Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Viscount Waverley, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Viscount Waverley has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Viscount Waverley has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
We continue to monitor the COVID situation, including recent developments on vaccines, and will adapt our plans to adopt the most appropriate preventative measures at the most appropriate time. In doing so we remain mindful of our commitment to an inclusive COP.
We are aware there are groups for whom vaccination is not medically advisable; and that global access to vaccines is not consistent – the UK is committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive COP that recognises the different approaches globally.
The health of participants and the local community is foremost in our minds.
The government’s legal position on the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill and Northern Ireland Protocol was set out in a statement published on 10 September, and remains unchanged. That statement makes clear that clauses 42 and 43 of the Bill may be exercised in a way which is incompatible with the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement, and that the ‘notwithstanding provision’ in clause 45 partially disapplies Article 4 of the Withdrawal Agreement, regardless of whether any regulations made under clause 42 or 43 of the Bill are in fact compatible with the Withdrawal Agreement. The statement of 10 September also makes clear that it is an established principle of international law that a State is obliged to discharge its treaty obligations in good faith, and that this is, and will remain, the key principle in informing the UK’s approach to international relations. However, in the difficult and highly exceptional circumstances in which we find ourselves it is important to remember the fundamental principle of Parliamentary sovereignty.
Decisions on flexible working requests are made locally by departments, based on their business needs and delivery requirements. As departments are individual employers they set out their employees’ terms and conditions, including any flexible working policies.
Ministers are clear that civil servants should be in the workplace where needed to drive delivery and they should adhere to their contractual obligations. Workplace attendance has an important role in effective service delivery to the public.
To deliver value for the taxpayer means ensuring we maximise the use of the estate and proactively manage workplace attendance. Therefore, in addition to the thousands of civil servants working in such places as prisons, courts and our UK borders, office-based workers will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of working time in the workplace.
HMG does not have an agreed definition of the term ‘hostile state[s]’. While the term is sometimes used by officials and Ministers, it is not centrally defined and does not describe any specific category of states.
The Government recognises that for the Single Trade Window to be successful it must meet users’ different needs and the importance of engagement with stakeholders from across the wider border industry, including trade bodies. Significant consultation, user research and engagement have already taken place and will continue as policy design and delivery progress.
We have engaged with trade representatives, industry and border experts, intermediaries and businesses of all sizes including SMEs, via a 2021 discussion paper detailing key STW policy and design choices, a 2022 public consultation on STW features and the draft Border Target Operating Model, published in April 2023. In addition to receiving numerous detailed written responses, we have conducted extensive follow-ups including the commissioning of independent qualitative research via interviews with small businesses and hosting multiple stakeholder events attended by key industry participants.
We will provide further detail on the Single Trade Window, including plans for future engagement with stakeholders, in the final version of the Border Target Operating Model, which we hope to publish soon. We will continue to use the feedback we receive from our ongoing industry engagement and detailed user design activity to ensure that the Single Trade Window complies with all prevailing regulations and balances the needs of all stakeholders.
In April 2023, the Government published through Written Ministerial Statement UIN HLWS695 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-04-17/hlws695 the launch of the Border Target Operating Model, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. This sets out plans to introduce security and biosecurity controls from the 31st October 2023 in a way which implements critical protections at the UK border, while ensuring that these new controls are as simple as possible for businesses to comply with. By harnessing data and technology and taking a proportionate, risk-based approach to these controls, we have developed a model that works best for the UK.
On Friday 28 April 2023 we published a detailed risk categorisation of animal products, plants and plant products of EU and EFTA origin. This provides clarity to importers on what controls will be applied to the different risk categories, including when health certificates will be required to import goods from 31st October 2023. Following the publication of this additional information we are working to update our early estimate of the impact and cost of the new model, driving down cost wherever possible.
The relevant business stakeholders told us before publication that they will need time to prepare for these changes, and our phased approach gives them this time. We are working to ensure that UK and international businesses and their supply chains are aware of and understand the new requirements and are ready for these changes.
