Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods exported by UK companies to the EU containing components made in the USA will be subject to EU tariffs on USA imports either fully or partially.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
For goods from the UK to be eligible for tariff-free access upon import into the EU, they must originate from the UK or EU according to the rules of origin of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. We will look closely at the details of the retaliatory tariffs announced by the EU (noting they are currently suspended) and any impact these might have on UK businesses.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) international companies, and (2) jobs, have been created by Northern Ireland having dual access to the UK and EU markets.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Windsor Framework positions Northern Ireland as a unique gateway for the sale of goods to two of the world’s largest markets, as well as access to global markets through the UK's new trade agreements.
Whilst the Government has not made an assessment of the impact of dual market access on the number of jobs or international companies created, between 2019 and 2023, Northern Ireland’s sales of goods to Great Britain increased by £4.7bn or 69%, and sales to the EU increased by £2.9bn or 54%.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on creating a barrier to trade deals between the UK and the US.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Windsor Framework is not a barrier to trade deals. The United Kingdom has secured trade agreements with 73 countries and territories, plus the EU, while ensuring compliance with the Windsor Framework. These agreements include free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, which entered force on 31 May 2023, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the United Kingdom joined on 16 July 2023, and which came into effect on 15 December 2024.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to assess the impact of the European Union's General Product Safety Regulations on businesses and consumers in (1) Great Britain and (2) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The updated GPSR largely formalises the reality of how many businesses are already operating and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. However, we understand that for some businesses, the regulation will require changes, and we take any concerns extremely seriously.
We have issued guidance, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely within the UK and with the EU. We have regular discussions with businesses and consumer representatives from across the UK to hear their concerns.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist businesses in addressing any difficulties with the General Product Safety Regulations.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The updated GPSR largely formalises the reality of how many businesses are already operating and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. However, we understand that for some businesses, the regulation will require changes, and we take any concerns extremely seriously.
We have issued guidance, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely within the UK and with the EU. We have regular discussions with businesses and consumer representatives from across the UK to hear their concerns.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to do business in the USA, following the UK–U.S. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Dialogue that took place in Belfast on 16 April.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the UK-U.S. trading relationship. In 2023, businesses in Northern Ireland alone exported goods worth over £1.5 million to the U.S. The SME Dialogue in Belfast reflects the ongoing commitment from both countries to enhancing UK-U.S. SME trade.
Over 85 SMEs, including many from Northern Ireland, participated in the recent Dialogue in Belfast where the UK and U.S. Intellectual Property (IP) toolkits, to help SMEs protect their IP. The Department for Business and Trade have previously launched toolkits on Doing Business in the U.S. and an E-Commerce Guide for SMEs selling online to the U.S.
The department is committed to supporting SMEs to grow and export, with a dedicated Export Support Service. The Export Academy helps SMEs access free training programmes, 1:1 guidance from International Trade Advisers and in-market insight from teams around the world, including in the U.S.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to expand the applicability of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to cover postmasters and postmistresses in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Government has worked at pace to deliver legislation to tackle the injustice faced by wrongfully convicted postmasters. The Government carefully considers the territorial extent of each piece of legislation and remains committed to supporting devolved administrations. Devolved administrations with powers to legislate in these areas should be expected to use them, as the UK Government has done in England and Wales.
The UK Government stand ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive to enable them to progress their own approaches to overturning convictions in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of when postmasters and postmistresses will receive legal exoneration through legislation; and when they expect that legislation to come into force.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 13 March. With the will of both Houses of Parliament, the Government’s intention is that the Bill receives Royal Assent as soon as possible before Summer Recess. Convictions in scope will be quashed on Royal Assent.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the request made by the Northern Ireland Executive, what assessment they have made of widening the scope of the legislation to reverse the convictions of sub-postmasters so that applies to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
Justice is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland. After engagement with interested parties and careful consideration, the Government believe that the approach for overturning the convictions in Scotland and Northern Ireland should be determined by the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive.
The Government will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations to enable them to progress their own approaches to overturning convictions in their jurisdictions to ensure equitable outcomes for victims across the UK.
Compensation will be paid on a common basis across the UK as postal services are a reserved matter.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of services and facilities that can be accessed from Post Offices.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
While publicly owned, Post Office operates at arm’s length from Government as a commercial business with its own Board. Government protects access to a range of key services, but Post Office has commercial freedom to adapt its services to meet the needs of its diverse customer base. Post Office continues to work with both the private and public sectors to identify new opportunities to deliver different services through its network.