Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on UK automotive exports to the European Union of the 10% tariff that may apply to electric vehicles that do not meet Rules of Origin requirements from 1 January 2027.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
New rules of origin requirements for electric vehicles under the TCA are scheduled to come into force on 1st January 2027. We are aware of the understandable and growing concern from industry about the potential impact of the upcoming rule changes on both EU and UK sides of the industry. We are engaging with the European Commission and the UK automotive sector on the issue to ensure a mutually advantageous solution. That includes, as a priority, looking to finalise joint guidance on the origin requirements related to Cathode Active Material.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consideration his Department has given to seeking a further extension or amendment to the Rules of Origin requirements for electric vehicles and batteries under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
New rules of origin requirements for electric vehicles under the TCA are scheduled to come into force on 1st January 2027. We are aware of the understandable and growing concern from industry about the potential impact of the upcoming rule changes on both EU and UK sides of the industry. We are engaging with the European Commission and the UK automotive sector on the issue to ensure a mutually advantageous solution. That includes, as a priority, looking to finalise joint guidance on the origin requirements related to Cathode Active Material.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 5329, what her Department's expected timeline is for the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to complete its compliance assessments of electric vehicle charge point operators regarding Regulation 7 (reliability) of the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, Regulation 7 requires operators of rapid public charge point networks to meet a 99% annual reliability standard and to publish compliance information each year. Operators must also submit annual reliability data to the Secretary of State.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) undertake compliance assessments on an ongoing, annual basis, reflecting these requirements; there is therefore no fixed timeline for this work. OPSS compiles findings from operators’ reports each year and shares these with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department made of the impact of the aviation sector on the UK economy when preparing The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the fact that the aviation sector was not explicitly referenced in that Strategy on aviation skills and training provision.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Sectors assessments are outlined in the Industrial Strategy Technical Annex, published on GOV.UK. The Industrial Strategy and Post-16 Education & Skills White Paper set out detail on how the government is investing in skills, including a £182m engineering package targeted at engineering skills shortages.
On the aviation workforce specifically, the Generation Aviation Programme is a government–industry collaboration that helps build a future-ready aviation workforce by raising awareness of aviation careers, removing barriers to access, and attracting diverse, talented people to address new technologies, decarbonisation, and emerging trends. It delivers five workstreams: outreach, championing the sector, signposting training and careers, industry partnerships, and research and data. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/generation-aviation-group.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123378, what are the job titles for the FTE staff.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Full-time equivalent (FTE) is a measure of the accumulated time recorded across the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by staff who have allocated any of their time to the Sustainability Taskforce. The FTE figure does not represent an equivalent number of job titles or posts.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120645 on Competition and Markets Authority: Costs, what expenditure the Competition and Markets Authority has incurred on (a) consultants, (b) research and (c) external contracts in support of the Sustainability Taskforce since its establishment.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has not incurred expenditure on (a) consultants, (b) research and (c) external contracts in support of the Sustainability Taskforce.
Since its establishment, the expenditure for the Sustainability Taskforce is as follows:
FY | Staff Costs | Non-Staff Costs | Total Cost | Full-Time Equivalent |
2023-24 | £418,715.01 | £3,335.36 | £422,050.37 | 5.4 |
2024-25 | £342,306.01 | £677.18 | £342,983.19 | 3.9 |
Non-staff costs cover other programme expenditure such as travel and subsistence.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of current battery costs per kWh; and what assumptions underpin projections for future cost reductions.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Department does not publish an official estimate and for benchmarking we reference internationally trusted, independent sources.
Battery technology is becoming increasingly important for our national resilience. Global demand for batteries is surging, the battery value chain from raw material extraction to cell production is very concentrated.
We work closely with international partners to improve security of supply, and the Industrial Strategy published last year clearly shows the importance of building a competitive domestic battery supply in delivering economic resilience and growth for the UK.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of private enforcement in competition cases in the courts.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The competition opt-out collective actions regime enables competition claims to be brought where many individuals have claims substantially similar in nature. This provides a route to litigation where it would otherwise be impractical or unaffordable.
The Government launched a review of the operation of the competition opt-out collective actions regime in August 2025, commencing with a call for evidence that closed on 14 October 2025. Responses to the call for evidence are now being considered and a consultation on options for reform will be brought forward in due course.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
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 ensure that the UK remains competitive for (a) pharmaceutical and (b) life sciences inward investment.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out the Government’s 10-year plan to grow the UK’s life sciences sector, including pharmaceuticals, and drive inward investment. It includes 33 actions with clear milestones and metrics to support delivery — from setting up the Health Data Research Service alongside Wellcome; to committing to reduce clinical trial set-up times to under 150 days; to streamlining regulation and market access.
Delivery is already underway: recruitment is advancing for the Chair and CEO of the new Health Data Research Service; we have launched Europe’s first Biofoundry for mRNA manufacturing; and announced the £85 million Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme with Eli Lilly.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has identified international trade compliance obligations for (a) simplification and (b) removal.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government's central mission is economic growth, with trade being a core part of that Mission. The Trade Strategy sets out a clear plan to maximise trade opportunities now and in the future. The Trade Strategy is grounded in the realities of the context in which we are operating and provides practical tools to support businesses to trade and drive growth both in the current context and in the future. It will primarily focus on the ways that trade is changing and how the UK can take a forward-facing approach to upcoming challenges.