Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 promote UK-manufactured hydrogen technologies in international markets.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As a frontier Industrial Strategy sector, the government has committed to targeted support to boost exports of hydrogen sector goods and services by showcasing UK capabilities through our global network, providing greater access to international supply chains and — as outlined in the Trade Strategy — by expanding clean energy sector agreements, like the UK-Germany Hydrogen Partnership.
To support these opportunities, the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance aims to deliver £10bn in clean growth financing by 2029, alongside options to support overseas sales, including loan guarantees for foreign buyers, and working capital, insurance and bond support products to assist UK suppliers.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of potential differences in postal service performance between urban and rural areas within Newbury constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government does not collect or hold this information. Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has a duty to secure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service. It monitors Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service and has powers to investigate and take enforcement action if Royal Mail fails to achieve its performance targets as appropriate, taking account of all relevant factors.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 Royal Mail meets its regulatory obligations when local delivery service standards are not achieved.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for monitoring Royal Mail’s performance and ensuring that Royal Mail complies with its legal obligations. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.
In October, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality-of-service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to provide support to people who have hired a registered builder where the work has not been completed due to that builder entering liquidation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The insolvency framework is designed to ensure that those affected by any business failure receive as much of their money back as possible, and with as much fairness as possible. There are no plans to provide additional support to individuals affected by the failure of construction businesses.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 mandatory licensing scheme for builders provides adequate protections for homeowners who hire builders to complete work.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is fully committed to implementing the Grenfell Inquiry recommendation that principal contractors working on higher-risk buildings should be licenced through a scheme managed by the Building Safety Regulator. We have accepted this recommendation as an important step in enhancing building safety standards.
We continue to engage with stakeholders as to whether a wider licencing scheme would improve standards of consumer protection. This work is progressing alongside our broader initiatives to enhance competency across the construction sector through the Industry Competence Committee, ensuring a comprehensive approach to raising standards throughout the industry.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to increase requirements for builders to hold licensing fees.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is fully committed to implementing the Grenfell Inquiry recommendation that principal contractors working on higher-risk buildings should be licenced through a scheme managed by the Building Safety Regulator. We have accepted this recommendation as an important step in enhancing building safety standards.
We continue to engage with stakeholders as to whether a wider licencing scheme would improve standards of consumer protection. This work is progressing alongside our broader initiatives to enhance competency across the construction sector through the Industry Competence Committee, ensuring a comprehensive approach to raising standards throughout the industry.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 diversification in (a) vineyards, (b) farm shops, (c) tourism and (d) other small rural business.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department’s flagship plan for Small and Medium Sized Business is giving rural businesses the tools they need to grow and diversify. Our plan will help businesses to tackle late payments, improve access to finance, and streamline licensing. Targeted funding and Growth Hubs will provide tailored advice alongside sector-specific schemes to encourage innovation and local investment. DBT also provides advice and support for businesses via business.gov.uk, including access to the Business Academy and international market teams. These measures help rural businesses to thrive, create jobs, and strengthen local economies.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to ensure rural community owned businesses are included in the Small Business Strategy.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Small Business Plan outlines how we will make thriving small businesses a reality across the UK, whether across towns or countryside. Rural areas offer significant growth potential and fulfilling the needs of people and businesses in rural areas is at the heart of our policymaking.
The Plan was developed through engagement with a large number of key stakeholders and trade associations including roundtables with farms and community-based businesses.
The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed, ensuring that all intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas and include community-owned businesses.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 UK film exports, in the context of the announcement of 100% tariffs on films produced in the UK by the US President on 5 May 2025.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
My department has a dedicated exports promotion programme for the film and high-end TV industry, which includes providing export support for businesses at major international film festivals and markets. We work with the UK film and TV sectors to remove market access barriers to enable businesses to increase their exports and use free trade agreements to grow exports.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department plans to take to strengthen the framework for holding large corporations accountable in their support for small businesses.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
In September 2024 we announced a package of measures to help ensure small businesses are paid promptly by the large businesses they supply.
This included launching a new Fair Payment Code and a commitment to including payment performance information in large companies’ annual reports.
In the spring we will launch a public consultation on further measures to address late payments, including new powers for the Small Business Commissioner to tackle large businesses who pay late.