Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the granularity of data produced by the ONS for the purposes of policy decisions relating to support for businesses.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to working closely with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to ensure continued improvements to data and statistics.
In 2016, Sir Charles Bean published an independent review of economic statistics. This made several recommendations, including to make data more granular and timely through greater use of large scale datasets. The government fully supported those recommendations and has since provided the ONS with £25m to implement them, which led to improvements such as use of VAT data in National Accounts estimates, and the publication of monthly GDP.
Subsequently, at Spending Review 2021, the government funded ONS to undertake a further ambitious programme of improvements to its suite of economic statistics. This includes introducing scanner data into price statistics and further upgrades to the granularity of business statistics through greater use of administrative data.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist businesses in overcoming challenges with customs bureaucracy and logistics issues in trade with the EU.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has provided practical support to businesses to enable them to adapt to the new trading environment. This support includes comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK, as well as a range of other supportive information, including recorded webinars and short explainer videos. HMRC has invested in building capacity and capability in the Customs & International Trade Helpline and webchat service to ensure businesses who need additional support are able to access it promptly. Businesses can use this helpline service for assistance with UK customs enquiries via online, webchat, phone, and post. Support is also available to exporters via the Department for Business and Trade’s Export Support Service. This is a dedicated service to help more British businesses export and is a ‘one stop shop’ bringing together UK government information, making it easier for exporters to access advice and support.
The Government is working with traders and businesses to simplify customs processes in order make it easier for them to import and export goods to and from the UK. HMT and HMRC recently announced the next steps on a package of improvements to streamline customs processes and reduce admin burdens for businesses. The announcement follows extensive consultation with industry on potential improvements to the UK customs system, first announced at Spring Budget 2023. Information on the improvements can be found on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that companies are upholding their legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 on the implementation of reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Equality Act 2010 places a general duty on employers and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people access to goods and services and access and remain in employment, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments. For example, the EHRC provides a range of guidance for businesses on their legal duties to assistance dog owners:
The EHRC also provide further guidance on reasonable workplace adjustments:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/business/employing-people-workplace-adjustments
Duties and protections under the Equality Act are ultimately enforceable through the courts, and anybody who thinks that they have been discriminated against - for example for being refused a job interview or where access to an assistance dog has been refused - can take legal action to seek to resolve the issue, at an employment tribunal (employment cases) or other civil court (non-employment cases).
A person who believes that they have experienced discrimination because of disability can take their case to a tribunal or court. Before doing so, they may wish to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), a Government-funded helpline, is the initial point of contact for anyone with discrimination concerns. The EASS provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS also supports individuals to resolve issues using alternative informal dispute resolution and can advise you on what are the next steps to take when you feel you have been discriminated against. The EASS can also advise people on their options and can be contacted through their website at www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, by telephone on 0808 800 0082 or text phone on 0808 800 0084.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken an Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment for providing (a) assistance and (b) arms to Israel since 7 October 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments (OSJAs) which provide the basis for internal MOD decision making processes on a range of defence engagement activity with Israel. These have been updated since the 7 October 2023.
As for undertaking an international humanitarian law assessment for providing arms to Israel, this is the responsibility of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which in turn advises the Department for Business and Trade. Therefore, the MOD does not undertake its own OSJA for the supply of arms to Israel, but any relevant information held by the MOD is shared across His Majesty’s Government (HMG) to be considered as part of HMG’s overall export licensing process.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to provide local authorities with an (a) application form template, (b) eligibility pre-payment checklist guide and (c) FAQ document to support assessments of eligibility for business recovery grants to help with recovery from the impact of Storm Babet.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Further to activation of the Flood Recovery Framework following severe flooding caused by Storm Babet, the Business Recovery Grant will support eligible business premises within qualifying flooded areas to help with recovery.
Administered by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), local authorities will receive funding equivalent to £2,500 per eligible business premises, to help support recovery in the immediate aftermath of Storm Babet.
An application form template, eligibility pre-payment checklist guide and a FAQ document to support assessments of eligibility for business recovery grants have been issued to Local Authorities to support them in administering the grant.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide support to smallholder farmers in developing countries to meet the legal requirement to not contribute to deforestation under the Environment Act 2021.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK plays a leading role in supporting global efforts to protect and restore forest landscapes, driving international action to tackle deforestation and ensure forests are sustainably managed. This effort is underpinned by a commitment of £1.5 billion to international forests between 2021 and 2026.
