theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile. \p Stephen Doughty: We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.

We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.

We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government will consider providing technical or financial assistance to establish night time air or sea medical evacuation capability in Montserrat. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is supporting the Government of Montserrat and Air Safety Support International to scope extending Montserrat's airport operations to night time, including to enable night time medical evacuations. The FCDO has also supported construction of a new air traffic control tower to ensure regulatory compliance, operational readiness and staff safety, due to complete this year.
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Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to publish the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council Communiqué. \p Stephen Doughty: The communique from the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council has been published on gov.uk. The link is at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-and-overseas-territories-joint-ministerial-council-2025-communique.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking with UN counterparts to help reduce child casualties from explosive weapons. \p Stephen Doughty: Earlier this month, the UK participated in the Second International Conference of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA), and officials emphasised the particular importance of protecting children from both direct and indirect impacts of those weapons. The UK is also a member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict and plays a key role in ensuring scrutiny of conflicts where children are harmed and holding perpetrators to account.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to participate in the 22nd Meeting of States Parties to the Antipersonnel Mine Ban Convention. \p Stephen Doughty: Yes. The UK will serve in the role of Vice-President during the meeting, as well as having a role on the Committee reviewing requests by States Parties to extend their mine clearance obligations under Article 5 of the Convention.
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Sir John Whittingdale:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of whether the recent presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was conducted in a free and fair manner. \p Stephen Doughty: In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state.

We respect the right of the Turkish Cypriot community to choose their representatives in the UN-led settlement process, and we engage with Turkish Cypriot representatives under our non-recognition policy to support the UN-led settlement process. I will meet Mr Erhürman at the next informal UN-led talks to support momentum towards a just and lasting settlement. We followed his recent leadership election and are not aware of any evidence of irregularities.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2025 to Question 86191, what steps her Department has taken to improve the development of health services and specialist medical care in Montserrat. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 November to Question 86192.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of her policies of the recent ADF attack on Byambwe Reference Health Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Christian-majority Lubero territory. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 24 November to Question 91327.
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Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) aid workers are protected and (b) UK humanitarian aid is able to reach those in conflict zones in Sudan. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon Member to the statement on Sudan made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support biodiversity in Colombia. \p Chris Elmore: The UK supports biodiversity in Colombia through the UK-Colombia Partnership for Sustainable Growth and a range of other programmes and initiatives, including the Blue Planet Fund, the Global Plastic Action Partnership, the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate, the Sustainable Forest Territories programme, the Darwin Initiative and Biodiversity Challenge Funds.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the G7 and G20 on the expansion of the Common Framework for Debt Treatments to provide deeper and more timely debt cancellation for highly indebted countries. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 14 July 2025 to Question HL9091.
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support work to eradicate polio globally. \p Chris Elmore: The UK is a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having contributed £1.4 billion since 1995. This has enabled GPEI to reduce wild poliovirus cases by over 99 per cent. The UK is also the largest investor in  Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, recently announcing a new investment that will support eligible countries with polio vaccines as part of an essential package of childhood immunisation.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison places have been delivered through the Small Secure Houseblocks programme since 5 July 2024; and at which locations. \p Jake Richards: No places have yet been delivered under the Small Secure Houseblocks (SSH) programme. Following completion of the design stage, the programme is now in its main construction phase. Based on current plans, the Small Secure Houseblocks programme will deliver c.1,000 new Category C places and supporting ancillaries across the estate.

The Government committed to delivering 14,000 additional prison places in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy. We are on track to deliver these by 2031, having delivered c.2,600 since taking office.
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Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the modelling, estimates or projections for the numbers of offenders that will be immediately eligible for release post the introduction of the changes to the automatic release points as part of the Sentencing Bill 2025; and to include a breakdown of any such modelling, estimates or projections by offence and release numbers by individual days. \p Jake Richards: As set out in the Sentencing Bill Impact Assessment, the Bill will ensure that the country has sufficient prison places by reducing demand by 7,500 places in 2028. The Bill will help ensure that the Criminal Justice System can continue to function with arrests and court trials continuing to go ahead, so avoiding a breakdown of law and order. The public will continue to be protected from the most serious offenders by ensuring prison places are available.

We are working across agencies to prepare and plan for implementation of the changes, and this Government is committed to ensuring that measures impacting sentencing and release are introduced safely, transparently and in a way that protects the public.

Release volumes for current prisoners will depend on whether they are subject to any ongoing criminal investigations or charges and therefore any additional sentences handed down by the Courts, and whether they are given added days for bad behaviour.

