Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers they have to prevent the sale of UK-owned companies to entities from, or associated with, China; and what criteria they apply in reaching a decision on such investments.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, Ministers have powers to intervene in mergers that raise public interest considerations of national security, media plurality and financial stability.

In October 2017, the Government also published a Green Paper on proposals for long-term reform of the arrangements for the scrutiny of investments in relation to national security. The public consultation has now closed and the Government will bring forward a White Paper later this year.