:00:11. > :00:19.Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Business
:00:20. > :00:27.Innovation and Skills. Good morning. Mr Speaker, I am sure the House will
:00:28. > :00:32.want to join me in sending best wishes to Tim Peake who has blasted
:00:33. > :00:36.towards space only 20 minutds ago. We are reforming technical dducation
:00:37. > :00:41.and making clear written to education and employment. Wd are
:00:42. > :00:47.spending ?2.5 billion on apprenticeships and ?1.5 billion on
:00:48. > :00:56.adult skills. We are establhshing specialist colleges. I would like to
:00:57. > :01:01.join the Secretary of State. There are a pulled or of opportunhties.
:01:02. > :01:05.Does the Minister agree that prioritising funding for yotng
:01:06. > :01:13.adults is the right thing to do for a Conservative Government? H
:01:14. > :01:18.absolutely agree and I know that he cares passionately about skhlls for
:01:19. > :01:23.young adults. We have priorhtised spending in further education in the
:01:24. > :01:26.recent spending review and this will allow colleges, like Lincoln
:01:27. > :01:40.College, to offer more to young people. Further education colleges
:01:41. > :01:43.are vital in engineering and construction apprenticeships, where
:01:44. > :01:47.there is a shortage of skills across the country. What assessment he has
:01:48. > :01:51.the Minister made in the cuts in funding to further education
:01:52. > :01:57.colleges in delivering thesd much needed agendas. I'm surprisdd he's
:01:58. > :02:01.talking about cuts in furthdr education spending. I know the party
:02:02. > :02:05.opposite was care among abott that, but we have protected the adult
:02:06. > :02:09.education budget and we are doubling spending on apprenticeships and we
:02:10. > :02:16.have extended the availabilhty of loans. This taken together will mean
:02:17. > :02:22.that by 2020 there will be `n increase in further education
:02:23. > :02:26.spending 35% could better this year. I welcome the removal of thd cap on
:02:27. > :02:30.university places, but what assessment has been made of the
:02:31. > :02:36.effect of the removal of th`t cap on further education colleges, such as
:02:37. > :02:44.the one in my constituency, as they are fishing from the same pool in
:02:45. > :02:52.terms of apprenticeships? I welcome the question from my right
:02:53. > :02:55.honourable friend. There is an increase in that and that's the kind
:02:56. > :03:00.of diversity and grow the B want to see. It is smoke and mirrors with
:03:01. > :03:06.the Secretary of State becatse he knows the Chancellor has announced
:03:07. > :03:11.an extra ?360 million of savings to the adult skills budget. Will he
:03:12. > :03:19.come to the dispatch box and come clean and tell us where the cuts
:03:20. > :03:23.will be made? I can tell thd Honourable Gentleman that there will
:03:24. > :03:27.be a skills funding letter hssued by my department that will answer some
:03:28. > :03:33.of the questions that he rahses but he misses the point I made ` moment
:03:34. > :03:37.ago. The adult education budget is protected, we are doubling the
:03:38. > :03:40.spending on apprenticeships, and the further education budget will be up
:03:41. > :03:49.by the end of this Parliament in real terms. Mr Speaker, the Met
:03:50. > :03:53.office plays a key role in our economy. The public weather service
:03:54. > :03:59.assessed that as delivering up to ?1.5 billion of annual valud. I am a
:04:00. > :04:04.shareholder and I hope them to account to ensure that they deliver
:04:05. > :04:11.value for money for the taxpayer. The BBC reported in 2012 th`t in 11
:04:12. > :04:15.of the previous 12 years prddictions about increases in temperattre had
:04:16. > :04:20.been wrong and there had bedn a warm bias. Should the Minister bd asking
:04:21. > :04:24.some tough questions at the next board meeting as to why we should be
:04:25. > :04:27.imposed on climate change policies on businesses and householddrs when
:04:28. > :04:37.the predictions behind them often prove to be an accurate? I like to
:04:38. > :04:43.ask difficult questions. In my honourable friend own consthtuency
:04:44. > :04:46.the Met office plays a key role in protecting property and lacd. We
:04:47. > :04:56.should commend them and the work that they do. Question numbdr three.
:04:57. > :05:01.I cheer the exporter implemdntation task force which is driving support
:05:02. > :05:07.for exports. In November, wd launched a five-year exporthng is
:05:08. > :05:13.great campaign which promotds global export opportunities to bushness. In
:05:14. > :05:18.November I hosted an event hn my constituency with the China -Britain
:05:19. > :05:23.business Council. I asked more businesses to come to find out more
:05:24. > :05:31.with trading with China. It is helping to organise 50 people
:05:32. > :05:37.organise similar events. How will the Minister help small bushnesses
:05:38. > :05:41.expand into these markets? Can I commend my honourable friend on her
:05:42. > :05:46.efforts to encourage businesses in her constituency to export lore to
:05:47. > :05:51.China. While exports to China have doubles, there is a lot mord
:05:52. > :05:53.potential. The recent visit by the Chinese president helped to
:05:54. > :06:02.highlight that and the effort that she is making is an example to us
:06:03. > :06:06.all. What steps has the Secretary of State taken since the steel summits
:06:07. > :06:16.to increase trade opportunities for the UK's steel industry? He makes an
:06:17. > :06:19.important point, the more that we can exports of the higher v`lue
:06:20. > :06:23.steel products, the more we can help. We have been discussing this
:06:24. > :06:28.with steel producers and we are coming up with a plan. They will
:06:29. > :06:33.feature in our trade meetings that we have in due course. Next month I
:06:34. > :06:40.will be hosting an event to encourage more local businesses to
:06:41. > :06:44.consider exporting. Can my right honourable friend outline what the
:06:45. > :06:53.Government is doing to encotrage new businesses to export? I can talk of
:06:54. > :06:59.a number of initiatives. Thdre is a website, a road show that whll be
:07:00. > :07:14.visiting constituencies, thd work that UK TIA are doing -- UKTI. There
:07:15. > :07:18.will also be a Midlands would show. As part of the work of the dxporter
:07:19. > :07:23.implementation group, will the Secretary of State explore `ll
:07:24. > :07:28.options to access new markets for all of our farm produce.
:07:29. > :07:39.Particularly in North America and Southeast Asia. Absolutely. The
:07:40. > :07:42.honourable lady makes a good point. This has been taken very seriously.
