theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average International English Language Testing System scores were for internationally recruited healthcare professionals entering the NHS via the international recruitment programme in each of the last three years. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not collect data on repeat International English Language Testing System (IELTS) attempts or average test scores for National Health Service staff. Information on English language competence for professional registration is held by the relevant United Kingdom healthcare regulators. Any assessment data for candidates applying to join the NHS Performers List would be managed by NHS England, while local NHS trusts and employers may hold records of candidate performance where assessments form part of their recruitment process. Additionally, IELTS publishes global test statistics on its website, at the following link:

https://ielts.org/researchers/our-research/test-statistics
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that safety-by-design principles are integrated into AI systems from inception rather than as retrospective additions especially given the persistence in harmful online content including deep-fake CSAMs that are visible across the internet. \p Kanishka Narayan: The government is committed to tackling the atrocious harm of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). Making, distributing or possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a serious criminal offence, and the Online Safety Act requires services to proactively identify and remove such content.

The Act requires in-scope services, including AI services, to take a safety by design approach to tackling these harms. Ofcom has set out safety measures, including requiring risky services to use technology to detect known images and scan for links to such content. There are also measures to tackle online grooming.

We are taking further action in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create CSAM and creating a new legal defence which will allow designated experts (such as AI developers and third sector organisations) to stringently test whether AI systems can generate CSAM, and develop safeguards to prevent it.

The government remains committed to taking further steps, if required, to ensure that the UK is prepared for the changes that AI will bring.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the benefits of (a) a duty of candour requiring AI developers and deployers to publicly disclose when biases are discovered in their algorithms or training data and (b) providing clear mitigation strategies, similar to disclosure requirements in other regulated sectors such as medicines. \p Kanishka Narayan: A range of existing rules already apply to AI systems such as data protection, competition, equality legislation and sectoral regulation. The government is also committed to supporting regulators to promote the responsible use of AI in their sectors and mitigate AI-related challenges, such as identifying and addressing algorithmic bias.

To help tackle this issue, we ran the Fairness Innovation Challenge (FIC) with Innovate UK, the Equality and Human Rights Council (EHRC), and the ICO. FIC supported the development of novel of solutions to address bias and discrimination in AI systems and supported the EHRC and ICO to shape their own broader regulatory guidance.

This is complemented by the work of the AI Security Institute (AISI) who work in close collaboration with AI companies to assess model safeguards and suggest mitigations to risks pertaining to national security.

To date, AISI has tested over 30 models from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic.

The government is committed to ensuring that the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring and AISI’s research will continue to inform our approach.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support parents to manage children's levels of screen time. \p Kanishka Narayan: Parents and carers play a vital role in online safety.

The UK Chief Medical Officer’s 2019 commentary on screen-based activities included advice for parents and carers on agreeing boundaries with children and young people on time spent using screens outside school and in education.

Ofcom has also released guidance for parents on how the Act’s measures will protect children online, including links to trusted resources.

Finally, many services have their own parental controls, which are useful for managing children’s screentime. To help families further navigate children’s online use, DSIT and DfE are developing a website to bring information about online safety into one place.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to establish standardised testing frameworks for identifying bias in AI datasets; and whether she will consider introducing requirements for the quality of databases used to train artificial intelligence systems. \p Kanishka Narayan: AI is already regulated in the UK. A range of existing rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation and sectoral regulation. The government is committed to supporting regulators to promote the responsible use of AI in their sectors, including identifying and addressing bias.

To help tackle this issue, we ran the Fairness Innovation Challenge (FIC) with Innovate UK, the Equality and Human Rights Council (EHRC), and the ICO. FIC supported the development of novel of solutions to address bias and discrimination in AI systems and supported the EHRC and ICO to shape their own broader regulatory guidance.

The government is committed to ensuring that the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, further to the research and analysis entitled Rapid Technology Assessment: Humanoids, published on 10 March 2025, whether her Department plans to introduce a regulatory framework or minimum safety and cybersecurity standards for consumer-grade humanoid robots. \p Kanishka Narayan: The UK Government are taking robust action to ensure new and existing technologies in the UK are Secure by Design. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act requires manufacturers, importers and retailers to ensure consumer IoT products meet minimum security requirements. We have also published Codes of Practice for Software, Apps and AI cyber security for companies to follow to support this, and the NCSC provides guidance on other security requirements.

