George Freeman, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation answers MPs’ questions to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Decarbonisation Technologies

Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West) (SNP)

2. What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK Research and Innovation funding for decarbon-isation technologies. (906121)

The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation (George Freeman)

We can all be proud that this country is leading the global charge on net zero. As part of our historic uplift in R&D expenditure to £20 billion a year—£52 billion over the consolidated spending review period—UK Research and Innovation is investing in £800 million annually on research and innovation in net zero, and £210 million through the industrial decarbon-isation fund. I am delighted that Scotland is in the vanguard, with more than 1,400 projects funded, in receipt of £1.3 billion. The Faraday battery challenge investment of £540 million appears to be working, with the good news today of Tata’s multibillion investment in a £4 billion gigafactory.

Joanna Cherry 

I am delighted to hear the Minister acknowledge that Scotland is in the vanguard of research in this area. The Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre at Heriot-Watt University in my constituency has become a focal point of collaboration and innovation for UK industrial clusters, but the excellent progress that it is making is at risk owing to a funding gap. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the vital work being done at Heriot-Watt University, and how the Government can support it better in its efforts to help them to reach their industrial decarbonisation targets?

George Freeman 

Brevity, Mr Speaker: yes, with pleasure.

Hansard

Topical Questions

Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con)

T2. There can be few more exciting and innovative projects for any constituency than a spaceport to launch satellites into space. We had a done deal to build one on the runway at RAF Scampton, before the Home Office marched in and stymied the whole project. Will the Minister please lobby the Home Office to try to get the spaceport back? Why would the Home Office want a runway, or is there a darker purpose behind this? (906136)

The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation (George Freeman)

My right hon. Friend has raised this before, and I will happily speak to him about it and support that space cluster. The UK is poised to lead Europe in the launch of low Earth orbit satellites over the coming decade, and we are building launchpads around the country for that very purpose.

Hansard

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)

T3. Indeed, we have world-class universities in the west midlands. What plans does my right hon. Friend have to support regional innovation clusters? (906137)

George Freeman 

My hon. Friend makes an important point. We are investing heavily in regional innovation clusters all around this country. We have three: one in Manchester, one in Glasgow and one in the west midlands, where the excellent Mayor, Andy Street, is driving a genuine innovation economy.

Hansard

As the OffSET campaign for a proper strategic solution to delivering vital Offshore Wind Infrastructure continues, I welcomed the latest OffSET meeting with OFGEM today – at which our collective of MPs once again stressed the importance of an Offshore Transmission Network (sometimes also known as an Offshore Ring Main) being delivered as swiftly and comprehensively as possible.

The importance of proper community consultation was also highlighted, with OFGEM told in no uncertain terms that they need to do more themselves, with National Grid, National GridESO and developers, to drive forward the OTN campaign.

This remains a key campaign for my fellow OffSET MPs and I, and we are working hard to try and secure further meetings with ministers and key stakeholders as we collectively lobby for the proper strategic solution we want to see – and which will in fact enable us to connect more offshore wind power to our National Grid much more quickly.

To stay up to date with all my campaign efforts on this issue, please visit my website here.

Dental health is a crucial part of NHS services and it is vital that EVERYONE can access the support they need when they need it.

That’s why I welcomed the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Integrated Care Board’s latest MP briefing this afternoon – the latest such meeting as the ICB work with ourselves, and other partners across Norfolk, to try and tackle the pressures so many constituents face when trying to obtain an appointment or secure treatment.

Today, ICB officials updated us on the immediate steps they have been taking since they took on responsibility for NHS dental commissioning back in April. Some progress has already been made, but there remains much to be done. The ICB confirmed that they intend to announce a further one year plan by September setting out the additional measures they will pursue to tackle immediate issues in the NHS dental system.

Looking ahead, the ICB wish to develop their own dental strategy by 2024, which will set out their local commissioning approach for the next five years. All of us, as local MPs, are keen to support that work and are committed to working with the ICB and partners to lobby Department for Health and Social Care ministers and officials, as well as seek more local solutions also.

The next MP briefing is set to take place in September, but our collective efforts (including our campaign for a new, full undergraduate training School of Dentistry in Norfolk) will very much continue over the summer – with regular conversations ongoing, and each MP raising individual cases on behalf of constituents.

This continues to be a central focus of mine and I will provide further updates as I work with parliamentary colleagues, the ICB and partners to drive forward improvements in our local NHS dental provision.

To learn more about my active campaign work on this issue, please visit my website here.

The terrifying wildfires across Norfolk this time last year were a stark reminder of the power of nature. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service faced unprecedented levels of demand as a consequence of the prolonged dry, hot weather our region experienced and, here in Mid Norfolk, we sadly saw a number of people in Ashill made homeless after a fire began in a nearby wheat field and spread into the village (see here).

That’s why, in the year since, I have continued to maintain close relations with Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service as they have carried out reviews into the pressures they faced and implemented a package of measures aimed at improving their response capabilities and resilience. While Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have long bene recognised as having strong resilience, they are not complacent and are determined to learn what lessons they can from last year’s experiences.