:07:43. > :07:48.One thing we have done recently is to move some of the UKTI resources
:07:49. > :07:55.into the Secretary of State department so there is bettdr
:07:56. > :07:58.coordination. I was talking to a senior Indian businessmen and asked
:07:59. > :08:01.him how we could increase trade with India. He said there one thhng we
:08:02. > :08:09.could do is leave the Europdan Union. With the Secretary of State,
:08:10. > :08:17.either as Secretary of Statd or personally, endorse these comments?
:08:18. > :08:20.Last week I was speaking to a lot of Indian businessmen and women and a
:08:21. > :08:23.lot of Indian students and there is one area that we can certainly
:08:24. > :08:32.increase our exports to Indha and an active education. -- increase our
:08:33. > :08:41.exports to India and that is in education. The trade deficit is
:08:42. > :08:46.widening. Exports of goods, perhaps he should listen to this, exports of
:08:47. > :08:53.goods from the UK actually fell last month by ?700 million. It is a pity
:08:54. > :09:00.we cannot exports spin as the Government is very good at that
:09:01. > :09:07.What is his excuse for the Government's dismal record on the
:09:08. > :09:10.trade deficit? The Honourable Gentleman shouldn't do down our
:09:11. > :09:20.world-class exporters as thdy are doing a fantastic job. They can
:09:21. > :09:26.exports wine to France, chocolate to Belgium, boomerang is to st`y
:09:27. > :09:35.earlier. I fear this is the same boomerang that keeps coming back.
:09:36. > :09:38.Question number four, Mr Spdaker. Mr Speaker, we have given employers
:09:39. > :09:42.control over apprenticeships standards and we require thdm all to
:09:43. > :09:46.last 12 months and involve substantial of the job training We
:09:47. > :09:48.will be setting up an indepdndent employer led Institute to ilprove
:09:49. > :09:58.standards and ensure qualitx in the future. I thank the Minister for his
:09:59. > :10:00.response and I welcome the fact there have been almost 1100
:10:01. > :10:04.apprenticeships starting in the last 12 months and my constituency, but I
:10:05. > :10:07.know there are concerns frol business that there may be ` focus
:10:08. > :10:14.on quantity and not quality. What assurances can the Minister gave
:10:15. > :10:21.that that will not be the c`se. There is no tension between quality
:10:22. > :10:28.and quantity. We want better quality because they're more employdrs will
:10:29. > :10:30.offer apprenticeships, like BMW and I welcome the high-quality
:10:31. > :10:37.apprenticeships that they are creating. The Minister will know
:10:38. > :10:43.that Ofsted have said apprenticeships are not good enough.
:10:44. > :10:48.A lot of people in industry believe that the only way the 3 million
:10:49. > :10:49.target will be hit will be by reducing quality further. What
:10:50. > :11:01.reassurance can he provide? Ofsted has highlighted a pr`ctice
:11:02. > :11:08.which was familiar to all of ours for a long time and has inspired the
:11:09. > :11:11.reforms we are putting in place to replace all apprenticeships with the
:11:12. > :11:18.standards agreed by employers that have two last at least 12 months and
:11:19. > :11:23.at least 25% of the job trahning. We are ensuring that we will h`ve
:11:24. > :11:29.increased quality at all levels Where I disagree is in the
:11:30. > :11:34.suggestion that a level to scholarship is not high-quality
:11:35. > :11:40.Existing level to apprenticdships increase incomes on average by 1%
:11:41. > :11:46.three to five years later. There were 970 new starts in my
:11:47. > :11:51.constituency last year, manx in engineering and technology. Will he
:11:52. > :11:57.join me by congratulating those apprenticeship is and does he agree
:11:58. > :12:04.that it shows our commitment to apprenticeships of high quality It
:12:05. > :12:13.is a stunning achievement in his constituency and I know that it is
:12:14. > :12:19.in large part due to the excellent Pro Pat which is one of the first
:12:20. > :12:27.institutions to have become a college in a long time. I would be
:12:28. > :12:35.happy to revisit it any timd. Can I suggest that he finds way to harness
:12:36. > :12:41.the power of trade unions in this area? A very interesting suggestion.
:12:42. > :12:46.The honourable gentleman will know that I greatly value the work the
:12:47. > :12:50.trade unions do in encouraghng employees to take up training
:12:51. > :13:04.opportunities and it is why we continue to fund Union Learn In That
:13:05. > :13:08.Direction. Snap on is a major manufacturer of tools and its UK
:13:09. > :13:13.headquarters is in Kettering, because they are looking to increase
:13:14. > :13:25.investment in apprenticeships, would he accent my -- accent my invitation
:13:26. > :13:38.to come and open the institttion next month. If the whips allowed me,
:13:39. > :13:45.I will be there. My departmdnt is leading cross Parliament work on
:13:46. > :13:48.apprentices. The UK export hub will travel around the country to give
:13:49. > :13:55.assistance face-to-face to exporters. Feedback from business in
:13:56. > :14:01.my constituency suggests th`t there needs to be more support for SMEs
:14:02. > :14:05.exporting less than half ?1 million worth of goods and once givdn
:14:06. > :14:11.support it is complicated bx red tape. How would he minister
:14:12. > :14:17.responded to those businessds? I agree that we should always look to
:14:18. > :14:23.do more to help SMEs export more. He may know that we recently h`d a
:14:24. > :14:34.regional trade mission, the Northern Powerhouse trade mission, which I
:14:35. > :14:44.lead, to the Far East. It included companies from his constitudncy The
:14:45. > :14:52.airline has exported luxury boats across the world but we havd heard
:14:53. > :14:57.news of redundancies. Many of the employees are currently on lay-offs
:14:58. > :15:02.periods and reduced pay. Wotld he do what he can to make sure redundancy
:15:03. > :15:07.payments are expedited, particularly with Christmas around the corner. It
:15:08. > :15:18.is a difficult time and I whll look into that with discussions to find a
:15:19. > :15:21.potential buyer. Does the government foresee difficulties long-tdrm with
:15:22. > :15:27.the transatlantic trade agrdement with the United States. Espdcially
:15:28. > :15:34.with regard to exporting to the United Kingdom agricultural food
:15:35. > :15:44.products. Discussions are still going on. It is by its very nation
:15:45. > :15:50.complicated. Agri- products need carefully looking at. Once the
:15:51. > :15:57.dealers done, it could be worth ?400 to every household in the UK. In my
:15:58. > :16:01.former career, I exported broadcasting equipment to 48
:16:02. > :16:03.countries worldwide, no thanks to the EU and their regulations.
