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 meetings he has had Northern Ireland based businesses following the publication of guidance for businesses on the new General Product Safety Regulation.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My officials have been engaging regularly with businesses from across the UK on the updated General Product Safety Regulation in Northern Ireland. Since the guidance for businesses was published, officials have hosted numerous drop-in sessions for businesses, both before and after the Regulation took effect in Northern Ireland. The Department for Business and Trade will be publishing updates to the guidance to provide additional clarity to businesses, reflecting the queries and feedback we have received.
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 many employees from the Trade and Investment Hub in Northern Ireland are working with Invest NI to promote investment before the Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush in July 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
At end February 2025 DBT had 76 FTE from across the organisation based in our Belfast Hub. There are 10 people working in the trade and investment team, who all work collaboratively with Invest Northern Ireland on a range of events and initiatives throughout the year.
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 many times the Export Finance Manager responsible for Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland visited Northern Ireland in 2024.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) has a dedicated Export Finance Manager (EFM) based in, and visiting businesses all around, Northern Ireland since 2012, along with Regional Heads who oversee the work of clusters of EFMs.
UKEF does not provide information about individual officials who are not senior civil servants.
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 27 February 2025 to Question 32942 on Northern Ireland: Investment, what estimate he has made of the private sector investment in addition to the fund.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Business Bank periodically publishes updated milestone figures on the Nations and Regions Investment Funds. Updated figures for the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland will be published by the end of Q2, which will include private sector investment.
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 24 February to Question 29416 on Investment: Northern Ireland, how much of the funding already deployed is from the private sector; and over what period he expects the total amount to be spent.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The £10 million already deployed is solely from the fund, private sector investment is in addition to that. The fund expects to deploy the £70m over 5 years, until 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, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Investment Fund for Northern Ireland since it was established.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Investment Fund for Northern Ireland was launched in November 2023 with the aim to deliver a £70 million commitment to smaller businesses in Northern Ireland, alongside investment from the private sector. Since its launch, the fund has deployed almost £10 million in debt funding and equity investment to local businesses at differing stages of their growth journey.
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 publish the (a) guarantees, (b) insurance policies and (c) loans issued by UK Export Finance to businesses in Northern Ireland in 2024.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) produces audited details of businesses supported each financial year as part of its transparency protocols.
Details of all UKEF support for businesses for 2023/24 and previous years can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-business-supported
The corresponding return of all businesses supported during financial year 2024/25 will be published in the summer.
UKEF does not publish a breakdown by UK nations and regions.
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 impact of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is expected to support jobs and create opportunities for business growth in every part of the UK. An impact assessment was published regarding the UK's accession to CPTPP and the potential long-run economic impact of the agreement. The analysis detailed the prospective impacts on all the UK’s regions and nations and demonstrated that UK GDP could increase by £2.0 billion every year in the long run.
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 list the support offered to businesses in Northern Ireland by UK Export Finance in 2024.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UKEF offers its full range of products and services to exporters across the UK, including Northern Ireland. Full details of the UKEF’s product and support offering can be found online at: www.ukexportfinance.gov.uk/products-and-services/.
UKEF also has a network of Export Finance Managers across the UK who are valuable points of contact for local businesses and can provide information on the range of support available. Contact details for the EFMs can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-an-export-finance-manager.
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 engineering sector on the impact of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade works closely with businesses in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, construction, aerospace, and automotive sectors, and will continue to.
Each Government department engages with relevant sectors where appropriate.