Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timeline is for the rollout of innovation and growth hubs in London; what level of economic investment is expected to be allocated to those hubs in London over the next five years; and what criteria will be used to determine the location and focus of innovation and growth hubs in the UK.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is supporting innovation clusters nationwide, including the Department for Science and Innovation and Technology (DIST) led £500 million Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, with at least £30 million allocated to London and additional funding available through competitive bidding for other regions.
The Department for Business and Trade provide core funding to 41 Growth Hubs across England, with £15 million (including £540,700 for Grow London Local) committed for 2025/26. These offer businesses support and advice across all sectors and stages.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 impact of the UK’s 2025 Trade Strategy on (a) economic growth and (b) employment in the North East.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government published its Trade Strategy on 26 June, which was positively received by business. The Government will work closely with stakeholders on the implementation of the strategy, to ensure that resources are prioritised to deliver on key commitments to enhance economic growth and employment opportunities right across the UK including the North East, such as opening new export and market opportunities and strengthening our trade defence capabilities.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 economic impact of the UK-US trade deal on businesses in the North East.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister, Business Secretary and other Ministers across government have been engaging widely on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) with business organisations and companies from across the economy, including in the North East.
This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK and almost 26,000 people in the North East in particular. The EPD provides much needed certainty and confidence, which is crucial for supporting a robust UK supply chain in these industries
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 SMEs are not required to submit the same data to different government (a) departments and (b) agencies.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We want to free up business owners to focus on running their businesses and our SME Strategy will set out steps to reduce duplication and streamline data-sharing across Government.
This includes simplifying and digitising forms and exploring how services like GOV.UK One Login could offer businesses a more joined-up experience. The Prime Minister has committed to cutting the administrative cost of regulation by 25% by the end of this Parliament. By removing duplication and making services more responsive, we will help SMEs save time and money, enabling them to innovate, grow and drive economic prosperity.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and (b) civil society as part of negotiations towards digital trade ambitions outlined in the General terms for the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Economic Prosperity Deal, last updated on 20 June 2025.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK and US are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, improving access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains. The deal opens the way to a future UK US technology partnership through which our science-rich nations will collaborate in key areas of advanced technology, for example biotech, life sciences, quantum computing, nuclear fusion, aerospace and space.
This landmark economic agreement comes off the back of close collaboration between DBT and DSIT Ministers and officials. The PM, Business Secretary, and other Ministers across government have regular engagement with industry, civil society and businesses on a range of priorities.
We will continue our engagement with stakeholders from across the UK, including civil society, on the EPD throughout these remaining negotiations and the implementation of the deal.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme payments have been paid to the loaning bank following (a) default and (b) bankruptcy by the business to which the loan was made; and what the value was of each of those loans.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As at 31 March 2025, 8,755 (9.0% of the total) Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme (CBILS) loans have had the government guarantee paid out. The monetary value of the guarantees paid out is £996.3mn, or 3.9% of the total the CBILS draw down value. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold data detailing the reason for borrower default, including where bankruptcy is the reason for default.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with UK businesses on the potential impact of President Trump's executive order on diversity, equality and inclusion practices.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State and Ministerial team engage in regular discussions with UK business on topics including this. Department for Business and Trade ministers have already this year hosted events launching the FTSE Women Leaders and Parker Review 2025 Reports; both of which were attended by senior leaders from across the UK's private sector. Promoting equality of opportunity and business-led initiatives for progress are key parts of this Government's Plan for Change, ensuring fair access to the best jobs for all.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 34611 on Microsoft: Prices, what assessment he has made of the implications for consumer.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government expects all firms to treat their customers fairly, and there is a strong framework of consumer rights in the UK that underpin this. At the same time, businesses are generally free to set the price of their products as they wish. The UK competition regime encourages open and competitive markets which produces lower prices for consumers. The Government has strengthened both competition and consumer protection regimes in the recent Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 Microsoft's increase in prices for Office 365.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has not conducted a formal assessment on Microsoft's price increase for Office 365.
Microsoft cites the addition of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities as the main reason for higher prices. Digital technologies, including AI, are an important way to improve business efficiency. We are exploring ways to boost uptake through the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce, Technology Adoption Review, and AI Opportunities Action Plan. We also provide a range of other support for small businesses, from the Business Support Service to local Growth Hubs.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 domestic critical minerals industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK’s economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. Government will work hand in hand with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. The Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.
Government is considering policy options to secure our critical mineral supply chains and will be engaging closely with industry to realise our potential for producing critical minerals domestically. I am pleased to see the National Wealth Fund’s recognition of our domestic critical minerals industry’s growth potential, as demonstrated by their recent £28.6m equity investment into the Cornish Metals South Crofty tin mine.