Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports of non-food item deflation, what assessment they have made of the impact of this on (1) employment, and (2) business profitability, in the retail sector.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is continuing to pursue an ambitious policy agenda to increase sustainable economic growth and productivity across the economy. This includes making full expensing permanent, backing the UK’s priority growth sectors and announcing measures to boost labour supply. Across Spring Budget 2023, Autumn Statement 2023 and Spring Budget 2024 tax and labour market measures increase total hours worked by the equivalent of more than 300,000 full-time workers by 2028-29.
Whilst consumers will undoubtedly welcome lower shop price inflation, government continues to provide the right environment to help retailers grow, such as by extending Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief for 2024-25, a tax cut worth nearly £2.4 billion
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is for providing compensation to sub-postmasters who (a) were wrongfully prosecuted using evidence from the Horizon IT system and (b) have already had their wrongful convictions overturned.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Financial redress for those postmasters whose convictions have been overturned by the courts is managed by the Post Office. As of 24 April 2024, out of the 56 full claims received, offers have been made on 47, with 40 offers accepted.
We encourage those postmasters with overturned convictions who have not yet submitted a claim to do so as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2024 to Question 24406 on Export Credit Guarantees, whether (a) a Minister or (b) an official in her Department has unilaterally proposed a 100% guarantee in advance of negotiations with a company.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department of Business and Trade has not unilaterally proposed a 100% guarantee to any company.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the guidance by the Central Digital and Data Office entitled Guidance on the Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework, published on 29 September 2023, how many red-rated IT systems are used by her Department; and how many red-rated IT systems have been identified since 4 December 2023.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, has established a programme to support departments managing legacy IT. CDDO has agreed a framework to identify ‘red-rated’ systems, indicating high levels of risk surrounding certain assets within the IT estate. Departments have committed to have remediation plans in place for these systems by next year (2025).
It is not appropriate to release sensitive information held about specific red-rated systems or more detailed plans for remediation within the Department for Business and Trade’s IT estate, as this information could indicate which systems are at risk, and may highlight potential security vulnerabilities.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on patients receiving letters from the NHS of changes to the universal service obligation.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for ensuring that the universal postal service meets the reasonable needs of customers as well as being financially sustainable and efficient. The Government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.
The Government expects Ofcom to take full account of users’ needs, including users of important public services, in assessing the feedback on its recent Call for Inputs.
The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the obligations on postal deliveries.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to support the UK nuclear industry to increase exports.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has extensive expertise across the nuclear life cycle, from new build, fuel to decommissioning and waste management.
The Department recognises the export potential offered by a growing global market and is working closely with other government departments, our overseas network, and industry to offer a full range of support for UK civil nuclear exports across markets including Japan, France, Central Europe and Ukraine.
This includes UK Export Finance, who can consider a range of options to support overseas sales, including loan guarantees for foreign buyers, working capital, insurance, and bond support products to assist UK suppliers.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expedite the negotiation and ratification of trade deals benefiting the food and agricultural sector.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is securing improved market access for the food and agricultural sector, through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) but also the targeted removal of individual market access barriers in key international markets.
The Department for Business and Trade are working hard to secure new, or improved, FTAs with a range of important trade partners around the world. Work also continues to ratify the agreements we have signed, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which should come into force later this year.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she last held discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the sale of arms to Israel.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
To support her decisions on export licensing to Israel, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade regularly receives advice from the Foreign Secretary and FCDO.
We continue to monitor the situation in Israel and Gaza closely, and all of our export licences are kept under careful and continual review.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help increase business investment in (a) St Helens North constituency and (b) the North West.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Department for Business and Trade works with partners to promote investment opportunities across the North West to overseas investors and provide support for businesses wishing to be based within the region.
The Government is investing £80 million in the Liverpool City Region Freeport and £320 million in Investment Zones in the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester creating new jobs and attracting new businesses. Both the Investment Zone and Freeport have key locations in St Helens.
The Government also supports a range of programmes dedicated to helping businesses to grow. In March this year, we launched the second-generation Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, with £660 million committed to support debt and equity finance for businesses across the North of England. Since its launch in 2012, the Start Up Loans programme has provided over £121 million of loans to new entrepreneurs across the North West region, as of 13 September 2023.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has taken recent steps to facilitate bilateral trade with North Macedonia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Bilateral trade between the UK and North Macedonia was worth a total of £2.5 billion in the 4 quarters to end of Q4 2023, comprising of £1.7bn of exports and £787 million of imports. North Macedonia is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Western Balkans. The UK’s trade relationship is underpinned by the Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement (PTCA), signed in 2020. The inaugural PTCA Joint Committee met in 2022 and we hope to convene the second version later this year. In September 2023, the UK launched the British-Macedonian Business Chamber, as a symbol of the growing trade & investment partnership.