:16:04. > :16:25.Really, you need to have ten three X chutzpah to export. How can we go
:16:26. > :16:30.about getting more of that? Wenping can be sure of is that the
:16:31. > :16:37.honourable gentleman has pldnty of chutzpah and I'm he will deliver
:16:38. > :16:45.more of that. We want all Company to do everything they can. The
:16:46. > :16:50.government's so-called support for exports has seen grants converted to
:16:51. > :16:56.loans and the sudden closurd of the business growth service. Businesses
:16:57. > :17:01.supported by it grew four thmes faster than other businesses. The
:17:02. > :17:07.scheme created 83,000 jobs `nd netted over 3.5 billion to the
:17:08. > :17:13.National economy. As one mentors said, the closure doesn't m`ke sense
:17:14. > :17:18.considering its huge success and may prove detrimental to Britain's
:17:19. > :17:24.economic help. What message does the closure send to businesses that want
:17:25. > :17:39.to grow and given the outst`nding record of success it to show and --
:17:40. > :17:45.doesn't it show the governmdnt attitude to export. There w`s little
:17:46. > :17:50.evidence that it was the best way to help those businesses which is to
:17:51. > :17:55.make sure we have a continuhng the growing economy, faster than our
:17:56. > :18:01.rivals, so we can support the long-term economic plan. We are
:18:02. > :18:13.providing 39 LEPs with fundhng through growth hubs. Employdrs with
:18:14. > :18:19.a payroll bill of over ?3 mhllion per year will be required to pay the
:18:20. > :18:27.apprenticeship levy which whll raise ?3 billion to support apprenticeship
:18:28. > :18:30.training throughout Scotland. We hope that the apprenticeship levy
:18:31. > :18:36.will provide opportunities for young people south of the border, as well
:18:37. > :18:41.as the 25,000 who started an apprenticeship in Scotland this
:18:42. > :18:49.year. Is he aware of the Association of learning providers concerns that
:18:50. > :18:55.the money raised by the levx is likely to be less than was
:18:56. > :19:00.previously thought? I'm delhghted that he is proud of the 25,000
:19:01. > :19:04.modern apprenticeship starts in Scotland. We are proud of the half a
:19:05. > :19:10.million stats that we have had in the last year in England. It would
:19:11. > :19:13.suggest that we can both take pride in our commitment to
:19:14. > :19:15.apprenticeships. I hope we will welcome the fact that the
:19:16. > :19:25.apprenticeship levy will be generating resources that whll
:19:26. > :19:32.impart the sent to Scotland. The oil and gas industry faces disthnct
:19:33. > :19:41.challenges at present. I know that this levy May represent a
:19:42. > :19:44.significant challenge to those businesses. It represents an
:19:45. > :19:50.additional cost at a time when controlling cost is of paralount
:19:51. > :20:02.importance. Will he meet a delegation from the industrx to hear
:20:03. > :20:10.their concerns and how they can take advantage of these circumst`nces? I
:20:11. > :20:18.will ask them what they think of her party's plans for Scotland which
:20:19. > :20:27.rested on an oil price of ?000 per barrel. It would currently find
:20:28. > :20:32.themselves linked to the IMF. We are protecting funding for adult
:20:33. > :20:37.education at 1.5 billion per year in cash terms. We are extending advance
:20:38. > :20:43.loans to adult learners and increasing spending on adult
:20:44. > :20:49.apprenticeships to ?1.5 million by 2020. This means that the total
:20:50. > :20:57.funding for adult skills tr`ining will be 36% higher in the l`st year
:20:58. > :21:02.of this parliament man in the first. Salford city College is one of over
:21:03. > :21:10.100 colleges who have protested at real year-on-year funding ctts. A
:21:11. > :21:15.mounting now to 40%. Despitd this promise not to cut adult skhlls from
:21:16. > :21:23.FC colleges Treasury documents now say that there will be ?360 billion
:21:24. > :21:29.worth of savings and efficidncies. Can the Minister tell others how
:21:30. > :21:34.this can be achieved? Her college like many others wrote to the Prime
:21:35. > :21:40.Minister before the spending review and in response to the flag,waving
:21:41. > :21:45.before from the opposition who predicted a 25-40% cut in the adult
:21:46. > :21:49.skills budget. If the honourable lady had taken the trouble to attend
:21:50. > :21:54.the spending review she would have heard that actually he is protecting
:21:55. > :21:58.it in cash terms while incrdasing the funding for apprenticeships
:21:59. > :22:03.which colleges could bid for. If she spoke to her college, she would
:22:04. > :22:10.discover that they are pleasantly surprised by the funding settlement.
:22:11. > :22:17.Any credible long-term economic plan would recognise the critical
:22:18. > :22:24.importance of adult reskillhng but this government has systematically
:22:25. > :22:29.cut adult skills by 40% since 2 10 including a 24% cut in Febrtary of
:22:30. > :22:34.non-printed ship funding. That is probably why the Chancellor. About
:22:35. > :22:40.making any reference to the further cuts in the Autumn leaving ht in his
:22:41. > :22:47.blue book to talk about savhng through efficiencies. Will the
:22:48. > :22:54.Minister say precisely what the ?1.5 billion he talks off of cord funding
:22:55. > :23:05.is made up of? Does it incltde over 25 you rolled Lowes, 50% of which
:23:06. > :23:15.won't be taken up? Aisling ,- 25-year-old loans. I am earning my
:23:16. > :23:22.salary today. We have launched a process to consider every area's
:23:23. > :23:28.skills needs. And how we can best meet them. The Kent review hs due to
:23:29. > :23:37.start in 2016. I welcome thd review and I would like to point ott that
:23:38. > :23:42.Sittingbourne, the largest town in Kent is without its own further
:23:43. > :23:47.education college. We have `n opportunity to change that situation
:23:48. > :23:52.and I invite the Minister to visit the skills Centre in my constituency
:23:53. > :24:00.to learn how it could be easily and cheaply X banded into a small
:24:01. > :24:04.college. I have had a message from the whips saying that they would
:24:05. > :24:10.only be too delighted to allow me to visit more constituencies. Of
:24:11. > :24:14.course, we don't hear from the opposition celebrating when new
:24:15. > :24:18.institutions are setup, including the Swale skills Centre which has
:24:19. > :24:21.been set up by a very successful academies trust which is already
:24:22. > :24:33.doing a great job of running local schools. I consulted on the proposal
:24:34. > :24:38.to free student loan repaymdnt threshold and received responses
:24:39. > :24:45.from interested parties. I have decided to proceed with the freezing
:24:46. > :24:48.of the threshold. Does the Secretary of State agree that if if a
:24:49. > :24:53.commercial company had made a retrospective change to a contract
:24:54. > :24:59.in this way, costing students ? ,000 in the process, there would likely
:25:00. > :25:04.be an investigation? Does hd accept that in doing so he has bre`ched the
:25:05. > :25:10.trust of former, current and future students? I accept that these were
:25:11. > :25:17.the right set of changes. I considered the responses carefully.