NCSC, as the National Technical Authority for cyber security, is in the process of assessing what if any guidance for robotics manufacturers would be valuable.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to increase investment in digital connectivity and broadband infrastructure in rural Northern Ireland. \p Kanishka Narayan: According to the independent website, ThinkBroadband.com, 97% of premises in Northern Ireland already have access to gigabit-capable broadband. This is the highest of any of the four UK nations.

Project Stratum, which has had £199 million of UK government funding, completed delivery in June 2025. This delivered gigabit-capable broadband to almost 81,100 premises in Northern Ireland that previously did not have access to superfast broadband.

The Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE) is currently undertaking a Project Gigabit procurement to help fill remaining gaps in gigabit broadband coverage. This will predominantly target rural and hard to reach areas.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled UK space sector bolstered with government reforms to boost growth and cut red tape, published on 20 August 2025, what the estimated annual savings are from the merger of the UK Space Agency into her Department; and whether there are any planned redundancies. \p Kanishka Narayan: Work is underway to design the new unit. This will include exploring the extent to which the merger will enable the unit to go further than the 5.6% DSIT-wide efficiencies by 2028/29 target. Designing a more efficient organisation will reduce running costs and remove duplication ensuring even more of the funding allocated to civil space can reach the sector while also protecting staff in both organisations where possible. There are currently no planned redundancies.
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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Ofcom will review Physical Infrastructure Access pricing in the Telecoms Access Review. \p Kanishka Narayan: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.

My officials are regularly engaging with Ofcom to ensure that we have the right regulatory environment in place to promote competition and investment in the fibre roll-out across the UK, including in rural areas.

In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) 25% of British International Investment’s new investments support gender equality and (b) 30% are directed to climate finance. \p Chris Elmore: Future capital funding for British International Investment (BII) will be determined as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) resource allocation process, ensuring that the ODA budget delivers against the full range of FCDO development priorities. The FCDO holds BII to account for delivery of its strategy through detailed governance arrangements, including quarterly and annual shareholder meetings.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to ensure transparency and propriety in negotiating any financial settlement for Lord Mandelson following the withdrawal of his ambassadorial appointment. \p Seema Malhotra: The Department does not publish details of individuals' cases. Lord Mandelson's withdrawal was subject to normal HR processes.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Chinese counterpart on releasing Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and other pastors and members of Zion Church arrested on 10 October 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 75048 on 16 September.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will publish the terms or value of any financial settlement agreed in relation to Lord Mandelson’s cancelled appointment. \p Seema Malhotra: The Department does not publish details of individuals' cases. Lord Mandelson's withdrawal was subject to normal HR processes.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of reports concerning ongoing forced organ harvesting of the Falun Gong in China; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure the cessation of unethical transplant practices. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given in the House of Lords to question HL8230 on 20 June, which has been reproduced below for ease of reference:

The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This Government stands firm on human rights, and we raise our concerns at the highest levels. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).

This Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora. We continue to closely monitor the situation for Falun Gong practitioners and maintain a dialogue with NGOs and international partners on the issue.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in China on ensuring that opposition candidates are not (a) unfairly imprisoned and (b) at risk of violence. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China, and we continue to raise our concerns at the highest levels. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations and will continue to call on China to uphold its commitments under international law.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what dates the UK High Commissioner for Mauritius has met with the Chinese Ambassador to Mauritius since 5 July 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK High Commissioner to Mauritius met his Chinese counterpart for a courtesy call on 28 July 2025. Such calls are normal practice on arrival for new Heads of Mission. The High Commissioner has had no further formal meetings with the Chinese Ambassador.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what programmes her Department (a) funds and (b) supports to help improve access to education for children working in bonded labour in Pakistan. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the blockade affecting Mali to other essential goods on civilian populations; and whether the Government is providing, or planning to provide, support to assist vulnerable communities in Mali and the surrounding region. \p Chris Elmore: The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.

The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.

