Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's trade policies promote resilience in (a) steel, (b) energy, (c) advanced manufacturing and (c) other strategically important domestic supply chains.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government recognises the importance of secure and resilient supply chains to the UK’s growth and economic security. DBT is strengthening the UK’s resilience both through sector programmes and the upcoming Trade and Industrial Strategies. These Strategies, which are unreservedly pro-business, will outline more on our plans for resilience-building, including in the growth and foundational sectors targeted by the Industrial Strategy.
In collaboration with business, we are already acting to bolster the resilience of key UK industries, for example reviewing all options to ensure a secure future for our domestic steel industry and building a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain through the Automotive Transformation Fund.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulation of American-style candy shops in the United Kingdom particularly in relation to (1) their links with criminal activity, including money laundering, (2) the prosperity of high streets, and (3) public health.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government is committed to supporting vibrant high streets that contribute to a thriving everyday economy, growth and community cohesion. Illegitimate businesses can undercut and undermine legitimate ones that are seeking to contribute to their high street and local economy.
Money laundering through cash-based high street businesses is a known issue that government continues to focus on. While businesses such as candy shops are not regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs), they interact with MLRs regulated businesses such as banks, who are required to undertake customer due diligence, and under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) must submit reports to the National Crime Agency if they suspect money laundering.
The government works closely with law enforcement and regulators to monitor trends in criminal behaviour – and how these may relate to changes in the make-up of our high streets – to ensure resources are deployed towards the most significant threats.
Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s Health Mission. We are committed to tackling the obstacles driving obesity. We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on TV and online, announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. We are also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16s.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 45218 on Competition and Markets Authority: Public Appointments what steps is he is taking to help ensure adequate (a) scrutiny and (b) accountability of the new chair of the Competition and Markets authority to prevent conflicts of interest.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As set out in the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) Framework Agreement, the performance of the CMA Chair is reviewed annually by the responsible Director General within the Department for Business and Trade in accordance with the Chair’s duties and in consultation with the CMA Board. As noted in my previous answer, a new Framework Agreement will be published later this year.
The CMA has published its own Conflicts of Interest Policy and also publishes a register of interests of all of its Board members.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will legislative steps to ensure job advertisements do not ask about political views.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Employers should follow a fair process when recruiting. They must not discriminate, in terms of the Equality Act 2010, and they must comply with data protection legislation. Compliance involves being clear what information is collected about candidates and how it will be used for recruitment purposes; and collecting only the information that is relevant and necessary for recruitment.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps his Department has taken to help attract green inward investment to (a) Huddersfield and (b) other northern towns.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Green investment is a cornerstone of the UKs drive for growth, as set out in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper. For Huddersfield and towns across the North, we actively showcase investment opportunities to potential investors, and provide account management services for investors already in the region to help them build and scale. This is demonstrated by our work to support the £50m investment of Syngenta in Huddersfield, to build technology that will improve crop yields, announced in March this year.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) high streets and (b) town centre shop fronts in (i) Huddersfield and (ii) similar towns.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is supporting high street businesses in Huddersfield and in similar towns by reforming business rates, empowering communities to address vacant high street properties through high street rental auctions and tackling anti-social behaviour and crime in town centres through the Crime and Policing Bill.
In April, we announced a Licensing Taskforce that will suggest improvements to our licensing regime to foster vibrant hospitality and cultural sectors on the high street.
Government support in Huddersfield includes £16.7m from MHCLG for the Open Market project to provide a new market that is fit for the future and is part of the council’s programme to drive footfall and demand across the high street. The Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, led by MHCLG will also provide £20 million of long-term funding to 75 places over the next decade targeted on local projects prioritised by the community, including those on the high street.
May. 07 2025
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