Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Competition and Markets Authority has undertaken reviews of the acquisitions of (1) Barchester Healthcare, and (2) HC-ONE assets, by Welltower; and whether they considered the proportion of residents in homes run by those companies that are self-funded as part of those reviews.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Merger investigations by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are independent of Government. The CMA reviews mergers that meet certain criteria, for example the size of the company being acquired, and whether it believes the merger could result in a substantial lessening of competition.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the acquisition of Barchester Healthcare by Welltower on market concentration in the care-home sector in London and the South East of England.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Welltower’s acquisition of Barchester Healthcare on market concentration in London and the Southeast. Merger investigations on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently of Government. The CMA determines which transactions to review based on statutory thresholds and whether there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition.
The Government keeps the merger control regime under regular review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and works effectively within the current regulatory environment.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the thresholds or guidance under which mergers in the care home sector are referred to the Competition and Markets Authority.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Merger referral thresholds and guidance sit within a well-established statutory framework, designed to ensure that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can act where there is a realistic prospect of harm to competition. The merger control regime is regularly reviewed to ensure it remains effective and fit for purpose. To improve clarity, the Government will consult on potential amendments to the “material influence” and “share of supply” tests that underpin the CMA’s jurisdiction.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with regulators and the furniture industry on adopting safer fire safety technologies that reduce smoke toxicity; and what measures they are considering, if any, to encourage the use of inherently fire-resistant materials and innovative design solutions in place of chemical flame retardants.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
As set out in the Policy paper The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture, published on 22 January, the Government will reform the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to ensure they maintain a high level of fire safety while allowing for manufacturing innovation and facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants.
The Government is committed to improving the communication of information about chemical flame retardants used in upholstered furniture in order to support more informed consumer choices and more effective enforcement as well as the circular economy.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to inform policy making, including manufacturers, test houses, charities and consumer groups.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce mandatory chemical labelling and traceability requirements in the furniture supply chain to aid the disclosure and responsible management of chemical flame retardants in consumer products.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
As set out in the Policy paper The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture, published on 22 January, the Government will reform the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to ensure they maintain a high level of fire safety while allowing for manufacturing innovation and facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants.
The Government is committed to improving the communication of information about chemical flame retardants used in upholstered furniture in order to support more informed consumer choices and more effective enforcement as well as the circular economy.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to inform policy making, including manufacturers, test houses, charities and consumer groups.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs and benefits of the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai; and whether the findings of that assessment will be made publicly available.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson
DBT conducted an evaluation of the UK presence at Expo 2020 Dubai. This provided accountability and learning to inform continuous improvements. The lessons are directly feeding into planning and delivery of the UK presence at Expo 2025 Osaka.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what insights or lessons from the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai have informed the planning and design of the UK pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, which opened on 13 April.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson
DBT have taken lessons learned from previous Expos and other major events (including Commonwealth Games and Investment Summits) to inform the planning and design of the UK Pavilion at Expo Osaka.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate export opportunities for Stoke-on-Trent's pottery manufacturers, particularly to high-value international markets; and whether they have considered implementing targeted export assistance programs specifically for the sector.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting businesses, including Stroke-on-Trent’s pottery manufacturers, grow and export. Under the umbrella of the recently announced Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.
This support is available to all UK businesses including those that manufacture and wish to export pottery. DBT’s International Trade Advisers will also continue to work closely with Ceramics UK to ensure businesses in the sector access this support.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have commissioned or reviewed regarding the successful revitalisation strategies employed in Jingdezhen, China's pottery industry; and how these insights might be adapted to strengthen Stoke-on-Trent's ceramics sector while respecting its unique heritage and market position.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Department of Business and Trade works closely with the sector to understand its challenges and provide support to help its global competitiveness.
Through our continued engagement with Ceramics UK and its membership, we will inquire whether the sector has any thoughts on revitalisation strategies deployed in China.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of domestic construction materials production capacity, including; (1) the current proportion of construction materials used in the UK which are imported; (2) opportunities to increase domestic production; (3) strategic priorities for reducing import dependency; and (4) key materials for which domestic production could be expanded.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The government's Plan for Change milestones of 1.5 million new homes over five years and 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of the Parliament, will see a significant increase in demand for construction materials, that will provide greater certainty for construction material suppliers. Currently 75% of all construction materials used in the UK are made in the UK. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) works closely with the Construction Leadership Council's Materials Supply Chain Group on product availability, and regularly reviews opportunities to address capability and capacity gaps, including through targeted Foreign Direct Investment.