Matt Vickers MP: written questions
105 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Economic Growth: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices of levels of economic growth in Northern Ireland.
Answer: Economic growth is the priority for this government, taking advantage of the UK’s unique strengths and untapped potential so we can put more money in people’s pockets, and our Industrial Strategy is central to that. The Industrial Strategy will be publish...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSkilled Workers: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54026More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to encourage a greater emphasis on developing skills for work in (a) schools and (b) colleges.
Answer: The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.The Review is being undertaken in close consult...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: Small BusinessesDepartment for EducationTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54025More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with small businesses on their needs from the apprenticeship system.
Answer: Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and apprenticeship system. They provide valuable opportunities in priority sectors for young people and apprentices from disadvantaged areas.This is why the department will continue to provide an effective ...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: Employers' ContributionsTreasuryTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54024More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure employers are aware of the National Insurance relief when hiring apprentices under 25.
Answer: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to question 50506: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-05-07/50506
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: Small BusinessesDepartment for EducationTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54023More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of fully funding apprenticeships for under-22s in SMEs on apprenticeship starts.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for Stockton West to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 42594.
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGenetically Modified Organisms: Plants and LivestockDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on genetic editing to prevent diseases in (a) plants and (b) livestock.
Answer: The secondary legislation necessary to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England has successfully passed through Parliament and was passed into law on 13 May 2025. Through this enabling regulatory framework, crop...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTransport: North of EnglandDepartment for TransportTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's publication Network North transforming British transport published in October 2023, when she plans to release this funding.
Answer: The previous government announced investment for several transport capital schemes which were unfunded, and this government has had to make difficult decisions about priorities for infrastructure and transport investment. This process is still continuing,...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Products: SalesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53662More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to encourage people to buy UK produce.
Answer: Defra is working in partnership across the food system, the Government and four nations to develop an ambitious new food strategy which delivers a food system we can be even more proud of. It will help protect our British traditions, unlock the food secto...
Answered 30 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: GrantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53661More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent changes he has made to the Capital Grants scheme.
Answer: Defra announced on 24 February 2025 that the standalone Capital Grants scheme will re-open in summer 2025. We will introduce maximum grant thresholds for 4 groups of capital items in the standalone capital offer, from summer 2025. The thresholds will be £...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase biosecurity.
Answer: Biosecurity is paramount – it underpins safe food; protects human, animal and plant health; and supports a prospering economy and trade. This Government will be decisive and take the necessary action to protect our country from new and emerging and notifi...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the quantity of illegal food products that have entered the UK in the last six months.
Answer: It is not possible to estimate the amount of illegal food products which have evaded border checks and entered the UK in the last six months. Data supplied by Border Force to the end of 2024 indicates that it detained and seized 137,000 kilograms of illeg...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53658More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of farmers who will be impacted by changes to (a) Agriculture Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advant...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: North SeaDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53657More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the North Sea oil and gas sector.
Answer: The Government has consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’, setting out its overarching objective to make the North Sea a world leading example of an offshore clean energy industry and on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences ...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBoilersDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53656More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Clean Heat Market Mechanism on the costs of installing new gas boilers.
Answer: The Clean Heat Market Mechanism does not require any change in the price of fossil fuel boilers. The Government took steps before introducing the scheme to revise the 2023 proposals in order to reduce impacts on boiler manufacturers and provide them more ...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: InfrastructureDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53655More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of resilience of the national grid in the context of the potential disruption of offshore energy infrastructure.
Answer: Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network with diverse sources of supply and maintaining the security of electricity supply is a key priority for Government. We are working with the National Protective Security Authority, the energy industry, re...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordIndustry: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53654More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce industrial carbon emissions.
Answer: Emissions savings through fuel switching from fossil fuels to low carbon alternatives, improvements in resource and energy efficiency and industrial carbon capture are all needed for the industrial sector to transition to net zero, and government is devel...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNuclear PowerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025WithdrawnUIN 53653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reaching 24GW of nuclear capacity by 2050.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordNuclear PowerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53652More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reaching 24GW of nuclear capacity by 2050.
Answer: The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan makes clear that nuclear will play an important role in our future energy system, providing low-carbon, baseload power to the grid. Government will continue to seek to streamline regulatory processes, and foster innovation...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGreat British EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Great British Energy on household energy bills.
Answer: In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee energy security and protect billpayers is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. That is why government has a mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. We have a sustainable, long-term...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordElectricity: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53650More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030.
Answer: NESO's analysis confirmed delivering clean power by 2030 is deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills. We are committed to working with industry to grow our clean energy system with once-in-a-generation levels of...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53649More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills.
Answer: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFair Work AgencyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44610More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed new powers for the Fair Work Agency on levels of regulation for businesses.
Answer: An impact assessment for the Fair Work Agency (FWA) was published on 21st October 2024.The FWA will take a balanced approach to upholding workers’ rights, providing better support on how to comply with the law but taking tough action against rogue employe...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordProductivityDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44609More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the productivity forecast in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s report entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published
Answer: The Office for Budget Responsibility is an independent macroeconomic forecasting body. As such it would not be appropriate for us to comment on the specifics of its forecasts.The Government’s forthcoming Industrial Strategy White Paper has an explicit amb...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFair Work AgencyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44608More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that enforcement powers for the Fair Work Agency are (a) proportionate and (b) equitable for (i) employees and (ii) businesses.
Answer: The Fair Work Agency (FWA) will not change the obligations on businesses who should always have been paying their workers correctly. The FWA’s enforcement powers are largely natural evolutions of powers that existing bodies have. The FWA will take a balan...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSafe Hands PlansTreasuryTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39592More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking steps to support Safe Hands plan holders financially impacted by its administration.
Answer: I am sympathetic to all the Safe Hands customers who have lost money, following the collapse of the firm in 2022. In January 2021, the Government legislated to bring all pre-paid funeral plan providers and intermediaries within the regulatory remit of the...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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