This past Friday, I received a Teams update from Ceri Sumner, Chief Fire Officer for Norfolk, who outlined some of that important work, including:

• New, strengthened wildfire training for all staff
• Enhanced training for strategic commanders at the Fire Service
• A broader education package for the local population
• Closer relationships with the local farming community to better educate farmers and landowners about the precautions they should take, while also enabling the Fire Service to use on-site water supplies
• New adapts and couplings on Fire Service vehicles to enable them to utilise local bore holes
• Greater mapping of local farmland bore holes

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service are also strengthening their operational support (particularly for those fire fighters in the field) so that they can be as effective as possible – especially when operating in highly difficult conditions, such as prolonged wildfires in considerable heat.

This is all very positive work. HOWEVER, we must ALL stay vigilant – taking personal responsibility and doing what we can to limit the potential of wildfires in our area.

While it may seem that the weather has been kinder so far this year, the reality is that Norfolk is not far off the amount of wildfires that it had experienced this time last year.

Please see the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service advice and guidance and graphics below.

Later this week, I look forward to visiting Dereham Fire Station to meet with Ceri and her team in person – where I will visit the Norfolk Urban Search and Rescue team.

Together with NCC, the Fire Service and other Norfolk MPs, I recently helped secure an extension to the Urban Search and Rescue team’s future – and I look forward to reiterating my support to the team in person, and to finding out more about the vital work they do, including on wildfires. (To learn more about my efforts to secure that extension, please click here)

I also look forward to discussing with Ceri in more detail the wider work being done by the Fire Service to reduce the risk of fires in our county, while enabling fire fighters to combat those that do occur more effectively.

Rest assured, I am committed to doing all I can to maintain the future of the Urban Search and Rescue team for the long term – and to supporting Ceri and the wider Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service as they continue to do outstanding work to protect our communities.

NORFOLK FIRE AND RESCUE GUIDANCE

1. Prevent wildfires

Residents and visitors can help prevent wildfires in Norfolk by following four simple steps:

1. Dispose of cigarette butts responsibly rather than throwing them on the ground
2. Do not have BBQs in parks and public spaces other than designated areas.  Portable BBQs pose the greatest risk, especially when they are placed directly on the ground - avoid using them altogether
3. Do not have campfires or bonfires except in carefully managed and designated areas. You must never leave them unattended and always have the ability to extinguish them if you need to
4. Do not drop glass bottles because they can magnify the sun's rays and cause fires

Remember, if you see any signs of smoke or wildfire report it immediately to 999

2. Protect your home

All residents should take steps to protect their home from wildfire

1. Trim back shrubs or trees that are close to / touching your home and dispose of cuttings responsibly. Piles of cuttings are fuel for fire.
2. Clear away any build-up of flammable material in and around your garden such as leaves, compost heaps, log piles, dry grass etc.
3. Check for spaces between roof tiles or within your home where burning embers could become lodged such as rain gutters.
4. Position sheds and outbuilding away from your home and make sure that flammable substances (including fertilisers and pesticides) are stored safely
5. Ensure your home is adequately insured and protected with smoke detection

As all of us in Norfolk know, our county is a wonderful place in which to live, work and visit. We have beautiful landscapes and unique habitats, and a tremendous community spirit and heritage that unites us all.

We are increasingly home to home to some of the most exciting sectors of fast growing economic innovation in the world as well, creating new companies and thousands of new jobs and opportunities which, in time and with proper planning, will spread prosperity and breathe fresh life into our local towns and villages, keeping them thriving and vibrant.

However, as we also know, living in rural and sparsely populated areas like our own also provides a variety of different challenges and pressures to our friends in more urban settings – often holding back the progress and positive growth we all desire (and therefore the tax receipts for many of our local public services), while ensuring there continues to be pockets of deprivation and poverty which with better access to jobs and investment would disappear.

That’s why I welcomed being involved in today’s Norfolk County Council MP’s discussion on the cost of rural service delivery.

Having been a vocal advocate for our local services throughout my time as the MP for Mid Norfolk, I am committed to working with local stakeholders to ensure our county gets the support and resources it needs, while also exploring the bold, innovative approaches that could deliver improved results across a number of fields. For example, through:

• Digital Rural Bus Service schemes that tailor services to demand and boost rural connectivity
• Improved rural broadband and mobile phone signal
• Embracing pioneering local companies like Liftshare – the world’s largest liftshare company, based right here on a doorstep

And so much more!

I look forward to working with Norfolk County Council, as well as our local district councils and other key stakeholders, to drive forward positive progress on rural service delivery in the months and years ahead.

As the MP for a largely rural area, I am acutely aware of the importance of local bank branches in our local community - especially for the most vulnerable, elderly and many local businesses.

 That’s why I continue to do my upmost to stand up for local banking services and access to cash.

While the closure of the HSBC in Wymondham next month is very disappointing, I am pleased that they are committed to an ongoing outreach programme with the town and will be present at various pop up events over the coming months :

That being said, I continue to work with local councillors across Mid Norfolk to see what more we can do to try and retain and return local banking facilities to our market towns – and I hope to be able to provide more information on some of that work in the weeks and months ahead.

