Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Taiwan offshore wind export credit agreement on the UK energy supply chain.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) support is conditional on the inclusion of UK content. This should usually be at least 20% of the portion of the support provided by UKEF. In this instance, UKEF has issued a guarantee to commercial lenders to help secure new export opportunities for the UK, which in turn support jobs across the UK, both in those businesses with which the project contracts directly, and in their supply chains. While there will be significant UK content, above the 20% threshold, we cannot comment on individual contracts for reasons of commercial sensitivity.
UKEF support is based on confirmed contracts for the provision of specialised services and components to support the construction project. UKEF is aware of several UK sub-contractors who are bidding for roles within the various construction contracts , but such selection is an ongoing process throughout the build phase.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many UK-based subcontractors are expected to be impacted from the Taiwan offshore wind project backed by UK Export Finance.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) support is conditional on the inclusion of UK content. This should usually be at least 20% of the portion of the support provided by UKEF. In this instance, UKEF has issued a guarantee to commercial lenders to help secure new export opportunities for the UK, which in turn support jobs across the UK, both in those businesses with which the project contracts directly, and in their supply chains. While there will be significant UK content, above the 20% threshold, we cannot comment on individual contracts for reasons of commercial sensitivity.
UKEF support is based on confirmed contracts for the provision of specialised services and components to support the construction project. UKEF is aware of several UK sub-contractors who are bidding for roles within the various construction contracts , but such selection is an ongoing process throughout the build phase.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Industrial strategy partnership: joint statement between the UK and France, published on 11 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the implementation of bilateral investment projects.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) tracks UK investment in various ways, including through its global network and central platform, DataHub, which monitors all Office for Investment (OfI) projects. This includes investments announced on 11 July during the UK-France Summit and the UK-France Industrial Strategy Partnership.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what mechanisms are in place to monitor delivery partners' performance in disbursing Drive35 programme funding.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DRIVE35 is delivered through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and Innovate UK, part of UKRI.
DRIVE35 programme funding dispersed by the programme’s delivery partners is monitored in line with Cabinet Office Grant Functional Standards to ensure compliance with grant conditions and alignment with delivery requirements and the programme’s objectives. This includes undertaking effective assurance of the delivery activities undertaken by delivery partners.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the Drive35 programme to the UK's domestic supply chain resilience in the automotive sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DRIVE35 will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing It will support the latest research and development, accelerate commercial scale up, and unlock capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries, and the wider supply chain. This will help in strengthening UK supply chain resilience, and boost competitiveness in the sector.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that SMEs can access funding opportunities under the Drive35 programme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DRIVE35 will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing. It will support the latest R&D in strategic vehicle technologies, accelerate their commercial scale-up, and unlock investment across all aspects of automotive electrification, enabling a holistic transition to next-generation electric vehicle technologies. All DRIVE35 competitions are open to SMEs.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the delivery partners for the £500 million fund for underrepresented entrepreneurs have appropriate (a) governance and (b) accountability mechanisms in place.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The £500 million programme of investment for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is a new initiative by the British Business Bank which has not yet opened for applications. This includes a £400m Investor Pathways Capital initiative, an addition of £50m in the Invest in Women Taskforce and an addition of £50m in the female-led funds that are aligned with the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.
All Bank programmes, delivery partners and Fund Managers are subject to robust standards of monitoring, reporting, and independent evaluation with oversight by the Bank's investment committee and DBT. Performance of delivery partners is monitored, and the distribution of finance is tracked, including by diversity characteristics such as sex and ethnicity and a programme of early assessments, interim and final evaluations.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 effectiveness of the support delivered to underrepresented entrepreneurs through the £500 million investment programme.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The £500 million programme of investment for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is a new initiative by the British Business Bank which has not yet opened for applications. This includes a £400m Investor Pathways Capital initiative, an addition of £50m in the Invest in Women Taskforce and an addition of £50m in the female-led funds that are aligned with the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.
All Bank programmes, delivery partners and Fund Managers are subject to robust standards of monitoring, reporting, and independent evaluation with oversight by the Bank's investment committee and DBT. Performance of delivery partners is monitored, and the distribution of finance is tracked, including by diversity characteristics such as sex and ethnicity and a programme of early assessments, interim and final evaluations.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that funds directed to UK‑based suppliers under the national security initiative are (a) monitored and (b) reported.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Managing Public Money sets out expectations for all public services, including money spent procuring any goods and services. The standards are honesty, impartiality, openness, accountability, accuracy, fairness, integrity, transparency, objectivity, and reliability. All should be carried out in the spirit of, as well as to the letter of the law, in the public interest, to high ethical standards and achieving value for money.
It also sets out that there shall be adequate reporting arrangements to provide assurance to the board, the Accounting Officer and ultimately ministers about what is being achieved, to what standards and with what effect. Monitoring and evaluation are part of the development and planning of any intervention from the start. They are important to ensure successful implementation and the responsible, transparent management of public resources.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to (a) review and (b) update the list of strategically important sectors eligible for preferential national security procurement over the next three years.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
As stated in the public consultation document at the end of last month, the Government is considering plans that will allow Ministers to designate certain UK specific services, works or goods as nationally important to protecting UK national security - as part of our Plan for Change to secure Britain's future. The government is not inviting public consultation on this proposal but will engage with relevant national security stakeholders as necessary.