Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to maintain the competitiveness of UK car manufacturing in the context of industrial electricity costs and Zero Emission Vehicle mandate targets.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is taking action to strengthen the competitiveness of UK car manufacturing. From 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut electricity costs for frontier industries in Industrial Strategy growth, like automotive, by around £35-£40 per MWh, alongside enhanced British Industry Supercharger support for energy-intensive activities including gigafactories. Through DRIVE35, we are investing up to £4 billion to 2035 to support zero emission vehicle manufacturing, skilled jobs and private investment across the country. Government is also consulting now on the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate to ensure we find the right balance of maintaining ambitious targets while ensuring industry can achieve them and compliance costs are affordable.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what support his Department is providing to workers affected by the reduction of roles at Jaguar Land Rover.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Jaguar Land Rover's job cuts on automotive (a) supply chain businesses and (b) logistics operations in (i) Mercia Park and (ii) the East Midlands.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Jaguar Land Rover has been clear that the proposed redundancies are focused primarily on non-manufacturing roles. Given this, we do not expect a significant direct impact on supply chain businesses.
The Government recognises the supply chain is facing wider issues. The Suppliers Readiness and Transformation Programme, backed by DRIVE35, delivered in partnership with the North East and West Midlands Metro Mayors has allocated up to £50m per region, supporting locally critical components and capabilities via targeted capital grants.
Decisions regarding logistics operations are a commercial matter for Jaguar Land Rover.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard engineering and advanced manufacturing jobs in (a) Leicester and (b) Leicestershire.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government recognises the importance of engineering and advanced manufacturing jobs. Our 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy sets out our long-term approach to unlocking investment and productivity growth, backing national strengths and realising Britain’s potential.
Alongside this, the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, backed by up to £4.3bn in government funding, supports manufacturers across the whole of the UK to grow and thrive, including Leicestershire-based HORIBA MIRA.
We are delivering both in collaboration with regional leaders and will deepen that partnership as we work towards “Rewiring the State”.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support home-grown industrial suppliers.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy sets out the government’s long-term approach to unlocking investment and productivity growth, backing our strengths and realising Britain’s potential. The Industrial Strategy is being delivered in close partnership with regional leaders, and we will deepen our collaboration and build on this through the next steps on “Rewiring the State”.
Alongside this, we continue to deliver on the commitments outlined in our Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. Backed by up to £4.3bn in government funding, the Plan details how we are supporting manufacturers, including industrial suppliers - to grow and thrive, boosting jobs and increasing prosperity across the UK.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2026 to Question 15472 on Cement, what proportion of cement used domestically was produced in the UK in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade does hold information about the proportion of cement used[1] domestically that was produced in the UK in each of the last 10 years, which is summarised in the table below:
Year | Cement sales from UK/GB production[2] (kilo tonnes) [A] | Total cement sales (includes all imports, kilo tonnes) [B] | Cement sales from UK/GB production as a proportion of total cement sales [A/B] |
2014 | 8,751 | 10,568 | 83% |
2015 | 9,526 | 11,585 | 82% |
2016 | No data | 12,001 | No data |
2017 | 9,063 | 11,796 | 77% |
2018 | 9,141 | 11,739 | 78% |
2019 | 9,078 | 11,605 | 78% |
2020 | 8,030 | 10,381 | 77% |
2021 | 9,077 | 12,367 | 73% |
2022 | 8,364 | 12,010 | 70% |
2023 | 7,486 | 11,082 | 68% |
2024 | 7,091 | 10,292 | 69% |
Source: Building materials and components statistics: July 2026 - GOV.UK, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, 5 August 2026.
[1] For the purposes of this analysis, cement sales are used as a proxy for cement usage.
[2] Great Britain up to and including 2014, and the United Kingdom from 2015 onwards.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what industrial support his Department has allocated to the East Midlands.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Regional growth is a core objective of the Industrial Strategy. This includes supporting significant strengths in the Industrial Strategy growth-driving sectors across the East Midlands. The Strategy has committed up to £20m investment each in both the East Midlands and Greater Lincolnshire combined authority areas from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, is launching a new Technical Excellence College in Lincoln and Derby to address skills shortages including defence and construction, strengthening support for the East Midlands and Humber Freeports, and uplifting the Network Charging Compensation Scheme to support supply chains and foundational industries in the region.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased National Insurance costs, higher minimum wages and employment costs on entry-level and graduate recruitment.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026 Impact Assessment was published in January 2026. Evidence to date shows little or no significant impact on employment from past increases to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW).
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was also published in November 2024 containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support legitimate independent shopkeepers who face unfair competition from cash-only premises operating under investigation for illicit trade.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Illicit trade, money laundering and related crime committed using high street property undermines legitimate businesses, discourages investment, and contributes to the decline of high streets. BIST is supporting the new High Streets Organised Crime Unit, based in the Home Office, to strengthen our cross-government response to money laundering and other forms of organised criminality on our high streets. This will align with the forthcoming High Streets Strategy to ensure a holistic approach to barriers to vibrancy on the high street.
The Government has already announced £30 million to crack down on cash intensive businesses. This includes £6 million to bolster Trading Standards response and £20 million towards enhanced law enforcement, including a new multi-agency coordinated cell based in the National Crime Agency.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to improve the growth and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises in Leicester East.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Small businesses are at the heart of economic growth, which is why the Government's Small Business Plan is delivering up to 200 measures to help businesses, including those in Leicester East, start up, scale up and succeed. This includes action to improve access to finance, strengthen business support, boost exports and unlock new opportunities for growth in every part of the UK.
As part of this, businesses can access tailored support through the Business Growth Service and their local Growth Hub, while the British Business Bank and UK Export Finance are helping firms secure the finance they need to invest and expand.