Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of trends in the level of export costs to the EU for small businesses on the economy of (a) Wales and (b) Arfon constituency.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our export strategy sets out a 12-point plan, which is helping businesses in Arfon and across Wales expand their export opportunities. Welsh businesses can access a wide range of free support services, including a network of sector specialists and overseas trade advisers, our Export Academy, the Export Support Service, and UK Export Finance.
My department has also recently announced that we will be appointing new International Trade Advisors (ITAs) in Wales, boosting our support for Welsh SME exporters. This expansion should see a further 400-600 companies across Wales receiving tailored support to seek new export opportunities.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help ensure that parcel delivery companies (a) adopt and (b) adhere to her Department's Statement of principles for parcel deliveries, published in July 2014.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While the principles in this guidance still stand, through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we have undertaken further work to ensure retailers provide information about delivery options upfront in the purchasing process to ensure consumers can make informed decisions.
In its 2022 review of postal regulation Ofcom, the independent regulator of the postal sector, committed to ongoing monitoring of operators’ performance, keeping under review the need for additional regulation to protect consumers.
Current guidance for parcel operators and retailers on their obligations is available from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s Business Companion website and through the dedicated deliverylaw.uk website.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to reduce exporting costs for small business that export to the EU.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department are better equipped than ever to support UK businesses to export. We offer a wide range of free support services, including a network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, sector specialists, Export Support Service, Export Academy, and International Markets network.
UK Export Finance (UKEF) also continues to focus on supporting SMEs. In 2022-23, 84% of the companies supported directly with a UKEF product were small and medium-sized enterprises.
But we are doing more – maximising uptake of new Free Trade Agreements by SMEs, using data to better target our services and working across Government to reduce barriers to exporting and simplify border processes.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate she has made of the number of small businesses that have (a) relocated and (b) part-relocated their operations to the EU due to export costs in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We do not have the information you are asking for, however, what we can say is that 94% of all businesses that responded to the ONS business survey in the 2 weeks to the 3rd September were not planning to open any new branches or subsidiaries in the EU in the next 12 months.
We understand that SMEs have had to adapt to the new post-Brexit environment, and that’s why we are ensuring they have what they need to do so, including comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK, and support from UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Export Support Service (ESS).
Now we have left the single market, we can turn our focus to the rest of the world, where in the 12 months to June 2023 trade is up 38% in current prices compared to pre-pandemic (2018) levels.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU (a) single market and (b) customs union on costs for small businesses that export to the EU.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We do not have the information you are asking for, however, what we can say is that 94% of all businesses that responded to the ONS business survey in the 2 weeks to the 3rd September were not planning to open any new branches or subsidiaries in the EU in the next 12 months.
We understand that SMEs have had to adapt to the new post-Brexit environment, and that’s why we are ensuring they have what they need to do so, including comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK, and support from UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Export Support Service (ESS).
Now we have left the single market, we can turn our focus to the rest of the world, where in the 12 months to June 2023 trade is up 38% in current prices compared to pre-pandemic (2018) levels.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2023 to Question 182031 on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, whether UK negotiators sought to disapply ISDS provisions in CPTPP with Canada and Brunei.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
CPTPP's investment chapter provides important protections for investors, which it is in the UK’s interest to accept, including with both Brunei and Canada. The Government is clear that where we negotiate investment protection and ISDS provisions, we will not hinder our right to regulate in the public interest. This right is protected in CPTPP, and the Government also negotiated additional protections for our ability to regulate areas such as public services.