Around 17,000 prisoners are entirely excluded from the release point changes being brought forward in the Sentencing Bill.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have absconded from or failed to return to open prisons in the past 12 months. \p Jake Richards: Open prisons play an important role in preparing individuals for safe resettlement into the community, and Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) is a key part of that process. We have robust risk assessments and monitoring in place to minimise absconds and failures to return. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified, with the majority of absconders being recaptured and returned to custody.

Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction. Prisoners subject to parole decisions will likely face longer before they are released.

Data on absconds and failures to return from release on temporary licence are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK. Information on these for open prisons specifically can be generated through the ‘Escapes Data Tool’. Data for April 2025 onwards will form part of a future publication.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 18th November 2025 to question 88988 on Prisoners, a) how long for and b) how much compensation did each prisoner unlawfully detained between 5th July 2024 and 31st March 2025 receive. \p Jake Richards: Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not fully Quality Assured. We are therefore unable to answer this question within cost limits.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff within the HM Prison & Probation Service are reliant on a visa for their employment. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data in an easily accessible format. Information on right to work status does not provide a distinction between employees presently working for the Ministry of Justice and employees who have since left employment, therefore distinguishing the data accurately would incur disproportionate cost.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his department has made of the key legal or administrative obstacles to solving the Locked Child Trust fund issue. \p Alex Davies-Jones: It is a longstanding common law principle that an adult requires legal authority to manage property belonging to another adult. This principle has existed long before Child Trust Funds and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and is crucial when the individual in question is a vulnerable person.

The Mental Capacity Act facilitates access for parents and carers to matured Child Trust Funds (CTF) on behalf of young adults who lack capacity, through a legal process that provides necessary safeguards.

Where a CTF account holder lacks capacity to access matured capital funds in their account, a parent or carer can obtain legal authority to manage those funds by making an application to the Court of Protection. Authority can be obtained in advance of the account holder reaching age 18, and in many cases no court fee will be payable.

A toolkit for parents and carers Making Financial decisions for young people who lack capacity’ Making financial decisions for young people who lack capacity: A toolkit for parents and carers - GOV.UK was published in June 2023 and explains the process.

The Ministry of Justice is considering what further steps could be taken to raise awareness of the current law and improving the court process while maintaining necessary safeguards.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the report of the UK Law Commission's Criminal Appeals consultation. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Law Commission is currently reviewing the responses to its consultation, and we expect to receive the final report with recommendations by late 2026. Once we receive the report, the Government will carefully consider the findings and respond in due course.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what impact assessment his Department has made of increased Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership membership on trade flows to and from the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Chris Bryant: According to the published Impact Assessment, the UK’s accession to CPTPP will help boost the South East’s economy by around £450 million in the long run. However, no analysis was undertaken at a constituency level.

HMRC statistics show that 2024 trade flows between the South-East region of England and CPTPP markets (excluding Brunei) comprised goods exports worth £2.8 billion. The South-East had the third-highest goods exports to CPTPP countries in the UK.

My Department will continue to measure trade flows across the UK to ensure that all businesses can make the most of the opportunities offered by the Agreement’s expansion.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 58286 on Trade Agreements: USA, if he will publish further detail on the quota system with respect to small volume manufacturers. \p Chris Bryant: The preferential rate of 10% on UK-manufactured cars being exported to the US went live on 30 June. For 2025, there is a pro-rata quantity of 65,205 that can access the 10% tariff. From 1 January next year, the quota will be administered on a quarterly basis, this will give companies who make to order the flexibility to make better use of the quota.

We agreed with the US that we can review the quota model. We have consulted with industry and are looking carefully at whether there are alternative quota arrangements that could better support UK exporters. We will provide further detail in due course.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the volume of imported products that were manufactured using Russian oil in each of the last three years. \p Chris Bryant: The Government works with international partners to constrain Russian oil revenues while maintaining global energy supply and security, protecting critical supply chains, and maintaining the stability of global markets. In December 2022, the Government banned imports of oil and oil products from Russia into the UK. On 16 October 2025, the Government announced it will extend this ban to include imports of oil products refined in third countries using Russian crude.

My department does not hold data on the volume of imported products manufactured using Russian oil.
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Lloyd Hatton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of low-cost imported stone on the competitiveness of UK natural stone producers; and what steps he is taking to help support the natural stone industry. \p Chris Bryant: The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including foreign subsidies.

I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by unfair trading practices as it will be for the TRA to decide whether evidentiary thresholds to initiate a trade remedies investigation are met.

The Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices and regularly engages with the natural stone sector.
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James Asser:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the arrangements that will apply from January 2026 for the import of raw cane sugar; and what steps he is taking to provide continuity and certainty for consumers and businesses. \p Chris Bryant: The Government has decided to increase the raw cane sugar Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) to 325,000 tonnes from 1 January 2026. This will allow imports of up to 325,000 tonnes to enter the UK annually at a 0% tariff. It is intended to be in place until 31 December 2033 and will be subject to review ahead of this date. This is the first increase in the quota volume since its establishment in 2021 and will expand the UK’s access to a greater volume of more competitively priced raw cane sugar, providing further relief in import costs for traders, and longer term certainty in the domestic market. The Government does not expect this increase in the ATQ volume to have a material impact on the domestic sugar beet industry.
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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has to include mirror clauses in future trade agreements for agricultural products. \p Chris Bryant: The government will continue to seek fair and balanced trade deals which include new export opportunities to grow the UK’s world class agri-food and drinks sector.

We recognise concerns about production methods that are not permitted in the UK. While production practices differ internationally due to climate, disease pressures, and other local factors, we will always consider whether such differences create an unfair advantage and any resulting impacts.

We will always maintain UK levels of statutory protection in relation to human, animal or plant life or health, animal welfare, and the environment.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support the export of domestic wine. \p Chris Bryant: DBT is committed to helping domestic wine producers grow through exports. DBT provide tailored export support and advice for businesses via business.gov.uk. This includes access to expert-led sessions via our Business Academy and country-led expertise from our international market teams. DBT regularly provides showcase opportunities for the UK’s award-winning British wines, such as at embassy tastings, trade missions and global trade shows that connect producers directly with buyers and distributors. Vineyards and wineries of all sizes can also access UK Export Finance (UKEF), which offers a wide range of financial products to support exporters and export-ready businesses.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to reduce the cost of groceries by reducing tariffs on fruit and vegetables not (a) grown and (b) processed in the UK. \p Chris Bryant: As part of the Budget, the Government launched an application window for new duty suspensions on 26 November to help reduce import costs. Stakeholders have until 4 February 2026 to apply for the UK Global Tariff rate to be temporarily suspended on goods which are not produced, or not produced in sufficient quantities, in the UK and Crown Dependencies, including on fruit and vegetables. As a result of the previous application window announced in March 2025, the Government suspended tariffs on a range of food and drink products including fruit juices, pine nuts and raisins.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help reduce economic dependence on the South East of England. \p Blair McDougall: Under the UK’s Industrial Strategy, the Department for Business and Trade is driving regional growth by supporting priority sectors and attracting investment. This includes working with partners to deliver Industrial Strategy Zones, which provide tax incentives and funding to stimulate investment in city regions such as the advanced materials manufacturing in Greater Manchester, defence in Plymouth, clean energy in Inverness and the Highlands, compound semiconductors in South Wales and advanced manufacturing, photonics, and biotechnology in Northern Ireland.

The Business Growth Service offers SMEs a streamlined, UK-wide platform to access funding, expert advice, and export opportunities, reducing administrative burdens and connecting firms with local and national support through business.gov.uk.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with OFCOM on a) the business challenges facing Royal Mail and (b) Royal Mail's ability to meet the Universal Service Obligation. \p Blair McDougall: Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the independent regulator for the postal sector.

It is for Ofcom to oversee Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation and decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.

In October, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality-of-service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to review the effectiveness of the working relationship between Ofcom and Royal Mail. \p Blair McDougall: Ministers and officials have regular discussions both with Royal Mail and with Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the postal sector.

The effectiveness of the working relationship between Ofcom and Royal Mail is fundamental to maintaining a sustainable and reliable universal postal service.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his department is taking to help ensure that Royal Mail provide timely and reliable delivery of NHS appointment letters to patients in rural constituencies. \p Blair McDougall: The government recognises the importance of timely delivery of NHS appointment letters, particularly for patients in rural areas. Royal Mail is required under the Universal Service Obligation to deliver priority letters six days a week to every UK address, and Ofcom monitors compliance with these standards.

It is for Ofcom to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the long-term resilience of pubs in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Blair McDougall: The Government recognises the significant pressures facing pubs, including those in Surrey Heath, and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.

We’re investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.

The government is delivering its commitment to rebalance the business rates system in England by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million a year, which will benefit over 750,000 RHL properties.

