Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality, pub and food to go sectors to remain in business.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting pubs and the wider hospitality sector, which is why we have taken decisive action. We recently announced an additional 15% cut for pubs on top of the permanent reduction in the business rates multiplier for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties.
We recognise that revaluation has increased bills for some businesses, which is why we are providing £4.3 billion over three years to protect ratepayers from sharp rises. We are also launching a review of how pubs and hotels are valued for business rates.
Alongside this, we have introduced the first National Licensing Policy Framework, expanded temporary event permissions, doubled the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 million, and will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy later this year to help reinvigorate our communities.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support local pubs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant role hospitality businesses, including local pubs, play in driving economic growth, employment and community cohesion across the UK. That is why we are offering targeted support for the sector.
We have permanently lowered tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit. To support with any bill increases due to rateable value changes, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years.
The Chancellor also announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of the budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase public funding in advanced manufacturing.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, published alongside the Modern Industrial Strategy last year, sets out how we are supporting manufacturers to grow and thrive, boosting jobs and increasing prosperity across the UK.
Government has committed £4.3 billion to support manufacturers over 5 years, including up to £2.8 billion for R&D alone. We are also increasing skills funding, with over £180 million for an engineering skills package, as well as making £4 billion worth of capital available for Industrial Strategy sectors via the British Business Bank, and £27.8 billion via the National Wealth Fund. Extra funding for advanced manufacturing was also announced at the Autumn Budget.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the closure of major post offices and how this impacts unemployment across the province.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, Post Office is transitioning to a fully franchised network. All 108 Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) – including Bangor and Newtownards in Northern Ireland – are within scope of these changes.
The Government fully recognises the impact that Post Office branch closures can have on local communities. While decisions on the specific circumstances of each DMB are an operational matter for Post Office Limited, we understand that Post Office is actively advertising for an additional local branch in the town centres of both locations, complementing existing coverage in the area.
In terms of the employees of those branches, all employees were offered TUPE transfer, settlement agreements, or redeployment.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on reducing remaining tariffs on British-produced steel.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Thanks to the strength of the UK-US partnership, the UK remains the only country to benefit from a preferential 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports to the US, avoiding the global rate of 50%. The UK is therefore uniquely positioned as the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a 25% competitive advantage over global competitors.
We continue to work closely with our US counterparts to reduce tariffs further and secure the best possible outcomes for UK manufacturers.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on trade deals.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State met his Indian counterpart, Minister Goyal, in Mumbai as part of the recent trade mission led by the Prime Minister, and had productive discussions on our joint ambition to bring the UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) into force as soon as possible.
I held meetings with German, Emerati, Saudi, Greek and Indian counterparts at the Berlin Global Dialogue and attended the GCC Trade Ministers Meeting in Kuwait in October, reaffirming shared, strong political will to conclude a UK-GCC trade deal.
I visited Argentina and Brazil and discussed how best to strengthen our trading relationship with a series of ministerial counterparts, including potentially through an FTA. I have also held meetings with my Uruguayan, Paraguayan, and Ukrainian counterparts online.
There have been further ministerial-level discussions with counterparts in the US, EU, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, and Turkey.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the distilling industry on the potential impact of the increase in (a) duties on spirits (b) employer's National Insurance contributions on businesses in the sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have not had any such direct conversations but the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) maintains regular engagement with stakeholders from across the distilling industry and remains committed to supporting economic growth in the sector. Although duties and National Insurance contributions are set by Treasury, DBT regularly shares industry feedback across government to help inform policy decisions to help foster growth, resilience and awareness. We also support the sector by providing access to significant export opportunities overseas, delivered via our free trade agreements in addition to maintaining and opening new market access.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with chip businesses on chip import tariffs.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting the UK’s semiconductor sector which is one of the frontier technologies identified under the Industrial Strategy Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.
During his time at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Secretary of State and his Department had regular engagements with the UK semiconductor industry.
As part of an ongoing analysis of potential import tariffs, both the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade are in close contact with companies in the sector in order to provide a measured and appropriate response should this be necessary.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what resources he is providing to Companies House to (a) detect and (b) prevent the use of fraudulent corporate structures for criminal activity.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government is committed to ensuring Companies House is fully resourced to fulfil its new functions. In May 2024, the incorporation fee and annual fee increased from £12 to £50, and £13 to £34 respectively. This funding, alongside £19m from the Economic Crime Levy, has provided additional resources across Companies House and the Insolvency Service to tackle economic crime.
Companies House has grown considerably since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 passed, increasing from around 1,400 to 2,142 staff. This will further increase in the coming months. Fees remain under review to ensure Companies House remains sufficiently resourced.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to increase job creation in the UK.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade outlined a clear mission: to support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and economic growth across the UK. Key departmental initiatives that support job creation include championing free trade agreements, securing foreign investment, supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to export, reforming regulations for economic growth, developing the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, and investing in growth sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. Since taking office, the Government has welcomed over £100 billion in investment announcements. And the latest ONS data shows that from June 2024 to March 2025 the number of jobs in the UK increased by around 384,000.