Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2026 to Question 29628 on Cars: Manufacturing Industries, whether his Department has recommended changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate to the Department for Transport.
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)
Government launched the long-committed ZEV Mandate Review consultation to seek views from stakeholders to ensure the Mandate remains fit for purpose. We are committed to getting the balance right, ensuring the ZEV Mandate targets are realistic to ensure the ZEV transition remains achievable and that costs of compliance are affordable for industry. As the consultation is still live, no decisions have been taken, and it would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of the review. Officials across Government in key Departments, including DfT and BIST, continue to engage closely.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of protections and safeguards for the transfer of intellectual property rights in a digital setting.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) follows robust, proportionate processes to securely process 20K annual requests to record the transfer of ownership of IP rights in the register. These processes are reviewed regularly to reflect changing risk threats. The IPO is mid-way through a major transformation programme which will further improve validation processes by introducing an authenticated user account for all transactions. The recent consultation on the UK Designs system included proposals to extend the IPO’s power to resolve disputes over ownership of patents and trade marks to registered designs where that power is currently reserved for the courts.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to finance for people wishing to set up co-operatives.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to removing barriers to the sustainable growth of the co-operative and mutuals sector, including barriers to accessing finance.
Co-operatives and mutuals can access British Business Bank-backed Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme, while Community ENABLE Funding supports community development finance institutions serving co-operatives, social enterprises and other underserved businesses.
The Department will also shortly be publishing its response to the call for evidence on business support co-operatives and non-financial mutuals.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
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 review the eligibility criteria of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme to include the food and drink industry.
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)
BICS is a targeted scheme designed to support a defined group of sectors within the Industrial Strategy, where electricity cost relief is expected to have the greatest impact on growth in its agreed cost envelope. There is no scope to amend the eligibility criteria of this scheme ahead of the scheme commencing in April 2027.
The Government remains committed to supporting the Food and Drink industry. This includes support through the Business Growth Service which brings together advice, guidance and support to help businesses grow. Additionally, the British Business Bank supports access to finance, including through the Growth Guarantee Scheme.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, further to the DBT transparency data, Department for Business & Trade: Ministers' Hospitality - June 2025, updated November 2025, whether any information on government business was passed back to Ministerial private office following the dinner with Flint Global and the Rt hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde of 2 June 2025; whether James Purnell was in attendance; and whether his Department holds a list of other commercial organisations present at the dinner.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Secretary of State attended in an official capacity as part of his regular business engagement programme. A Private Secretary was therefore in attendance to take official minutes of the meeting, and the department holds a record of other attendees. James Purnell was in attendance.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for remote and distributed employment models to increase access to tech and AI jobs in regions outside London and the South East.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Remote working and other forms of flexible working can increase access to employment opportunities across sectors and the country. The changes we are making through the Employment Rights Act will improve access to flexible working.
While the Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of these changes on technology and AI jobs, we are helping people across the UK seize the opportunities of AI by investing in local talent, skills and career pathways. Through the TechLocal fund, we are connecting people to new tech jobs, graduate traineeships and AI learning opportunities in their communities.
Asked by: Alison Taylor (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the SME sector in Paisley Renfrewshire North constituency; and what steps he is taking to ensure that sector has adequate access to finance and funding for expansion.
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 government is committed to supporting SMEs across the UK, including in Paisley and Renfrewshire North, to start, grow and succeed. The Business Growth Service, launched in July 2025, makes it easier for UK businesses to get the advice and support they need to thrive both domestically and internationally.
The British Business Bank helps SMEs access the finance they need through programmes including Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme. Paisley businesses can also benefit from the £150 million Investment Fund for Scotland, which provides debt and equity finance to Scottish businesses.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 28 July 2026 to Question HL2133 on International Court of Justice, what guidance his Department has provided on the impact of the International Court of Justice’s ruling on International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 87 on the practices within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department has not issued specific guidance in response to the advisory opinion. While the advisory opinion is not legally binding, the government takes the Court’s opinion seriously and is considering the implications carefully.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many projects relating to (a) coaches and (b) coach manufacturing have received funding through the DRIVE35 programme; and what the value of funding awarded to those projects is.
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)
DRIVE35 is providing £4 billion of capital and research and development funding to 2035 to support innovation, commercial scale-up and the industrialisation of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing. As part of this, two projects with relevance to coach manufacturing have been awarded DRIVE35 funding, with grant awards totalling £1,048,957.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether employers found to have underpaid statutory holiday pay as a result of payroll or administrative errors will be subject to public naming by the Fair Work Agency when it begins enforcement of statutory holiday pay in 2027.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The recent Government consultation on enforcement of statutory holiday pay sought views on whether employers found to have underpaid holiday pay should be subject to public naming. The consultation closed on 22 September. The Government is currently considering all submissions and will publish its response in due course.