The Government is using the current period of engagement to listen and gather views through a series of thematic in-person and virtual workshops with the UK’s major supermarkets, logistics and transport firms, and with Business Representative Organisations, to further explore the costs of implementing the new model, and to ensure importing is as smooth as possible where checks are needed.
We will publish a final version of the Border Target Operating Model, reflecting feedback from stakeholders, in the summer.
In April 2023, the Government published through Written Ministerial Statement UIN HLWS695 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-04-17/hlws695 the launch of the Border Target Operating Model, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. This sets out plans to introduce security and biosecurity controls from the 31st October 2023 in a way which implements critical protections at the UK border, while ensuring that these new controls are as simple as possible for businesses to comply with. By harnessing data and technology and taking a proportionate, risk-based approach to these controls, we have developed a model that works best for the UK.
On Friday 28 April 2023 we published a detailed risk categorisation of animal products, plants and plant products of EU and EFTA origin. This provides clarity to importers on what controls will be applied to the different risk categories, including when health certificates will be required to import goods from 31st October 2023. Following the publication of this additional information we are working to update our early estimate of the impact and cost of the new model, driving down cost wherever possible.
The relevant business stakeholders told us before publication that they will need time to prepare for these changes, and our phased approach gives them this time. We are working to ensure that UK and international businesses and their supply chains are aware of and understand the new requirements and are ready for these changes.
The Government is using the current period of engagement to listen and gather views through a series of thematic in-person and virtual workshops with the UK’s major supermarkets, logistics and transport firms, and with Business Representative Organisations, to further explore the costs of implementing the new model, and to ensure importing is as smooth as possible where checks are needed.
We will publish a final version of the Border Target Operating Model, reflecting feedback from stakeholders, in the summer.
In April 2023, the Government published through Written Ministerial Statement UIN HLWS695 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-04-17/hlws695 the launch of the Border Target Operating Model, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. This sets out plans to introduce security and biosecurity controls from the 31st October 2023 in a way which implements critical protections at the UK border, while ensuring that these new controls are as simple as possible for businesses to comply with. By harnessing data and technology and taking a proportionate, risk-based approach to these controls, we have developed a model that works best for the UK.
On Friday 28 April 2023 we published a detailed risk categorisation of animal products, plants and plant products of EU and EFTA origin. This provides clarity to importers on what controls will be applied to the different risk categories, including when health certificates will be required to import goods from 31st October 2023. Following the publication of this additional information we are working to update our early estimate of the impact and cost of the new model, driving down cost wherever possible.
The relevant business stakeholders told us before publication that they will need time to prepare for these changes, and our phased approach gives them this time. We are working to ensure that UK and international businesses and their supply chains are aware of and understand the new requirements and are ready for these changes.
The Government is using the current period of engagement to listen and gather views through a series of thematic in-person and virtual workshops with the UK’s major supermarkets, logistics and transport firms, and with Business Representative Organisations, to further explore the costs of implementing the new model, and to ensure importing is as smooth as possible where checks are needed.
We will publish a final version of the Border Target Operating Model, reflecting feedback from stakeholders, in the summer.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A holding response to the Noble Peer’s Parliamentary Question of 25th April is attached in the answer and the completed response will be deposited in the House of Lords Library.
The Rt Hon. the Viscount Waverley
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
11 May 2023
Dear Lord Waverley,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of UK exports derive from inwarde investment into the UK (HL7457). Statisticians at the Office for National Statistics are currently undertaking additional analysis to answer your question and will place a copy in the House of Lords Library as soon as it is complete.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
The Single Trade Window will reduce the cost of trade by streamlining interactions with the Government at the border. It will enable traders to meet their import, export and transit-related obligations by submitting information to the Government once and in one place. We will design the Single Trade Window, in accordance with best practice, in full consultation with users of the border.
We will share more information about the delivery schedule of Single Trade Window and its impact on customers at the UK border in due course.
The 2025 Border Strategy was published in December 2020 and set out the UK Government’s vision for our border to be the most effective in the world. It set out the technological and data innovations that will be required, as well as transformations in governance and reviews of controls and check regimes (1).
