Written question asked by Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 September 2026 (named day). It was answered by Sarah Owen (Labour) on Thursday, 3 September 2026 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: Northern Ireland

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the introduction of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme to Northern Ireland; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress to establish the arrangements for a comparable scheme.

Answer

As energy policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will not directly extend to Northern Ireland.

However, the UK Government will provide funding to the Northern Ireland Executive to enable them to implement their own comparable scheme to support Northern Ireland businesses. Parameters for this support have been outlined to the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Department for the Economy, and funding will be released following the standard approval of a business case demonstrating equivalent support for eligible businesses.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 20037
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Northern Ireland British industrial competitiveness scheme
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: Northern Ireland

Secondary information

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