Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the remit for the commission into grooming gangs and child exploitation to (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Whilst child protection is fully devolved in the UK and policing devolved except for Wales, all parts of the UK must work together to protect children and bring perpetrators to justice.
The Independent Commission into group-based child sexual exploitation will have statutory powers, and the chair will determine the Commission's procedure and conduct. We expect any relevant findings to be shared with devolved administrations to support a comprehensive approach across the UK. We will announce further details on the Commission, including the appointment of an independent chair, in due course.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish government on the new commission into grooming gangs and child exploitation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is a horrific crime, and vulnerable young people have been let down time and time again. This government is fully dedicated to delivering justice for all victims through a national inquiry, as was set out by the Home Secretary.
None of the action we are taking will work unless everyone works together to protect children and bring perpetrators to justice - that includes authorities across the country cooperating and sharing best practices, including on devolved issues.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) resources and (b) funding her Department will provide to the new commission into grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government will resource the national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there will be a limit on the number of local inquiries overseen by the new commission into grooming gangs and child exploitation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
An independent chair will determine the conduct and procedure of the inquiry. We will announce further details on the inquiry, including the appointment of an independent chair, in due course.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to support UK (a) brands and (b) manufacturers with a potential influx of fast fashion, in the context of the UK-India trade deal.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Helping our world-class textiles industry extend its influence worldwide is important for our Plan for Change, with several businesses in the sector expressing support for our new trade deal with India.
This agreement will mean increased choice for consumers and cheaper imports for businesses and give UK businesses an edge over international competitors when entering India's rapidly growing market.
We have included a bilateral safeguard mechanism which allows us to temporarily increase tariffs if an industry is suffering or facing the threat of serious injury as a result of reduced duties in the FTA.
The Department continues to engage with stakeholders to monitor the impact of the deal and ensure that UK businesses can compete on a level playing field.
The Government is reviewing the customs treatment of low value imports, and intends to engage stakeholders through existing channels, which will inform a decision on whether to launch a consultation later in the year.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the bioethanol industry on the UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Whenever a trade agreement of any sort is agreed, there will be domestic impacts if our trading partners have requested further access to the UK market. That is the case for the agreement on bioethanol. Senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting representatives of the domestic bioethanol industry, and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with bioethanol businesses on 14 May. We are actively listening to the concerns of the sector, and we are committed to working with the domestic bioethanol industry.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the bioethanol industry on the UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Whenever a trade agreement of any sort is agreed, there will be domestic impacts if our trading partners have requested further access to the UK market. That is the case for the agreement on bioethanol. Senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting representatives of the domestic bioethanol industry, and the Secretary of State has met with bioethanol businesses. We are committed to working with the domestic bioethanol industry about their concerns.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment the Government has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Bridget Phillipson - Minister for Women and Equalities
The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity for women and single-sex service providers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has already committed to supporting service providers with its updated statutory Code of Practice; the government will engage them as necessary as they progress this work. All government departments should follow the ruling.Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to facilitate the onshoring of production to the UK for British (a) brands and (b) manufacturers in the context of proposed US tariffs.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK Government is acutely aware of the potential impact that these proposed tariffs could have on British businesses. We are committed to ensuring that our brands and manufacturers are supported during this challenging period.
On 13 April 2025, the Chancellor announced the Growth Guarantee Scheme will provide approximately £500m of additional lending capacity to help more smaller businesses across the UK. The extra funding is aimed at smaller businesses that may need support with cashflow issues due to changes in global tariff rates.
Advanced manufacturing is critical to UK prosperity. This Government will continue to support the sector through our forthcoming Industrial Strategy, where advanced manufacturing has been selected as one of eight growth-driving sectors.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to support British (a) brands and (b) manufacturers in the context of proposed US tariffs.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK Government is acutely aware of the potential impact that these proposed tariffs could have on British businesses. We are committed to ensuring that our brands and manufacturers are supported during this challenging period.
On 13 April 2025, the Chancellor announced the Growth Guarantee Scheme will provide approximately £500m of additional lending capacity to help more smaller businesses across the UK. The extra funding is aimed at smaller businesses that may need support with cashflow issues due to changes in global tariff rates.
Advanced manufacturing is critical to UK prosperity. This Government will continue to support the sector through our forthcoming Industrial Strategy, where advanced manufacturing has been selected as one of eight growth-driving sectors.