The government will make an announcement on the Target Operating Model in due course. The government is already progressing work outlined in the Strategy, including the Ecosystem of Trust. We will publish the results of our innovative trials of new technologies at the border, known as the Ecosystem of Trust pilots, in Spring 2023 (2) and (3).
Meetings between the Prime Minister and his international counterparts are a regular part of Government business. Details are published on the gov.uk website.
The Government recognises the important role that the voluntary and community sector play in supporting the statutory services in response to emergencies, such as flood events.
Local Resilience Forums have well established processes for engaging with the voluntary and community sector.
Her Majesty's Government is acutely aware of the cyber security risks associated with the use of third-party digital services and software. The contracting authority for the procurement of any such product or service is responsible for assessing and managing that risk.
The reported compromise is a complex, global cyber incident, and the Government is working with international partners to understand its scale and assess any UK impact. As the investigation into this incident is ongoing I cannot comment on any operational details.
The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance on their website.
Her Majesty's Government is acutely aware of the cyber security risks associated with the use of third-party digital services and software. The contracting authority for the procurement of any such product or service is responsible for assessing and managing that risk.
The reported compromise is a complex, global cyber incident, and the Government is working with international partners to understand its scale and assess any UK impact. As the investigation into this incident is ongoing I cannot comment on any operational details.
The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance on their website.
To help companies get ready, we have launched a major communications campaign in the UK and EU urging businesses to visit gov.uk/transition to take action now, get their personalised list of actions, and subscribe to alerts to find out when things change.
The Government will continue to review and update the guidance we have published to help ensure businesses including SMEs, which are of such importance to our economy, are as prepared as possible for the changes and opportunities the end of the year will bring.
To help companies get ready, we have launched a major communications campaign in the UK and EU urging businesses to visit gov.uk/transition to take action now, get their personalised list of actions and subscribe to find out when things change.
The Government will continue to review and update the guidance we have published to help ensure businesses are as prepared as possible for the changes and opportunities the end of the year will bring.
Whilst the COVID-19 response continues, there is no immediate intention to review local resilience structures under the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) or its associated duties placed on Category 1 and 2 responders. However, given the scale and challenges emergency responders have faced in dealing with COVID-19, we will consider any strengthening of arrangements as part of the legal requirement placed upon Cabinet Office by Regulation 59 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005 to conduct an assessment of regulations at least every five years. The next review must be completed by March 2022.
Coronavirus is the biggest challenge the UK has faced in decades – and we are not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this disease.
As the Prime Minister said in his recent address to the nation:
“This is a struggle that humanity will win, and we in this country will win… I know that we can succeed because we have succeeded before. When the sickness took hold in this country in March, we pulled together in a spirit of national sacrifice and community. We followed the guidance to the letter. We stayed at home, protected the NHS, and saved thousands of lives… There are unquestionably difficult months to come. And the fight against covid is by no means over. I have no doubt, however, that there are great days ahead. But now is the time for us all to summon the discipline, and the resolve, and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through.”
Details of UK Government support and guidance available to the public are published on https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum. The Government has published its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee report.
We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum. The Government has published its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee report.
As the Government has set out previously, the report is the property of the independent committee. It is for the Intelligence and Security Committee to lay their reports before Parliament and the reconstituted Committee did so on 21 July.
The Government’s plans regarding company reporting on environmental, social and governance matters are set out in Mobilising Green Investment – 2023 Green Finance Strategy (March 2023). These plans differ from the European Union’s (EU) plans in several areas. Specifically, the UK will not adopt the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. Instead, the UK Government has stated its support for the International Sustainability Disclosure Standards and we are currently assessing the suitability for UK companies of the first two standards that have been issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).
Reporting on ESG matters provides transparency to investors and other stakeholders, improving investment decisions. In particular, the Government supports the work of the International Sustainability Standards Board, which aims to align sustainability reporting globally, enabling investors compare investment decisions across markets.
The Government believes that a mix of voluntary and mandatory reporting provides the right balance between transparency and reducing burdens on companies. Further detail on the Government’s future plans is provided by Mobilising Green Investment - 2023 Green Finance Strategy.
