Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of rising electricity costs on the financial resilience of small businesses in Cumbria.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government recognises that volatile energy prices remain a concern for small businesses in Cumbria and across the country. We are monitoring the impact of international energy markets on businesses and stand ready to respond.
The Chancellor recently announced the government would cut energy bills by up to 25% for over 10,000 manufacturers from April 2027 through the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS). BICS will be expanded by 40%, with one-off additional payment in 2027 rolled out to an extra 3,000 businesses, from 7,000 to 10,000 businesses.
Government is also working with Ofgem to reform the non‑domestic energy market, improving transparency and complaint handling.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding concluded with the Saudi Public Investment Fund on 28 October 2025, how much UK Export Finance has spent on promoting UK companies' engagement in the Saudi market.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) does not have a marketing budget specifically related to promoting UK businesses’ engagement in the Saudi or other individual markets.
Details of UKEF’s overall expenditure on marketing for the current financial year will be included in the department’s annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK-Saudi investment creates 100 new British jobs, published on 3 September 2025, how many new jobs have been created.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress he has made on the rollout of identity verification for Companies House via the Post Office and Authorised Corporate Service Provider routes.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The 12-month transition period commenced on 18 November 2025. More than 1.4 million people have already completed the first phase of identity verification through GOV.UK One Login. 47,867 people started their journey online and selected the Post Office option. Only 40,639 people went on to attend a Post Office to verify their identity.
Approximately 220,000 people have verified their identity though an Authorised Company Service Provider (ACSP). Over 15,000 ACSPs have been registered and a list of 392 consenting ACSPs has been published to support the public in identifying and obtaining ACSP services.