theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-04)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024. \p Jo Stevens: The Wales Office has not spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-04)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many employees in his Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year. \p Ian Murray: The Scotland Office has (a) two people who earn £100,000 or more and (b) zero people who earn £166,000 or more per year.
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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours. \p Ian Murray: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers. All staff assigned to the Scotland Office adhere to the policies of their parent department, including those on flexible working.

The Scotland Office has three members of staff with formal compressed hours contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-04)

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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 65798 on Companies: Political Parties, whether the Electoral Commission has issued guidance on whether registered political parties may be incorporated as (a) limited or (b) unlimited companies. \p Sir Jeremy Wright: Electoral law does not dictate the legal structure of a party. Parties can be registered with a range of structures, including unincorporated associations, limited or unlimited companies.

If a party includes company arrangements, the Commission expects this to be reflected in party documents such as their constitution and financial scheme. The Commission has issued guidance on what a constitution should include.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting restrictions similar to those in Switzerland on the spreading of biomass ash on fields. \p Mary Creagh: Defra has not made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting restrictions similar to those in Switzerland on the spreading of biomass ash on fields.

Waste and agriculture are devolved policy areas, so this response only covers England. In England you can spread waste to land to improve soil health. This can help reduce the need to use manufactured fertilisers and quarried soil conditioners.

Spreading waste to land must be controlled by an environmental permit, regulatory position statement, low risk waste position or waste exemption to protect the environment and human health. It must result in agricultural benefit or ecological improvement, and be waste recovery, not waste disposal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reductions in access to recycling centres on rates of fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Mary Creagh: There has been no assessment of the potential impact of reductions in access to recycling centres on rates of fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency. Local authorities hold the responsibility for the operation and management of Household Waste Recycling Centres in their area. It is their duty to provide spaces for residents within their area to dispose of or recycle their waste responsibly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance he plans to issue on sufficient sorting requirements for material recovery facilities to follow. \p Mary Creagh: Defra does not plan to issue specific guidance on sorting requirements for Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs).

Simpler Recycling requires the following recyclable waste streams from all households and workplaces in England: glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste (and garden waste from households only). These measures will increase the quantity of dry recyclable material collected for sorting at MRFS and will apply from 31st March 2025 from workplaces, 31st March 2026 from households and 31st March 2027 from micro-firms (with less than 10 FTEs.

Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support Material Recovery Facility (MRF) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements.

We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment, upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. WRAP is developing interventions to support Local Authorities setting up new MRF contracts or procurement of other resources associated with implementation of Simpler Recycling requirements. An assessment is being undertaken of the potential future composition of dry mixed recyclable waste streams and the associated financial implications resulting from this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, what the geographic distribution of the land with solar panels on that is used for agricultural production is. \p Mary Creagh: The statistics are based on results from the annual Defra June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. This survey covers England but no lower geographic breakdowns are available. The number of responses to the question was too small to give accurate estimates at any lower level than England only.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ensure that the proposed deposit return scheme has adequate collection zones in (a) rural areas and (b) villages in Newton Abbot constituency. \p Mary Creagh: The scheme administrator, UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd. (UK DMO), is responsible for ensuring there is a comprehensive network of return points so that consumers can easily return their containers, including in rural areas.

The scheme requires all supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents that sell drinks that are included in the scheme to host a return point, unless they qualify for an exemption.

Government continues to work closely with UK DMO as they work to deliver the scheme in October 2027.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason his Department selected 12 January 2025 as the deadline for the started but not submitted applicant group for the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. \p Daniel Zeichner: When farmers started an application and saved without submitting, they were shown a message that said "Your application will be available for 2 months for you to continue. If you have not submitted your application by then, we will delete it". This is why applicants who started an application before 12 January 2025 were not eligible for the reopened SFI as they had exceeded that 2 months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on ending farrowing crate usage for pigs. \p Daniel Zeichner: This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has met with key stakeholders, as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare, and a broad range of animal welfare issues have been discussed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has held discussions with (a) retailers and (b) producers on the pricing of alcohol-free drinks. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food supply matters. However, it is not for the Government to set retail food and drink prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 on the (a) stress and (b) injury chances of farmed chickens and turkeys. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare.