On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Egyptian authorities on allowing Alaa Abd el-Fattah to travel to the UK. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The government welcomes Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release from prison on 23 September 2025, following a Presidential pardon. We continue to press at the highest levels with the Egyptian government for his urgent return to the UK, including in a call between the Prime Minister and President Sisi on 18 November, and between the Foreign Secretary and the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 20 November.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of answered on 17 November 2025 to Question 88055, on Humanitarian Aid, how much funding has been provided through the Official Development Assistance budget for (a) immediate humanitarian needs and (b) crisis support in each of the last three years. \p Chris Elmore: Data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend for the requested period is published in the Statistics on International Development on GOV.UK, and is broken down by sector, including for humanitarian aid. Further information and annual reviews on specific programmes can be found on GOV.UK's Development Tracker.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support global reform of multilateral health organisations referred to in Written Statement HCWS1043, made on 11 November 2025, including improving coordination between Gavi, the Global Fund and other global health institutions. \p Chris Elmore: The UK is working with partners to drive reform of the multilateral system in line with the Lusaka Agenda, supporting countries to move along the path to self-sufficiency.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) support the work that the Global Fund and Gavi leadership are undertaking to drive greater impact, efficiencies and effectiveness at country level and to explore more structural options for collaboration in future.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Iranian counterparts concerning the recent arrest of Baha’i children’s rights activist, Afshin Heyratian; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure his release. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 67802 on 6 August 2025, and add that we are aware of Afshin Heyratian's case and are monitoring the situation for Baha'is more widely.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Iraq, in particular in relation to the rights of Kurdish people; and what action she is taking. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Iraq, including restrictions on free expression and barriers to women's political participation. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to uphold constitutional rights and international obligations.

The UK, working with international partners, will continue to press for accountability and reform and support civil society groups advocating for minority and women's rights.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will raise at the United Nations the refusal by Russian authorities to allow an independent investigation into the death of Alexei Navalny. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government continues to call on the Russian authorities to allow a full and independent investigation into the circumstances of Alexei Navalny's death. On 7 October, the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council expressing grave concerns that such an investigation had not been conducted.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that nutrition objectives are systematically integrated within women and girls’ programmes. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 November to Question 89032.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Turkiye, in particular in relation to politically motivated prosecutions and judgments in the European Court of Human Rights; and what action she is taking to help improve the situation inside that country for opposition politicians. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government maintains a regular dialogue with Turkey, a key North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally and strategic partner. The UK expects Turkey to uphold the rule of law, to live up to its international obligations as a founding member of the Council of Europe and act in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. As staunch supporters of democracy and human rights we will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom. We regularly discuss these issues with our Turkish counterparts at ministerial and official levels.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Pakistani counterparts on the ongoing bonded labour of religious minorities in brick kilns. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK Government recognises that serious exploitation persists in Pakistan, including bonded labour in sectors such as the brick kiln industry, where religious minorities are disproportionately affected. We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan, including the rights and safety of minority communities. I have consistently engaged on these issues, most recently with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister in August. Through UK-funded programmes such as Aawaz II, we have supported awareness campaigns, improved access to justice, and strengthened child protection systems to help tackle exploitative practices. We will continue to press for effective enforcement of Pakistan's laws prohibiting bonded labour and to advocate for the protection of vulnerable groups.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the treatment of (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities in Chad at the United Nations. \p Chris Elmore: The UK condemns any attacks on individuals on the basis of their religion or belief, including in Chad. We consistently call on all actors in Chad and around the world to respect human rights, freedom of religion or belief, and international humanitarian law.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what measures the Government is taking to ensure that employers are supporting women managing menopause in the workplace. \p Seema Malhotra: We know that support in the workplace during the menopause can be crucial. That is why we will require large employers to detail the steps they are taking to support their staff during the menopause as part of an action plan. These will be introduced on a voluntary basis from April 2026, before becoming mandatory in spring 2027.

Furthermore, we will publish guidance for small and medium employers on the measures they should consider to enable women to better manage their symptoms, including: uniform and temperature; flexible working; and, recording menopause-related leave and absence.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure employers are taking a proactive and preventative approach to protecting their employees from workplace sexual harassment. \p Seema Malhotra: On 26 October 2024, the Worker Protection (Amendment to the Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force. This inserted a new section 40A into the Equality Act 2010 which requires employers to anticipate the risk of sexual harassment occurring and take steps to prevent it. The Equality and Human Rights Commission published updated guidance to support employers with the changes.

We are also further strengthening protections against harassment by introducing three amendments to the Equality Act 2010 through the Employment Rights Bill. These will:

Employers will be provided with clear guidance in advance of the new legislation coming into force. This will ensure that they are fully supported in complying with the changes.
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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what her timetable is for reaching a decision on whether to approve the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s revised Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations; and if she will lay the Government’s review of that Code of Practice before Parliament when it lays the Code of Practice. \p Olivia Bailey: The EHRC has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities on 4 September 2025. This is a long and legally complex document which will have an impact on service providers up and down the country.

The process for laying the Code in Parliament is set out in the Equality Act 2006. The Government will follow this process. If the decision is taken to approve the Code, it will be laid before Parliament for a 40 day period.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements during corporate restructuring in safety-critical sectors in the context of the Employment Tribunal correction in Unite v MAEL. \p Kate Dearden: The Government cannot comment on individual cases. In addition, the Government is unable to assess sector-based trends on the use of non-disclosure agreements as they are private contractual agreements and data on their use is not collected.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Licensing Taskforce were consulted on the proposed ban on vaping inside pubs. \p Kate Dearden: The Premises Licensing Taskforce were not consulted on the proposed ban on vaping inside pubs. Members of the Taskforce did not raise vaping in the wider consultation and Call for Evidence on Premises Licensing.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill gives us the powers to make most public places and workplaces that are smoke-free also vape-free. Exactly which settings should become vape-free will be a matter for secondary legislation and will be subject to a consultation. The Taskforce are able to respond to the consultation. We want to hear the views of all groups.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of restricting the sale of high-noise fireworks in response to reports of harm to livestock and working farm dogs in West Dorset. \p Kate Dearden: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.

The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements during corporate restructuring in safety-critical sectors; and whether he plans to take steps to ensure non-disclosure agreements cannot be used prevent employees and union representatives from participating in statutory consultation processes. \p Kate Dearden: The Government is unable to assess sector-based trends on the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as they are private contractual agreements and data on their use is not collected.

While NDAs can lawfully be used to require one or more parties to keep certain information confidential (for example, trade secrets), there are a range of legal limitations on their use. For example, NDAs cannot prevent someone from making a whistleblowing disclosure (known formally as a “protected disclosure”) or a disclosure required by law.
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Tonia Antoniazzi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the potential merits of integrating the growth strategy, tourism strategy, high street strategy and small business strategy with the Hospitality Sector Council’s strategy. \p Kate Dearden: The Government recognises the hospitality sector’s vital contribution to growth, tourism, high streets and small businesses. To support this, the Hospitality Sector Council (HSC) was established to co-create solutions and deliver the Hospitality Strategy. The Council works closely with other Government departments, including DCMS, and industry representatives to ensure the sector’s needs are well represented and to maintain a coherent vision for driving growth across multiple strategies. Its Terms of Reference already enable early engagement on strategic issues and alignment with wider Government priorities

While the sector is integral to growth, high streets and small businesses – these all depend of course on more than just the hospitality sector. However, I would like to assure you that during the development of these strategies the sector’s needs and concerns were fully represented.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of property taxes, staffing costs, food and drink inflation and energy prices on the financial sustainability of hospitality businesses. \p Kate Dearden: The Government recognises the significant pressures facing the hospitality sector and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.

We aim to permanently reduce business rates for RHL properties with a rateable value of less than 500,000 and we have announced a new Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial which aims for Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to slash their energy bills as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Additionally, the Employment Allowance has been increased to £10,500, meaning 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions enabling businesses to employ up to four full-time staff on the National Living Wage without incurring employer NIC costs.

The Department will continue to engage with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council with an aim to co-create solutions to the issues impacting the sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_212

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that unsafe children's toys are not sold on online marketplaces. \p Kate Dearden: Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements. Despite this, we recognise that it remains too easy for non-compliant products to be made available to UK consumers on online marketplaces. The Office for Product Safety and Standards works to assess the prevalence of unsafe toys online and takes enforcement action where needed.

Government has also introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, which allows us to introduce clearer requirements on online marketplaces to improve consumer safety and ensure fair competition. We will consult on proposals with stakeholders in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_213

Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of regulating the use of (a) workplace culture and (b) employer-of-the-year award to ensure such awards do not misrepresent compliance with equality and employment law. \p Kate Dearden: The Government has no plans to regulate the use of such awards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_214

Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to support women in the workplace with flexible working. \p Kate Dearden: Flexible working can make work more inclusive for those facing barriers to staying in and getting on at work, including women navigating parenthood, caring responsibilities, health conditions, and other personal circumstances.

We are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that flexible working requests are accepted.

Where employers do reject a request, they will be required to explain the basis for their decision.

We also intend to run a public consultation in early 2026 on a new process for employers planning to reject a request to prompt dialogue about what types of flexible working might be feasible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_215

Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of consumer protections in the parcel delivery sector, particularly where subcontracting arrangements are in place. \p Blair McDougall: Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.

The ‘Mail Integrity Objectives’, set out in Ofcom’s Essential Condition 1, seek to minimise the potential for parcels to be subject to loss, theft, damage or interference. Currently this Essential Condition is effectively restricted to Royal Mail’s services delivered under its universal postal service obligation.

Ofcom engages regularly with all parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of, and compliance with, its consumer protection measures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_216

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Trading Standards on the enforcement of rules pertaining to misleading use of certification logos, accreditations and compliance labels. \p Kate Dearden: All products placed on the UK market must be safe and comply with relevant rules regarding certification, accreditation, or compliance. For example, for products that require UKCA marking, it is an offence to apply a mark that misleads or wrongly claims to show legal compliance.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards, in my Department, and Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to enforce the rules and work together to protect consumers from unsafe or non-compliant products.

In addition, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 also prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading consumers by falsely describing products or omitting material information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_217

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has met with representatives of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund since 5 July 2024. \p Blair McDougall: The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not met with representatives of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) since his appointment.

While the Secretary of State is the sole shareholder of the British Business Bank, which provides operational support and the investment platform for NSSIF, the strategic mandate and policy direction for NSSIF are set by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_218

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on (a) planned capital investment in the UK automotive sector, (b) the economies of areas with substantial automotive manufacturing and (c) that sector’s international competitiveness relative to EU and US automotive labour markets. \p Kate Dearden: On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].

The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_219

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has to review the (a) length of statutory paternity leave and (b) level of pay provided during this period. \p Kate Dearden: On 1 July we launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review, which is considering all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay. When considering calls to increase entitlements for parents, the Government will balance the needs of families, the impact on employers, and affordability for taxpayers.

We recognise that more can be done to support working families now. That is why, through the Employment Rights Bill, we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right, which will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_220

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what formal consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their UK-based supply-chain firms on the Employment Rights Bill; what representations his Department has received from those businesses; and how the Government has responded to those representations. \p Kate Dearden: The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_221

Ms Stella Creasy:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, at what frequency his Department plans to hold meetings of the EU Files Forum; and whether the Government intends to publish (a) agendas (b) lists of participants and (c) minutes for each. \p Chris Bryant: The Department for Business and Trade holds a quarterly official-level EU Files Forum, with the next meeting scheduled for December 2025.

This forum was established to facilitate a dialogue between government and the UK business community on evolving EU legislation. To protect any sensitive or commercially confidential information, we do not intend to publish agendas, participant lists, or minutes.

The Government remains committed to open and constructive dialogue with businesses and their representatives to ensure their perspectives are considered in shaping the UK's approach to EU-related trade matters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_222

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has had recent discussions with businesses on the potential impact of the proposed UK-EU Youth Mobility Scheme on labour shortages. \p Chris Bryant: The Department for Business and Trade regularly engages with businesses across the UK on a range of issues, including the needs of the labour market. The parameters of any Youth Experience Scheme with the EU remain subject to negotiation. We do not provide a running commentary on ongoing negotiations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-26 conversation_223

Markus Campbell-Savours:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress he has made on the rollout of identity verification for Companies House via the Post Office and Authorised Corporate Service Provider routes. \p Blair McDougall: The 12-month transition period commenced on 18 November 2025. More than 1.4 million people have already completed the first phase of identity verification through GOV.UK One Login. 47,867 people started their journey online and selected the Post Office option. Only 40,639 people went on to attend a Post Office to verify their identity.

Approximately 220,000 people have verified their identity though an Authorised Company Service Provider (ACSP). Over 15,000 ACSPs have been registered and a list of 392 consenting ACSPs has been published to support the public in identifying and obtaining ACSP services.