:25:18. > :25:22.It is important to strike the right balance between students having the
:25:23. > :25:27.ability and opportunity to go to university and the interests of the
:25:28. > :25:33.taxpayer, making sure we have an affordable and sustainable funding
:25:34. > :25:37.process. Can the Secretary of State confirmed despite negative, it is
:25:38. > :25:40.opposite that record levels of young people secure places at university,
:25:41. > :25:47.including from disadvantaged backgrounds? My honourable friend is
:25:48. > :25:53.absolutely right. That is true of England. We have seen a record
:25:54. > :26:01.increase to 382,000 people hn the last year and the number of
:26:02. > :26:05.disadvantaged students has gone up from 9.5% to 18.2%. In Scotland we
:26:06. > :26:09.have seen a fall because thdy don't have a funding system that `llows
:26:10. > :26:14.everyone to go to universitx who wants to to do so.
:26:15. > :26:22.Given the report in the Inddpendent that Cabinet ministers are tried to
:26:23. > :26:26.find a way to increase the cap on tuition fee without a proper vote in
:26:27. > :26:29.the House, can the Secretarx of State confirm that any attelpt to
:26:30. > :26:33.increase the cap on two agencies will come back to the House for a
:26:34. > :26:36.debate and a belt and can you confirm that Government proposals in
:26:37. > :26:42.the Autumn Statement to extdnd tuition fees to nurses, midwives and
:26:43. > :26:48.health subjects will also bd subject to a proper debate and vote in the
:26:49. > :26:56.House? If the Government dods decide to change the cap on tuition fee
:26:57. > :26:58.there will be a debate in the House. Robbie Secretary of State agree that
:26:59. > :27:03.retrospectively changing thd terms of the contract is mis-sellhng? And
:27:04. > :27:07.will he guarantee that in this Parliament there will be no further
:27:08. > :27:14.changes to thresholds or interest rates? The changes in questhon are
:27:15. > :27:23.lawful, that is the advice that I have received. It is consistent with
:27:24. > :27:27.the games. Honourable members should remember that the loans that are
:27:28. > :27:30.provided are on better terms than what is available commercially and
:27:31. > :27:34.it allows all those who want to go to university to have the ability to
:27:35. > :27:44.do so. Question number ten, Mr Speaker. Could I am so this question
:27:45. > :27:48.and question 14 together. I was delighted that in the spendhng
:27:49. > :27:53.review the Government committed an extra ?900 million for aerospace
:27:54. > :27:59.research and development, mdaning that Government will invest nearly
:28:00. > :28:08.?2 billion on aerospace resdarch over 13 years to 2025 and 2026. This
:28:09. > :28:13.will mean that our world le`ding aerospace industry can stay at the
:28:14. > :28:18.forefront and capitalise on the estimated ?3.6 trillion market for
:28:19. > :28:27.new aircraft that will be ndeded in the next 20 years. I recently met
:28:28. > :28:33.the trade union representathves for two sites in my constituencx. They
:28:34. > :28:37.welcome the contingency of support for the aerospace industry, but they
:28:38. > :28:38.remain concerned about the outsourcing of high-value
:28:39. > :28:43.engineering jobs to low-cost countries. What more can my
:28:44. > :28:48.honourable friend do to address this concern? I'm happy to meet with the
:28:49. > :28:53.Honourable Gentleman to discuss these concerns and I should say that
:28:54. > :28:57.Rolls-Royce and beer was thhs sector is a major contributor to the
:28:58. > :29:01.economy in the United Kingdom so we understand how important it is and
:29:02. > :29:06.that is why we have protectdd and extended the investment that we are
:29:07. > :29:09.making in research and development. The recent announcement of the
:29:10. > :29:17.expansion of the year will help enterprise zone in Cornwall has been
:29:18. > :29:24.welcomed in Cornwall. -- thd aerospace enterprise zone. This is
:29:25. > :29:31.Cromwell and opportunity to be awarded the aerospace... He will
:29:32. > :29:35.continue to make that case because a number of airports are in the
:29:36. > :29:41.running and we aim to launch the selection process next year. The
:29:42. > :29:47.United Kingdom space sector, we have heard there is great news about the
:29:48. > :29:52.launch today, with Tim Peakd going into space. Ground control can
:29:53. > :30:00.report that the UK space sector has almost doubled, ?11.8 billion. It is
:30:01. > :30:06.most unfortunate that the honourable members opposite are now singing and
:30:07. > :30:11.it is not good. I hope that they might cheer at these facts, ?11 8
:30:12. > :30:18.billion in just seven years. Employing 37,000 people. Send but no
:30:19. > :30:27.member of this House can match David Bowie. That is relevant as far as
:30:28. > :30:33.ground control is concerned. Rolls-Royce 's strategic importance
:30:34. > :30:38.to our aerospace industry, not just in my constituency but also in
:30:39. > :30:43.Sheffield in Bristol. Can I ask Minister what the Government is
:30:44. > :30:46.prepared to do to safeguard that capacity, which we know is
:30:47. > :30:54.increasingly in the news at the moment, to ensure and safegtard the
:30:55. > :30:58.future of the industry, makhng sure that the UK stays at the forefront
:30:59. > :31:05.of it was this manufacturing. We should mention the importance of
:31:06. > :31:09.Rolls-Royce to a city like Derby. We are monitoring the situation
:31:10. > :31:12.carefully. We recognise the importance that Rolls-Royce placed
:31:13. > :31:18.to our economy and it is important that we do not talk things down
:31:19. > :31:22.There is a tendency on the opposite side to talk things down and it is
:31:23. > :31:29.important that we do not do that and we continue to support Rolls-Royce.
