Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps ensure that the intellectual property chapter in a free trade agreement with India includes commitments to the (a) UN Sustainable Development Goals, (b) International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and (c) UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Following a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister on 18 November, the Prime Minister announced that UK-India trade talks will relaunch in the new year.
While we do not comment on the details of negotiations, work is underway across government to prepare for negotiations with India and to seek a deal that delivers for the UK and supports economic growth.
Our trade programme, including talks with India, is driven by stakeholder engagement and seeks to support the high existing standards within our own domestic Intellectual Property Regime and as agreed in international fora.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the paragraph 52 of the Second Special Report of the Environmental Audit Committee of Session 2019 on Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life: Government Response to the Committee’s Twentieth Report of Session 2017-19, HC160, published on 30 October 2019, what recent progress his Department has made on developing revised regulations to replace the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the consultation conducted by the Office for Product Safety and Standards entitled, Smarter Regulation: Fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture on proposals for a new approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture, which closed on 24 October 2023.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Following the formation of the Government in July, the Department for Business and Trade is considering next steps for this important issue, including reviewing the evidence gathered from the 2023 consultation, Smarter Regulation: Fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture. The recommendations of the Environmental Audit Committee following the inquiry Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life formed part of the evidence base informing the consultation proposals. The Government will engage with consumer organisations, businesses, and other interested groups and provide updates in due course.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to his Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one-off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government.
Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how he plans to encourage investment in (a) chemical recycling and (b) other green technologies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is committed to a circular economy which will keep resources in use as long as possible, extracting maximum value, minimizing waste and promoting resource efficiency. Policies such as the UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax help support innovation, growth and jobs in the waste management and the recycling sectors, including within chemical recycling.
The UK supports investment into green technologies through competitive research and innovation-based incentives such as R&D tax credits, innovation funding and incentives.
DBT will use its investment services to support Great British Energy to seek investment into new technologies to speed up and scale their deployment.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether intellectual property provisions on plant genetic resources are being negotiated under the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Boosting trade abroad is essential to deliver a strong economy at home. That is why we are committed to negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with India, which is projected to be the world’s third largest economy by 2027.
It is the department’s established practice to not comment on the details of live negotiations. We will commence negotiations as soon as possible to secure an agreement that creates new opportunities for businesses, supports jobs across the United Kingdom, and delivers growth.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding from the Automotive Transformation Fund (a) has been spent and (b) has been allocated for the spending review period to March 2025.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
In 2020, £500m of Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) funding was announced in the Ten Point Plan. The 2021 Net Zero Strategy announced a further £350m funding for the ATF between 2022/23-2024/25. £136m of this budget, for financial year 2022-23, was later reprioritised by BEIS (predecessor department) for investment in Sizewell C
As of September 2023, the total value of offers made under the ATF is over £550 million. In addition, we are in active discussions with investors on a wide range of exciting new projects for the UK's electric vehicle supply chain.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding from the Automotive Transformation Fund she plans to allocate to (a) existing legacy car and van manufacturers and (b) new entrants to the market.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Automotive Transformation Fund offers funding for capital and associated industrial research projects that support the industrialisation of a high value, electrified automotive supply at scale in the UK. We continue to work with industry to unlock private investment in our EV supply chain via the ATF. This includes unlocking strategic investments in gigafactories, motors and drives, power electronics, and fuel cell systems.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the review into the Government’s approach to attracting foreign direct investment led by Lord Harrington of Watford will consider the Government’s approach to attracting new foreign direct investment into recycling infrastructure.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
Lord Harrington’s review into attracting foreign direct investment is primarily, though not exclusively, focused on the Chancellor’s five key growth sectors. One of the key growth sectors is Green Industries, and the review will consider actions to improve investment across Green Industries, including recycling infrastructure.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to encourage investment in (a) chemical recycling and (b) other new green technology.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Chemical recycling covers a range of emerging technologies that could potentially offer a complementary recycling route for plastics where mechanical recycling is impractical or uneconomic. The Government has funded innovative demonstrator projects, including on chemical recycling, through UK Research and Innovation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging programme. In April of this year HM Treasury announced plans to consult on whether and how chemically recycled content could be accounted for in the Plastics Packaging Tax using a mass balance chain of custody model.
The Government works with public finance institutions such as UK Infrastructure Bank, British Business Bank, UK Research and Innovation, Export Credit Agency and UK Export Finance, to support investment in green technologies.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much of the funding the UK committed to the NDC Partnership from 2019–25 has been disbursed.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The amount of funding the that the UK has disbursed to NDC Partnership can be found at https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-13-ICF-0008-NDCP/transactions.