Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the maximum amount of investment that the British Business Bank can provide.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Business Bank does not operate under a single minimum investment limit. The Government has granted the Bank greater financial capacity and flexibility over the last year to respond more dynamically to market needs and public policy priorities.
The British Business Bank does not operate under a single maximum investment limit. Last year, the Government increased the Bank’s total financial capacity to £25.6bn to support the delivery of its strategic plan, comprising of £17.6bn funded capacity and £8 billion of contingent liability or guarantee capacity. This has enabled a two-thirds increase in its annual investments.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the minimum amount of investment that the British Business Bank can provide.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Business Bank does not operate under a single minimum investment limit. The Government has granted the Bank greater financial capacity and flexibility over the last year to respond more dynamically to market needs and public policy priorities.
The British Business Bank does not operate under a single maximum investment limit. Last year, the Government increased the Bank’s total financial capacity to £25.6bn to support the delivery of its strategic plan, comprising of £17.6bn funded capacity and £8 billion of contingent liability or guarantee capacity. This has enabled a two-thirds increase in its annual investments.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the average amount of funding that the British Business Bank has provided in financial years (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Business Bank publishes annual information on the finance it supports for smaller businesses through a combination of public funding, lending guarantees and private sector investment. In 2024-25, the Bank supported £6.8 billion of finance, comprising £1.2 billion of public funding, £2.6 billion of lending guaranteed and £3.0 billion of private capital crowded in.
Figures for 2025-26 and 2026-27 are not yet publicly available and will be published in the British Business Bank's Annual Report and Accounts in due course.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with Royal Mail to ensure that (a) the NHS barcode system is fully operational and that (b) NHS bodies understand how to implement it effectively.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government supports the measures being taken to ensure important communications from the NHS reach households on time and we encourage NHS bodies to make use of this service.
I recently met Alistair Cochrane, CEO of Royal Mail, and Martin Seidenberg, CEO of International Distribution Services, and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance with them. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability and to deliver further sustained improvements. The government will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s obligations and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his department is taking to help ensure that Royal Mail provide timely and reliable delivery of NHS appointment letters to patients in rural constituencies.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises the importance of timely delivery of NHS appointment letters, particularly for patients in rural areas. Royal Mail is required under the Universal Service Obligation to deliver priority letters six days a week to every UK address, and Ofcom monitors compliance with these standards.
It is for Ofcom to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has met with representatives of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not met with representatives of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) since his appointment.
While the Secretary of State is the sole shareholder of the British Business Bank, which provides operational support and the investment platform for NSSIF, the strategic mandate and policy direction for NSSIF are set by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on a reciprocal tariff-rate quota for refined white sugar in the UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In May, the UK concluded a landmark economic deal with the US which will save thousands of jobs, protect key British industries, and help drive economic growth.
Further negotiations across a range of areas are ongoing. We do not comment on the specifics of live negotiations.
Both Ministers and senior DBT officials continue to engage extensively with industry – including representatives from the British sugar sector – to ensure their views are heard throughout the negotiation process.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to promote the UK sugar beet industry in international trade negotiations.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government recognises the importance of the UK sugar beet industry. In all our trade negotiations we seek to open up new markets for British agricultural, food and drink exports, including UK-produced sugars.
The UK is also an active member of the International Sugar Organization, a body that facilitates global dialogue on sugar trade, production and sustainability.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the universal service obligation on (a) postal services and (b) South Suffolk constituency.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure the provision of a universal postal service that meets the reasonable needs of users, throughout the United Kingdom, and is financially sustainable and efficient.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to tackle financial scams committed by online firms.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Supporting law enforcement in combatting online fraud and other economic crimes, my Department, through its sponsored bodies, plays a critical role in supplying data on UK registered commercial entities to assist investigations and prosecutions.
Companies House and the Insolvency Service work closely with the National Economic Crime Centre and similar agencies to identify threats and trends to facilitate UK law enforcement in preventing and closing down such scams at the earliest opportunity.
Through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we raise awareness about how to spot, avoid and report scams. The Scams Awareness Campaign recently run by Citizens Advice had particular focus on the top financial scams: fake debt advice; friend in need scams; investment scams; pension scams; and parking QR code scams