Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 Chinese market dumping of (a) electric vehicles and (b) internal combustion engine vehicles on UK automotive sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including dumping.
I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by dumped goods.
While the Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices, and regularly engages with the automotive sector, I am not aware any application to the TRA at this time.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which UK automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers Ministers and officials have met to discuss the provisions of the Employment Rights Bill since 1 July 2024; on what dates those meetings took place; and what sector-specific concerns were raised.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what formal consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their UK-based supply-chain firms on the Employment Rights Bill; what representations his Department has received from those businesses; and how the Government has responded to those representations.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 Employment Rights Bill on (a) planned capital investment in the UK automotive sector, (b) the economies of areas with substantial automotive manufacturing and (c) that sector’s international competitiveness relative to EU and US automotive labour markets.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].
The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their domestic supply chains; and whether he has estimated the (i) additional annual recurring cost of that Bill and (ii) aggregate additional cost to that sector in each of the first five years after Royal Assent.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].
The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 Employment Rights Bill on SME firms within UK automotive supply chains; and whether his Department has undertaken any separate modelling of the cost implications for SMEs operating as tier-two and tier-three suppliers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].
The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 UK car manufacturers in developing and commercialising solid-state battery technology.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has made the UK's largest single commitment to battery R&D of £452 million to 2030 in the new Battery Innovation Programme (BIP). This programme builds on the Faraday Battery Challenge to drive cross-sector innovation in emerging and next generation technologies, including Solid-State Batteries. BIP will target technical skills gaps to develop engineers and scientists of the future, connect academic researchers with UK industry, and fund investor partnerships that improve access to investment for innovative battery companies ready to commercialise and scale in the UK.
This sits alongside DRIVE35, our long-term £2.5 billion commitment to zero emission vehicle manufacturing which provides capital support and additional R&D funding for strategic vehicle technologies, accelerating their commercial scale-up.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since 4 July 2024, the Department for Business and Trade and its arm’s length bodies have spent £9,066.00 on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities.
The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not purchased any electric vehicles since 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department is providing to UK companies in the (a) events and (b) logistics sectors affected by EU visa and travel restrictions under the Schengen 90/180-day rule.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) recognises the challenges UK businesses face in complying with the Schengen 90/180 day rule. I note many of these stem from the botched Brexit deal which he supported. Any changes to the rule are a matter for Member States and the EU. However, DBT publishes guidance for UK nationals travelling to the EU and EFTA countries for business purposes (Travelling to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for work - GOV.UK). DBT will continue to listen to concerns raised by businesses affected by these rules, to advocate for UK companies abroad, and to explore mutually beneficial improvements to short-term business mobility between the UK and EU.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK–US trade deal on bioethanol imports on the UK’s sustainable aviation fuel sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As part of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, the UK created a preferential duty-free quota for imports of US ethanol of 1.4bn litres per year. The UK already imports a significant amount of ethanol from the US. DBT officials continue to work closely with other government departments to monitor and assess risks across the supply chain. The Government is actively supporting the Sustainable Aviation Fuel sector. We have allocated £63m in this financial year to support SAF producers through the Advanced Fuels Fund and committed further support throughout the Spending Review period.