The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 introduces new requirements prohibiting one-leg catching of laying hens, meat chickens and turkeys weighing 5kg or less in Great Britain. These birds must now be caught, lifted and carried by two legs to directly minimise welfare harm. An impact assessment (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/149/pdfs/ukia_20250149_en.pdf) was published alongside this legislation, which also covers the welfare impacts of different catching and handling methods.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent supermarkets from cancelling orders from vertical farms at short notice. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020, we can introduce regulations to increase transparency and protect growers, across the range of horticultural production systems, from unfair commercial practices.

We are currently developing ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations for the fresh produce sector, which will cover growers that sell directly to retail. These regulations are designed to strengthen supply chain fairness and ensure all horticulture producers have clear and balanced contracts, which may include prohibiting practices such as cancelling orders at short notice.

As part of this work, we are engaging with retailers, producers, experts and other representatives of the horticulture sector to ensure the regulations are workable and effective.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent decline in Atlantic salmon populations in (a) the River Lynher and (b) other rivers in the South West (i) in general and (ii) by commercial mackerel fishing vessels inadvertently catching salmon smolts. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Environment Agency (EA) manages salmon fisheries in England. They use a combination of local and national Byelaws and Net Limitation Orders to prevent commercial salmon fishing and to minimise recreational pressures on salmon. For the South West, this includes protections on 13 principal salmon rivers; the Hampshire Avon, Frome, Exe, Teign, Dart, Tavy, Tamar, Lynher, Fowey, Camel, Taw, Torridge, and Lyn and on 20 recovering salmon rivers; the Allen, Avill, Blakeney Brook, Bristol Avon, Brit, Doniford, Fal, Harbourne, Heddon, Lerryn, Looe, Meon, Otter, Par, Parrett, Porth, Seaton, Sid, Valency and Washford. In 2023, anglers reported releasing 95% of salmon caught, across England and Wales. Additionally, the EA works collaboratively with many local organisations to implement other environmental improvement actions that benefit salmon within the River Lynher and neighbouring catchments. Defra is working with the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) to better understand the risk of salmon bycatch in commercial pelagic fisheries, including mackerel fisheries.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) uphold and (b) improve welfare standards for racing greyhounds; and in what way his Department engages with organisations involved in their (i) care and (ii) oversight. \p Daniel Zeichner: The welfare of racing greyhounds in England is covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 (the 2010 Regulations). The 2010 Regulations include a number of welfare requirements, such as requiring all greyhound tracks to have a veterinary surgeon in attendance to ensure that every greyhound is fit to run.

In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body – the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has also undertaken a number of welfare reforms to improve welfare standards for racing greyhounds, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The Greyhound Forum, of which Defra officials and GBGB are members, also regularly discusses possible improvements that would ensure or improve welfare standards for racing greyhounds.

