Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Promoting Business and Growth

Wednesday 23 October 2024 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 7 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Secretary of State and the Department have made over 120 visits and meetings to promote Northern Ireland as a place to live, work and invest.
  • The Government aims to reduce customs checks and other Brexit-related barriers to enhance business confidence and investment in Northern Ireland.
  • Intertrade UK is being established to encourage investment between regions and nations of the UK, with terms of reference being set as quickly as possible.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jerome Mayhew Con Broadland and Fakenham
Economy Northern Ireland
Context

The MP asks about specific steps to support the economy of Northern Ireland, following concerns raised by constituents.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help grow the Northern Ireland economy. The questioner seeks concrete actions and commitments from the government to address economic challenges faced in Northern Ireland.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

Northern Ireland is a great place to live, work and invest. The Secretary of State and I have promoted this through over 120 visits and meetings. Growth is a key mission for this Government, which supports UK businesses through securing investment and implementing the industrial strategy. The Chancellor will outline further steps in support of growth across the UK on 30 October.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps to help grow the Northern Ireland economy were not detailed beyond general statements about promoting investment and an upcoming speech by the Chancellor.

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Q2 Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham
Northern Ireland Brexit Business & Trade
Context

Businesses in Northern Ireland face challenges due to a shifting regulatory landscape, which is deterring investment and decreasing business confidence.

Question

Businesses in Northern Ireland are struggling with the constantly changing regulatory environment, leading to reduced investment and business confidence. A recent Santander survey found that a third of UK businesses want the Government to reduce Brexit-related barriers such as customs procedures. The MP asks for updates on negotiations for a new veterinary and plant health agreement with the EU.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

Many businesses have secured excellent deals, such as EY bringing over 1,000 jobs to Northern Ireland. We are working at pace on a veterinary agreement and aim to reduce checks and the need for them while protecting the UK's internal market. The Government has brought economic stability, and Northern Ireland will benefit from it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging the issue of regulatory challenges, specific progress on negotiating a new veterinary agreement with the EU was not provided.

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Q3 Jerome Mayhew Con Broadland and Fakenham
Economy Northern Ireland
Context

The MP expresses concern that increasing employer national insurance contributions could harm the Northern Irish economy by reducing profits, pay, and job creation.

Question

While an industrial strategy is beneficial for growth, economists argue raising taxes such as employer national insurance contributions would reduce profits, pay, and jobs. The MP asks if this tax increase would be detrimental to Northern Ireland's economy.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

It is hard to take lectures on investment and growth from the Conservative party. The Government will invest in growth, and more details will be provided in the Budget next week. We are focusing on skills and transforming health services to attract people to Northern Ireland.

Not addressed: The question about national insurance contributions was not addressed directly; instead, the Minister criticized the Conservative party's approach to investment and growth.

How: Criticizing The Opposition

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Q4 Tonia Antoniazzi Lab Gower
Economy Northern Ireland
Context

The Prime Minister and Chancellor announced a total of £63 billion in private investment into the UK economy at last week's international investment summit.

Question

The MP asks about specific steps to ensure Northern Ireland benefits from the Government's effort to stimulate investment following the announcement of £63 billion in private investment during the international investment summit.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

The Secretary of State met with the First and Deputy First Ministers to discuss investment opportunities. Wrightbus, a bus manufacturer in Ballymena, signed a £100 billion deal for over 1,000 buses with Go-Ahead. The focus is also on skills provision to get people into well-paid jobs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging investment opportunities and specific examples like Wrightbus, the Minister did not provide a comprehensive plan for Northern Ireland's prioritization in future investments.

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Q5 Kevin Bonavia Lab Stevenage
Employment Northern Ireland
Context

The MP acknowledges the importance of addressing the skills gap and economic inactivity in Northern Ireland.

Question

The MP asks for further examples of work being done to address the skills gap, including intentions for future initiatives and partnerships.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

Work is ongoing with various skills providers across Northern Ireland to support well-paid jobs. We are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to continue providing support in this area.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While recognizing the importance of addressing economic inactivity, specific intentions for future initiatives and partnerships were not detailed.

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Q6 Paul Holmes Con Hamble Valley
Business & Trade
Context

The Mid South West region growth deal, paused by the Government, now lies inactive with reports of private sector withdrawal.

Question

The MP inquires about the handling and pausing of growth deals such as the Mid South West region one. He asks for an apology to those affected and urges direct talks with businesses to reactivate these deals.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

We are in constant talks about such deals with deal providers. The Secretary of State and I underline their importance to Treasury colleagues. The Mid South West and Causeway Coast and Glens growth deals are being considered as part of the spending review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging talks with businesses, specific acceptance of haphazard handling or an apology was not provided.

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Q7 Gavin Robinson DUP Belfast East
Business & Trade
Context

The Minister acknowledges the importance of Intertrade UK for encouraging investment between regions and nations within the UK.

Question

The MP asks about the progress on establishing Intertrade UK, including setting terms of reference and engaging businesses to support trade within the country.

Answer from Fleur Anderson

I agree with the right hon. Member that Intertrade UK needs to get going with its work to encourage investment between regions and nations of the UK. We are working on setting terms of reference as fast as we can.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While agreeing on the importance of starting work, specific steps or timelines for engaging businesses were not detailed.

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Q8 Gavin Robinson DUP Belfast East
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

The Minister previously responded to concerns about delays in implementing agreements related to parcels, customs, and UK-wide labelling.

Question

I thank the Minister for her reply. She will know from discussions with her Cabinet colleagues that decisions have been taken to delay the agreement on parcels, to delay the agreement on customs, and to avoid taking the decision on UK-wide labelling. Myriad other decisions were also made and supported by this House, including Labour Members, that are required to be implemented from the “Safeguarding the Union” document. She will know about the interface between trade and constitutional politics, so I urge her to engage with the Secretary of State, the Paymaster General and others within the Cabinet to get on and deliver what businesses and the people of Northern Ireland need?

Answer from Fleur Anderson

We are not the only Ministers who came into office three months ago to have faced all sorts of decisions that should have been taken by the previous Government. We have taken up those decisions on parcels and on every aspect that the right hon. Member mentions. He is right to raise them, because we do need to work on them to ensure that we protect the UK internal market and that we create the best possible regime for business.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific delays in implementing decisions such as those related to parcels, customs, and UK-wide labelling were not addressed with concrete timelines or actions.

How: We Are Not The Only Ministers Who Came Into Office Three Months Ago

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