Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to WPQ 3948 Dated 9/9/2024, which areas in the nations and regions of the UK were events held to ensure that businesses become more aware of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since September 2023 the Department for Business and Trade has attended or coordinated over 70 events (online or in-person) to ensure that UK businesses are aware of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). In person events have so far taken place in areas across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and online events have been targeted at UK businesses based throughout the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support and promote biotechnology in Northern Ireland through the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Life sciences, which includes biotechnology, is one of the priority sectors under the Government’s Industrial Strategy. This summer the Government published the UK Life Sciences Sector Plan, setting out a bold ambition to make the UK the leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030. The Plan supports growth across the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, recognising its particular strengths in precision medicine, diagnostics, advanced manufacturing and clinical research. The Office for Life Sciences is working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to align priorities, attract investment, and deliver growth in Northern Ireland’s life sciences sector.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 haulier businesses that have declared insolvency in each year between 2021 and 2024.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Estimated numbers of companies with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 49200 (Freight rail transport) and 49410 (Freight transport by road) that entered insolvency in the UK in each calendar year between 2021 and 2024 are presented in the table below.
Calendar Year | 49200 – Freight rail transport | 49410 – Freight transport by road | Total |
2021 | 0 | 265 | 265 |
2022 | 0 | 411 | 411 |
2023 | 0 | 503 | 503 |
2024 | 3 | 471 | 474 |
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help reduce economic dependence on the South East of England.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the UK’s Industrial Strategy, the Department for Business and Trade is driving regional growth by supporting priority sectors and attracting investment. This includes working with partners to deliver Industrial Strategy Zones, which provide tax incentives and funding to stimulate investment in city regions such as the advanced materials manufacturing in Greater Manchester, defence in Plymouth, clean energy in Inverness and the Highlands, compound semiconductors in South Wales and advanced manufacturing, photonics, and biotechnology in Northern Ireland.
The Business Growth Service offers SMEs a streamlined, UK-wide platform to access funding, expert advice, and export opportunities, reducing administrative burdens and connecting firms with local and national support through business.gov.uk.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67823 on Overseas Trade: Germany, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the lighthouse projects agreed with Germany on economic growth in the UK in the next 12 months.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Kensington Treaty signed between the UK and Germany commits the parties to mutually supporting economic growth, job creation, digital transition and innovation, working with our businesses and mobilising investment to grow our economies. As part of implementation, DBT is leading on the planned UK-Germany Business-Government Forum, which will draw on business insights to identify growth-driving opportunities.
DBT is also supporting projects led by other Departments. A Strategic Science and Technology Partnership will create a framework to support the development of cutting-edge critical technology in areas including quantum, AI, space and clean energy. We will also work towards expanding North Sea Energy cooperation and developing infrastructure to generate greener, cheaper, more secure energy. Finally, we will move towards strengthening collaboration between UK and German public financial institutions to contribute to boosting investment in growth-driving sectors.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that have been created in the small business sector in Northern Ireland in the period since the inception of the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The £70million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland has been open for applications since November 2023. From inception to May 2025, a total of £18million has been lent or invested in 35 businesses in Northern Ireland; this investment has also led to the crowding in of an additional £12million in private sector funding.
It is not possible at this early stage to estimate the number of jobs that have been created as a result. The benefits generated by the fund for the Northern Ireland economy, including additional Gross Value Added and jobs created, will be assessed by independent evaluations of the fund, likely to take place in 2026 at the earliest.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to help encourage private sector investment in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy sets out our key policies to drive growth and investment in every region across the UK. In addition to a range of sector initiatives, Northern Ireland will receive £30 million through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund to drive transformative innovation in the Belfast and Derry/Londonderry corridor. We will also continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to establish the Enhanced Investment Zone. The Regional Investment Summit, taking place in October 2025 will showcase our regional economies and drive investment across the entirety of the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 Bundesbank's report entitled What’s behind the sustained decline in German export market shares?, published on 14 July 2025.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Germany is the UK’s second-largest trading partner globally. We recognise the importance of resolving trade frictions between the UK and Germany where they occur. Our new UK-Germany Treaty, signed on 17 July, has economic growth and industrial collaboration at its heart. This will help drive trade between the UK and Germany through both a series of ‘Lighthouse projects’ and a broader implementation plan. For example, a new Business-Government Forum will connect the UK and German governments with leading businesses to identify opportunities and barriers to growth, with a focus on growth-driving sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences and financial services.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 61117 on Business: Northern Ireland, what his planned timetable is for allocating the remaining funding to businesses in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The £70 million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland launched in November 2023. The Fund has an investment period of five years, so the approximately £52 million remaining should be fully invested by November 2028.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's publication entitled The UK’s modern industrial strategy, published on 23 June 2025, whether the strategy will provide additional funding to the Plan for Neighbourhoods.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential. Through the Industrial Strategy we are targeting investment towards our eight-growth driving sectors, creating new opportunities so British workers can upskill and fill vacancies and supporting businesses to scale up. The industrial Strategy identifies and accelerates the highest-potential opportunities in these sectors, tackling investment barriers and unleashing the potential of clusters across the country.
The £1.5bn Plan for Neighbourhoods will deliver up to £20million of funding and support over the next decade into 75 communities across the UK, laying the foundations to kickstart local growth and drive-up living standards. The Industrial Strategy does not provide direct funding to the Plan for Neighbourhoods but complements it with a package of measures to boost regional growth.