Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the Trade Remedies Authority’s recent recommendation to remove anti-dumping measures on e-bikes from China and the potential impact on the UK cycle manufacturing industry.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK applies separate anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of Chinese e-bikes. The Trade Remedies Authority is currently conducting transition reviews of both measures and I therefore cannot comment further. Relevant information will be published on the Trade Remedies Authority’s public file as both reviews progress.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
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 Trade Remedies Authority's recommendation to remove anti-dumping measures on e-bikes on the UK Cycle Manufacturing Industry.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK applies separate anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of Chinese e-bikes. The Trade Remedies Authority is currently conducting transition reviews of both measures and I therefore cannot comment further. Relevant information will be published on the Trade Remedies Authority’s public file as both reviews progress.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
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 adequacy of the safety of talc in cosmetic products.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Talc is permitted for use in cosmetics. However, to be sold on the UK market, cosmetics must undergo a safety assessment performed by a qualified safety assessor. The assessment is then reviewed by the manufacturer’s nominated “Responsible Person”, whose role is to ensure that cosmetics are safe and comply with the law.
If an unacceptable health risk is identified with talc, its status as a permitted ingredient in cosmetic products will be reviewed. The Office for Product Safety and Standards work with local enforcement authorities to take effective enforcement action where products are identified as not meeting the safety requirements.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the annual electric vehicle production capacity of the (a) UK and (b) OECD average.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
According to the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), the UK produced 80,000 battery electric passenger cars and vans in 2022 - forecasted to increase to 970,000 by 2030.
We are investing in the technologies of the future, positioning the UK as one of the best locations in the world to manufacture electric vehicles through the Automotive Transformation Fund and the long-term Advanced Propulsion Centre R&D programme.
Globally 8 million battery electric passenger cars and vans were produced in 2022 - expected to rise to 44milllion by 2030.
Source: APC Q1 2023 Automotive Demand Forecast
We do not hold data on OECD electric vehicle production volumes.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many trading standards staff were employed in each local authority in (a) 2023 and (b) 2010.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information about trading standards, which is a local government service.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of start up businesses closed in the UK in the last five years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Of the 1,800,000 businesses that were set up over the five years from 2016 to 2020, 39% had closed by 2021. (ONS, Business Demography, 2022)
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of start up businesses in the creative industries closed in the UK in the last five years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Of the 14,500 businesses in the ‘Creative, arts and entertainment activities’ sector that were set up over the five years from 2016 to 2020, 32% had closed by 2021. (ONS, Business Demography, 2022)
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data her Department holds on the number of UK domestic residential properties owned by individual foreign registered businesses in (a) 2010 and (b) 2022; and what estimate her Department has made of the total value of that property in those years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
HM Land Registry (HMLR) registers legal ownership, interests, mortgages and other secured loans against land and property in England and Wales. Land Registration is a devolved matter in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.
HMLR does not hold information on the nationality of individuals. While some individuals may provide non-UK correspondence addresses, this does not necessarily indicate nationality.
Published information on overseas companies that own property in England and Wales is accessible here: https://use-land-property-data.service.gov.uk/datasets/ocod.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data her Department holds on the number of UK domestic residential properties owned by individual foreign nationals in (a) 2010 and (b) 2022; and what estimate her Department has made of the total value of that property in those years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
HM Land Registry (HMLR) registers legal ownership, interests, mortgages and other secured loans against land and property in England and Wales. Land Registration is a devolved matter in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.
HMLR does not hold information on the nationality of individuals. While some individuals may provide non-UK correspondence addresses, this does not necessarily indicate nationality.
Published information on overseas companies that own property in England and Wales is accessible here: https://use-land-property-data.service.gov.uk/datasets/ocod.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what grants and programmes exist to help video games studios export their games.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The Department for Business and Trade, working with industry partners, delivers a trade promotion programme for UK video games firms at major international video games trade shows to support their exporting journey. An example of this support is the video games trade mission this department is taking to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March 2023. We also deliver a dedicated campaign programme ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ which encourages new exporters, including those from the video games sector, to pursue export opportunities. Video games firms can also access the Creative Industries Faculty of the Export Academy, which builds their export capability through a programme of online learning.