Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
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 business confidence in Wales.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Businesses can access complementary, comprehensive support services from both the Department for Business and Trade and the Welsh Government. We work closely with Welsh Government counterparts to improve trading conditions. My department will host a flagship export roadshow in Cardiff on 13 June, focused on the technology sector to help businesses grow.
Our landmark deals with the United States and India will improve Welsh business access to important markets. Our new agreement with the European Union will support businesses, backing British jobs. Welsh businesses will benefit significantly from this deal, given 61% of all Welsh goods exports went to EU destinations in 2024.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
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 small businesses to develop cyber security investment plans.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Adoption of technologies like cybersecurity is important to protect businesses and increase productivity.
The National Cyber Security Centre publishes a range of expert guidance, including the Small Business Guide, which contains practical and affordable advice for businesses to improve their cybersecurity. Small businesses can also benefit from advice and support from the regional Cyber Resilience Centres across England and Wales, which are a police-led collaboration with government, private sector and academia.
The industry-led SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will soon publish recommendations on ways to increase SME adoption of digital technology like cybersecurity software. These will inform our upcoming SME Strategy.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
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 small businesses to develop AI investment plans.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Adoption of new digital technology, including AI, can help businesses become more productive – but we know Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) sometimes need additional help and support to do so.
The AI Opportunities Action Plan set out a vision for AI to drive economic growth, including through investment. InnovateUK’s BridgeAI programme helps businesses in high growth potential sectors harness AI, offering funding opportunities and expert advice.
To go further, the industry-led SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will soon be publishing their final recommendations on ways to help SMEs adopt productivity-enhancing digital technology, which will inform our upcoming SME Strategy.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10 per cent tariff introduced by the United States on the level of exports from Wales to that country.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We continue to work closely with the Welsh Government to monitor the impacts, and to support Welsh exporters. Additionally on 3 April, we launched a Request for Input from businesses, to help inform the UK’s response to US tariffs.
We continue to support businesses of all sizes to grow and export globally, including to the US. Through Great.gov.uk, businesses can access export support programmes including the Export Academy, International Markets Network, Growth Hubs and Help to Grow: Management scheme.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of US tariffs on UK automotive exports on (a) levels of unemployment in Wales and (b) level of exports from Wales to the United States.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We know that this is a concerning time for automotive businesses in Wales. Last year, Wales exported £89 million worth of road vehicles to the US, which accounted for 14% of its total road vehicle exports. That is why the government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the US, and we remain committed to these discussions.
We are resolute in our support for industry across the whole of the UK, and we will continue to engage with businesses to assess and understand the impact of these tariffs. In addition, on 3 April the government launched a Request for Input from businesses to help inform the UK's response to US tariffs.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the tariffs introduced by the US on 12 March 2025 on steel and aluminium on the steel industry in Wales.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
My Department continues to engage closely with the industries affected by the US’ tariffs on steel and aluminium, and to assess the potential impact on the steel industry in Wales and across the UK.
We are resolute in our support for the UK steel and aluminium industry, which is vital to the UK economy. We have committed up to £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel sector and our upcoming Steel Strategy will be published in the Spring. We will continue to make the case for the UK to be exempted from these tariffs.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment has he made of the potential impact of the UK-Colombia bilateral agreement for the promotion and protection of investments, published in June 2014, on (a) climate change and (b) human rights.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon. Member for Ynys Môn to my response to Question 12968 on 12th November 2024.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of nationalising the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe during its negotiations on that matter.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of the Government's responsible approach to policy and decision-making, we have considered the merits of nationalising British Steel and made an estimate of the cost. That estimate is confidential for commercial reasons. However, the Government has no plans to nationalise British Steel.
We are developing a steel strategy, working in partnership with trade unions and industry to grow the steel sector in the UK. This government has identified up to £2.5bn (on top of the £500mn secured for Port Talbot) to support the steel industry.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an estimate of the cost of nationalising the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of the Government's responsible approach to policy and decision-making, we have considered the merits of nationalising British Steel and made an estimate of the cost. That estimate is confidential for commercial reasons. However, the Government has no plans to nationalise British Steel.
We are developing a steel strategy, working in partnership with trade unions and industry to grow the steel sector in the UK. This government has identified up to £2.5bn (on top of the £500mn secured for Port Talbot) to support the steel industry.