The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’ strategy and should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) advocate for improved international protections for salmon through the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation and (b) support local hatcheries to aid salmon population recovery. \p Daniel Zeichner: The UK is a committed member of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), which seeks to reverse the decline of wild Atlantic salmon and recover populations to healthy and resilient levels across their range. The UK hosted NASCO’s 2025 annual meeting in Cardiff, earlier this year, at which parties agreed to develop ambitious new salmon action plans to contribute to the recovery of salmon populations. In the first half of 2026 NASCO will host negotiations to develop a new regulatory measure for the West Greenland land fishery, which the UK will participate in. In 2024 NASCO published new guidelines for stocking Atlantic salmon. In England, all stocking activity is regulated by the Environment Agency, who take a case-by-case approach, with reference to the NASCO guidelines.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47160 on Food: Import Controls, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the ban on personal imports of meats and diary products from EU countries. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra publishes assessments of the risk of animal diseases entering Great Britain through trade in animal products at www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring. Our August 2025 attitude tracker demonstrated a high level of public awareness of the animal health-related ban on personal imports of certain meat and dairy products from EU countries amongst recent travellers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47160 on Food: Import Controls, how many seizures have been conducted related to the ban on personal imports of meats and diary products from EU countries. \p Daniel Zeichner: We do not have information on the number of seizures relating to the ban on personal imports of certain meat and dairy products from EU countries. Border Force and local authorities are responsible for detaining and seizing illegally imported animal products detected at the border, where importers refuse to surrender them for disposal.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of levels of (a) puppy and (b) kitten smuggling into the UK under existing pet travel rules. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra's approach to fisheries management and stakeholder engagement is one where there is a greater focus on early and ongoing involvement of the fishing sector, supplementing formal consultation processes for fisheries management plans (FMPs) with tailored, participatory approaches. Inshore representatives have opportunities to contribute through working groups, tide and time-sensitive regional engagement events and evidence gathering exercises.

Inshore voices are also continually considered across all fisheries management through support from regional fisheries groups (RFGs), the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) network of regional fisheries managers, meetings of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) and other routine engagement.

Marine plans should be used to guide decision makers on how to balance different interests in the sea, including fisheries. National policy statements also set out how marine activities should be considered.
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Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) farmers and (b) farming organisations on a timescale for banning cages for livestock. \p Daniel Zeichner: This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has engaged with key stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare.

The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) Tamar Grow Local Community Interest Company and (b) similar organisations on (i) improving local food security, (ii) supporting small-scale farmers and (iii) reducing environmental impact in South East Cornwall constituency. \p Daniel Zeichner: We are currently exploring a new farming and countryside local advice and collaboration offer. This aims to support farmers and land managers to work together to improve business resilience and deliver environmental outcomes. We are looking at a variety of potential delivery partners and with existing farming collaboration groups to understand what works best.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to set a timetable for the phasing out of farrowing crates. \p Daniel Zeichner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, PQ UIN 41698.
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Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish an impact assessment for banning cages for livestock animals. \p Daniel Zeichner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 47556.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47160 on Food: Import Controls, what steps he has taken to ensure the adequacy of signage at ports and airports relating to the ban on personal imports of meats and diary products from EU countries. \p Daniel Zeichner: As part of our national mission to protect our food sector and farmers, we communicated the ban on personal imports of certain meats and dairy products from EU countries via a press release, social media and information on GOV.UK. We have worked in partnership with the Department of Transport, the Home Office, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ports, airports and international travel operators to communicate the ban. We published updated posters on gov.uk for operational partners to display. Baroness Hayman met with ports, airports and international travel operators to discuss the communications, including signage, that they put in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to expand testing capacity for the bluetongue virus. \p Daniel Zeichner: All diagnostic testing for bluetongue virus is conducted at the bluetongue national reference laboratory at The Pirbright Institute. Current testing capacity is sufficient to meet the demands for disease control and movement testing. Nevertheless, Pirbright has the provisions to expand its testing capacity, if required, to meet higher demand.

The Official Laboratory in Weybridge is also designated by Defra for the purpose of surveillance and post-movement tests for bluetongue if required which provides additional capacity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of investment on farms in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland between (i) 1 November 2024 and 1 July 2025 and (ii) the same periods in the last five years. \p Daniel Zeichner: No comparative assessments have been made on the level of investment on farms between the 4 UK nations as agriculture is a devolved policy.

Data on farm investment income is available in the table 5 series of Farm Accounts in England – but these tables only show data for 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Defra are currently collecting the 2024/25 data; data on farm investment income for 2024/25 will be published in January 2026.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility fee structures on UK manufacturers’ investment in sustainable fibre-based composite packaging innovation that supports a circular economy. \p Mary Creagh: In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector or material type.

