Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information his Department holds on whether any UK firms with Russian holdings are not in the process of divesting from operations based in Russia.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Business and Trade does not hold any specific data on UK firms that are not in the process of divesting from operations based in Russia. UK businesses must comply with our sanctions, which form an extensive regime to constrain the Kremlin’s ability to continue the war. It is a decision for individual UK businesses on whether and how to divest from Russia in compliance with UK sanctions.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 help support pubs in Devon.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Hospitality businesses, including pubs and breweries in Devon, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.
The Government is creating a fairer business rate system and reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to answer Question 39709, tabled on 19 March 2025.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
A response was provided to question 39709 on 3rd April: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help protect the (a) brewery, (b) distillery and (c) pub sector from US tariffs.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.
Breweries, distilleries and pubs play a key role in the UK economy.
We will continue to engage closely and productively with the US to press the case for UK business interests. We will keep all options on the table and won’t hesitate to respond in the national interest.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 the (a) beer and (b) pub sector to increase (i) economic growth and (ii) business investment in the context of his industrial strategy.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Hospitality businesses, including pubs and breweries, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.
The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the (a) brewery and distillery and (b) pub sector to (i) economic growth and (ii) job creation.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Hospitality businesses, including pubs and breweries, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.
The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Q95 of the oral evidence given by the Chief of Policy of the Confederation of British Business to the Business and Trade Select Committee on 11 February 2025.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The EU is a significant trading partner for both goods and services. In the 12 months ending September 2024, the UK’s total trade with the EU was 5% below the level seen in 2018, after removing the effect of inflation and excluding precious metals. We will tackle barriers to trade to help drive investment, jobs and growth for both UK and EU economies, but we have been clear there will be no return to freedom of movement, the customs union or the single market.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish details of all active export licences.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The status of an export license is subject to change at any time. Individual licences typically have expiry dates of 2 years (Standard Individual Export Licences) and 5 years (Open Individual Export Licences).
Export licensing information is published in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. They are available to view on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. This currently includes information up to 30 September 2024.
The next quarterly publication of official statistics in development covering export licensing decisions between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024 will take place in May 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/strategic-export-controls-licensing-statistics-1-october-to-31-december-2024?cachebust=1740739985.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning UK General Product Safety Regulations with those in the EU to remove the need for an EU Responsible Person when trading with the EU.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Amending the General Product Safety Regulations that apply in Great Britain to align with the EU’s new GPSR would not remove the requirement that exists for a Responsible Economic Operator based within the EU or Northern Ireland when trading with the EU.
The Responsible Economic Operator responsibilities can be fulfilled by the manufacturer, authorised representative appointed by the manufacturer, importer, or where none of these are based in the EU or Northern Ireland, the fulfilment service provider of the product. The Department’s Export Support Service provides help to businesses, including by signposting them to Responsible Economic Operator service providers.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the EU General Product Safety Regulation on costs to UK businesses (a) before and (b) after the UK left the EU.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is not required to make an assessment of the costs to businesses of the EU GPSR. The UK already enjoys a high level of product safety. The updated GPSR therefore largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating across the UK, and UK businesses will often already be going further than many of these requirements.