:31:30. > :31:35.In order to stop Rolls-Roycd falling into the hands of the Chinese, why
:31:36. > :31:42.does this Government not take Rolls-Royce back into public
:31:43. > :31:46.ownership? I know the Honourable Gentleman will have trouble
:31:47. > :31:51.understanding this, but it hs 2 15 and we're not back in the 1860s and
:31:52. > :31:56.the dark days of the 1970s `nd we know we have a long-term economic
:31:57. > :32:04.plan that actually delivers, unlike his plan which is a disaster for our
:32:05. > :32:07.country. As we have heard from our honourable friends, we have been
:32:08. > :32:13.watching the recent developlents in relation to Rolls-Royce verx
:32:14. > :32:16.closely, not only because of the implications for security, but
:32:17. > :32:20.because it is the biggest elployer for Britain's it was space sector.
:32:21. > :32:26.As we have heard from the Mhnister, the global air crash market is going
:32:27. > :32:32.to be worth considerable money in the next 20 years we welcomd the
:32:33. > :32:37.investment in the game technology Institute. But is it not tile that
:32:38. > :32:40.the Secretary of State developed an industrial strategy rather than
:32:41. > :32:44.continuing with this piecemdal approach? I am not going to repeat
:32:45. > :32:52.everything I have said about continuing investment. ?900 million
:32:53. > :32:56.of taxpayers' money going into aerospace. We recognise its
:32:57. > :33:00.significance and it is easy to put labels on it. It doesn't matter what
:33:01. > :33:09.labelled you put on it, it hs about delivery and that is what wd are
:33:10. > :33:13.doing. As my right honourable friend the Chancellor demonstrated, the
:33:14. > :33:18.Government puts investment `s a top priority in our long-term economic
:33:19. > :33:23.plan. I'm delighted at the announcement that the science budget
:33:24. > :33:27.will be ring fenced. In addhtion, the Prime Minister has recently
:33:28. > :33:31.announced a 50% increase in our funding of climate finance `nd we
:33:32. > :33:36.have just announced ?60 million into the energy research acceler`tor
:33:37. > :33:44.Launching an investment coalition in Paris at the weekend made the point
:33:45. > :33:48.that if we are to avoid global warming we need to develop new
:33:49. > :33:53.renewable energy technology. To ensure that the UK places p`rt, what
:33:54. > :33:59.progress has the Minister m`de to make sure that the green funds
:34:00. > :34:07.receives the money it needs an its green mandate. I'm sure the
:34:08. > :34:10.Honourable Gentleman will announce Scott back well, the Prime
:34:11. > :34:20.Minister's announcement that he will be supporting the industry. It turns
:34:21. > :34:26.over ?45 billion for the Brhtish economy and 4.8 billion of dxports.
:34:27. > :34:31.By allowing the bank to raise money we will generate more money for the
:34:32. > :34:36.green economy which is going in this Government like never beford. The
:34:37. > :34:40.North Sea oil and gas sector faces significant challenges that the
:34:41. > :34:43.current time, with a need for a collegiate approach to rese`rch and
:34:44. > :34:48.development to fuel innovathon and to drive down costs. Will the
:34:49. > :34:54.Minister consider setting up a North Sea oil and gas innovation Centre,
:34:55. > :35:04.similar to the successful offshore wind catapult. On the East Coast and
:35:05. > :35:11.in Scotland this country is leading in this field of offshore energy. We
:35:12. > :35:14.have just funded the offshore energy Centre and I would be happy to look
:35:15. > :35:22.at the specific idea that hd recommends. It is extremely
:35:23. > :35:25.disappointing, a missed opportunity, damaging and a disgrace. Thdse were
:35:26. > :35:30.the words and phrases used to describe this Government's decision
:35:31. > :35:34.to withdraw ?1 billion of ftnding from carbon capture and storage
:35:35. > :35:37.Hundreds of jobs from the alenities in the north-east of Scotland and
:35:38. > :35:40.the opportunity to be at thd forefront of low carbon innovation
:35:41. > :35:43.is now lost. The Government will instead spend hundreds of mhllions
:35:44. > :35:45.of pounds of subsidising research into the Government will instead
:35:46. > :35:47.spend hundreds of millions of pounds of subsidising research into Nicola
:35:48. > :35:50.energy. In light of this decision, with the Minister like to t`ke the
:35:51. > :35:53.opportunity to explain to the people of Peterhead and the north-dast and
:35:54. > :36:00.he has supported them to be world leaders and innovation? It hs a
:36:01. > :36:05.pleasure to follow that spedch. I will happily repeat the figtre that
:36:06. > :36:09.I just gave you. The Prime Linister has announced ?400 billion of extra
:36:10. > :36:11.funding for energy finance. We have made announcements and you show
:36:12. > :36:16.researching I did make the point that one of the lessons for Scotland
:36:17. > :36:23.is to reduce its dependency on public sector funding. 20% of the
:36:24. > :36:28.funding went to Scotland, that is ?560 million, when only represents
:36:29. > :36:30.10% of bill payers. We need to support the green economy in
:36:31. > :36:35.Scotland as we are in the rdst of the country. The Minister whll be
:36:36. > :36:42.aware that a major investment was announcing the spending revhew of
:36:43. > :36:44.?250 million for a small modular reactors, something that has now
:36:45. > :36:49.welcomed in the north-western will make a big difference to our ability
:36:50. > :36:56.to meet our climate change targets. What is crucial as a result of this
:36:57. > :37:02.is that the UK owns the IPI that comes out of this. But he m`ke sure
:37:03. > :37:06.this is the case? My honour`ble friend is an expert in this matter
:37:07. > :37:12.and I were looking to the point that he makes. Our support for the green
:37:13. > :37:17.economy is now ?45 billion sector in this country and we are gendrating
:37:18. > :37:24.the technologies that are ldading into 21st-century green energy and
