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Written Question
Measurement
Wednesday 28th September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish a response to the consultation entitled Choice on units of measurement: markings and sales.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The consultation ‘Choice on units of measurement: markings and sales’ closed on 26 August. We are reviewing the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.


Written Question
Horizon Europe
Wednesday 28th September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill on the prospects of the UK's future involvement in Horizon Europe.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

It is disappointing that the EU has politicised scientific cooperation by inappropriately linking the UK participation in EU Programmes and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Our preference remains association to the EU programmes as agreed under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), including Horizon Europe, and we continue to do everything we can to secure this. The EU is in breach of the agreement reached under the TCA for the UK to participate in EU programmes and these unjustified delays are causing uncertainty for our research and business communities. That is why we entered into formal consultations with the EU, which are a mechanism set out in the TCA to resolve issues between the UK and the EU. At the UK-EU Specialised Committee meeting on 22 September, which marked the end of the consultations period, the UK again request that the EU fulfil its obligation to finalise the UK’s association to EU Programmes. It is regrettable that the EU continues to decline this request. The UK government is now considering next steps. Our priority is to support the UK’s world leading R&D sector and we have already outlined potential options for doing so.


Written Question
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Publications
Thursday 22nd September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy to present information in internal documents and briefings using (a) imperial and (b) metric measurements.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy uses both imperial measures and metric units in internal documents and briefings.


Written Question
Foreign Investment in UK
Thursday 22nd September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made on levels of business investment in the UK compared to that in other countries.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Office for National Statistics has calculated that the UK’s business investment was £207bn in 2021. This amounted to 14.3% of GDP, the lowest of all nations in the G7 by this measure.

The Government is committed to boosting business led growth and investment across all parts of the UK.


Written Question
Audit: Reform
Thursday 22nd September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on audit reform.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

The Government will prepare and publish a draft Bill on audit and corporate governance during this session of Parliament. The Government will bring forward legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.


Written Question
Audit: Reform
Thursday 22nd September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many officials in his Department are working on legislative proposals on audit reform.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

There are 19 BEIS officials working on legislative proposals on reform of audit and corporate governance.


Written Question
Disability
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's National Disability Strategy, what the planned timetable is for announcing a new Ministerial Disability Champion for his Department.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

Given the recent changes in government, we are still in the process of finalising ministerial portfolios. We will make further updates in due course.


Written Question
Help to Grow Schemes
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses have successfully enrolled on (a) Help to Grow: Management and (b) Help to Grow: Digital.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

We intend to publish data on take up of the Help to Grow programmes later this year on the GOV.UK website. Help to Grow: Management will support up to 30,000 small business leaders to improve their leadership and management capability and enhance their growth through world-leading business schools. Help to Grow: Digital could help up to 100,000 eligible SMEs adopt new digital technologies over three years as it offers businesses targeted financial support.


Written Question
Trade: Certification
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the transition to separate UK safety certification for tradable goods following the UK's departure from the EU will not take place until 2027; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that timetable on (a) UK certification bodies and (b) businesses that have already sought UK certification.

Answered by Dean Russell

The Government has announced a series of measures for many product areas to make the transition to UKCA requirements much simpler, less burdensome, and less costly for businesses over the coming years. This includes enabling conformity assessment undertaken to CE requirements before the end of this year to be used as the basis for UKCA marking for up to 5 years.

We are committed to supporting businesses, protecting consumers and building a sustainable domestic conformity assessment market. We appreciate the efforts already taken by businesses and UK Approved Bodies to get ready for the UKCA regime as this will ensure the transition is a success.

Most new products covered by UKCA requirements that are placed on the market after 31 December 2022 will still need to undergo UKCA conformity assessment by a UK Approved Body.


Written Question
Business: Disability
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to implement the Government's National Disability Strategy.

Answered by Dean Russell

The National Disability Strategy set out the Government's ambitions to improve the lives of millions of disabled people. In January 2022, the High Court declared it was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions sought permission to appeal the High Court's declaration. Whilst awaiting a decision on permission to appeal from the Court of Appeal, we are required to take steps to comply with the Court’s declaration. We have therefore paused a limited number of policies which are referred to in the Strategy or are directly connected with it.