Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with refence to section 1.3 2. of his policy paper entitled The Atlantic Declaration, updated on 21 June 2023, what progress he has made on establishing an outbound investment mechanism.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade is keeping the potential national security risk posed by outward direct investment in sensitive sectors under review, and continuing to engage with businesses and financial stakeholders on this issue. In May, the Cabinet Office issued public guidance on how the existing National Security and Investment Act powers allow the Government to intervene in certain outward direct investment transactions.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much private investment he expects from the additional funding allocated to the automotive sector in the next five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Budget committed over £2bn to 2030 for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and their supply chains. This funding will build on previous ATF and APC programmes which have leveraged over £6bn of investment from the private sector so far. We will continue with this success, unlocking billions more in private investment to support our automotive industry. Further details will be announced as part of the industrial strategy.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
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 maximise the value for money from public funding for the steel industry over the next five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is developing a steel strategy, in partnership with the steel sector and trade unions, that will set out a long-term vision for steel and create opportunities for public and private investment.
We have committed to providing up to £2.5bn for steel which will be available through the National Wealth Fund and other routes. This is in addition to the £500m for Tata at Port Talbot steelworks. When designing how best to invest this money, we will consider a range of factors, including leveraging private sector investment and making the UK a great place to invest.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
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 the potential impact of public funding for the steel industry on levels of private-sector investment in that industry in each of the next five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is developing a steel strategy, in partnership with the steel sector and trade unions, that will set out a long-term vision for steel and create opportunities for public and private investment.
We have committed to providing up to £2.5bn for steel which will be available through the National Wealth Fund and other routes. This is in addition to the £500m for Tata at Port Talbot steelworks. When designing how best to invest this money, we will consider a range of factors, including leveraging private sector investment and making the UK a great place to invest.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
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 ensure value for money from additional funding allocated to the aerospace sector in the next five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Budget confirmed £975m over 5 years to the Aerospace sector. Industry led applications for R&D co-investment from the ATI Programme enter a competitive process. Competition for funding is fierce and only the best projects are selected: those that offer real innovation, reduced emissions and tangible economic benefits to the UK. Each application is subject to a value for money assessment by DBT economists, which underpins the estimated benefits from the Programme of at least £20bn of further private investment to 2040 and abatement of 125 MtCO2 of UK attributable global aviation CO2 emissions.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much private investment he expects from the additional funding allocated to the aerospace sector in the next five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Budget confirmed £975m over 5 years to the Aerospace sector. This provides continued stability and confidence for industry to invest in long-term R&D projects – delivering economic growth, supporting high skilled jobs across all parts of the UK, and advancing aviation’s net zero transition. Between 2013/14 and 2029/30, industry and government will invest over £5bn developing transformational aircraft technology. Long-term R&D co-investment is a core pillar of the Aerospace Growth Partnership’s 2022 strategy, where the UK sector committed to invest at least £20bn of further private investment to 2040 and abate 125 MtCO2 of UK attributable global aviation CO2 emissions.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
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 ensure value for money from additional funding allocated to the automotive sector in the next five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Budget committed over £2bn to 2030 for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and their supply chains. This will build on the current Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) and Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) programmes to drive economic growth and support high-value jobs, unlocking billions of pounds of private investment in the UK’s automotive industry and R&D innovation ecosystem.
As with the ATF and APC programmes, all future investment will be fully assessed on a strategic, technical, commercial, financial and economic basis – including consideration of future job creation. The economic assessment ensures value for money is consistent with HMT Green Book best practice.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, published in October 2024, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of economic performance of sectors included in that strategy since 2019-20.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The methodology for determining the eight growth-driving sectors is outlined in the Invest 2035 Green Paper. This included assessing historic trends since 2019-20, such as gross value added and productivity, at Standard Industrial Classification-2 level where data was available. The Government complemented this with wider internal and external data sources such as specialist industry reports and qualitative assessments, particularly in emerging subsectors where historic data is unavailable. Government will continue to draw in evidence such as sector performance and employment trends using responses to the Green Paper consultation questions; engagement with external stakeholders such as businesses, local leaders, academic experts; and other data sources.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his export controls policy priorities are.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s export controls regime protects global security by restricting who has access to sensitive technologies and capabilities, ensuring UK exports do not contribute to WMD proliferation, a destabilising accumulation of conventional weapons, or are used to commit or facilitate internal repression or a serious violation of international humanitarian law. Our priorities for export controls policy include:
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on how many occasions the Export Controls Joint Unit has initiated a Change in Circumstances Review assessment since January 2020; and what the destination country was in each case.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.
The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK’s export control responsibilities. The MOD advises DBT on the risks of diversion of exported goods and national security risks arising from hostile state activity. The Department of Business and Trade, with DBT Secretary of State as the decision-making authority, decides whether to amend, suspend or revoke any relevant licences.
Given its diplomatic sensitivity, the Government is unable to disclose the specific number and destination countries of Change in Circumstances Reviews.