:37:25. > :37:27.look into the points that hd makes. The enterprise bill which is going
:37:28. > :37:31.through the other place will create a small business Commissiondr and
:37:32. > :37:36.one of their import rules whll be to make sure that this continuhng
:37:37. > :37:40.problem with late payment is brought to an end. We have other me`sures on
:37:41. > :37:46.hand to make sure that therd is reporting, but we're making good
:37:47. > :37:52.progress on this. Cheltenhal's superb small shops and businesses
:37:53. > :37:55.rely some people getting out from behind their computers and visiting
:37:56. > :38:01.local shops. In those circulstances, those are my honourable fridnd agree
:38:02. > :38:04.that the local authority should provide flexible and cheap parking
:38:05. > :38:12.to support small businesses and shopping? I am afraid I am ` little
:38:13. > :38:16.bit of message. I take a radical approach to parking. I would take
:38:17. > :38:23.the view that there should be no parking charges in any towns. The
:38:24. > :38:29.car parks belonged to the pdople. There are times when the local
:38:30. > :38:35.authority does want to put hn car parking charges. A good exalple is
:38:36. > :38:40.in one area where there used to make sure people do not abuse thdm. But
:38:41. > :38:43.as much as possible we should be supporting town centres and small
:38:44. > :38:51.businesses, so we should not be charging people to park in their own
:38:52. > :38:57.home town. Mr Speaker, in the spirit of Christmas, can I invite the whole
:38:58. > :39:01.ministerial team to come to Huddersfield where they can learn
:39:02. > :39:07.about spinning and weaving `nd I can arrange for them to have a wonderful
:39:08. > :39:14.city made like this one I al wearing. -- a wonderful suit. They
:39:15. > :39:21.have a textile centre for excellence and a top about the pressurd of
:39:22. > :39:25.small businesses. The Government wants to take us out of Europe and
:39:26. > :39:30.to stop us from being able to export to the rest of the world. It was
:39:31. > :39:36.going so well and I was going to be a Christmas fairy. Everyone knows my
:39:37. > :39:39.views on the European Union and the views of the Prime Minister. We want
:39:40. > :39:43.to stay in a reformed Europdan Union. In the spirit of Chrhstmas, I
:39:44. > :39:47.would be delighted to go to Huddersfield. I could talk `bout my
:39:48. > :39:51.family's relationship of Huddersfield. I will go to
:39:52. > :39:55.Huddersfield at the Honourable Gentleman will come to my
:39:56. > :40:07.constituency. -- if the Honourable Gentleman. And alighted to tell you
:40:08. > :40:11.that I talk about cyber Brazilians a lot with the Minister. They were
:40:12. > :40:14.saying how pleased they werd to see the Chancellor's announcement
:40:15. > :40:20.doubling the budget for cybdr security to almost ?2 billion. I'm
:40:21. > :40:23.delighted that the Minister has doubled the budget, only 10$ was on
:40:24. > :40:30.consumers, the police force, or small businesses. What is hd is
:40:31. > :40:35.doing to encourage small businesses that are not able to commit huge
:40:36. > :40:38.amount of time to engaging with this? What is he is going to do for
:40:39. > :40:45.businesses to insure that they are safe online? I did not double the
:40:46. > :40:52.budget, it was the Chancellor. It is important to give him credit. I take
:40:53. > :40:58.the point very seriously. Wd do have a fantastic scheme, which allows
:40:59. > :41:02.small businesses and large businesses to get a certificate to
:41:03. > :41:03.show that they had been through a process to increase their cxber
:41:04. > :41:16.security. In the government is working hard to
:41:17. > :41:22.deliver our productivity pl`n. We will promote a dynamic economy.
:41:23. > :41:28.Productivity has been the Achilles heel of this government's economic
:41:29. > :41:34.policy. Comparisons against G-7 countries are poor and even works
:41:35. > :41:39.when compared with small and medium-sized independent cotntries.
:41:40. > :41:45.This government has been obsessed with austerity cuts and ignored
:41:46. > :41:52.innovation and efficiency. The fairer way to decrease the deficit.
:41:53. > :41:58.It is absolutely not the case. This has been a long-running isste in our
:41:59. > :42:03.country under successive governments. That is why we had an
:42:04. > :42:11.ambitious productivity plan and we have seen a 1.3% increase in output
:42:12. > :42:14.per hour which is very encotraging. After five years in charge ht is
:42:15. > :42:17.time the government took responsibility. Why has productivity
:42:18. > :42:25.been stalled for the last fhve years? After 13 years in ch`rge by
:42:26. > :42:30.the party opposite, we had the biggest recession we had sedn in 100
:42:31. > :42:42.years. It takes time to recover from that. Productivity is on thd rise.
:42:43. > :42:49.It's nice to be back. We have a very competitive broadband market and I
:42:50. > :42:55.went to York the other day to see TalkTalk premises. They are
:42:56. > :42:59.investing billions in fibre. This Friday I will be going to another
:43:00. > :43:05.company who deliver broadband to Epping Forest. We have a very
:43:06. > :43:12.competitive market. Ofcom h`ve confirmed that Hall is the only city
:43:13. > :43:20.in the country without compdtition and is in the worst 20 areas for
:43:21. > :43:29.super fast broadband access which really effects small businesses in
:43:30. > :43:37.Hull. How much of the money the government has invested will be
:43:38. > :43:45.allocated to Hull? Hull has this effectively municipal provider,
:43:46. > :43:52.Kingston Communications, and I'm pleased to say that they ard
:43:53. > :43:59.investing in broadband for the whole of Hull without need of govdrnment
:44:00. > :44:03.investment. The recent spending review delivered a strong sdttlement
:44:04. > :44:11.for many departmental sectors focusing on areas which drive up
:44:12. > :44:15.productivity. In the last otr major Tim Peake has blasted into orbit.
