Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Industrial Strategy

Thursday 30 October 2025 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Henry Tufnell highlighted the critical role of Mid and South Pembrokeshire in the UK's energy sector, with the Government investing 800,000 in workforce development.
  • Noah Law discussed Cornwall's potential to contribute to Britain's clean energy goals, with access to a 200 million investment fund for industrial and economic development.
  • Euan Stainbank expressed concern over the decline of the UK's bus manufacturing industry due to Chinese market competition, criticizing the lack of support from the Scottish National Party.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Henry Tufnell Lab Mid and South Pembrokeshire
Economy Energy Business & Trade
Context

Pembrokeshire's significance in the UK’s energy sector, with it supplying 20% of UK energy and being identified as a key growth region by the government.

Question

Mid and South Pembrokeshire plays a vital role in the UK’s energy sector, supplying 20% of the UK’s energy. This Government have recognised that the future of Britain’s energy security depends on Pembrokeshire, identifying us as a key growth region and investing in our workforce with an £800,000 skills pilot. Will the Minister set out how the industrial strategy will help empower communities from Pembroke Dock to Milford Haven to continue to lead the way in our energy security and help generate local economic growth?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)

My hon. Friend has been a constant advocate for the energy potential of Pembrokeshire. That is why the industrial strategy supported south-west Wales’s clean energy potential through targeted investment in infrastructure and workforce development. The strategy will build on that using the potential of the port of Milford Haven, floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea and carbon capture technologies. The £800,000 skills pilot that he refers to underpins that clean energy industries sector plan.

Answered
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Q2 Noah Law Lab St Austell and Newquay
Economy Business & Trade Local Government
Context

Cornwall's role in the UK's clean energy sector and its potential to contribute significantly.

Question

Cornwall has a huge role to play in making Britain a clean energy superpower. As Ministers will be aware, much thought has already gone into the making of an industrial strategy for Cornwall. The crucial piece now is to unlock the funding needed for industrial and economic development, particularly in the wake of the shared prosperity fund coming to an end. What discussions has the Minister had with colleagues in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government about the prospect of a set of investment measures to replace shared prosperity funding and ensure the realisation of Cornwall’s unique industrial potential?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)

I know from holidaying in my hon. Friend’s constituency that it is a place of incredible beauty, but I know from his constant advocacy that it is also a place of huge industrial potential. Cornwall will benefit from access to the £200 million investment fund, which provides debt and equity finance of up to £5 million for businesses in the south-west. That has already delivered £51.8 million of direct investment, leveraging an additional £48.1 million.

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Q3 Euan Stainbank Lab Falkirk
Transport Business & Trade Local Government
Context

Concerns about Chinese competition impacting British bus manufacturers and job security.

Question

I declare an interest as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group for British buses. Our bus manufacturing industry supports thousands of jobs across the country, but faces an existential challenge from China. Market share has increased rapidly, and the Scottish National party’s disastrous ScotZEB 2 scheme sent less than 20% of orders to Scotland’s sole manufacturer, which directly jeopardised 400 jobs earlier this year. What urgent interventions are Ministers considering to contend with the rise in Chinese market share? Has the Minister discussed this issue with colleagues in the Department for Transport prior to the publication of the 10-year bus pipeline next month? Record bus funding should not be a shopping list for China.

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)

I share my hon. Friend’s frustration at the lack of an industrial strategy from the SNP Government in Edinburgh. It has meant that workers at Alexander Dennis in his constituency are on furlough rather than doing what they do best: making world-class buses for public transport. For our part, we are supporting combined mayoral authorities to co-ordinate the procurement of buses through a Crown Commercial Service commercial agreement, and we are publishing a 10-year pipeline of future bus orders to provide the much-needed certainty that the sector requires.

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Q4 Gareth Davies Con
Economy Transport
Context

The construction industry is facing deep uncertainty over potential new taxes. The Construction Products Association has cut its growth forecast for the sector to barely 1% next year, citing uncertainty.

Question

Gareth Davies asked how adding £28,000 to the cost of a new home or 25% to road construction costs through a new builders tax will do anything other than cement the slowdown in the economy.

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)

To stand up and raise uncertainty, and then complain about it, is quite something. The shadow Minister said that we are slowing growth; we were the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2025. We are now the fourth-largest exporter in the world, and we have had five interest-rate cuts in a row—

Not addressed: The specific concerns about uncertainty and potential new taxes were not addressed.

How: Changed Subject To Broader Economic Performance

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Q5 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Business & Trade
Context

The Liberal Democrats have long championed an industrial strategy, including the creation of the Green Investment Bank and opposition to scrapping the industrial plan. The current system includes the apprenticeship levy which businesses find challenging.

Question

Sarah Olney welcomed the return of the industrial strategy but noted that funding is hard to access under the apprenticeship levy and millions go unspent. She asked for details on what training will be funded by a proposed more flexible growth and skills levy, so businesses and young people can plan ahead with certainty.

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)

I thank the hon. Lady for her kind words on my new appointment. I will not get ahead of announcements on that, but given the importance of skills to the industrial strategy, we are not waiting for those announcements. We have had TechFirst, a £187 million investment in secondary school pupils, undergraduates, PhD students, entrepreneurs and businesses, to help them get ahead on that. We have the engineering package of over £100 million, and the defence package of £182 million. We are making those investments now to ensure that the pipeline is there for those industries, which are the priority within the industrial strategy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on what training would be funded by the new levy.

How: Focused On Existing Investments Rather Than Specifics Of The Proposed Levy

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