Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Paperchase's administration and sale on independent (a) small designers and (b) card publishers.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
There are no plans to make an assessment. Any impact on suppliers as a result of Paperchase's administration and sale remains a commercial decision for the new owner.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will make an assessment of the (a) prevalence of the use and (b) reliance on the supply of Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules in business infrastructure.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience.
The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community.
The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.
Additionally, the Government has taken specific action on Chinese-made devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.
Government departments have been implementing these policies along with other protective security controls and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. The Government keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology components under close review as part of our overall approach to security, and in line with GSG, NPSA and NCSC guidance.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to monitor the potential threat posed by Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules on business infrastructure.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience.
The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community.
The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.
Additionally, the Government has taken specific action on Chinese-made devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.
Government departments have been implementing these policies along with other protective security controls and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. The Government keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology components under close review as part of our overall approach to security, and in line with GSG, NPSA and NCSC guidance.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled More than 200 companies named for not paying staff minimum wage, published on 21 June 2023, how many employers were (a) named and (b) fined; how many people received pay arrears; and what amount of wages were recovered as a result of unpaid trial shifts at the outset of employment.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
In the latest naming round, 202 employers were named for failing to pay almost £5 million to 63,000 workers. The employers were also ordered to pay nearly £7 million in penalties.
Unpaid working time, which can include unpaid trial shifts, was a factor in 39% of these cases. Unpaid working time can arise for a number of reasons, outlined in our recently published educational bulletin, which can be found here: National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme R19 Educational Bulletin.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with his counterparts in the US-EU Task Force on the Inflation Reduction Act on the potential impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on the UK economy.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
We are having regular discussions with the US to represent the interests of UK firms and ensure the UK benefits from any flexibilities in the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. The Prime Minister raised UK concerns in his meeting earlier this month with President Biden and the DBT Secretary of State has recently had calls with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. We will continue to work with the US bilaterally on this issue, as well as engaging closely with other key trade partners, including the EU.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to ensure that the UK joins the US-EU Task Force on the Inflation Reduction Act.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
We are having regular discussions with the US to represent the interests of UK firms and ensure the UK benefits from any flexibilities in the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. The Prime Minister raised UK concerns in his meeting earlier this month with President Biden and the DBT Secretary of State has recently had calls with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. We will continue to work with the US bilaterally on this issue, as well as engaging closely with other key trade partners, including the EU.