Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Internal Market Act 2020 on plans to implement a deposit return scheme in Wales.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK Government is working cooperatively with all the devolved administrations to deliver interoperability and alignment of deposit returns across the whole of the UK. The interaction with the provisions of the UK Internal Market Act 2020 are being fully considered as part of those discussions.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had on the potential merits of imposing a moratorium on deep sea mining with her counterparts in (a) France, (b) New Zealand, (c) Chile and (d) other countries which have introduced a ban or a moratorium on deep sea mining .
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK is fully engaged in the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office leads the UK delegation to the ISA.
The UK’s policy is not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the ISA and are in place. The UK’s approach is both precautionary and conditional.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to tackle fake negative reviews made online by individuals against small businesses.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government introduced in Parliament the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill on 25 April which includes a delegated power to amend the list of automatically unfair practices set out in the Bill.
Government plans to address fake and misleading reviews that by adding these practices to the banned list following consultation this year. This will include where individuals are procured by traders, or are acting on their behalf, to denigrate another business by posting fake negative reviews.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help ensure that companies that provide customer review services ensure the authenticity of such reviews.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government introduced in Parliament the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill on 25 April. The DMCC Bill includes a delegated power to amend the list of automatically unfair practices in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
The government will consult during bill passage on using this power to ensure that reviews are genuine, with a view to adding practices related to fake and misleading reviews to the list of automatically unfair practices. This will give greater clarity to companies who provide review services on their responsibilities in relation to consumer reviews and will allow enforcers to take effective action quickly.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that the minimum wage for workers aged between 16 and 18 reflects the level of inflation.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 1 April 2023, workers under 18 saw a 9.7% increase in their National Minimum Wage rate to £5.28. The Government aims to increase the National Minimum Wage as much as possible without damaging employment prospects for younger workers. By seeking expert and independent advice from the Low Pay Commission when setting the minimum wage rates, the Government is able to ensure that the right balance is struck between the needs of workers, the affordability for businesses and the impact on the economy.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the next round of negotiations on the UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that goods imported from illegal settlements will not be entitled to the benefits of trade preferences.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK’s position on settlements is clear. The UK does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) as part of Israel.
This has been long established policy since 1967 and was reconfirmed recently at the UN security council.
Under the existing UK-Israel trade agreement, goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not entitled to tariff and trade preferences under either the agreement between the UK and Israel, or the agreement between the UK and the Palestinian Authority.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 147247, what the total value of the Future Fund loans taken up by those 83 companies is.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As of 31st December 2022, there were 83 companies in the Future Fund portfolio which have loans that have not converted into equity, and which have started Administration or other insolvency proceedings. The total Future Fund loan amount for these 83 loans is equal to £70,057,178.00.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the data by the British Business Bank on Companies in which the Future Fund has an equity stake, what the total value is of the equity interest retained by the Future Fund in the 83 companies listed as having entered into administration or insolvency proceedings.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Future Fund is a government scheme to support UK-based companies ranging from £125,000 to £5 million, subject to at least equal match funding from private investors. The scheme, alongside other Government support schemes, aims to support companies facing financing difficulties due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The Future Fund scheme is being delivered by the British Business Bank (BBB).
In respect of the 83 companies which have gone into administration or insolvency, those companies’ loans had not converted into equity and therefore the equity value retained by the Future Fund is zero.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies registered in Ceredigion received financial support under the Future Fund.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Future Fund is a government scheme to support UK-based companies ranging from £125,000 to £5 million, subject to at least equal match funding from private investors. The scheme, alongside other Government support schemes, aims to support companies facing financing difficulties due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The Future Fund scheme is being delivered by the British Business Bank (BBB).
The number of Convertible Loan Agreements (CLAs) issued by the Future Fund in Wales was 25 with a total value of £18.7m. Future Fund data is not provided on a constituency level.