Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
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 adequacy of the level of support provided by his Department to help small and medium-sized enterprises increase their exports to EU markets.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT offers a range of support for SMEs, with our Small Business Plan setting out the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation. This includes Unlock Europe, a programme from UK Export Academy designed to help businesses build relationships with European customers and increase exporting potential to the EU.
DBT has a robust monitoring and evaluation framework in place for export support. This data can be found in DBT’s Annual Report.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
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 ensure that e-bikes on the UK market meet product (a) safety and (b) compliance standards.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Businesses have legal responsibilities to ensure e-bikes are safe and comply with product safety laws before they place them on the market. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Local Authority Trading Standards (LATS) have enforcement powers. OPSS uses data and intelligence, working alongside LATS, to identify and target unsafe e-bikes entering the UK. OPSS has assessed the compliance of more than 80 UK-based businesses involved in the supply chain for e-bikes, e-scooters or conversion kits, and has published 23 product recalls and 43 other product safety alerts for e-bikes and associated products since 2022.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of energy costs on nightlife businesses.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
We recognise the impact that high energy costs are having on nightlife businesses. Through the Clean Energy 2030 Action Plan, we are providing a foundation to build an energy system that can bring down energy bills for businesses for good.
To further support businesses including those in the night-time economy, Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and our forthcoming Small Business Strategy will set out our plan for further supporting small businesses on the high street and beyond. We are also constantly testing our planning, regulatory and licensing regimes to ensure they remain proportionate and don’t unnecessarily burden night-time businesses.