Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, to what extent the Critical Minerals Strategy will align with the EU’s Steel and Metals Action Plan.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
While there are certain industrial metals in scope of the new Critical Minerals Strategy (such as aluminium), the strategy focuses on securing the critical minerals the UK needs rather than directly addressing the challenges of decarbonisation and trade in line with the EU Steel and Metals Action Plan. The Government is also bringing forward a Steel Strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable steel industry in the UK.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department will assess the economic and environmental impacts of exporting aluminium scrap to non-EU countries.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade will continue to work with stakeholders to understand the role of aluminium scrap exports in terms of our economic interests and environmental responsibilities. We plan to listen to the perspectives of all involved parties.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the value of hydrogen and fuel cell exports reaches the target set out in the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Industrial Strategy Clean Energy Industries sector plan notes the export market for UK manufacturers across hydrogen technologies could range between £800 million and £2.2 billion to 2030. The government has committed targeted support to boost exports of hydrogen technologies by showcasing UK capabilities through our global network and increasing access to international supply chains.
To support these opportunities, the UK's export credit agency, UK Export Finance aims to deliver £10bn in clean growth financing by 2029, alongside options to support overseas sales, including loan guarantees for foreign buyers, and working capital, insurance and bond support products to assist UK suppliers.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 tackle unsustainable (a) purchasing practices, (b) pricing structures and (c) business models by UK businesses.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government expects all UK companies to respect human rights, workers’ rights and the environment throughout their operations and supply chains in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). If there are concerns related to a multinational enterprise contravening the OECD Guidelines, a case can be raised with the Office for Responsible Business Conduct.
In the Trade Strategy, the Government also launched a review into the UK’s approach to RBC, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he expects the review of responsible business conduct to (a) conclude and (b) report any policy recommendations.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.
The Government is progressing the review at pace while ensuring that we harness the insight of a range of stakeholders. We will continue to provide regular updates as we progress the review.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 introducing legislation on (a) human rights and (b) environmental due diligence for businesses; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this on (i) the resilience of UK supply chains and (ii) the livelihoods of global producers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.
The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. It will have due regard to the effectiveness of any measures on supply chain resilience and the livelihoods of global producers.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make (a) human rights and (b) environmental due diligence mandatory for businesses.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.
The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. It will have due regard to the effectiveness of any measures on supply chain resilience and the livelihoods of global producers.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure the views of producers in the Global South involved in UK supply chains are factored into (a) his Department's review of responsible business conduct and (b) any policy recommendations it makes.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains.
Throughout the review, we will harness the insights and expertise of civil society and our international trading partners, as well as businesses, investors, trade unions and academia. Stakeholders will also be given the opportunity to feed into the National Baseline Assessment on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which will run in parallel and inform the review.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that companies are held to account when they fail to prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) environmental harms in their supply chains.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.
The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 ensure that all companies are legally obliged to prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) environmental harms in their supply chains.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.
The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.