Oral Answers to Questions

Holly Mumby-Croft Excerpts
Tuesday 7th June 2022

(2 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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George Freeman Portrait George Freeman
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The hon. Lady makes an important point about social enterprises being mainstreamed in the business community. She may have seen the recent report by the all-party parliamentary group for social enterprise, of which I have long been a supporter, that argued that we should mainstream social enterprise in the BEIS policy framework, which is an interesting proposal. We have just announced the biggest increase in research and development and innovation funding—an increase of £25 billion over the next three years. I have asked UK Research and Innovation to focus on that incubation hub infrastructure around the country, so that we can continue to support the university and small business networks that create the opportunities for tomorrow.

Holly Mumby-Croft Portrait Holly Mumby-Croft (Scunthorpe) (Con)
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13. What steps he is taking to support manufacturers.

Kate Kniveton Portrait Kate Griffiths (Burton) (Con)
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16. What steps he is taking to support the manufacturing sector.

Lee Rowley Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Lee Rowley)
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Manufacturing —from the heaviest of our industries to our most modern fourth industrial revolution factory—is the bedrock of our country’s resilience, and we are committed to supporting it. This year, we will launch a new manufacturing investment prospectus to promote the UK as the destination of choice for investment, and to signpost the support available to businesses.

Holly Mumby-Croft Portrait Holly Mumby-Croft
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Decarbonisation and the production of green steel represent a huge opportunity for steelmakers such as British Steel in Scunthorpe. Steelmakers are raring to go, but they need further policy guidance before they invest. Can my hon. Friend reassure me that he will continue to work closely, in the excellent way that he has done, with steelmakers to ensure that they have the guidance they need to reach those goals?

Lee Rowley Portrait Lee Rowley
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I can absolutely reassure my hon. Friend that we want to continue to work with British Steel, and with her—she is a champion for Scunthorpe and the surrounding communities—to ensure that it has a strong future, and to plot a pathway to treading more lightly on the earth.