Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Expressed concern over decreased accessibility due to congestion, citing a study showing that between 2008 and 2018, there were 216,000 fewer people within a 45-minute bus journey of the centre of Birmingham. Called for better resourced public transport infrastructure.

Asked if the Secretary of State will discuss with Mayor Andy Street the possibility of establishing an electric vehicle production giga factory in Birmingham or nearby areas.

Inquired about support provided to Scottish businesses for preparing for Brexit, stressing the need for detailed information from the UK Government due to ongoing uncertainty regarding the final destination of Brexit.

Asked about support given to Scottish firms in preparation for leaving the EU and questioned whether the Government’s actions are fair considering Scotland voted against Brexit.

Expressed concerns over the lack of engagement with businesses by the Secretary of State as they prepare for Brexit, questioning her reassurances on frictionless trade post-Brexit.

Called for a small and medium-sized enterprise support service to assist Scottish firms in navigating the challenges posed by Brexit, suggesting that without such measures, Scotland will face years of economic turmoil.

Asked about progress made on climate change initiatives, particularly regarding carbon capture projects in his constituency to reduce emissions and secure industrial future.

Asked the Government to ensure that trees planted are native and sustainable, citing a local nursery as an example.

Inquired about reducing single-use plastics in businesses and public sectors, mentioning a local school's initiative to switch from plastic bottles to glass bottles.

Asked how the cost of electric vehicles could be reduced for most people, highlighting the importance of decarbonising transport.

Suggested making a global green grid alliance an objective at COP26 and proposed incentivizing interconnection with Morocco to deliver low-cost electricity.

Asked the Minister if the moratorium on fracking could be made permanent, in response to local resident concerns.

Expressed concern that regional rebalancing might negatively impact small firms and sole traders in Ealing, Acton, and Chiswick.

Asked about support for small businesses to access finance following a conversation with local business owners.

Inquired about supporting Leyland’s small and medium enterprises in starting international trade and identifying export opportunities.

Critiqued the Government's plan for a £30,000 salary floor for overseas workers in tourism economies, fearing it would harm Cumbria’s economy.

Asked about improving engineering skills across the country to support business growth and innovation.

Inquired about oversight of foreign investment in photonics SMEs and securing funding for their expansion from UK sources.

Thanked the hon. Lady for her work on photonics, highlighting Glasgow's central role in national success and mentioned £50 million investment in a quantum imaging hub at Glasgow University by 2024.

Asked about steps the Government is taking to support small-scale modular nuclear reactors. Followed up with questions on job opportunities and export potential.

Acknowledged the importance of SMRs for reducing carbon emissions, mentioned a £500 million joint innovation programme by Rolls-Royce to design an SMR by early 2030s, and highlighted job creation potential.

Asked about discussions with the Ministry of Defence regarding security threats from unmanned aerial vehicles related to nuclear reactors.

Acknowledged discussions with the Ministry of Defence and mentioned that the nuclear constabulary is taking security issues seriously.

Asked about steps being taken to deliver new jobs in clean growth, referencing the electrification of vehicles and a recent visit by the Prime Minister to an electric taxi manufacturing plant.

Stated that the Government aims to create 2 million green jobs by 2030, highlighted the importance of the plug-in taxi grant for encouraging uptake and roll-out of electric taxis, and agreed with the Prime Minister's visit.

Asked about Government support for the steel industry in relation to clean growth.

Noted a commitment to UK steel production and decarbonisation of industry, referencing sector deals as part of this strategy.

Agreed with the Minister on the potential for green industries to grow the economy dramatically.

Emphasised that decarbonisation and economic growth can be achieved simultaneously, referencing a reduction in carbon emissions by 40% over 30 years while growing the economy by two thirds.

Asked about steps being taken to transfer skills from existing energy industries to low-carbon energy industries.

Noted the existence of sector deals addressing this issue, including successful transition in offshore wind and 35% global capacity in this area.

Asked about steps being taken to support the space industry in the UK.

Discussed investment in the UK space sector, proposed a space innovation fund, and mentioned national space council's role in creating jobs across the country.

Asked about how all regions of the UK would benefit from space sector development, with particular focus on Northern Ireland.

Noted that every part of the UK is involved in space projects, highlighting examples like a vertical launch site in Sutherland and mentioning plans for a spaceport in Wales.

Asked when the Sutherland site would be ready for launching the first UK satellite.

Paid tribute to Greg Clark's work on space, highlighted his role in increasing funding and setting a mission for the UK to launch satellites from European soil.

Asked about recent assessment of business compliance with payment of the national living wage.

Noted that 1.5% of eligible jobs were paid below the national living wage in April 2019, and highlighted £41.4 million ordered to be paid back by non-compliant employers last year.

The enforcement system for the national living wage is not working effectively, with hundreds of well-known companies failing to pay workers adequately. While welcoming steps taken by the Government, Emma Hardy calls on the Minister to set out additional actions to ensure compliance.

The Government will enforce the national minimum wage and make sure that employers are complying with the law. Kelly Tolhurst mentions doubling of enforcement budget and ensuring businesses understand their obligations to employees, focusing on enforcement where breaches occur.

Andrew Bridgen raises concerns about exploitation in Leicester's clothing industry, suggesting that approximately 10,000 people are being paid £3 to £4 an hour under conditions of modern slavery. He calls for a meeting with the Minister.