:44:16. > :44:22.The government has launched its space project. This policy document
:44:23. > :44:29.shows there is no limit to the UK omission in this area. We w`nt to
:44:30. > :44:38.boldly go to infinity and bdyond and our new policy will make it so. As
:44:39. > :44:43.everyone knows, to improve productivity, you need a good,
:44:44. > :44:48.strong education system. Can the Minister give a categorical
:44:49. > :44:52.assurance that further educ`tion institutions such as Blackbtrn
:44:53. > :44:59.College in my constituency will not receive a real terms funding cut as
:45:00. > :45:10.a result of the freeze in adult education funding? I agree `bout the
:45:11. > :45:14.need to boost skills. There will be areas in review so I cannot make a
:45:15. > :45:18.promise about particular institutions. But there will be an
:45:19. > :45:26.increase in real terms in F funding of more than 35% over the ldngth of
:45:27. > :45:33.the parliament. I'm sure th`t is something she would welcome. The
:45:34. > :45:37.Eden Project in my constitudncy has been running a successful
:45:38. > :45:43.apprenticeship programme in horticulture. It is going to become
:45:44. > :45:48.more and more important to leet our increasing demand for food. What
:45:49. > :45:52.support can the Minister provides to promote horticulture as an hmportant
:45:53. > :45:58.career for young people? Under the agri- tech strategy we are
:45:59. > :46:05.supporting horticulture and I recently opened a horticulttral
:46:06. > :46:09.waste production facility. We are leading an low-energy farming
:46:10. > :46:27.systems and novel use of pesticides to avoid -- use of pets to `void
:46:28. > :46:33.pesticide and hydroponics. Lay I offer my congratulations to Tim
:46:34. > :46:38.Peake on his visit to the International Space Station. Can I
:46:39. > :46:44.also paid tribute to Helen Sharman, the first British person into space.
:46:45. > :46:47.Let's do our best to inspird the next generation of scientists,
:46:48. > :46:57.mathematicians and explorers in the same way that the Muniain -, moon
:46:58. > :47:00.landings inspired my generations. Millions of jobs are linked to the
:47:01. > :47:07.European union and most belheve it is in the interests of the country
:47:08. > :47:15.to remain a member. But yesterday, the member for Shropshire ddscribed
:47:16. > :47:20.negotiations as froth and nonsense and his endless renegotiations have
:47:21. > :47:23.been described as a shambles. Does the Secretary of State agred with UK
:47:24. > :47:31.business of the Eurosceptics on his own side? If I may associatd myself
:47:32. > :47:38.with the comments made about Tim Peake and is inspiration to us all.
:47:39. > :47:45.Turning to her comments abott the EU, I agree with almost all
:47:46. > :47:48.businesses that they want to see reform and changes in our
:47:49. > :47:55.relationship with the. They want to be more competitive, easier to make
:47:56. > :48:00.deals in a deeper single market with less bureaucracy. That is what we're
:48:01. > :48:10.fighting for. We all want to see the UK remain in a reformed European
:48:11. > :48:13.union, but the Secretary of State's Eurosceptic interests are wdll known
:48:14. > :48:24.and it is not like him to bd shy about them. Is he prepared to resign
:48:25. > :48:33.from the Cabinet to fight for a British exit from the Europdan
:48:34. > :48:36.Union? When it comes to resignations, it is her party she
:48:37. > :48:57.should be worried about. I `m prepared for fighting for the
:48:58. > :49:00.renegotiations I outlined. With the Secretary of State join me hn
:49:01. > :49:04.encouraging as many businesses as possible across Worcestershhre to
:49:05. > :49:10.apply for the first round ddadline for extra funding this Frid`y? In
:49:11. > :49:14.the short time that the honourable member has been a member of
:49:15. > :49:18.Parliament he has done a lot to champion small businesses in
:49:19. > :49:21.Worcestershire. I have seen that myself first-hand. The
:49:22. > :49:24.Worcestershire growth fund hs an excellent opportunity and I
:49:25. > :49:33.encourage companies in his constituency and mine to apply. The
:49:34. > :49:36.illegal moneylending team h`s commenced 330 prosecutions `gainst
:49:37. > :49:41.illegal loan sharks and has had a ?60 million written off for the most
:49:42. > :49:51.vulnerable in our communitids. To cut its budget may not have come
:49:52. > :49:55.across his desk but he has had plenty of time to consider ht and
:49:56. > :50:00.why does he continue to dodge questions about this cut? If the
:50:01. > :50:02.honourable member had attended Prime Minister's Questions he would have
:50:03. > :50:08.heard the honourable members say that he's looking at introdtcing a
:50:09. > :50:13.levy to continue this action against loan sharks will stop that hs the
:50:14. > :50:22.Treasury to take forward and he will ask the Treasury for further details
:50:23. > :50:28.about it. A few days ago, I met the new cohort of inspirational students
:50:29. > :50:36.from the petrol College Card Academy which is providing apprenticeships
:50:37. > :50:40.at the local health care trtst. Does he agree this is a really ilportant
:50:41. > :50:44.programme for training the next generation of health care
:50:45. > :50:49.professionals locally? Absolutely. Thank you for raising it. The
:50:50. > :50:57.Academy is doing great work in developing 18 week placement courses
:50:58. > :50:59.to discover interesting carders in the health and care sector,
:51:00. > :51:05.supporting the local economx and our national skills base is the a number
:51:06. > :51:10.of organisations including electrical safety first havd
:51:11. > :51:15.welcomed the product safety review conducted ID Department for
:51:16. > :51:23.Business, Innovation and Skhlls and headed by Lynn Faulds Wood. We must
:51:24. > :51:30.increase traceability to protect customers in the UK. When whll the
:51:31. > :51:34.review be published? I've mdt Lynn Faulds Wood and I absolutelx tanked
:51:35. > :51:38.and commend her for the work done. I'm having a further meeting with
:51:39. > :51:45.her to see when we can actu`lly publish the review and make the sort
:51:46. > :51:49.of progress we all want. With the Secretary of State update the house
:51:50. > :51:53.on the objective for his recent visit to India and how best local
:51:54. > :51:58.businesses in my constituency can tap into that market? The rdcent
:51:59. > :52:06.visit was to build momentum generated by the recent visht of the
:52:07. > :52:11.Prime Minister of India. I went with the science minister to prolote
:52:12. > :52:19.getting more Indian students to come to the UK to study. I took to
:52:20. > :52:27.members of the delegation from Dorset and it is just the sort of
:52:28. > :52:32.innovation we want to see. The forecast for overall growth has been
:52:33. > :52:40.downgraded, the gap between exports has grown to 4.1 billion in October,
:52:41. > :52:44.can the Secretary of State tpdate the house on the measures t`ken to
:52:45. > :52:49.increase exports given that his current measures are clearlx not
:52:50. > :52:53.working. We have seen exports grow over the last five years, including
:52:54. > :52:59.to some of the fastest-growhng markets around the world like China
:53:00. > :53:03.and India. We obviously need to do more and that is why we havd had a
:53:04. > :53:09.number of measures mentioned earlier. It is this increasd in
:53:10. > :53:13.exports that is leading to falls in unemployment across the country and
:53:14. > :53:22.generating jobs, including ` decline in claimants in her constittency. We
:53:23. > :53:27.are aware of the value of science funding well spent. Will thd
:53:28. > :53:34.Business Secretary reassured the house that the fund for this will be
:53:35. > :53:38.ring fenced and will he appdared before the committee in Jantary to
:53:39. > :53:46.go over this in detail? I accept the invitation. Also, I take thhs
:53:47. > :53:54.opportunity to commend the honourable lady for the way she has
:53:55. > :53:59.led the committee. The ring fence I can confirm is protected in real
:54:00. > :54:04.terms, not just cash terms `nd also our commitment to spend 6.9 billion
:54:05. > :54:08.on science infrastructure over the next eight years. I'm sure she will
:54:09. > :54:18.agree, this Christmas, battdries are included. I have previously raised
:54:19. > :54:24.the industrial carbon capture storage targets which will
:54:25. > :54:30.contribute to the climate change agenda and capital investment. Will
:54:31. > :54:37.he agree with me that we nedd to explore how we might bring to
:54:38. > :54:42.fruition this important project I am more than happy to have ` meeting
:54:43. > :54:52.with him. He knows not to shout at me. I hope he will also join with me
:54:53. > :54:55.to congratulate the Secretary of State for environment and climate
:54:56. > :54:59.change for her outstanding achievement on behalf of our nation
:55:00. > :55:04.in playing an important rold in securing this important way forward
:55:05. > :55:10.to make sure that the planet we leave for our children is bdtter
:55:11. > :55:16.than the one we inherited. Carlisle and Cumbria has experienced
:55:17. > :55:21.devastating floods recently. As part of recovery, it is important to
:55:22. > :55:25.restore confidence as quickly as possible in the business colmunity.
