Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 re-structured Board of Trade on small and medium-sized businesses in North East Somerset & Hanham constituency.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The restructured Board of Trade is charged with enhancing support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in North East Somerset & Hanham. With a renewed focus on championing UK exports, the Board-comprising experienced business leaders-will help SMEs access new global markets and benefit from trade agreements through serving as ambassadors and advocates for British businesses at home and abroad, supporting and promoting initiatives such as the upcoming Business Growth Service.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 small and medium-sized businesses in North East Somerset & Hanham constituency.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Last year the Business Secretary announced a new Business Growth Service which will make it easier for businesses across Somerset to get advice and support to grow and thrive. The West of England Growth Hub is where small and medium businesses in Somerset and the surrounding rural areas can benefit from specialist advice on how to scale up, access new markets and receive financial support through the British Business Bank.
Businesses can also access other Government programmes such as the Business Support Service, Help to Grow: Management, the UK Export Academy, International Trade Advisors and the Export Support Service.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 revised UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on North East Somerset & Hanham constituency.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The deal that the Government struck with the EU delivers on what the British public voted for last year. It slashes red tape and bureaucracy; boosts British exporters; and will add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040. This will benefit the South West of England, whose largest trading partner is the EU, constituting 44.1% of South West exports of goods and 47.8% of imports of goods in 2024.
Additionally, we signed a Security and Defence Partnership, which will boost defence procurement opportunities in the nearby aerospace industry cluster.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 trade deals with (a) India and (b) the USA on the economy of North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
On 8 May the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the US. This protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - which employ over 320,000 people across the UK. In the South-West alone, these sectors employed 29,450 people in 2023. The trade deal with India is expected to raise UK GDP by £4.8 billion, increase wages by £2.2 billion annually in the long run, and unlock opportunities in every corner of the UK. As a result of this deal South-West exports including lamb, cosmetics, and advanced manufacturing will benefit from reduced tariffs.
Together, the US and India deals support UK-wide growth, with the South-West already exporting goods worth £0.6 billion to India and £4.4 billion to the US in 2024.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 changes to the (a) national minimum wage and (b) national living wage on people in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government published an Impact Assessment for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, which includes a breakdown of the expected impacts by region. Constituency-level estimates are not available due to greater data reliability issues arising from low survey response rates.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to increase the UK film industry's exports to (a) the EU (b) South America, (c) Asia and the Pacific.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has a dedicated exports promotion programme for the film and high-end TV industry, which includes providing export support for businesses at major international film festivals and markets.
We prioritise growth markets, including the EU, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, with an overall objective to increase our global exports footprint. We work with the UK film and TV sectors to remove market access barriers to enable businesses to increase their exports and use free trade agreements to grow exports.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information his Department holds on the number of breaches of minimum wage legislation by employers in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency in the last three years.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Data on National Minimum Wage (NMW) breaches by region is available in the published government’s Enforcement and Compliance report at: National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage: government evidence on enforcement and compliance, 2023 - GOV.UK
Region | Year | Jobs paid below minimum wage |
South West | 2020/21 | 18,000 |
2021/22 | 44,000 | |
2022/23 | 31,000 |
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 support small businesses in rural areas in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets, our communities, and essential to our economic success. This Government will hardwire the voice of small business into everything we do.
Businesses in North East Somerset and Hanham can access support through the West of England Growth Hub, which provides businesses of all sizes and sectors with advice and support throughout the business journey.
The Government provides further support for small businesses through Business Support Service, Help to Grow, the UK Export Academy, International Trade Advisors, the Export Support Service, and the British Business Bank.