Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support home-grown industrial suppliers.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy sets out the government’s long-term approach to unlocking investment and productivity growth, backing our strengths and realising Britain’s potential. The Industrial Strategy is being delivered in close partnership with regional leaders, and we will deepen our collaboration and build on this through the next steps on “Rewiring the State”.
Alongside this, we continue to deliver on the commitments outlined in our Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. Backed by up to £4.3bn in government funding, the Plan details how we are supporting manufacturers, including industrial suppliers - to grow and thrive, boosting jobs and increasing prosperity across the UK.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2026 to Question 15472 on Cement, what proportion of cement used domestically was produced in the UK in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade does hold information about the proportion of cement used[1] domestically that was produced in the UK in each of the last 10 years, which is summarised in the table below:
Year | Cement sales from UK/GB production[2] (kilo tonnes) [A] | Total cement sales (includes all imports, kilo tonnes) [B] | Cement sales from UK/GB production as a proportion of total cement sales [A/B] |
2014 | 8,751 | 10,568 | 83% |
2015 | 9,526 | 11,585 | 82% |
2016 | No data | 12,001 | No data |
2017 | 9,063 | 11,796 | 77% |
2018 | 9,141 | 11,739 | 78% |
2019 | 9,078 | 11,605 | 78% |
2020 | 8,030 | 10,381 | 77% |
2021 | 9,077 | 12,367 | 73% |
2022 | 8,364 | 12,010 | 70% |
2023 | 7,486 | 11,082 | 68% |
2024 | 7,091 | 10,292 | 69% |
Source: Building materials and components statistics: July 2026 - GOV.UK, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, 5 August 2026.
[1] For the purposes of this analysis, cement sales are used as a proxy for cement usage.
[2] Great Britain up to and including 2014, and the United Kingdom from 2015 onwards.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what industrial support his Department has allocated to the East Midlands.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Regional growth is a core objective of the Industrial Strategy. This includes supporting significant strengths in the Industrial Strategy growth-driving sectors across the East Midlands. The Strategy has committed up to £20m investment each in both the East Midlands and Greater Lincolnshire combined authority areas from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, is launching a new Technical Excellence College in Lincoln and Derby to address skills shortages including defence and construction, strengthening support for the East Midlands and Humber Freeports, and uplifting the Network Charging Compensation Scheme to support supply chains and foundational industries in the region.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased National Insurance costs, higher minimum wages and employment costs on entry-level and graduate recruitment.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026 Impact Assessment was published in January 2026. Evidence to date shows little or no significant impact on employment from past increases to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW).
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was also published in November 2024 containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support legitimate independent shopkeepers who face unfair competition from cash-only premises operating under investigation for illicit trade.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Illicit trade, money laundering and related crime committed using high street property undermines legitimate businesses, discourages investment, and contributes to the decline of high streets. BIST is supporting the new High Streets Organised Crime Unit, based in the Home Office, to strengthen our cross-government response to money laundering and other forms of organised criminality on our high streets. This will align with the forthcoming High Streets Strategy to ensure a holistic approach to barriers to vibrancy on the high street.
The Government has already announced £30 million to crack down on cash intensive businesses. This includes £6 million to bolster Trading Standards response and £20 million towards enhanced law enforcement, including a new multi-agency coordinated cell based in the National Crime Agency.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to improve the growth and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises in Leicester East.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Small businesses are at the heart of economic growth, which is why the Government's Small Business Plan is delivering up to 200 measures to help businesses, including those in Leicester East, start up, scale up and succeed. This includes action to improve access to finance, strengthen business support, boost exports and unlock new opportunities for growth in every part of the UK.
As part of this, businesses can access tailored support through the Business Growth Service and their local Growth Hub, while the British Business Bank and UK Export Finance are helping firms secure the finance they need to invest and expand.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of access to finance, innovation support, and business expansion in Leicester East.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Small businesses are at the heart of economic growth, which is why the Government's Small Business Plan is delivering up to 200 measures to help businesses, including those in Leicester East, start up, scale up and succeed. This includes action to improve access to finance, strengthen business support, boost exports and unlock new opportunities for growth in every part of the UK.
As part of this, businesses can access tailored support through the Business Growth Service and their local Growth Hub, while the British Business Bank and UK Export Finance are helping firms secure the finance they need to invest and expand.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence adoption on the number of entry-level and graduate vacancies.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
AI will transform workplaces, demanding new skills and augmenting existing roles. To prepare for this, the AI Economics Institute (AIEI) was set up as a cross-government function to help ensure that AI delivers positive outcomes for the economy, jobs and workers. The AIEI recently published a snapshot of entry-level hiring, produced with LinkedIn, which found that entry-level hiring is falling broadly in line with the wider market, though further research is needed before conclusions can be drawn on AI's role. We have also launched the Early Careers Jobs Alliance to map how entry-level work is changing and help maintain entry-level career pathways.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support entrepreneurs and small business start-ups seeking to open commercial premises on high streets.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government wants to make the UK the best place to start a business, with a culture that supports entrepreneurship on the high street. Our Plan for Small Businesses sets out a comprehensive package of support for small businesses. This includes measures to help SMEs access finance, adopt digital tools and access advice, but also high street interventions addressing antisocial behaviour, updating our licensing regime and targeting funding through our Pride in Place and High Street and Growth Incubator programmes.
Later this year we will bring forward a new cross-government High Streets Strategy to drive long-term high street regeneration. This will build on powers like High Street Rental Auctions, which are enabling local authorities to tackle long-term vacant properties and support local businesses and communities to make use of them.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure people in low-income areas can access artificial intelligence technologies and related public investment.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring the benefits of AI are felt across the UK and that adoption is safe, responsible and inclusive. Through AI Skills Boost, we are working with industry partners to provide free AI training across the UK and support our ambition to equip 10 million workers with AI skills by 2030.
We are also supporting place-based investment through the Barnsley Tech Town pilot, where programmes including Getting Job Ready with AI, the AI Career Launchpad and the AI Upskilling Challenge Fund are helping residents, jobseekers and businesses benefit from AI.