Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in the Scottish government on the potential impact of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 on the bus manufacturing industry.

The Subsidy Control Act 2022 enables public authorities to deliver targeted and timely interventions to address local needs and drive economic growth while minimising harm to competition within the UK. It also implements the UK’s international commitments, including those in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and World Trade Organization rules.

The UK and Scottish Governments established a joint taskforce in June to consider the situation at Alexander Dennis, and ministers from both Governments have been in correspondence on the matter since then.

The Scottish Government recently announced it would provide additional subsidy to Alexander Dennis for a furlough scheme.