Asked by: Rachel Taylor (Labour - North Warwickshire and Bedworth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the potential impact of the raw cane sugar Autonomous Tariff Quota on (a) consumers and (b) the farming industry.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government is currently undertaking a review of the Autonomous Tarif Quota (ATQ) on raw cane sugar following an engagement exercise that closed in March 2025.
We are considering a range of factors including potential impacts on consumers; striking the right balance between supporting domestic sugar beet farmers and refiners and raw cane refining industries; and the UK’s wider strategic trade objectives.
We are carefully considering the potential impact of any changes, and an outcome of this review will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Rachel Taylor (Labour - North Warwickshire and Bedworth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many small and medium-sized businesses in North Warwickshire and Bedworth constituency closed between 2010 and 2024; and what steps he is taking to ensure small and medium sized businesses in North Warwickshire and Bedworth constituency receive support.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
This Government remains committed to helping small businesses thrive and will be publishing our Small Business Strategy next year. This will set out our vision for all small businesses, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy. Support is also available via the Business Support Service, Gov.uk and the network of local Growth Hubs across England.
ONS does not provide business demography data at the parliamentary constituency level. Therefore, the most relevant data is from two lower tier local authorities, North Warwickshire, and Nuneaton and Bedworth.
Within North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, according to data from ONS, there were 4,855 registered business births and 4,665 registered businesses which ceased to trade between 2017 and 2022. There was an overall gain of 190 businesses within this five-year period. (Source: ONS Business demography)