Since January 2025 the Recyclability Assessment Methodology has allocated packaging to fee modulation sub-categories, ensuring less-recyclable materials attract higher fees and drive investment in recyclability and innovation.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) legal support has been made available for local nature recovery strategies. \p Mary Creagh: Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) were established by the Environment Act 2021. Responsible authorities must follow the LNRS regulations and have regard to LNRS statutory guidance when preparing the LNRS for their area.

Over FY23/24 and FY24/25, Defra provided a total of £14 million to responsible authorities to prepare LNRSs.

Further funding has been made available to responsible authorities in the current financial year to support their transition to leading and coordinating delivery of the LNRS for their area.

Defra and Arm’s Length Bodies have provided advice to responsible authorities to help them prepare their LNRS but have not provided direct legal support to individual responsible authorities.

Responsible authorities are able to use the funding they have been provided to obtain legal support if they choose to do so.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether guidance will be issued for (a) employees and (b) legal advisers on interpreting confidentiality clauses under the new regime under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill. \p Justin Madders: The Government will work with organisations such as the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service on updates to their guidance on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), also known as confidentiality clauses, to ensure that workers and employers understand the changes to the law in relation to NDAs that are introduced through the Employment Rights Bill. The Government will also liaise with employer groups, the legal industry and unions about updates to their guidance and information on NDAs.
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Gregor Poynton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating funding for UK exhibitors at key international trade fairs in (a) the natural stone sector and (b) other sectors where export potential is strong. \p Gareth Thomas: Through our Trade Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and Small Business Plan, we are putting in place the policies, support, and services needed to drive export-led growth. For the first time, DBT is integrating its support for SMEs across all sectors in a single, accessible platform - the Business Growth Service - designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally.

From tailored market advice and free Export Academy training to UK Export Finance and our on-the-ground network around the world that facilitate trade missions, we are making it easier for businesses to navigate global markets. We continue to review how we can improve our support, including how we connect firms to new opportunities, and build the capability to seize them.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to promote the UK sugar beet industry in international trade negotiations. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: This Government recognises the importance of the UK sugar beet industry. In all our trade negotiations we seek to open up new markets for British agricultural, food and drink exports, including UK-produced sugars.

The UK is also an active member of the International Sugar Organization, a body that facilitates global dialogue on sugar trade, production and sustainability.
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Louise Haigh:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Acas under the new Resolve and Manage priorities in its 2025–30 strategy to help support victims of harassment and discrimination following the planned introduction of the ban on non-disclosure agreements. \p Justin Madders: Clause 24 of the Government’s Employment Rights Bill will void any agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. These agreements are often referred to as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

The Government will work with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) on updates to its guidance on NDAs to ensure that workers and employers understand the changes to the law when they come into force.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of labour shortages on the (a) tourism and (b) hospitality sectors in coastal areas. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government recognises that labour market pressures, particularly in seasonal roles, can affect tourism and hospitality businesses in coastal areas.

We work closely with industry bodies, local partners and other Government departments to monitor workforce trends and to understand regional impacts, including through the Visitor Economy Advisory Council and Hospitality Sector Council.

The Government remains committed to ongoing collaboration across Government and industry, helping to mitigate impacts and build a more sustainable, skilled workforce to support the long‑term success of tourism and hospitality in our coastal areas.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57634 on World War I and World War II: Women, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to sponsor a memorial for munitions workers in both world wars. \p Justin Madders: The Government recognises the hard work of the Munitions workers and is extremely grateful for their input and sacrifices made during both world wars.

Munitions workers are included on the women's war memorial in Whitehall. In addition, several trees have also been planted at the National Arboretum in Litchfield and many of the former factories have their own small memorials including, ROF Swynnerton, ROF Rotherwas and Aycliffe Newton.

A commemorative badge is available thanks to the support of the BAE Systems Heritage Department and the efforts of the Munitions Workers Association. Surviving munitions workers and their families can approach the Munitions Workers Association to arrange to receive this commemorative badge xxx@xxx.xx
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Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a fashion watchdog to help tackle exploitation in the supply chains of clothing manufacturers. \p Gareth Thomas: The UK is one of the leading countries confronting the scourge of modern-day slavery, including forced labour. We engage through bilateral and multilateral fora to find ways to tackle forced labour in global supply chains and ensure workers benefit from high labour standards domestically and internationally. We recognise that trade policy is an important tool in a comprehensive approach to prevent, identify and eliminate forced labour in global supply chains and we are considering measures that can help improve supply chain transparency and traceability.