The Government is committed to reducing barriers to growth for hospitality businesses by rebalancing the licensing system. This is why the Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.
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Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's Future of Post Office Green Paper, what discussions his Department has had with Government bodies on providing further in-person government services at post offices. \p Blair McDougall: The Government’s Green Paper consultation on the future of the Post Office closed on 6 October. We thank all individuals and organisations for their detailed responses, including the responses related to Post Office’s role in providing in-person government services. We are carefully considering all responses in consultation with other departments, ahead of publishing the government response in early 2026.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will hold discussions with EP Group on meeting the terms of Royal Mail's agreements with (a) the Communication Workers Union and (b) the Government on (i) workforce pay and conditions and (ii) other matters. \p Blair McDougall: The government engaged with EP Group and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) throughout the process of Royal Mail’s ownership transition. The Deed of Undertaking we agreed with the new owner includes a commitment from EP Group that they will continue to recognise the unions and abide by the future terms of legally binding agreements they make with them.

The agreement between the government and EP Group does not give the government a role in the operational decisions of the business – it remains a private entity.

We will continue to monitor compliance with these undertakings and maintain dialogue with all parties to ensure that agreed protections and principles are upheld.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many consultations his Department plans to hold on the Employment Rights Bill prior to its implementation. \p Kate Dearden: Twenty-six consultations are currently planned to deliver the Employment Rights Bill and commitments made in the Implementing the Employment Rights Bill publication, across relevant Government departments. Five have already concluded and six are currently live.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to regulate online marketplaces to prevent the sale of unsafe products. \p Kate Dearden: UK product safety law is clear: all products must be safe before being placed on the market. However, we recognise that the supply of unsafe goods via online marketplaces is a significant issue. The Government has therefore put in place the Product Regulation and Metrology Act (2025), which allows us to introduce new and clearer responsibilities for e-commerce businesses, whilst promoting consumer safety and ensuring fairer competition.

Government has committed to consult on proposals to modernise and clarify these responsibilities at the earliest opportunity, building upon best practice to create an effective and proportionate regulatory framework.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish information on (a) investigations and (b) enforcement action taken in relation to breaches involving (i) seasonal and (ii) temporary workers over the Christmas period in each of the last three years. \p Kate Dearden: All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their staff receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled, including when recruiting temporary or seasonal staff during periods of high demand such as Christmas.

The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate regulates the recruitment sector and has extensive legal powers to address non-compliance and offending. Temporary and seasonal workers are also entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), and NMW enforcement officers in HMRC can and do take action where employers fail to meet their legal obligations.

The Government will establish the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026. This will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights and will bring together the important work EAS and HMRC-NMW are doing. The Government is committed to giving the FWA the resources it needs to do its job.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Julia Lopez:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase interoperability and competitiveness in the domestic cloud market following recent widespread outages caused by dominant providers in the industry. \p Kate Dearden: In July 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its final report on the UK cloud market. The key recommendation was for the CMA Board to prioritise commencing investigations under the digital markets regime and to consider designating the two largest providers —Microsoft and AWS — with strategic market status in relation to cloud services. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on initiating strategic market status investigations are for the CMA Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_370

Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps his Department has taken to support publicans in the West Midlands. \p Kate Dearden: We recognise that pubs, including those in the West Midlands, are at the beating heart of communities, providing not just a place to socialise but essential services and local jobs. That’s why we’re investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.

In April, we launched a Taskforce to review premises licensing and develop proposals for a more balanced system that safeguards communities while supporting responsible businesses. These reforms form part of the Small Business Strategy, which is designed to tackle late payments, improve access to finance and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.

We are also creating a fairer business rates system, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. We continue to work closely with the sector through the Hospitality Sector Council to address challenges.
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_371
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_371

Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of limiting the permitted dates for consumer use of fireworks in order to reduce distress to animals and to people. \p Kate Dearden: No assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting the permitted dates for consumer use of fireworks. However, the Government is continuing to engage with stakeholders including consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues of fireworks to inform any future action.

