Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Small Business Support

Thursday 13 March 2025 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions on Small Business Support were held on 2025-03-13
  • Alex Baker raised concerns about defence businesses struggling to access finance due to ethical criteria
  • Dr Allison Gardner highlighted the ceramics industry's competition from imported counterfeit goods in her constituency

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Baker Lab Aldershot
Ukraine Defence Business & Trade
Context

The MP noted that many small and medium-sized defence businesses in his constituency struggle to access banking and finance facilities due to ethical criteria. He highlighted a campaign he is leading with 100 other Labour parliamentarians calling on banks and fund managers to broaden their approach to defence investment.

Question

Too many small and medium-sized defence businesses in my community struggle to access the banking and finance facilities they need, often on the basis of self-imposed ethical criteria. Will the Business Secretary join me in welcoming how many investors and financial institutions have responded to the campaign I am leading with my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Mr Charters) and 100 other Labour parliamentarians, calling on our banks and fund managers to broaden their approach to defence investment? Will he call on investors to take action so that we can defend our country, support Ukraine, and fire up our industrial base?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

I agree 100% with my hon. Friend and thank her very much for her question. She will know that my Department, alongside the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence, convened a roundtable in December to listen to these perspectives, and now all three Departments are working together to ensure that the problems she has articulated do not occur. It is essential that the British people do not think that the substantial, significant and historic investments in defence that this Government are making come in some way at the expense of domestic prosperity. There is no prosperity without security, but we should also acknowledge the tremendous economic contribution made by our defence sector—there is not a foreign and domestic split in that regard. I thank my hon. Friend for her outstanding leadership in galvanising parliamentary support for that campaign, and I hope it will have unanimous agreement in every part of the House.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While agreeing with the MP's concerns, the Secretary did not explicitly welcome or call on investors to take action as requested.

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Q2 Allison Gardner Lab Stoke-on-Trent South
Business & Trade Environment
Context

The MP highlighted a challenge faced by the ceramics industry, including in her constituency, where imported counterfeit goods containing false backstamps are misleading consumers and threatening British companies such as Dunoon, Duchess, and others.

Question

As the Secretary of State is aware, the ceramics industry, including in my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South, is facing immense competition from imported counterfeit goods. Many of those goods contain false backstamps that mislead consumers and—as the GMB union has raised with me—threaten great British companies such as Dunoon, Duchess and many others. Will the Minister meet me again to discuss in more detail creating offences and tabling regulations to deal with imported counterfeit ceramic goods?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

My Department has a very strong relationship with the ceramics sector through the Energy Intensive Users Group. We have regular meetings with that group, and I would also like to mention the British Ceramic Confederation and our old friend Rob Flello, who is a strong voice for the sector. There are many challenges for the ceramics sector, not least decarbonisation, but on the subject of consumer protection, it is firmly against UK consumer law for firms—wherever they are located—to give consumers false information, such as through fake product markings. We have strengthened the regime in this regard, with new enforcement powers for the Competition and Markets Authority coming into force next month, but I will also get my hon. Friend any meeting she requires.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging the issue and outlining existing measures, the Secretary did not explicitly commit to a detailed discussion on creating offences or tabling regulations as requested.

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