As well as the Fashion Watchdog or Garment Trade Adjudicator idea, there have been other proposals including licensing and increased guidance on managing supply chains. We will continue to review measures to drive up standards across the sector and monitor global regulatory proposals in the sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many small businesses received Government-backed (a) start-up and (b) improvement grants in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in the last three years. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government has published its Small Business Plan (Backing your Business) in July 2025. We are delivering the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation.

We have also committed to funding for the 41 Growth Hubs across England which help start-up businesses and entrepreneurs to unlock their potential through bespoke support and resources.

Buckingham and Bletchley is served by Buckinghamshire Business First and the South Midlands Growth Hubs who issue business support grants to SMEs in their area.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold statistics that cover the full range of Govt-funded business support at constituency level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_34

Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency with increased energy costs. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government is committed to engaging with and supporting small businesses across the UK through the transition to net zero.   DBT has recently announced the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme which will reduce electricity costs for over 7,000 electricity-intensive businesses and reform the grid connections process.

DESNZ will publish its response later this year to the September 2024 consultation on introducing a regulatory regime for the third-party intermediary (TPI) market. TPIs, such as energy brokers, play a prominent role in how SMEs secure contracts for the energy usage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_35

Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to p.53 of the document entitled Backing your business, published on 31 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the level of SME participation in public procurement. \p Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business and Trade monitors the level of SME participation in our procurement through contract award data via a live commercial dashboard which captures supplier type and specifically whether a supplier qualifies as an SME. DBT will publish SME spend data annually (in line with Procurement Policy Note 001). Strategies for high value spend are scrutinised by the department's Commercial Approvals and Assurance Group which challenges teams on whether proposed contracts are sufficiently accessible for SMEs.

The commercial team will present bi-annual progress updates against the department's SME spend target to the Minister for Small Businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_36

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the marketing and export of wine produced in West Dorset constituency. \p Gareth Thomas: DBT supports wine producers in West Dorset and across the UK through a wide range of export initiatives and skills development programmes. The Business Academy offers free training and expert guidance to help businesses access international markets, complemented by one-to-one support from International Trade Advisors. The Export Support Service also provides direct assistance with customs, logistics, and regulatory advice. To boost global visibility, DBT facilitates trade missions to key international markets and champions the work of WineGB at major trade shows and Embassy tastings. This helps showcase award-winning wines including from West Dorset– such as Langham Wine Estate – to buyers and distributors around the world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_37

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help (a) increase recruitment and (b) tackle staffing shortages in the hospitality sector in (a) towns, (b) rural communities and (c) other places in (i) Somerset and (ii) other regions. \p Gareth Thomas: Hospitality businesses, including those in Somerset and across other regions, play a vital role in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.

We work closely with the Hospitality Sector Council to improve the productivity and resilience of hospitality businesses by co-creating solutions to the issues impacting business performance, including in addressing jobs shortages and building the sector’s talent pipeline.

As part of this, we are expanding Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which fast track individuals into hospitality vacancies by providing flexible training and support. SWAPs have already seen 10,000 starts in the sector in less than two years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_38

Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps their Department is taking to implement the guidance entitled The government’s approach to rural proofing 2025, published on 15 May 2025. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas. Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

Rural proofing is important because rural communities are an important part of the economy. Rural areas are home to around one-fifth of England’s population and half a million registered businesses. Policy outcomes in rural areas can be affected by economies of scale, distance, sparsity and demography. That is why it is important that government policies consider how they can be delivered in rural areas. Rural proofing ensures that these areas receive fair and equitable policy outcomes.

Our department takes its obligation to rural proofing seriously and has published its Small Business Plan (Backing your Business) in July of this year, delivering the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium sized businesses in a generation.

