Feb. 06 2026
Source Page: Make Work Pay: modernising the Agency Work Regulatory FrameworkFeb. 06 2026
Source Page: Make Work Pay: modernising the Agency Work Regulatory FrameworkAsked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria is used to assess the suitability of publicly-funded manufacturing contracts allocated to companies.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Procurement Act sets out the process that contracting authorities follow when assessing the suitability of suppliers for public contracts, including their capacity and capability to deliver. This approach is supported by guidance in the Sourcing Playbook.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help protect STEM jobs in Wales.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy is protecting and expanding STEM jobs in Wales by backing future industries and Wales’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and life sciences. North Wales will pioneer the UK’s first Small Modular Reactor programme, supporting up to 3,000 new jobs. Two Welsh AI Growth Zones are unlocking more than 8,000 technology roles across the country, while the UK Government’s £500 million investment in an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot, and continued support for the compound semiconductor cluster, further strengthens Wales’s industrial and STEM employment base.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Network Rail’s approach to the proposed redevelopment of London Liverpool Street Station on inward foreign direct investment.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Office for Investment, a joint unit across DBT, HMT & No.10, promotes the UK as one of the world’s leading destinations for Foreign Direct Investment, supported by our strong business environment, highly skilled workforce and globally competitive sectors. FDI plays an important role in driving growth, innovation and jobs across the country. The OfI has not made a formal assessment of the potential impact of Network Rail’s approach to the proposed redevelopment of London Liverpool Street Station on inward foreign direct investment.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to incentivise UK-based companies to retain and create skilled jobs in the UK rather than offshore them.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our modern Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and create a highly skilled, economically prosperous country, with key objectives to drive up business investment and create high-quality jobs across the UK. We are focused on capturing a greater share of internationally mobile capital and supporting businesses to employ skilled workers in the UK, including through investing over £1 billion in tailored sector skills packages. We have also published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan with ambitions to recruit 400,000 people in the UK, with Jobs Plans covering other priority sectors to follow.