Owen Thompson: ...the war pension scheme, only 36% noted any level of satisfaction, and 32% gave it a one—the lowest possible rating. For the armed forces compensation scheme, it was even more dire, with only 13% giving any sort of positive rating above five; meanwhile, half of veterans rated their satisfaction at one, which again was the lowest possible option. If war pensions are not bad enough, it...
Owen Thompson: It is estimated that the Chancellor’s smash and grab on national insurance will raise £13 billion. By happy coincidence, at the end of the financial year the Chancellor will have an extra £13 billion-worth of borrowing, because the Government have not met the borrowing expectations. Will the Chancellor use that happy coincidence to scrap the tax on jobs?
Owen Thompson: ...15, as they should. However, there are other clauses that evidently fall within devolved competence but for which the Government are not seeking permission from the devolved Administrations. Clause 13(1) provides that a power to make regulations under the Bill “includes power…to make consequential…or saving provision.” That the UK Government can consider a clause relating to...
Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his Answer of 13 July 2021 to Question 29853, on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, when he plans to publish the Government’s evaluation of the covid-19 loan guarantee schemes.
Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2021 to Question 29853 on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, what the timeframe is for the Government’s evaluation of the covid-19 loan guarantee schemes.
Owen Thompson: ...of the House indicated that they were “extremely carefully controlled” and that we “sell arms only to those countries with which we have the closest relationship”.—[Official Report, 13 May 2021; Vol. 695, c. 264.] Will he therefore advise us of whether credible evidence of weapons being used in breach of international law, even by allies, is a criterion that results in the...
Owen Thompson: ...to support the industry to reach its goals, and I look forward to getting the details on that from the Minister later today. Space is already a growing success story. It supports 41,900 jobs in 13 of the regions and nations of the UK, bringing in some £14.8 billion in 2016-17. The Scottish space industry also punches well above its weight and is home to almost a fifth of the total jobs in...
Owen Thompson: ...variables defined by the UN are measured from space. Similarly, of the 17 sustainable development goals set by the UN with an aim of ending poverty by 2030, satellite data plays a critical role in 13. Data from earth observation satellites has been used to combat wildfire spread in the Amazon, to monitor glacier melt and air pollutants, to aid disaster relief operations, to measure ozone...
Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2021 to Question 133982, if he will publish the full decision-taking framework used to assess the potential impact of international defence engagement on risks relating to human rights and international humanitarian law and consideration of what measures might be necessary to mitigate such risks.
Owen Thompson: ...Now, public shares are paid back, profits are high and big bonuses have made a bit of a comeback. In 2018, Lloyds unveiled a £4 billion pay-out to shareholders, statutory profit before tax was up 13% and £464.5 million was given out in bonuses. Payment protection insurance pay-outs took its toll last year, with pre-tax profits down from £6 billion to a meagre £4.4 billion, so chief...
Owen Thompson: ...almost a quarter of their customers who never use those other methods and are solely reliant on the branch. Many of them are in older age groups—44% of customers were over 55, 26% over 65 and 13% over 75. It is quite clearly the older population who will face the worst disruption from the proposed changes. According to Age Scotland, 67% of people over 75 do not use the internet at all....
Owen Thompson: ...can be a difficult factor to measure. Even more complicated is how and why people are influenced and how the media can contribute to that. Recent findings of the Audit of Political Engagement 13 in 2016 concluded that “the public’s perceived levels of knowledge of and interest in politics have reached, respectively, the highest and second highest levels recorded in the history of the...
Owen Thompson: ...I thank the hon. Member for South Down (Ms Ritchie) for conveying her support for the Bill. As well as passing through 21 local authority areas in Scotland, the convoys pass through, or fly over, 13 in Wales and 91 in England, so this is not just an issue for Scotland. As the House anticipates a potential vote on the overhauling and upgrading of the system through the Mk4A refurbishment...
Owen Thompson: ...have not been as severe as in England. The Scottish Government have done everything possible to protect local government’s share of the Scottish budget, in line with the levels from 2012-13. Over three years, cuts in Scotland have equated to 6.3%, whereas in England it has been 18.6%. I can only imagine how difficult some of the decisions have been that had to be taken in local...