Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing controls to prevent the import of products made with Uyghur forced labour.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. The Department for Business and Trade will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the UK's existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools that are emerging, to ensure it can best tackle forced labour in supply chains, and work with businesses and international partners to understand the impact of measures to combat forced labour.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 24720 on Fertilisers: Russia, from which countries have imports of fertiliser increased since March 2022.
Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
As per the answer of 13 May 2024, UK imports of fertiliser originating from Russia fell 80% in 2023, compared to 2022 import values.
Across a similar period, from March 2022 to February 2023, the value of direct fertiliser imports grew most significantly from the following 10 countries: Egypt, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, USA, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, France, Lithuania, and Israel. These countries accounted for around 82% of the total increase.
More recent data shows that the largest increases, between March 2023 and February 2024, were from: Egypt, Israel, Morocco, USA, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, China, Canada, Greece, and Nigeria. These countries accounted for around 93% of the total increase for this period.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 implications for her policies of the decision by the US to impose a 50% tariff on Chinese-made solar cells.
Answered by Greg Hands
The UK has noted the new tariffs on a series of Chinese goods being imported into the US. The UK does not routinely comment on trade measures taken between other countries.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a 50% tariff on Chinese-made solar cells in the context of US tariff policy.
Answered by Greg Hands
The UK has noted the new tariffs on a series of Chinese goods being imported into the US. The UK does not routinely comment on trade measures taken between other countries.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the UK has imported fertiliser from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
In March 2022, the UK introduced additional duties of 35% on Russian fertilisers, excluding urea which is subject to a tariff of 6%. In July 2022, the UK also introduced bans on certain kinds of fertiliser.
HMRC data shows that UK imports of fertiliser from Russia in 2023 were down 80% compared to 2022 import values, demonstrating the impact of sanctions and additional tariffs.
We will continue to apply pressure, and coordinate with our international partners to do so, until Ukraine prevails or Putin ends his war of choice.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses have (a) signed up to and (b) completed the Help to Grow: Management Course; and what proportion of those businesses have an annual turnover of (i) £0 - £499,999, (ii) £500,000 - £999,999, (iii) £1 million - £4,999,999, (iv) £5 million - £10.19 million, (v) £10.20 million - £49.99 million and (vi) £50 million or more.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Data on the Help to Grow: Management scheme will be released in Spring 2023.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses have (a) signed up for and (b) completed the Help to Grow: Management training; and what proportion of those businesses employ (i) five to 19 employees, (ii) 20 to 49 employees, (iii) 50 to 99 employees and (iv) 100 to 249 employees.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Data on the Help to Grow: Management scheme will be released in Spring 2023.