Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will consider the potential merits of including electricity-intensive food and drink manufacturers, such as distillers, in the scope of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recently closed a consultation on eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) where businesses were invited to share their views on the proposed methodology and an indicative list of eligible sectors. Decisions on eligibility will now be taken to ensure the scheme is properly geared towards boosting growth in the economy; through attracting investment in Industrial Strategy frontier manufacturing sectors and foundational manufacturing industries that supply key inputs to the Industrial Strategy frontier sectors.

The Industrial Strategy frontier and foundational sectors were selected following the Government’s consultation of the Modern Industrial Strategy in the autumn of 2024.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on guidance to schools on children who are questioning their gender.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Department engaged with the EHRC as a part of wider stakeholder engagement to inform our policy on gender questioning children. Guidance has now been published for consultation within Keeping children safe in education. Our guidance to schools and colleges is pragmatic and balanced, with the wellbeing of children at its heart, and is clear that no child should be able to access toilets, changing rooms, or boarding or residential accommodation for the opposite sex.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for the life sciences sector.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Life Sciences Sector Plan, published in July 2025, launched a ten year programme to cement the UK’s position as a global life sciences leader. The Secretary of State is in regular contact with Cabinet colleagues, and we have strengthened the Office for Life Sciences as a trilateral unit across DSIT, DHSC and DBT, bringing together health, industrial strategy and innovation, and appointed an Executive Chair, Steve Bates, to provide leadership and accountability.

This collaborative approach is delivering, with the UK securing multibillion pound private investment, building new research infrastructure, scaling manufacturing, streamlining regulation, strengthening clinical trials and driving medical breakthroughs.

Found: (93.8%) Maureen Burke (Labour, Glasgow North East) (added 28 Oct 2024) 30 of 48 (62.5%) Harriet Cross

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Patricia Ferguson (Chair); Maureen Burke; Harriet Cross; Dave Doogan