Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
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 implications for her policies on arms exports to Israel of protests by university students.
Answered by Alan Mak
The UK has one of the most robust and transparent export licensing systems in the world, enshrined in law through the Export Control Act and implemented through our Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.
This informs our approach to export licensing – both for our extant licences and for new licence applications for exports to Israel. All decisions are assessed on a case-by-case basis against our licensing criteria.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the planned increase in the cost of first class stamps on the affordability of the postal service.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure that the universal postal service is affordable for customers as well as being efficient and financially sustainable. Royal Mail must work within Ofcom's regulatory framework, including the current price cap that prevents second class post rising above inflation, to ensure the availability of a basic affordable universal service.
Ofcom recently reviewed the safeguard caps and announced on 24 January 2024 that it would retain the safeguard cap on second class standard and large letters and not allow the safeguard cap to rise higher than CPI inflation.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the notice by UK Export Finance entitled Category A project supported: INEOS Project One, Belgium, published on 14 April 2023, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of that decision on the development of (a) energy generation and (b) energy production sites in the UK.
Answered by Greg Hands
UK Export Finance (UKEF) has not made an assessment of the potential impact on the development of (a) energy generation and (b) energy production sites in the UK.
In its role as the United Kingdom’s export credit agency, UKEF has issued a guarantee to commercial lenders who are funding the project. That support will help to secure new export opportunities for UK businesses that otherwise may not have been possible.
As with every transaction that it supports, UKEF conducted rigorous due diligence in line with the government’s policies and obligations to inform its decision-making on Project One. This included consideration of environmental and climate impacts.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
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 reducing the universal service obligation to five-days-a-week on publishers with magazine subscription models.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Ofcom, as the designated independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for ensuring the provision of a universal postal service that meets users’ needs. I note Ofcom’s recently published discussion document setting out potential options to reform the service, reflecting changing market conditions and consumers’ needs. All those with an interest in postal services may submit responses to Ofcom’s call for inputs (www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/the-future-of-the-universal-postal-service).
The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the current obligations on postal deliveries.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) encourage investment to help develop the UK's capacity to manufacture advanced agrochemicals at scale and (b) help support agrochemical exports.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes the UK advanced agrochemical investment offer globally, whilst supporting existing investors to succeed and expand in the UK. DBT helps advanced agrochemical businesses to grow their business overseas by providing guidance and support, removing barriers and helping them to secure benefits generated by new free trade agreements. This includes Syngenta for example, who operate a factory in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 166159 on Tickets: Sales, when she plans to publish a response to the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Secondary ticketing websites published in August 2021.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The government published its response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s secondary ticketing report on 10 May 2023. A copy of the response can be found on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-recommendations-on-secondary-ticketing-government-response).
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of the International Seabed Authority on development of the Mining Code.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is fully engaged in the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly, to agree deep sea mining exploitation regulations. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) 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: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
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 on deep-sea ecosystems of the draft exploitation regulations under the International Seabed Authority Mining Code.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is fully engaged in the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly, to agree deep sea mining exploitation regulations. 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.
The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University. The review was published in October 2022 and is available here:
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of consulting on (a) whether and (b) how chemically-recycled content could be accounted for through the Plastics Packaging Tax using a mass balance chain of custody model.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
I discussed this matter with my Hon. Friend the former Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in April this year. The consultation will be published later this year and further information will be provided in due course.
The Government is committed to developing an approach which supports the commercialisation of the UK chemical recycling sector, whilst maintaining the integrity and supporting the objectives of the Plastic Packaging Tax.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will meet representatives of the chemical recycling industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
We recognise the important role chemical recycling plays in driving the circular economy, which is why we have provided ReNew ELP with £4.4 million through the Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge to construct a commercial scale chemical recycling plant.
I have met with the chemicals sector on this important topic previously and I would be pleased to meet representatives of the chemical recycling industry in the future.