Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he taking to help increase productivity within his Department through the use of (a) artificial intelligence and (b) effective use of data.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade is committed to improving its productivity, including through artificial intelligence and effective use of data.
For example, we are participating in the trial of Microsoft Copilot Pro, making secure AI tools available for staff, and continue to use machine learning in internal and external products and services. Work with the Alan Turing Institute produced a governance framework to manage and monitor AI use.
Staff have access to a range of data services under continual review including CRM, central data catalogue and a data environment with dashboards and data analysis tools along with training packages.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 mitigate the impact of fireworks on communities.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There is a comprehensive legislative framework regulating the manufacture, storage, supply, possession and use of fireworks in the UK. Local Authorities and the Police have a wide range of powers available to them to tackle the misuse of fireworks.
To ensure people continue to use fireworks in a safe and considerate manner I have launched a fireworks campaign for this season to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks and encouraging responsible use.
To inform any future decisions on the legislative framework, I intend to engage with stakeholders to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to tackle the illegal use of fireworks.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There is a comprehensive legislative framework regulating the manufacture, storage, supply, possession and use of fireworks in the UK. Local Authorities and the Police have a wide range of powers available to them to tackle the misuse of fireworks.
To ensure people continue to use fireworks in a safe and considerate manner I have launched a fireworks campaign for this season to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks and encouraging responsible use.
To inform any future decisions on the legislative framework, I intend to engage with stakeholders to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor compliance with voluntary pauses on exports to sanctioned countries by UK companies.
Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Economic Secretary (Treasury)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of high energy costs on the competitiveness of UK exports.
Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Economic Secretary (Treasury)
The Government announced measures to support Britain’s strategic Energy Intensive Industries (EII) with electricity prices from 2024 onwards through the British Industry Supercharger, building on the schemes that have been in place since 2013.
The Supercharger package is designed to reduce the long-term electricity price gap that exists between UK EIIs and competitor countries.
The government estimates that support on electricity prices for EIIs in the form of the Supercharger could be worth (on average) around £24-£31 Per MegaWatt Hour (MWh) for eligible businesses, closing the competitive gap with their international competitors.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to take steps to support manufacturers with energy costs for the purpose of increasing export competitiveness.
Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Economic Secretary (Treasury)
The Government announced measures to support Britain’s strategic Energy Intensive Industries (EII) with electricity prices from 2024 onwards through the British Industry Supercharger, building on the schemes that have been in place since 2013.
The Supercharger package is designed to reduce the long-term electricity price gap that exists between UK EIIs and competitor countries.
The government estimates that support on electricity prices for EIIs in the form of the Supercharger could be worth (on average) around £24-£31 Per MegaWatt Hour (MWh) for eligible businesses, closing the competitive gap with their international competitors.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data her Department holds on trends in the volume of British food exports to Asia over the last five years; and what steps her Department is taking to help support growth in that sector.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for Business and Trade offers Export Support Service, online guidance via the GREAT.gov.uk platform, the Export Academy programme, UK Export Finance and a network of trade advisers across England, the nations and overseas, to support businesses to maximise their exports.The department also provides a compelling programme of support for food exporters to connect with buyers through tradeshows and missions; for example, the upcoming UK Pavilion at Thaifex-Anuga, Bangkok (28 May - 1 June).
The department holds data provided by HMRC on food exports (see below).
HMRC: UK exports of Food, Feed & Drink (FFD)
VOLUME
Year | All UK exports | Exports to Asia (Million tonnes) | Proportion exported to Asia |
2019 | 15.3 | 1.50 | 10% |
2020 | 13.5 | 1.37 | 10% |
2021 | 11.0 | 1.30 | 12% |
2022 | 12.5 | 1.35 | 11% |
2023 | 11.9 | 1.16 | 10% |
VALUE
Year | All UK exports | Exports to Asia (£ billion) | Proportion exported to Asia |
2019 | 23.7 | 3.9 | 16% |
2020 | 21.7 | 3.4 | 16% |
2021 | 20.3 | 3.7 | 18% |
2022 | 24.9 | 4.7 | 19% |
2023 | 24.4 | 4.6 | 19% |
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what protections are in place for whistle-blowers in local government.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, workers are entitled to protection from detriment or dismissal as a result of blowing the whistle, and a route of redress through the Employment Tribunals if these protections are infringed. This includes workers in local government.
To qualify for protection the worker usually has to have made the disclosure to their employer, legal adviser or a prescribed person. Disclosures relating to local authorities can be made to the external auditor of the relevant authority, the Comptroller and Auditor General (National Audit Office), or a Member of Parliament.
The Government has published guidance, including on who is protected by law, how to make a disclosure, and what protections are available to whistleblowers. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether UK Export Finance took steps relating to the Mozambique Liquefied Natural Gas Project in response to the Palma attack of 24 March 2021.
Answered by Greg Hands
Following insurgency incidents in Cabo Delagdo in March 2021, TotalEnergies declared force majeure, suspending work on the Mozambique Liquefied Natural Gas project. That declaration remains in place. UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors regarding the latest status of the project.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the long-term impact of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 on the provision of (a) healthcare, (b) transport and (c) other public services.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Strikes Act ensures there is a balance between the ability to strike and ensuring the public can continue to access essential services during strike action. Impact assessments have been published for the Act, as well as subsequent regulations, including for passenger rail, ambulance services, fire and rescue services and border security.