Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department plans to take to monitor participation in trade promotion programmes by SMEs in Northumberland.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer my hon. friend to the answer I provided to UIN 89172 on 18th November: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Department plans to take to monitor participation in trade promotion programmes by SMEs in the North East.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer my hon. friend to the answer I provided to UIN 89172 on 18th November: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of export-focused civil service posts are vacant.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Export-focused civil servants are primarily employed in the Exports Directorate within the Domestic and International Markets and Exports Group (DIME) of DBT. The relevant units are currently going through a restructuring and therefore this vacancy rate is likely to change significantly by the next financial year. As of September 2025, the vacancy rate was 32% among the civil service posts in the Exports Directorate. In the Department for Business and Trade, there are other civil servants whose work relates to exports as part of their wider roles, but not the majority of their responsibilities.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) Section 232 tariffs, (b) digital tax negotiations and (c) IP reforms have been discussed with USA trade officials in the context of a future UK–USA trade agreement.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has continued to engage across the range of issues outlined in the General Terms for the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal agreed in May.
We're continuing talks on a wider deal which will look at addressing specific tariff and non-tariff barriers, increasing digital and services trade, and unlocking new commercial opportunities that benefit both nations. We cannot comment on the specifics of live negotiations.
Intensive discussions also continue on other sectors under Section 232 investigation towards the significantly preferential outcome provided for under the General Terms.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the year-on-year spending has been for export-focused civil service teams since 2020.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The year-on-year spending is as follows:
Year | Total spend (£m) |
2020/21 | 52.6 |
2021/22 | 54 |
2022/23 | 63.7 |
2023/24 | 58.9 |
2024/25 | 45.4 |
All data has been taken from DBT's Financial Forecasting Tool (FFT). The current financial year has not been finalised, therefore response to end of 2024-25 provided.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department plans to take to monitor participation in trade promotion programmes by SMEs in Hexham constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer my hon. friend to the answer I provided to UIN 89172 on 18th November: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the projected cost to British businesses of the European Union's carbon border taxes.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism’s (EU CBAM) definitive regime begins January 2026. UK businesses may face administrative costs providing emissions data to EU importers to support their compliance with the EU CBAM. The cost of certificates for the carbon price liability of embedded emissions is borne by EU importers.
To support business readiness, the Department for Business and Trade has compiled a comprehensive package, including webinars, and an upcoming explainer on business.gov.uk. The Government is also engaging with the European Commission on emissions trading scheme linking, which is expected to facilitate a mutual UK-EU CBAM exemption in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to prevent the sale of high-powered after-market batteries for (a) e-scooters and (b) e-bikes.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under existing UK regulations, businesses must only place safe products, including batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters, on the market. In 2024, the Department published statutory guidelines for lithium-ion e-bike batteries, clarifying that they must protect against the risk of thermal runaway to be considered safe products. Regulators have powers to enforce these regulations. The Government has now introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, which will enable us to modernise and improve our product safety framework for products sold online and on the high street.
E-bikes must meet legal speed and power limits to be used on the road.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered an education campaign to raise public awareness of the potential merits of low-noise fireworks.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to engage with the British Fireworks Association, businesses, consumer groups, and charities to understand the issues with and impacts of fireworks.
The insights from these discussions helped to inform the campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season which encourages the use of lower noise fireworks. The campaign materials have been shared widely to increase their impact. The Government will continue to gather evidence, including on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people to inform any future action.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to adopt a UK-wide model similar to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act (Scotland) 2022, which empowers local authorities to set up fireworks-free zones.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are currently no plans to adopt such a model UK-wide. The Government regularly engages with its counterparts in Scotland is keen to understand the impact Firework Control Zones have made before considering if similar changes are needed for England and Wales.