, changes to sanctions, or conflict with a neighbouring country.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will hold discussions with (a) FRP Advisory and (b) The Body Shop International Limited on alleged procedural errors in recent redundancy processes.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My officials at the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service have been working with the administrators from FRP Advisory to ensure that employee redundancy claims can be paid as soon as possible. If employee consultation requirements in relation to redundancies have not been met, their representative may make a complaint to an Employment Tribunal. If the complaint is upheld, the Tribunal has discretionary power to make a Protective Award in compensation to the affected employees.
Administrators are licenced by a regulatory body, which would be responsible for investigating any matters relating to their conduct as officeholders. The Insolvency Service will review complaints about the conduct of the company’s directors to assess whether further investigation would be appropriate.
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, what the value of her Department's (a) remote and (b) non-remote quantifiable contingent liabilities was on (i) 31 March (A) 2017, (B) 2018, (C) 2019, (D) 2020, (E) 2021, (F) 2022 and (G) 2023 and (ii) 26 March 2024.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The value of departmental contingent liabilities for the periods up to and including the 2022/23 financial year have already been published in the former Department for International Trade's Annual Report and Accounts which is available at the following location:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-trade-annual-report-and-accounts.
Contingent liabilities for the current financial year will be published in the Department for Business and Trade's Annual Report and Accounts in due course.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the provisions of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 on the ability of trade unions to represent their members in workplace disputes.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Strikes Act does not prevent or restrict the ability of trade unions to represent their members in workplace disputes, nor does it remove the ability for strikes to take place. It simply ensures there is a balance between the ability to strike and the need to ensure the public can continue to access essential services during strike action.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many industry secondees worked in what departments of the Competition and Markets Authority in financial year 2022/23.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the financial year 2022 to 2023 there were a total of 23 industry secondees working at the Competition and Markets Authority. One was working in Enforcement, nine in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser and thirteen in Legal Services.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will make an assessment of the likelihood of the presence of (a) engines and (b) engine parts produced by UAV Engines, Staffordshire, in the Hermes 450 drone used in the strikes on World Central Kitchen vehicles.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
We continue to monitor the situation in Israel and Gaza closely but are not commenting on specific licences.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The UK operates one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world.
We are carefully reviewing initial findings of Israel’s investigations into the killing of World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers.
The findings of the inquiry must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability.
Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure coordination across Government departments on the efficient implementation of the full infected blood compensation scheme.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Ministerial colleagues and I, as well as officials in the Cabinet Office and relevant other Government Departments, are working closely to ensure effective design and implementation of the Government response to Inquiry, with regular meetings and engagement across Whitehall.
The Government is committed to responding to the recommendations made by Sir Brian Langstaff in full, after the publication of the final report. The Government has appointed an expert group to provide advice on recommendations regarding compensation, and we are bringing forward amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill at Report Stage in the Other Place to speed up the Government response to the Inquiry.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to ensure there are no delays to implementation of the final Infected Blood inquiry compensation report.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Ministerial colleagues and I, as well as officials in the Cabinet Office and relevant other Government Departments, are working closely to ensure effective design and implementation of the Government response to Inquiry, with regular meetings and engagement across Whitehall.
The Government is committed to responding to the recommendations made by Sir Brian Langstaff in full, after the publication of the final report. The Government has appointed an expert group to provide advice on recommendations regarding compensation, and we are bringing forward amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill at Report Stage in the Other Place to speed up the Government response to the Inquiry.