Farming is one of our region’s most vital sectors and, having grown up on my stepfather’s farm, previously worked as Parliamentary Officer for the NFU and now represented a largely rural constituency for over thirteen years, I place great importance on supporting our local agricultural industries, as well as those looking to protect and enhance the landscapes and habitats that make our area such a nice place to live.

That’s why I was delighted to visit Tittleshall Manor Farm a couple of weeks ago to discuss some of the challenges facing farmers, land managers and conservationists, meeting with representatives from the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) – both of which are campaigning to secure a sustainable, resilient and fair food system.

As a planet, we are currently facing the challenges of an ever-warming climate, biodiversity loss, and widespread food insecurity exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. One of the key solutions to these problems is innovative, nature-friendly farming – which can build resilience into our agricultural sector by boosting diversity and pioneering new approaches to farming, land management and conservation.

Mid Norfolk, and the East, has long led the way in these fields and I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about the CLA’s “Rural Powerhouse Campaign” and the NFFN’s recent report highlighting the role that nature friendly farming can play in building a sustainable food future.

I very much look forward to continuing my close work with the local farming community, ensuring that the issues they are facing are highlighted with DEFRA, while also championing the bold, innovative solutions they are developing.

To learn more about all of my work supporting our local food and farming industries, as well as our local environmental sector, please visit my website here

Over recent months, I have followed with concern the case of Apostle Accounting – which has affected a number of my Mid Norfolk constituents, as well as those living in other parts of Norfolk and Suffolk.

As part of my ongoing efforts to offer support to those affected, I am pleased to report that I have today co-signed a letter to HMRC with parliamentary colleagues.

Together, we have asked for a series of assurances from HMRC with regards to the process for reclaiming the monies owed and made clear our belief that, as yet, they have not yet offered the understanding and flexibility in relation to repayments that they had previously promised to those affected (so that they can realistically repay the monies owed).

We have also requested clarification as to the possible implications that investigations into Apostle Accounting’s activities could have on our constituents’ cases.

Rest assured, I will continue to follow this developing case closely, working with fellow parliamentarians to provide support for those affected and to ensure that HMRC strengthen their systems in order to try and prevent such situations in future.

If YOU have been affected and are yet to contact me as your local MP (or you are yet to contact your own local MP), please do get in touch.

To see my previous updates on this matter (including more information on the content of the joint letter), please click here, here and here .

Over the past 2-3 years, I have been actively campaigning for improvements to NHS dental services here in the East, particularly around access and appointments.

There is no doubt that we need to be training more dentists.

That’s why I have been working with fellow Norfolk MPs, NHS stakeholders and other key Norfolk partners to make the case for a new dental school for Norfolk – ideally at UEA in Norwich.

While the recent announcement of the new Dental Development Centre at UEA is very positive indeed (see more here), it must be the first step towards a full undergraduate training School of Dentistry – one that also enables qualified dentists to specialise in more expert treatments too.

Having previously spoken in parliamentary debates advocating for such a school (see here) and worked with colleagues to raise the subject with ministers and officials, as well as on calls with NHS England and the local Norfolk and Waveney NHS Integrated Care Board, I have this week formally written to the ICB to state again my wholehearted support for this campaign.

As we know, statistically, students that study at the likes of UEA and the University of the Arts are far more likely to settle locally than students elsewhere in the country. I believe we would see the same occurring were a dental school established here and, with a full School of Dentistry, more would be incentivised to stay – no longer needing to head to major cities like London in order to progress their skills.

Rest assured, I will continue to work hard on this issue – and more widely on the broader NHS dental campaign that I, with fellow Norfolk MPs and the NHS, are driving forward in order to deliver the improvements we need to see.

To learn more about my ongoing campaign, including the positive progress made to date, please visit my website here.

Since becoming the MP for Mid Norfolk in 2010, the improvement of our region’s local transport and commuting lines has been one of my central missions. However, improved connectivity must not come at the cost of our rural heritage and way of life, or if it reduces safety.

That’s why I helped establish the South of the A47 Taskforce back in 2019 to look at tackling rat-running in the key Corridor between the Wood Lane/Berry’s Lane junction at Honingham and the A11 at Wymondham, and why I welcomed the opportunity to convene the latest meeting yesterday – bringing together Taskforce representatives, NCC officers and NCC councillors and leaders to review progress to date and explore what further actions are required.

Although much progress has been made on the development of a package of mitigation measures aimed at alleviating existing rat-running while also preparing in advance for any likely impacts of the A47 dualling between North Tuddenham and Easton (as well as the Norwich Western Link), I am pleased that all parties yesterday acknowledged that there still remains more work to be done – with some residents (for example, in Carleton Forehoe) concerned that their roads have been missed in the work to date.

The commitment of NCC officers to continue working with the parishes involved in the Taskforce was very much appreciated – and the hope is that, by September, the mitigation package will be further advanced, with the Taskforce, NCC team and I able to meet on location to raise awareness of the additional progress made.

Rest assured, this remains a key campaign of mine – and I look forward to offering my continued support to the key stakeholders as we drive this work forward.

To learn more about all of my work on this campaign, please visit my website here.