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.
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, how much and what proportion of the funding provided to the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland has been allocated to businesses in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The £70 million Investment Fund for Northern Ireland offers loans ranging from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investments up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of Northern Ireland, including rural, coastal and urban areas. 100% of the fund is allocated to businesses in Northern Ireland. Of the £70 million total, around £18 million has been deployed to 35 businesses to date, leveraging around £12 million of additional private capital.
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, if he will have discussions with representatives of the PXN Group on supporting private sector venture funding opportunities in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
Ministers have regular discussions with private sector partners who can help deliver the Government's priority of economic growth across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. Private sector venture funding opportunities would not normally form part of such discussions as they are commercially sensitive and an investor's ability to identify such opportunities is part of their competitive advantage. Any investment partnerships with government are based on fair and open procurement by the British Business Bank, undertaken independently of ministers.
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 18 June 2025 to Question 59711 on UK Internal Trade, what progress his Department has made on removing additional obligations placed on GB based businesses supplying Northern Ireland.
Answered by Justin Madders
I understand that some GB based businesses have faced changes as a result of the updated General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). The Department has issued guidance for those who are selling to Northern Ireland, which we will continue to keep under review. We have engaged with businesses directly to ensure they understand their obligations arising from the GPSR, and to support them in trading freely across the entirety of the UK.
The Government is committed to upholding its obligations under the Windsor Framework, and to protecting the UK internal market.
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 12 December 2024 to Question 18502 on Consumer Goods: Safety specifically that his Department is supporting businesses to trade freely across the UK, if he will make it his policy that free movement of goods without bureaucratic requirements is applied across the UK.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework and protecting the UK internal market.
With respect to the updated General Product Safety Regulation, as referenced in Question [18502], I understand that, for some businesses, the regulation has required changes. The Department has issued guidance for businesses selling to Northern Ireland and has continued to engage businesses directly to ensure that they understand the obligations.
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, if he will hold discussions with representatives of businesses with government contracts on ensuring that UK residents who are entitled to a UK passport following the passing of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 are not excluded from employment because they hold dual nationality.
Answered by Justin Madders
None planned, as there is no DBT policy in relation to Govt contracts which differentiates treatment of UK residents who are entitled to a UK passport following the passing of the British Nationality Act 2024 from other UK residents.