Offers to meet Andrew Bridgen regarding exploitation in Leicester's clothing industry and acknowledges extensive work by HMRC on enforcement issues.

Questions the effectiveness of prosecution against non-payment of minimum wage, pointing out that only nine firms have been prosecuted over a decade with fines at half the level they could be. She calls for clarification on why this is happening.

Clarifies that 14 prosecutions have occurred and emphasises other methods of enforcement beyond prosecution to ensure minimum wage compliance, prioritising understanding employer obligations.

Acknowledges the transformative impact of substantial increases in the minimum wage on low-income workers. Commends small businesses and microbusinesses that implement and enforce the policy voluntarily.

Agrees to salute small businesses implementing the minimum wage, committing to enforcement while ensuring a supportive environment for SMEs.

Critiques ongoing exploitation of workers by 87% of firms over a decade under current Government. Questions the Minister's plan to address this issue and emphasises Labour party’s commitment to working people.

Defends the Conservative government's commitment to enforcing national minimum wage, highlighting increases in its value and enforcement efforts.

Questions recent steps taken by the Government to support businesses in his constituency.

Announces investment of £565 million through growth deals for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk and discusses efforts to address trade issues affecting Scottish textiles industry.

Raises concerns about tariffs on UK textile exports due to the US-EU trade war and seeks support from the Government for affected businesses.

Acknowledges importance of Scottish textiles industry and commits to working with EU and US towards a negotiated settlement for Airbus-Boeing dispute affecting tariffs.

Raises concerns about Government's lack of focus on social enterprises despite their economic significance, calling for redirection of questions to the relevant department.

Presents three priorities for her Department including leading climate change initiatives and supporting business growth. Acknowledges role of social enterprises in UK economy and expresses willingness to meet about policy changes.

Highlights local internship programmes benefiting disabled young people and calls for more employers to participate nationally.

Endorses business commitment to social responsibility, welcoming internships that help connect young people with work opportunities.

Queries whether local enterprise partnerships should be led by the business community in their area.

Confirms agreement that LEPs should indeed be driven by local businesses and communities.

Requests update on Government's plans to secure sufficient scientists, researchers, and engineers to meet R&D spending targets.

Outlines new immigration schemes supporting scientific talent migration to the UK and mentions investments in doctoral training for research needs.

Proposes dialogue with responsible minister about facilitating community energy's role in a local, smart, zero-carbon energy system transition.

Expresses readiness to meet and discusses cross-party initiatives on sustainable energy transitions.

The Government recognise the importance of postal offices in rural communities, with more than 11,600 post offices nationwide and 99% of rural populations living within 3 miles of a post office. The Post Office is delivering investment through the community branch development scheme to support long-term viability.

Asked for a meeting with the Minister on disability entrepreneurs facing challenges in starting businesses due to issues such as access to business loans. The aim is to ensure an inclusive economy.

Agreed to meet Lisa Cameron and noted her interest in ensuring everyone, including those with disabilities, can access support from the government.

Proposed a small business equivalent of the personal allowance, exempting them from all taxes other than VAT to assist businesses like Maynard’s ice cream in meeting challenges related to increases in the living wage.

Welcomed Richard Fuller and highlighted the government's commitment to a fundamental review of business rates, aimed at supporting small businesses with operational costs.

Asked about support for sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon IT system case against the Post Office, which led to wrongful prosecutions and convictions. Also requested a full inquiry into governance issues at the Post Office.

Announced that Post Office Ltd reached a settlement in the group litigation claim for £57.7 million, funded by the company, and stated ongoing efforts to implement judge’s recommendations for culture change.

Asked about supporting proposals to extend Ceramic Valley enterprise zone in Stoke-on-Trent.

Acknowledged the success of Ceramic Valley enterprise zone and expressed commitment to supporting such initiatives as part of levelling up efforts across the country.

Noted that over 5 million people in the UK are self-employed, and requested support for shared parental leave for freelancers and the self-employed to assist women returning to work.

Committed to pushing forward plans on shared parental leave as part of efforts to make the UK a better place to work flexibly, including through an Employment Bill.

Asked about reviewing business rates taper for small businesses and highlighted difficulties faced by local councils in letting units at higher valuation bands.

Noted plans for a fundamental review of business rates, expressing willingness to address issues such as the taper on relief and highlighting that over 685,000 small retailers have been exempt from paying any rates.

Called for assurances that calls for policies impacting jobs in energy-intensive industries or increasing fuel costs and consumer burdens would not be heeded, citing examples of climate hypocrisy at Davos.

Emphasised the importance of both domestic decarbonisation efforts and international leadership on tackling the climate emergency ahead of COP26.

Asked for an inquiry into harassment by Veolia management towards Harlow binmen and women, along with guidance to local councils against new contracts with Veolia until such issues are addressed.

Offered to meet Robert Halfon to hear more details on the matter of Veolia harassment.

Asked for a meeting with representatives from Westfield and Unibail-Rodamco regarding business rates, retail conditions, and concerns about Brexit impact.

Agreed to meet Sarah Jones to discuss the mentioned concerns.

Enquired about ensuring South Cambridge remains a life sciences hub post-Brexit, highlighting reliance on EU research grants and continuity of funding for companies developing new therapies.

Welcomed Anthony Browne to his place and assured that work is underway to ensure continued EU research partnerships, including within the framework of Horizon Europe after leaving the EU.