The plan outlines five ambitious actions on how we will make thriving small and medium sized businesses, including in rural areas, a reality across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_39

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress his Department has made on the Small Business Command Paper. \p Gareth Thomas: We launched ‘Backing Your Business – our plan for small and medium-sized enterprises’ on 31 July. It is a long-term strategy focussing on five areas:

This strategy, together with the Industrial Strategy, is just the start of our commitment to work hand-in-hand with SMEs to drive growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_40

Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in what way he is supporting small businesses to remain compliant with (a) VAT and (b) customs paperwork. \p Gareth Thomas: As part of our recently launched Plan for Small Business, the Government is modernising the tax and customs system as referenced in HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap. This will include AI powered technology and personalised digital experiences making it easier for small businesses to navigate their tax affairs.

The new AI tools will also help small businesses avoid common tax mistakes and find the information they need. HMRC will continue to deepen its engagement with SMEs to understand their priorities in simplifying the processes and remain compliant with VAT returns and customs declarations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_41

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has conducted region-specific modelling of economic spillover effects in (a) Wiltshire and (b) other counties. \p Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has not undertaken region-specific modelling of economic spillover effects for (a) Wiltshire or (b) other individual counties. In developing place-based policy, DBT may draw on cross-government evidence—for example, Office for National Statistics publications (e.g., subnational trade flows; UK input–output tables) and Department for Transport scheme appraisals of “wider economic impacts”—but these are not DBT analyses, are method- and scheme-specific, and are not designed to produce county-level spillover estimates. DBT keeps the available evidence under review to inform programmes where appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_42

Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish UK–India (a) tariff schedules, (b) rules of origin annexes and (c) concordance tables for businesses. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The full treaty, including goods tariff schedules and rules of origin annexes are published on Gov.uk and have been laid in the House. The Government will implement the changes to UK tariffs in line with usual procedures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_43

Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish the (a) final Impact Assessment and (b) data tables for the UK–India trade deal. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The final Impact Assessment and accompanying data tables for the UK–India trade deal were published on 24 July.

The analysis outlines the long-term economic benefits of the deal, including an estimated £4.8 billion boost to UK GDP and £2.2 billion increase in wages annually.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_44

Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) mobility provisions and (b) Double Contributions Convention in the UK–India trade deal on UK sectors facing skills shortages; and if he will publish any (i) modelling and (ii) assumptions. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK–India trade deal includes mobility provisions that support short-term business mobility for highly skilled professionals. These provisions do not affect the UK’s points-based immigration system and are not expected to add to net migration in the long term.

The Double Contributions Convention (DCC) that the UK is negotiating with India will be a standard reciprocal social security agreement, similar to those the UK has covering 22 countries and the European Union. The DCC will not make it cheaper to hire Indian workers and nothing in the agreement will change our immigration regime.

Modelling and assumptions related to the DCC are not included in the FTA’s Impact Assessment, as the DCC is a separate treaty. The Office for Budget Responsibility will certify the impact of the trade deal including the Double Contributions Convention in the usual way at a fiscal event once the DCC is finalised and ratified.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_45

Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how long the scrutiny period for documents laid before Parliament for the UK-India trade deal will be. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Secretary of State commissioned the Chair of Trade and Agriculture Commission upon signature of the India FTA and has given the Chair until 24 October to provide advice which will be laid before Parliament shortly thereafter. The Government will then produce a Section 42 Report, under its obligations in the Agriculture Act 2020, in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, which will be laid in Parliament once we have considered the Commission's advice. Per the Government’s Trade Strategy, there will be at least 20 sitting days between the publication of the Section 42 Report and any triggering of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-05 conversation_46

Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his policy is on investors state dispute settlement provisions with India. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK recognises that investors state dispute settlement provisions as an interest of UK business. In parallel to the Free Trade Agreement, we are negotiating a Bilateral Investment Treaty to progress UK interests. These talks have not concluded, and the agreement remains under discussion.