Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to boost UK battery production for electric cars.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen the UK's trade deal with South Korea; and what steps they intend to take to maximise the benefits of that deal.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support and guidance they are providing to businesses investing in the UK to inform their long-term planning.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following any negotiations with the EU concerning the implementation of tariffs on electric vehicles, what support they are providing to the industry in relation to any possible changes to tariffs.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The rules agreed in the Trade and Co-operation Agreement were designed to reflect industry capabilities, whilst encouraging onshoring of battery supply chains. Due to unforeseen and shared external shocks, carmakers across Europe have said they cannot meet the TCA’s rules from 2024 and could face tariffs. This is a shared problem and HMG is determined to work with the EU to fix the specific issue faced in 2024. Government continues to support the UK automotive industry through the Automotive Transformation Fund, facilitating the creation of an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in regards to a UK–India free trade agreement; and when they anticipate completion.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are continuing to negotiate with India to secure a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal.
The thirteenth round of negotiations began on 18 September. Talks are now focused on complex issues including goods, services, and investment.
We are working at pace, but we are not committing ourselves to a deadline. The Secretary of State will only sign when we have a deal that is fair and in the best interests of the British people and the economy.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Make UK Manufacturing Outlook 2023 Quarter 3, published on 14 September; and in particular, the findings that there has been a (1) "slowdown in employment growth", and (2) "a decline in output performance which is also mirrored by the performance of orders which have sunk into negative territory".
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The latest ONS statistics present marginal monthly declines in the number of pay-rolled manufacturing employees[1] in July and August 2023 following modest increases throughout the rest of 2023. Overall, the number of pay-rolled employees in the sector has increased by 0.3% in the year to August.
ONS Index of Production data[2] indicates that manufacturing output had a monthly decline of 0.7% in July 2023 following a 3.9% increase in the year to June.
Overall, the latest data shows manufacturing output is estimated to have increased by 3.2% in the year to July.
[1] ONS PAYE Real Time Information https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/realtimeinformationstatisticsreferencetablenonseasonallyadjusted
[2] ONS Index of Production https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/datasets/outputoftheproductionindustries
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current economic climate on small businesses; whether they expect any to close in the near future; and if so, (1) how many, and (2) over what timescale.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
While there are no official forecasts of the number of businesses expected to close, the latest statistics show that, on average, 305,000 businesses closed per year between 2016-2020, with 327,000 businesses closing in 2021. However, business births have exceeded closures over this period.
The Government regularly engages with small businesses and representative organisations in many ways, including roundtables, bilaterals and visits to understand the specific issues they face in relation to the current economic climate. We are committed to ensuring small business views are heard in policy making as we work together to understand the barriers and consider practical solutions.
Source: Business Demography, UK: 2021, ONS Statistics (November 2022)
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises prepare for new EU (1) regulations, and (2) taxes.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement means the UK can now regulate in a way that suits our economy and SMEs, doing things in a more innovative and effective way, without being bound by EU rules. UK SMEs can contact the Export Support Service if they have any questions on how to export to the EU. The UK tax system continues to be internationally competitive – with a lower tax burden than Germany, France and Italy and the lowest headline rate of Corporation Tax in the G7. Where businesses are operating overseas, they will of course need to consider and meet their tax liabilities in those countries.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the SME Insights Report, published in July, which found that UK businesses are owed £32.1 billion in late payments.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is aware that late payment remains a significant problem for small businesses across the country. That is why at the beginning of 2023 the Government launched a review of Cash flow and Prompt Payment, alongside a public consultation on the Payment Performance Regulations. The findings of the review, alongside the consultation response, will be published later in 2023.
The Government will use the findings of this review to improve payment culture in the UK and to reduce late payments and its impact on SMEs.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for making thousands of student visas available to Indian citizens to help secure a trade deal.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While I cannot comment on ongoing negotiations, student visas are not part of FTA negotiations. Only business mobility would be negotiated in an FTA and negotiations could only ever cover temporary business travel. Any FTA commitments are for limited, temporary, and specific purposes.
Any agreement would be consistent with the points-based immigration system.