Written questions by Wrighting.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK India Free Trade Agreement on the UK fashion industry.

Helping our world-class fashion industry grow remains a government priority. The FTA will expand consumer choice, reduce costs for UK businesses, and strengthen their competitiveness in India’s fast-growing market.DBT’s impact assessment, published at signature, noted a small decrease in output growth in clothing and textiles, but the UK and Indian sectors are largely complementary; clothing retailers will benefit from cheaper imports and luxury UK garments like Harris tweed will se tariffs removed. There is a bilateral safeguard mechanism to protect any sector facing injury.We will continue working closely with industry to monitor and maximise the FTA’s benefits.

What steps his Department is taking to support fashion designers in the UK access scale up finance.

At the CreativeUK summit, Government announced the Creative Industries Sector Pan to increase support for designers, including DCMS investment in the British Fashion Council's NEWGEN programme, providing funding and mentoring to emerging talent. The Department for Business is supporting the Creative Industries, including fashion designers, through expanding the capacity of the British Business Bank. This new capacity includes £4 billon for fund and direct investments across the eight Industrial Strategy sectors over the next four years. On 17 February the Bank announced a £45 million commitment into Redrice Ventures, which specialises in seed-stage investments across the creative industries sector.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department made of the cultural impact of London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2026.

The British fashion industry is a key driver of economic growth, estimated by the British Fashion Council to employ over 800,000 people and contribute nearly £30 billion in gross value added to the UK economy. London Fashion Week is a world-leading event in the fashion calendar, featuring over 250 designers to a global audience of media and retailers.As part of our Creative Industries Sector Plan we’re continuing our support for the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN scheme for emerging designers. This funding helps the next generation to develop the global high-end brands of the future through opportunities to showcase their work at London Fashion Week and take part in mentoring from business experts, showing the best of British to the world.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of the Kettering General Hospital scheme.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive.Up to the end of the 2023/24 the total amount received by the Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in funding for their new hospital scheme is £9.4 million.The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023The trust is currently developing their Strategic Outline Case for the Kettering General Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

What the (a) business case status and (b) RIBA stage is of the Kettering General Hospital scheme.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive.Up to the end of the 2023/24 the total amount received by the Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in funding for their new hospital scheme is £9.4 million.The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023The trust is currently developing their Strategic Outline Case for the Kettering General Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

How much funding the Kettering General Hospital scheme has received up to the end of the 2023-24 financial year.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive.Up to the end of the 2023/24 the total amount received by the Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in funding for their new hospital scheme is £9.4 million.The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023The trust is currently developing their Strategic Outline Case for the Kettering General Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

How much funding had been allocated by the Treasury for the Kettering General Hospital scheme as of 2 July 2024.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive.Up to the end of the 2023/24 the total amount received by the Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in funding for their new hospital scheme is £9.4 million.The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023The trust is currently developing their Strategic Outline Case for the Kettering General Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.