The Government also launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community fireworks events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and new social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_372
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_372

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 87864 on Department for Transport: Electric Vehicles, whether he has had discussions with car manufacturers on the potential impact of the entry of electric vehicles from China into the UK market on the cost of new electric and petrol cars. \p Chris McDonald: China plays a significant global role across the automotive sector, and this brings challenges and opportunities for the UK. We closely monitor how changes to trade flows and other issues impact UK manufacturers. While DBT Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, engage regularly with UK car manufacturers on a range of relevant issues, including on the entry of electric vehicles from China into the UK market, decisions on the cost of new vehicles are a commercial matter for individual companies.
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_373
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_373

Gareth Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Government’s Statement of Strategic Priorities to the British Business Bank, what metric is to be used to measure the target for two-thirds increase in the pace of investment; when is the baseline for this measure; and when the Government expects this target to be met. \p Blair McDougall: The metric used to measure the targeted increase is the total amount of finance, both debt and equity investment, committed by the Bank each year. This metric excludes guarantees. The new level of £2.5 billion in annual commitments - expected to be achieved from 2026/27 onwards - is a two-thirds increase from £1.5 billion expected in 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_374

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information his Department holds on the number of haulier businesses that have declared insolvency in each year between 2021 and 2024. \p Blair McDougall: Estimated numbers of companies with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 49200 (Freight rail transport) and 49410 (Freight transport by road) that entered insolvency in the UK in each calendar year between 2021 and 2024 are presented in the table below.

Calendar Year

49200 – Freight rail transport

49410 – Freight transport by road

Total

2021

0

265

265

2022

0

411

411

2023

0

503

503

2024

3

471

474
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_375
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_375

Greg Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is considering regulatory steps to encourage the fitting of fire suppression systems to agricultural equipment, such as combine harvesters. \p Kate Dearden: The Government is not considering regulatory steps to encourage fitting fire suppression systems to agricultural equipment. This is because existing requirements under The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out that machinery must be designed and constructed in a way to avoid the risk of fire or overheating posed by the machinery itself or by gases, liquids, dust, vapours or other substances produced or used by the machinery. Many organisations also issue guidance to farmers to avoid the damage and disruption caused by accidental combine harvester fires.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_376

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for Braintree of 13 August 2025. \p Kate Dearden: The Department for Business and Trade aims to respond to correspondence in 15 working days but in some instances it can take longer. The response to this case has now been issued and the department apologises for the length of time this has taken and are reviewing our processes to support better transfers between departments.
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_377
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_377

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of giving local authorities the power to create firework-free zones. \p Kate Dearden: No assessment has been made of the potential the merits of giving local authority the powers to create fireworks control zones. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with counterparts in Scotland to understand the impact Firework Control Zones have made before considering if similar changes are needed for England and Wales.

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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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_378

Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of negotiating improved business travel mobility arrangements with the EU. \p Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1st December to question 93634 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).

Improved business travel mobility arrangements with the EU would benefit individuals and businesses in both the UK and EU, likely increasing trade between us and the EU and increasing our GDP over time. The UK government is committed to supporting UK businesses to trade more easily with our biggest trading partner, the EU.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_379

Martin Rhodes:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 89908 on Trade Agreements: Dispute Resolution, under what arbitral rules were proceedings brought in those two active case. \p Chris Bryant: The arbitral proceedings for HMG’s two active ISDS cases were brought under UNCITRAL (Mr Mikhail Maratovich Fridman) and ICSID (Woodhouse Investment Pte Ltd and West Cumbria Mining (Holdings) Limited) arbitral rules.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_380

Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department will assess the economic and environmental impacts of exporting aluminium scrap to non-EU countries. \p Chris McDonald: The Department for Business and Trade will continue to work with stakeholders to understand the role of aluminium scrap exports in terms of our economic interests and environmental responsibilities. We plan to listen to the perspectives of all involved parties.
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_381
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_381

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that (a) private sector employers apply their company sick pay policies consistently and transparently, and (b) workers, particularly those who are disabled or living with long-term health conditions, are fully informed of and able to access their entitlement to sick pay. \p Kate Dearden: Government sets the approach to statutory sick pay (SSP), providing a vital safety net to workers. Through the Employment Rights Bill, Government is ensuring SSP is available from the first day of sickness. It is for employers to decide if they wish to provide an occupational sick pay scheme that goes beyond these requirements.

Employers play a vital role in addressing health-related economic activity. That is why we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working review, published 5 November. Following the review, Government has committed to testing new employer-led approaches to support individuals to remain in work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_382

Catherine West:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to (a) safeguard and (b) improve workplace rights for women. \p Kate Dearden: The Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Bill illustrate the government’s commitment to supporting women at work.

Key measures include reviewing the parental leave system, making it more likely flexible working requests are accepted, ending exploitative zero hours contracts and strengthening protections against workplace sexual harassment.

The government is committed to tackling pregnancy and maternity discrimination and supporting women to stay in work. We are currently consulting on legislation which will make it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on Maternity Leave, and mothers for at least six months after they return to work – except in specific circumstances.