Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Motability Operations on encouraging the sourcing of UK-manufactured vehicles.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme. DWP does however work closely with Motability Foundation and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme.
As a Government, we are committed to the growth of the automotive sector and provide support through programmes such as DRIVE35, which will invest up to £2.5bn to support zero emission vehicle manufacturing in the UK, and the Electric Car Grant, which narrows the upfront cost between petrol and electric vehicles, giving thousands more drivers access to electric vehicles
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the time to consult on Hugh’s Law to ensure earlier legislative consideration.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Government recognises the significant challenges and distress that serious childhood illness can cause. The department will consult on Hugh’s Law in 2026. In line with the Consultation Principles, we will ensure that the consultation lasts a proportionate amount of time, taking into account the nature and impact of the proposals. Options for consultation must be carefully developed in an evidence-based manner to ensure that robust proposals are put forward for consideration.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take through the new trade strategy to help ensure that farmers and workers in global supply chains earn a living wage.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery and environmental harms and addressing such issues.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he permits the export of F-35 components which are only compatible with the F-35I variant of the aircraft.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
No. As my Rt. Honourable friend the Minister for Defence Procurement has previously confirmed to the House, UK suppliers do not manufacture or export components that are exclusively used on the Israeli variant of the f-35 aircraft.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of staff cuts at Dundee University on the industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the crucial role of universities in the UK's innovation ecosystem and in delivering the skills needed to drive growth as part of the Industrial Strategy. Education policy is devolved in Scotland, and it is for the Scottish Government to consider the broader impact of developments in the education sector, including of any potential staff cuts in Scottish universities.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with Scottish universities on the development of an industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the crucial role of universities in the UK’s innovation ecosystem and in delivering the skills needed to drive growth as part of the Industrial Strategy. My officials have discussed our Industrial Strategy plans with Universities Scotland.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Scottish Government's National innovation strategy 2023 to 2033 on his industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Accelerating the rate of innovation and increasing the adoption and diffusion of ideas, technologies, and processes is an essential step for growing productivity of our growth-driving sectors. My officials are working with the Scottish Government on how we can drive growth in Scotland and the wider UK within the context of our Industrial Strategy. This includes the role of innovation in helping us reach our shared growth objectives. This partnership will help make the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort and support the considerable sectoral strengths of Scotland.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether robotics will have a role in a future industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Industrial Strategy Green Paper identified eight growth-driving sectors. All sectors can shape and will benefit from policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.
Advanced production machinery and robotics are central to increasing productivity across the manufacturing sector. The Made Smarter Adoption Programme is helping SME manufacturers adopt industrial digital technologies such as robotics and autonomous systems to increase their productivity and efficiency.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his trade strategy will support the aims of the Fairtrade movement.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government is committed to advancing free and fair trade around that world that is inclusive, sustainable and reduces poverty.
We remain committed to engaging civil society as we develop the new Trade Strategy.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what place food manufacturing will have in the industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Industrial Strategy Green Paper identified eight growth-driving sectors. All sectors can shape and will benefit from policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.
The UK’s agriculture food and drink sector plays a significant part in the UK economy, with £146.7bn contribution to GVA and 4.2m jobs (13% UK total employment). Government is engaging with the food, drink and farming industries regularly on how the sector can grow and invest.