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1718295

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Department for Business and Trade: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
tabling member constituency	Romsey and Southampton North
tabling member printed	Caroline Nokes
uin	26426
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) holds Disability Confident Leader Level 3 accreditation (the highest possible level). One official works directly on supporting the Disability Confident Scheme as part of their role. DBT monitors the impact of the scheme using recruitment and retention data, among other data sources.</p><p> </p><p>DBT has a staff Disability Network and has committed to delivering optional Disability Confident learning for staff each quarter. DBT is doing work to eliminate biased language in our job adverts and reviewing its employer brand to ensure we continue to attract a high performing and diverse workforce through open and fair competition.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Alan Mak question first answered 20/05/2024 10:37:23 answering member 4484 label Biography information for Alan Mak
tabling member	4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes

1717831

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Universal Service Obligation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to help strengthen (a) the quality of service targets in the universal service obligation and (b) the effectiveness of Ofcom's enforcement of those targets by Royal Mail.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	26183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to monitor and enforce Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation. The Government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom fined Royal Mail £5.6m for failing to meet its obligations in 2022/23. It continues to hold Royal Mail to account and has said it will take appropriate further enforcement action as required in response to failure to meet quality of service targets. I have also raised concerns with Royal Mail’s parent company and will continue do so if service levels fail to improve.</p><p> </p><p>I note that Ofcom’s recent call for inputs on the future of the universal postal service set out the importance of reliability and affordability in consumers’ expectations for postal services and that it will consider if further safeguards are necessary to ensure people’s needs are met.</p> answering member constituency Thirsk and Malton answering member printed Kevin Hollinrake question first answered 17/05/2024 08:33:48 answering member 4474 label Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1717843

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Department for Business and Trade: Motor Vehicles
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of (a) cars and (b) other vehicles used by her Department were made in Britain.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	26042
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government Car service (GCS) provides vehicles to a number of Government departments. Due to logistical and operational reasons the type of vehicles deployed at each department can vary on a daily or weekly basis. The GCS fleet currently has 122 vehicles, 58 (48%) of which are vehicles made in Britain.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Alan Mak question first answered 22/05/2024 14:28:57 answering member 4484 label Biography information for Alan Mak
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1717852

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Competition and Markets Authority: Consultants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the Competition and Markets Authority has spent on external consultancies in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	26050
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>For each of the last five audited financial years, the Competition and Markets Authority has spent the following amount on external consultancies.</p><p><strong>Year</strong> <strong>Amount</strong></p><p>2018/19 £239,900.46</p><p>2019/20 £541,058.36</p><p>2020/21 £585,389.23</p><p>2021/22 £733,361.96</p><p>2022/23 £786,795.35</p><p>Figures for 2023/24 have not been finalised and will be published in the CMA annual report in July 2024 once audited.</p> answering member constituency Thirsk and Malton answering member printed Kevin Hollinrake question first answered 22/05/2024 14:20:23 answering member 4474 label Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1717875

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Electric Vehicles: West Midlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support the automotive industry's transition to electric vehicles in the West Midlands.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	26029
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>We continue to work with industry via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to support the creation of an internationally competitive zero emission vehicle supply chain in the UK, including gigafactories.</p><p> </p><p>There are substantial opportunities for R&amp;D and capital investment across the supply chain and the West Midlands is well-placed to benefit.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Advanced Manufacturing Plan, we have announced over £2bn of capital and R&amp;D funding over five years to 2030 in zero emission vehicles, batteries and the wider supply chain, boosting the UK’s competitiveness and unlocking strategic investments in our automotive industry.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Alan Mak question first answered 21/05/2024 08:50:27 answering member 4484 label Biography information for Alan Mak
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1717910

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Post Offices: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving (a) the Post Office in Wales and (b) her Departmental powers to Wales.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	26184
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>There are no plans to devolve the Post Office in Wales. Post Office delivers essential services across all four nations of the UK thanks to the network of 11,500 branches and the Government-set access criteria. Our focus is on supporting businesses and growing the economy across the UK.</p> answering member constituency Thirsk and Malton answering member printed Kevin Hollinrake question first answered 17/05/2024 12:30:17 answering member 4474 label Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1717923

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Exports: Trade Competitiveness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	26199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p>The Supercharger package is designed to reduce the long-term electricity price gap that exists between UK EIIs and competitor countries.</p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Alan Mak grouped question UIN 26207 question first answered 22/05/2024 14:58:52 answering member 4484 label Biography information for Alan Mak
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1717935

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Food: Exports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	26206
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>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).</p><p> </p><p>The department holds data provided by HMRC on food exports (see below).</p><p>HMRC: UK exports of Food, Feed &amp; Drink (FFD)</p><p>VOLUME</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>All UK exports</p></td><td><p>Exports to Asia (Million tonnes)</p></td><td><p>Proportion exported to Asia</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>15.3</p></td><td><p>1.50</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>13.5</p></td><td><p>1.37</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>11.0</p></td><td><p>1.30</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>12.5</p></td><td><p>1.35</p></td><td><p>11%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>11.9</p></td><td><p>1.16</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>VALUE</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>All UK exports</p></td><td><p>Exports to Asia (£ billion)</p></td><td><p>Proportion exported to Asia</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>23.7</p></td><td><p>3.9</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>21.7</p></td><td><p>3.4</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>20.3</p></td><td><p>3.7</p></td><td><p>18%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>24.9</p></td><td><p>4.7</p></td><td><p>19%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>24.4</p></td><td><p>4.6</p></td><td><p>19%</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 22/05/2024 16:58:11 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1717936

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Exports: Trade Competitiveness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	26207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>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.</p><p>The Supercharger package is designed to reduce the long-term electricity price gap that exists between UK EIIs and competitor countries.</p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Alan Mak grouped question UIN 26199 question first answered 22/05/2024 14:58:52 answering member 4484 label Biography information for Alan Mak
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1717981

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Suffolk
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Suffolk.
tabling member constituency	Suffolk Coastal
tabling member printed	Dr Thérèse Coffey
uin	26131
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government provides extensive business support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with over 40 offers of support available to all business including those in Suffolk.</p><p>Businesses in Suffolk can access support through GOV.UK, the Business Support Service and network of Growth Hubs. Government-backed financial support is available from the British Business Bank, including the Growth Guarantee Scheme, which has been extended until the end of March 2026.</p><p>The Government set out policy actions in the Prompt Payment and Cash Flow which was published alongside the Autumn Statement in November 2023. These actions include extending Payment Performance Reporting Regulations with legislation being passed earlier this month, ensuring that large businesses are required to report their payment performance.</p><p>The Start Up Loans Company provides loans and pre- and post-loan business support and mentoring to new entrepreneurs. Since the programme started in 2012, 917 loans have been awarded to start ups in Suffolk totalling over £9 million.</p><p>The Government’s recently launched initiatives supporting business:</p><ul><li>The refreshed Help to Grow campaign and website creating a one-stop shop for SMEs to find the information they need to grow and scale up;</li><li>The Lilac Review to identify the barriers faced by disabled-led businesses and develop an action plan to remove them;</li><li>The Invest in Women Taskforce with the mission of making the UK the best place in the world to be a female founder.</li></ul> answering member constituency Thirsk and Malton answering member printed Kevin Hollinrake question first answered 22/05/2024 14:35:04 answering member 4474 label Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake
tabling member	4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey