Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26598 on Rules of Origin, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the economic impact on the UK of joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention on Rules of Origin.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade meet regularly to discuss a wide range of pertinent issues, including through relevant Cabinet Committee meetings. At this time we do not currently have plans to join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention on Rules of Origin, and we will not be giving a running commentary on specific discussions taking place. Any decisions will follow a robust and pragmatic consideration of benefits, risks and the national interest.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on what date the Incorporated Companies in the UK statistical release for October to December 2024 will be published.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House aims to release the specific statistics for October to December 2024 by the end of February 2025. Further information about the reason for the delay will accompany the statistics when they are published. Updates on this matter are available on the gov.uk website:
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what has been the cost of the UK Trade Envoy programme since its inception; and what was the cost of the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy programme in each of the last 5 years in which it operated.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoys have just been appointed minimal costs have occurred. Costs of the Prime Minister Trade Envoy programme for the past five years is in the table below.
2020/2021 | 2021/2022 | 2022/2023 | 2023/2024 | 2024/2025 |
£12,106 | £106,659 | £203,642 | £228,583 | £27,809 |
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Public and Commercial Services trade union on the proposed industrial action by workers in his Department.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union members involved in industrial action are employees of G4S and ISS.
The Government Property Agency (an executive agency of the Cabinet Office) is the contracting authority for the facilities management services delivered through these contracts. No discussions have taken place between Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the PCS on this issue.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranian Convention on Rules of Origin.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We are always looking at ways to reduce barriers to trade – within our manifesto red lines – because we take a pragmatic view as to where the national interest lies. We are therefore open to looking at PEM if that reflects business and partner sentiment, but we do not currently have plans to join. Rules of origin is a complex area and there are many factors that influence how businesses experience using these rules, from the paperwork involved to the complexity of their own supply chains.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives from the European Union on the Pan-Euro-Mediterranian Convention on Rules of Origin.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We welcome the positive, constructive tone from Commissioner Šefčovič last week on this issue. We are resetting the relationship with our European friends to tackle barriers to help drive investment and growth and are open to looking at PEM if that reflects business and partner sentiment, but at this time we do not currently have plans to join.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the new American administration on a potential UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK looks forward to working with President Trump and his administration to deepen our trading relationship the US. The Prime Minister had a warm call with President Trump on 26 January where they discussed trade and the economy.
The US Government has clear rules that preclude other governments from formally engaging with members of the US Cabinet before they are officially confirmed by the Senate. We are still waiting for both the nominee for Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick and the US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, to be confirmed by the Senate.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Minister for Investment has held meetings with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the transition from SPIRE to LITE in relation to licence applications made to the Export Control Joint Unit.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The ‘apply for a SIEL’ service (Single Individual Export Licence) was launched on gov.uk on 17 September 2024, the first licence type introduced on our new export control platform, LITE.
To ease the transition for exporters, a suite of training videos, webinars, and frequently asked questions are available online. Live demonstrations are provided, supported by regular engagement with trade associations.
A dedicated helpline offers practical support, and users can flag technical issues.
Approximately 70% of SIEL applications are submitted via LITE, up from 33% in June, 2024. Reducing processing times for all applications remains a priority of ECJU.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20204 on Nissan, what his planned timetable is for publishing the updated transparency data on meetings.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade follows the publication schedule set by No. 10