:55:26. > :55:29.Would the Minister confirm that they will do everything to support
:55:30. > :55:34.Cumbrian businesses and makd sure that people are aware that Carlisle
:55:35. > :55:39.and Cumbria are open for business? Indeed. Could I pay to view to all
:55:40. > :55:46.members of Parliament for the great work they have done. I am got there
:55:47. > :55:57.to visit next week. I want to go to Carlisle, Cockermouth, and Kendall.
:55:58. > :56:01.I am delighted that we have secured funding for all businesses `ffected
:56:02. > :56:05.by the flooding which I think will make a huge improvement and we have
:56:06. > :56:08.done that quickly and will lake it available in time for Christmas to
:56:09. > :56:15.get all those businesses and jobs open for business.
:56:16. > :56:22.The Secretary of State has spoken about simplifying and clarifying the
:56:23. > :56:27.business environment, identhfying ?10 billion of reduction in red tape
:56:28. > :56:30.during this Parliament. So why did the Autumn Statement said that small
:56:31. > :56:33.businesses should file tax returns for times a year rather than
:56:34. > :56:37.annually? How does that help small businesses to reduce the cost and
:56:38. > :56:48.burdens -- I have a bad feeling about this. I have not heard that
:56:49. > :56:53.quote from Star Wars. It is very important that we keep deregulating
:56:54. > :56:56.the environment for small btsinesses and that was achieved in thd last
:56:57. > :57:05.Parliament. The Honourable Gentleman does know this, it is INET target
:57:06. > :57:08.and I'm confident because of the enterprise bill that we will see
:57:09. > :57:16.huge net the regulation durhng the lifetime of this Parliament. -- it
:57:17. > :57:19.is a net target. We had somd discussion this week about
:57:20. > :57:23.industrial strategy, which seems to mean all kinds of things to
:57:24. > :57:28.different people. I don't know what it means, but if I did I wotld be
:57:29. > :57:37.against it. Can the Minister please advise that while he is Secretary of
:57:38. > :57:42.State the Government will not go about... The Government belheves in
:57:43. > :57:49.free enterprise and that has motivated the economy for ddcades.
:57:50. > :57:55.We do have a plan and a str`tegy, a long-term economic plan. I'l sure
:57:56. > :58:01.the space Minister Bo praisdd the last Labour Government to establish
:58:02. > :58:05.the UK space agency and givdn that Tim Peake's and credible mission is
:58:06. > :58:10.launching today. She should say a little bit about what she whll do to
:58:11. > :58:17.spread the motivation from that to a new generation of astronauts. I did
:58:18. > :58:24.say seven years, because as you know I am not prone to partition chip --
:58:25. > :58:34.to being partisan. I wish the members opposite would do the same.
:58:35. > :58:41.I do notice that our announcement about areas of huge progress to help
:58:42. > :58:48.industries like the steel industry, no one mentions it now and says how
:58:49. > :58:52.good it is. The real trick now, and the honourable lady also mentioned
:58:53. > :58:59.this, it is important that we inspire the younger generathon, boys
:59:00. > :59:08.and girls, into the future of this kind of career, especially hn
:59:09. > :59:12.engineering. With the Minister of the House about the life schence
:59:13. > :59:15.classes as a way to stimulate start-ups, excellence and growth in
:59:16. > :59:25.the sector and of any plans for using devolution city deals for such
:59:26. > :59:35.clusters. My honourable fridnd makes an important point. Around the
:59:36. > :59:37.country, in the Scottish belts and elsewhere, we are building clusters
:59:38. > :59:41.of excellence and growth for the benefit of our citizens. I'l
:59:42. > :59:44.discussing this with the Ch`ncellor and the Department for Commtnities
:59:45. > :59:48.and Local Government about how the devolution package could wrhte in
:59:49. > :59:55.support greater development of those health clusters around the country.
:59:56. > :00:00.You talked about research and development in the aerospacd
:00:01. > :00:07.industry. In my constituencx, 6 00 are employed in this area. Could he
:00:08. > :00:11.indicate what discussions hd's had with the Northern Ireland assembly
:00:12. > :00:14.to ensure that we are part of that research and development? I have not
:00:15. > :00:19.had those discussions but I'm happy to have them with the Honourable
:00:20. > :00:25.Gentleman. My door is always open. I recognise the huge importance that
:00:26. > :00:32.it plays in his constituencx and in Northern Ireland. We must now move
:00:33. > :00:41.on. We come to the ten minute rule motion. Point of order. The day with
:00:42. > :00:53.not be complete without a point of order from the Honourable Gdntleman.
:00:54. > :00:55.I wonder if you can help me. When an MP being obstructed from dohng