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Tuesday Volume 670 21 January 2020 No. 13 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 21 January 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 151 21 JANUARY 2020 152 Andrea Leadsom: My hon. Friend is well aware of the House of Commons Government’s ambitions to have a giga factory in the UK. It is vital for the success of our economy that we Tuesday 21 January 2020 are able to find these new areas of technological growth that can support the uptake of ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles. The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Leaving the EU: Businesses in Scotland PRAYERS 2. Owen Thompson (Midlothian) (SNP): What support she is providing to businesses in Scotland to prepare for [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] the UK leaving the EU. [900274] 6. Patricia Gibson (North Ayrshire and Arran) (SNP): Oral Answers to Questions What support she is providing to businesses in Scotland to prepare for the UK leaving the EU. [900279] The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL Strategy (Andrea Leadsom): The Scottish Government STRATEGY received almost £100 million to help to prepare for Brexit in the run-up to 31 October last year. I am delighted that we now have a good deal with the European The Secretary of State was asked— Union, so we will be leaving the EU at the end of January, but the implementation period will mean that Business Productivity: Birmingham nothing changes for businesses until the end of 2020. We are working hard on our future trading relationship 1. Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham, Edgbaston) (Lab/Co- with our EU friends and neighbours. op): What recent steps she has taken to increase business productivity in Birmingham. [900273] Owen Thompson: With the final destination of Brexit still vague, it is a disgrace that the UK Government are The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial still failing to give businesses the information they need Strategy (Andrea Leadsom): Birmingham’s productivity to navigate Brexit, with firms needing more than the increased at twice the national rate last year, and I am Chancellor telling them simply to “adjust”. Will the meeting our great West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, Secretary of State finally accept the policy of the Scottish next month to talk about how we can achieve even National party and the Institute of Directors of providing more. We have one of the country’s most successful a £750 million one-stop shop for UK firms? enterprise zones in Birmingham, where we are investing £433 million in local growth funds and increasing skills Andrea Leadsom: I am not surprised to hear that the levels, employment opportunities and connectivity. hon. Gentleman is still determined to resist Brexit, but he will appreciate that this Government are getting on Preet Kaur Gill: Transport for West Midlands and the with it and ensuring that there is a great deal for Open Data Institute found that between 2008 and 2018 businesses. On his point about Scottish businesses’ congestion had led to 216,000 fewer people being within preparedness, my Department’s business readiness fund a 45-minute bus journey of the centre of Birmingham. enabled various trade bodies, including the Scottish Will the Secretary of State commit to properly resourcing Chamber of Commerce and the Scottish fishing trade new public transport infrastructure in Birmingham to bodies, to receive hundreds of thousands in taxpayers’ enhance productivity and help the city’s almost 2 million money precisely to enable businesses to be Brexit-ready. people to realise their potential rather than wasting their time sitting in traffic? Patricia Gibson: The Chancellor has been clear that Andrea Leadsom: The hon. Lady raises a really important some companies will benefit from Brexit and some will point, and she will know that the Department for not, but the Fraser of Allander Institute has been clear Transport is looking closely at what more it can do to that it estimates that as many as 100,000 jobs in Scotland improve connectivity. I hope that she will be delighted, will be lost as a result of Brexit. Can the Minister as I am, that the city centre and Curzon extension is explain why she thinks it fair that Scotland will be hit so creating 76,000 new jobs and contributing £4 billion to hard by a Brexit for which it did not vote? the economy each year, and that since 2010, according to the local enterprise partnership, there are 134,000 Andrea Leadsom: I am sure that the hon. Lady will be private sector jobs being created in the Greater Birmingham delighted to see today’s employment numbers—yet again, area. the highest numbers on record—and she will no doubt also be delighted to know that there has been a Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): When my right 12.7% increase in employment in North Ayrshire and hon. Friend meets my friend the Mayor of the West Arran since 2010. Jobs are being created, supported by Midlands, Andy Street, will she discuss the possibility a UK Government who are determined to give people of opening a giga factory in Birmingham or the immediate right across the United Kingdom the chance of future area for the production of electric vehicles? growth and prosperity in their area. 153 Oral Answers 21 JANUARY 2020 Oral Answers 154 Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs) (Con): Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Will the Secretary of State talk about the support that Strathspey) (SNP): The 10 days till Brexit will be followed her Department is giving to quantum computing in the by 10 years of trade chaos, negative growth, lower UK? This technology is growing at an exponential employment and investment paralysis. Given that the speed and opening up new opportunities in new sectors EU has already stated that the trumped-up Tory timetable for the United Kingdom. will not allow for a comprehensive trade deal, will the Secretary of State finally establish a small and medium-sized Mr Speaker: Just to help the new Member, his question enterprise support service to allow Scottish firms to should really be associated with the current question, so navigate this mess? I presume that he is talking about Scotland as well. Andrea Leadsom: It is a bit like a stuck record, if I Andrea Leadsom: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for can use 1970s terminology. SNP Members said that we his question. He may be aware that the Government are would not get any kind of a deal. They said that the investing about £1 billion in a new quantum technologies Prime Minister would not be able to reopen the withdrawal fund, which will be of benefit right across the United agreement. They said that we would never get out of the Kingdom as we take advantage of these extraordinary EU. The fact is that this Prime Minister has been able to opportunities, so many of which are coming out of the negotiate a good deal with the European Union that United Kingdom. works for businesses and people right across the UK, Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab): I and we are opening up new opportunities. Just for once, would like to offer the shadow Secretary of State’s be a little optimistic! apologies, because she cannot be with us today. But it is the Secretary of State who has been AWOL from Drew Hendry: It is clear from that answer that our business—missing in action during the general election Government have no plans to save Scottish firms from and now again, as we prepare for Brexit, shelving the the sinking ship that is Brexit Britain, but we do have weekly meetings with business leaders. Meanwhile, the lifeboat of independence. On Scotland’s right to the Prime Minister promised the workers of Nissan that choose, does the Secretary of State still believe that it is he would wrong to utterly rule it out and disrespectful to do so “make sure we have complete equivalence when it comes to our and is it still “never say never”, or are those laudable standards, our industrial requirements and the rest of it”, democratic principles to be sunk with the Brexit ship? but the Chancellor rules out continuing alignment with the European Union. Will the Secretary of State ensure Andrea Leadsom: I would just draw the attention of that the necessary alignment for frictionless trade with the the hon. Gentleman and those on his Benches to the European Union continues after Brexit? very recent Deloitte CFO confidence survey, which demonstrates the biggest ever jump in business confidence, Andrea Leadsom: I welcome the hon. Lady, who is as a result of the certainty that we now have about the standing in for the shadow Secretary of State. It is very way ahead. Business certainty is absolutely key, and if unfortunate that she decided to play the man and not he wants to do something for businesses, he should stop the ball, because she is absolutely incorrect to suggest trying to hammer their confidence and start looking to that it is my policy to reduce meetings with businesses. work with the Government on the opportunities that lie In fact, my Department’s priority is to make the UK the ahead. best place to work and to grow a business, and I will be increasing the level of engagement and the range of Climate Change engagement right across the business sector as we leave the European Union and get the best possible deal for businesses and for people.