Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, if he will suspend the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement .
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)
On 8 September, the Foreign Secretary announced measures to restrict trade with Illegal Israeli Settlements. These measures reflect our view that Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful. In May 2025, this department paused further negotiations on an upgraded FTA in response to the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. However, as the Foreign Secretary mentioned during the 8 September statement, the UK remains committed to a strong trading relationship with "Green Line" Israel and to the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. Exports to Israel support thousands of jobs in the UK and the suspension of any trade agreement risks unpredictable consequences and significant economic disruption for British businesses.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, if he will take steps to introduce an independent regulator for Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Superintelligence.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The government is ensuring that the UK is ready for both the challenges and opportunities that AI will bring. We have taken important steps to ensure that many AI systems are already regulated at the point of use by our existing expert regulators. This is both through sector-specific regulations such as medicines regulation, and cross-cutting legal safeguards including data protection, competition, product safety, and equalities laws. The safety of the British public is a non-negotiable priority. Where new protections are needed, we will act, legislating wherever necessary.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what support is available through the Export Support Service for small businesses seeking to comply with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
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 Export Support Service (ESS) provides a single point of contact for export enquiries regarding regulations, rules of origin, paperwork, and market entry.
ESS is part of the Business Growth Service hosted on business.gov.uk. Business can request support through the online export enquiry form. All requests receive a response either from an Export Adviser to support directly or to signpost the business to the most appropriate area for support.
With regards to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, there are bespoke on-demand webinars available via the Business Academy / Export Support Service to interpret and clarify these rules.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, if he will take steps to increase funding for non-animal New Approach Methodologies to improve innovation and support the transition away from animal testing.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 15 July 2026 in response to Question 16739.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 merits of introducing legislation to restrict the sale of e-scooters.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The UK’s product safety regulations already restrict the supply of e-scooters by placing obligations on businesses to only make e-scooters available for sale if they are safe products. This includes providing consumers with all necessary information, instructions and warnings, where appropriate, to enable-scooters to be safely used during normal and foreseeable conditions of use. Regulators have powers to take products off the market where they do not comply.
Under Department for Transport legislation, e-scooter use is prohibited on public roads, which is enforced by police, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also carry out market surveillance.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of a Department for Hospitality.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises the important contribution that hospitality businesses make to jobs, growth and local communities across the UK. Hospitality's interests are represented at the heart of Government. I am the Minister for Hospitality, serving as the Minister for the Future of Work and I co-chair the Hospitality Sector Council. My department currently has no plans to establish a Department for Hospitality.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of requiring manufacturers of ground maintenance equipment to put stickers or markings on such products to warn users to check for hedgehogs before use.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department has not made a specific assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the merits of requiring manufacturers of ground maintenance equipment to place stickers or markings on such products advising users to check for hedgehogs before use.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of 19 July 2024 on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories as it pertains to trade with Israeli Settlements.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of July 2024 contains important findings, many of which are already government policy and align with the UK’s views that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal.
The UK government does not recognise illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine (previously the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ or OPTs) and strongly advise UK businesses and citizens against conducting any economic activities in settlements. We also ensure that we do not enter treaty relations nor economic and trade dealings with Israel that include occupied Palestinian territory, and all our licensed exports to Israel are rigorously assessed against the Strategic Exports Licensing Criteria.
Under our existing free trade agreement with Israel, the UK excludes illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine from the scope of the agreement. Therefore, products from the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine cannot avail of preferential rates under the FTA and are subject to MFN trade instead.
We have also taken action to tackle settler violence and announced four packages of sanctions targeting organisations and individuals involved in financing, enabling and carrying out settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Settlements are illegal under international law, damaging to peace efforts, and call into question Israel’s commitment to the two-state solution. We reiterate the call that Israel should end its occupation of Palestine as rapidly as possible. We respect international law and continue to ensure the UK complies with its obligations.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of the UK's legal recognition of the State of Palestine.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The UK’s trade relations with the Palestinian Authority are governed by the UK-PA Interim Political, Trade and Partnership Agreement, which applies to the territory of the West Bank and Gaza. The UK recognition of Palestine is based on provisional 1967 borders, with equal land swaps to be finalised as part of future negotiations. Goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements are not entitled to preferential tariff treatment under the UK’s trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel.
We do not enter treaty relations or trade dealings with Israel that include occupied Palestinian territory, and we strongly advise against conducting any economic and financial activities in settlements. UK citizens and businesses should be aware of the risk of involving themselves in Israel’s serious breaches of international law. We aim to progress towards a two-state solution, in which the Palestinian Authority gains full control of its customs, borders and the ability to implement independent trade policy.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to quotas for Category 26 of the UK's Steel Safeguard Measures on downstream manufacturers reliant on imported stainless steel tube; and what steps he is taking to ensure that new quotas do not adversely impact the competitiveness of downstream British manufacturing and exports.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This is not a continuation of the steel safeguard, but a new steel trade measure to address the serious threat posed by global steel overcapacity.
The Government has engaged extensively with industry, including downstream users, to assess impacts. The measure has been carefully designed to balance the needs of domestic producers and downstream manufacturers.
As announced on 25 June, the Government has finalised quotas to strike the right balance between securing the future of domestic capability while maintaining fair and competitive supply chains.
The Government will monitor impacts closely and review the measure after 12 months to ensure UK competitiveness is maintained.