Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Post Office services on rural communities.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Post Office services are vital to rural communities, providing access to mail, cash, banking, bill payments, and government services. Around 41% of branches are in rural areas, and 99% of the rural population lives within three miles of a branch. The Government supports the rural network with targeted funding and access criteria, recognising its role in tackling social isolation and supporting local businesses. The Department for Business and Trade continues to monitor the impact of network changes and works closely with Post Office Ltd to ensure rural communities retain convenient access to essential services.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, whether vehicle manufacturers will be eligible for this support.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy states that the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme “will benefit manufacturing electricity intensive frontier industries in the IS-8, such as automotive and aerospace, and foundational manufacturing industries in the supply chains, such as chemicals.”
The precise details of eligibility will be determined following a consultation, which will open in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of this intervention.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As stated in the Modern Industrial Strategy, we intend to fund the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme by bearing down on levies and other costs in the energy system.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 27 of the Agenda Report entitled The formation of the Vauxhall Luton Taskforce of the Agenda for the Luton Borough Council Executive meeting on 23 June 2025, whether the Government has made its own assessment of the cost of the closure of the Stellantis plant on the Bedfordshire economy.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Despite extensive engagement from Ministers, Stellantis regrettably decided to close its Luton plant, with production ending in May 2025. While we do not have a formal assessment of the cost of the plant closure for the Bedfordshire economy, the Government along with Luton Borough Council and other partners worked closely to understand the likely impact of the closure. The Government also asked Luton Borough Council to form a locally led taskforce to co-ordinate the local response to the economic impact of the plant closure and provided ministerial and official support to the taskforce’s work.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled UK launches global talent drive to attract world-leading researchers and innovators, published on 22 June 2025, if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment for this decision.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Global Talent Taskforce (GTT) is a delivery-focused unit actively developing a pipeline of highly talented individuals who are considering laying down roots and investing in the UK. It provides tailored account management to support these individuals in support of the UK’s Industrial Strategy priority sectors. The Department for Science and Technology-led (DSIT) Global Talent Fund is a £54 million fund, administrated by UKRI and delivered by research organisations, which covers 100% of eligible costs, including relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. DSIT and UKRI are working with GTF ROs to maximise delivery impact in line with government ambitions to attract global talent to the UK.
No, the Department for Business and Trade does not plan to publish an impact assessment in relation to the launch of the Global Talent Taskforce as it wouldn’t be required or appropriate for a Taskforce.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department considered intervening in the closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK, in the context of previous interventions in British Steel.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK in June 2025 and the loss of 250 jobs was a great disappointment.
In the lead up to the final decision to close, HMG was significantly involved at ministerial and official level to broker a deal between EGF UK’s parent company, Nippon Electric Glass, to facilitate a sale with a few interested parties, those interactions were constructive but ultimately the parent company took the decision to close. This was not the outcome we would have wished to have seen, ultimately it was a business decision.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Post Office branch in Flitwick.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government does not intervene in decisions regarding the location of Post Office branches, as this remains an operational matter for Post Office Limited. However, the Government-set Access Criteria ensure that, regardless of changes to the network, postal services remain within local reach for all citizens. These criteria require that 99% of the UK population must be within three miles of their nearest Post Office outlet, and 90% must be within one mile. The post office network continues to meet and exceed Government-set Access Criteria at a national level.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 sectoral economic impact of US tariffs.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the economy. This includes sector-by-sector impact assessments and scenario modelling. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US and the ways that we support UK businesses in this rapidly changing environment.
This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the UK-India trade deal.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer my predecessor gave to UIN 73978 on 5 September 2025.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 US tariffs on economic growth.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the UK economy, in a rapidly changing global trading environment. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US. This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal, which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
By securing and implementing this deal, we are supporting the conditions necessary for economic growth.