The Companies Act 2006 requires directors to have regard to impact of a company’s operations on the community and environment when exercising their duties. It also requires certain companies to provide information regarding environmental matters and social, community and human rights issues within their annual reports.
The Government’s future plans to encourage companies to consider the impact of environmental, social and governance issues are set out in Mobilising Green Investment - 2023 Green Finance Strategy. This includes the Government’s plans to assess the suitability of the standards that were recently published by the International Sustainability Standards Board for use in the UK.
The Department for Business and Trade has no plans to regulate professional awards programmes within the legislative framework for regulated professions.
The Professional Qualifications Act (2022) is part of the legislative framework for regulated professions. It covers those professions where there is a legal requirement for an individual to have qualifications or experience in order to practise. Typically, regulators are responsible for determining entry requirements for a profession and assessing whether individuals are fit to practise.
The Turkmen Government choose participants on their side, made up mainly of government ministries, but of late, with business representatives. On the UK side, the British Embassy in Ashgabat suggests companies that might be interested in joining, in consultation with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade. Our criteria is to identify companies with an interest in exporting to the market.
The British Embassy have set up a registration site that is open to all interested parties. The event is published publicly on the GREAT website, and the Department for Business and Trade and Uzbekistan's Ministry of Investment work together to amplify and raise awareness of the event among businesses. No criteria is applied to those that wish to register and attend.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not maintain an official list of exporters for this particular purpose. The criteria for selecting businesses invited by the Department to specific events vary depending on several factors. These factors differ based on the type of events, whether organised by DBT or third parties. Invitations to events are extended to businesses based on the Department's contacts with them, collaboration with stakeholders, or broader promotional efforts.
The Business Appointment Rules do not apply to the Prime Minister's Trade Envoys.
The latest revised figures from the ONS show that UK exports of goods and services to the EU totalled £344 billion in 2022, this is up 15% in current prices compared to 2019 (£299 billion). Since leaving the EU, we have agreed trade deals with 73 countries and the EU, UK exports to the world totalled £834 billion in 2022, this is up 18% in current prices compared to 2019 (£707 billion).
Latest figures from the ONS show that UK exports of goods and services to the EU totalled £340 billion in 2022, this is up 14% in current prices compared to 2019 (£298 billion). Since leaving the EU, we have agreed trade deals with 73 countries and the EU, UK exports to the world totalled £815 billion in 2022, this is up 17% in current prices compared to 2019 (£700 billion).
The UK’s 5.4 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at the centre of our ambition to reach £1 trillion in exports annually by 2030. The Government’s Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, focuses on helping SMEs at every stage of their export journey.
The Export Strategy’s development and implementation has been informed by extensive engagement with SMEs to understand the challenges they face when exporting and how the Government can provide support. This Department continues to support SMEs through its network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, sector specialists, the Export Support Service, Export Academy, and International Markets network.
The Government’s Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, focuses on the challenges UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face when exporting and sets out a 12-point plan which targets barriers to trade and helps SMEs at every stage of their export journey.
This Department supports companies through its network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, Export Support Service, Export Academy, and International Markets network.
But we are also doing more – maximising uptake of new Free Trade Agreements by SMEs, using data to better target our services and working across Government to reduce barriers to exporting and simplify border processes.
This Department remains committed to the continuous improvement of our support services to exporters. The ESS Service Delivery Centre received 13,600 export enquiries, 93% from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (up to end of March 2023), and regularly reviews feedback from exporters to ensure the continuous improvement of the service.
Feedback from SMEs on our services was central to the transformation of the Export Support Service, for example the National Survey of Registered Businesses gathers feedback on businesses’ awareness, usage and needs from export services, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dit-national-survey-of-registered-businesses-exporting-behaviours-attitudes-and-needs-2021.
This Department will continue to listen and consult small businesses on their experience to improve our services.
The Department for Business and Trade has an extensive programme of business engagement which markets the UK as a place where business can invest, grow and export. 'Made in the UK, Sold to the World' highlights the demand for UK goods and services around the world, and the GREAT campaign markets the UK as a destination for investment.