The Government works with both businesses and smallholder farmers to improve sustainable practices and encourage forest-friendly business. The Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use programme (2015-2024) supports the development of new business models which provide jobs and livelihoods while protecting and restoring forests. The programme is implemented through a set of complementary interventions including Partnerships for Forests (P4F) (£120 million), which provides grant funding and technical assistance to catalyse investment into sustainable agriculture and forest management. To date, P4F has mobilised £1.25 billion in private investment into forests, brought 4.5 million hectares of land under sustainable management and directly benefitted over 250,000 people.
The UK’s Mobilising Finance for Forests programme is working to increase private investment in activities that create value from standing forests and/or incorporate forest protection and restoration into sustainable agricultural commodity production. This programme is complementary to P4F, targeting larger and more mature opportunities that will mobilise investment into sustainable land-use at scale.
The UK also supports companies in their transition to sustainable supply chains. The UK is a co-funder of the Tropical Forest Alliance, a public-private initiative hosted by the World Economic Forum which mobilises over 170 companies, governments and NGOs to tackle commodity-driven deforestation.
We also continue to work with consumer and producer country partners in forums such as the Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity and Trade (FACT) Dialogue, which the UK and Indonesia launched together as co-chairs in 2021. The FACT Dialogue convenes 28 major producers and consumers of internationally traded agricultural commodities to agree principles for collaboration and developed a Roadmap of actions which was launched at COP26, to protect forests and other ecosystems while promoting sustainable trade and development, in a way that respects all countries’ interests.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business and Trade during negotiation of accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and what recent assessment he has made of the potential preference erosion impact of the UK's accession on exporters to the UK in developing countries not party to that agreement.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government must balance our commitment to support developing countries to reduce poverty through trade with the domestic interests of our consumers and producers and our broader strategic interests such a joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Agricultural commodity exports are critical to many developing countries. That is reflected through the market access we offer in our Economic Partnership Agreements and the Developing Countries Trade Scheme, and is something we address in our portfolio of trade-related technical assistance.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what powers are available to her to impose export controls in the interests of national security.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Export Control Act 2002 provides broad powers to control and licence exports, trade, transfers of technology and technical assistance for military goods and technology.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). These Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework, which requires ECJU to think hard about the possible impact of providing equipment, and the capabilities it could support.
HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with these Criteria, including if there is a risk of diversion to a weapon of mass destruction or military programme of concern, or if the export could present a risk to the UK’s national security.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the Ukrainian government on matters of (a) governance and (b) rule of law.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Rule of law and governance reform are UK priorities, alongside anti-corruption, security sector reform and economic and business environment reform. The Good Governance Fund Ukraine, a £38 million three-year technical assistance programme, is supporting Ukraine's good governance, economic resilience and growth. UK-funded expertise is helping to relaunch the High Council of Justice and High Qualification Commission of Judges, institutions critical to a judiciary free from unlawful interference. Such reforms increase private sector confidence, which will be critical to Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. The UK has driven progress on this agenda internationally, including at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the funding of £50 million announced to support businesses to cover costs of not-for-EU labelling has been baselined for future funding, or whether it is one-off funding.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The first phase of ‘Not-for-EU’ labelling requirements under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme took effect from 1 October. Further phases will follow in October 2024 and July 2025. The Government would not normally provide any financial support to businesses for the cost of new labelling requirements. However, in recognition of the accelerated timescale compared with standard labelling changes, we have exceptionally made available a £50 million fund, the Transitional Labelling Financial Assistance Scheme. This will cover 2023-24 (phase one) costs only, because the following phases are in line with normal timescales for labelling changes. Redesign, printing and warehouse costs for product, box, and shelf level labelling will all be in scope.
The Government will publish its assessment of the costs of the new labelling requirements in due course. The £50 million grant fund we have announced is designed to cover the majority, though not all, of industry costs incurred in this respect. This is to encourage efficiency and because labelling changes would normally be part of the cost of doing business for the food industry, as well as to protect the public purse.