We are also taking proactive measures to solidify business confidence such as enacting our 12-Point Plan for exports which is transforming our support services, and hosting the Global Investment Summit in November which will promote the UK to the world’s foremost investors.
The UK continues to work to strengthen our trade and investment relationships with countries such as Kazakhstan. Fast growing economies such as Kazakhstan provide an abundance of opportunities for UK businesses across a wide range of sectors – notwithstanding our world leading digital sector.
The Department for Business and Trade is supporting British business to grab these opportunities through trade dialogues and regular exchanges including the annual United Kingdom-Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Investment that I co-chaired earlier this year in February in London.
At this moment, we are not expecting to launch negotiations with Kazakhstan on a Digital Trade Agreement.
As the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF) can help connect UK suppliers with overseas buyers, helping exporters to win contracts, fulfil orders and receive payment.
Following a Ministerial Direction in March 2022, UKEF retained its market limit of £3.5 billion for Ukraine in the national interest. Any support remains subject to projects meeting UKEF’s robust due diligence processes, including the UK's latest international commitments and sanctions. It is not UKEF’s policy to comment further on potential transactions for security and commercial reasons.
As the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF) can help connect UK suppliers with overseas buyers, helping exporters to win contracts, fulfil orders and receive payment.
Following a Ministerial Direction in March 2022, UKEF retained its market limit of £3.5 billion for Ukraine in the national interest. Any support remains subject to projects meeting UKEF’s robust due diligence processes, including the UK's latest international commitments and sanctions. It is not UKEF’s policy to comment further on potential transactions for security and commercial reasons.
All English Regions and Devolved Nations geographies are included when determining strategies for Trade and Investment. Officials work with businesses and local stakeholders to ensure a place focus, as reflected by the organisational structure. English Regions is divided into three Super Regions - the Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Engine and the South (including London), with regional teams operating within these. As well as our second HQ at Darlington’s Economic Campus, we have established Trade and Investment hubs in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast to help bring the Department for Business and Trade’s support closer to businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Freight and logistics policy is a matter for the Department for Transport.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement includes Article 43: Insufficient Production under Chapter 2: Rules of Origin. This article ensures that simple packaging operations shall not alone confer UK origin to non-originating goods imported to the UK and then sold into the EU. This rule, alongside other rules with respect to the packaging of goods can be found in the treaty text: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukeu-and-eaec-trade-and-cooperation-agreement-ts-no82021.
Analysis carried out for the Electricity Networks Strategic Framework found that industrial electricity demand in 2050 could range between 85 and 115 Terawatt hours depending on resource and energy efficiency, and fuel switching choices between electricity and hydrogen. This range builds on the two scenarios presented in the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, Annex 4.
This analysis will evolve over time and continues to be used to inform networks policy, including future regional industrial demand for electricity.
The EV Smart Action Plan published earlier this year, estimated that the electrification of cars, vans and HGVs could add 50 – 70 TWh by 2035 and 90 – 140 TWh by 2050 to electricity generation. The Department has not estimated the additional electricity generation or network capacity required specifically from electric logistics vehicles.
The Government is working with Ofgem and network companies to release network capacity and improve the connections process, which will reduce connection timescales for all types of connections, including logistics sites. Building on this work, the Government and Ofgem will publish a connections action plan in the summer.
The Government committed to the publication of a Call for Evidence in the Future of Freight Strategy to better understand the role the planning system has in supporting the needs of the freight and logistics industry. This document is due for publication in the coming weeks and welcomes representations from all stakeholders to provide evidence to enable the Government to fully consider how depot charging facilities at logistics sites can be delivered in the most expeditious way.
Ofgem has decided that electricity demand customers, such as depot charging facilities at logistics sites, submitting a connection application after 1 April 2023, will no longer be charged for any distribution network reinforcement costs to accommodate their connection. Additionally, the Government is working with Ofgem and network companies to release network capacity and improve the connections process, which will reduce connection timescales, including potentially for depot charging facilities. The Government will publish a connections action plan in the summer.