Written Statements
Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship
(1 month ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas)
Entrepreneurship is crucial for growth and innovation in our economy.
We want to encourage anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur to access the resources they need to thrive, but it is clear from research to date that significant barriers continue to hold back certain populations, including disabled entrepreneurs, and this needs to change. Eighty-four per cent of disabled founders feel they do not have equal access to the same opportunities as non-disabled founders.
One of the key issues preventing disabled entrepreneurs from starting and scaling up is a lack of access to finance. We want to work collaboratively with the private sector, financial services and the wider community to ensure that we can address this. That is why we are today launching the disability finance code for entrepreneurship (DFCE), underlining the importance that we are placing on boosting entrepreneurship for all as part of our plans for economic growth.
The DFCE is intended to drive engagement between the disabled entrepreneur community and the financial services sector in the United Kingdom, to build stronger relationships between disabled businesses and the financial institutions that support them. The signatories to this code will open up opportunities for disabled entrepreneurs through committing to implementing inclusive design principles, sharing evidence, supporting disabled founders and increasing activity to support disabled representation.
By building these relationships and championing diversity, equity and inclusion, we can empower disabled entrepreneurs and boost the entrepreneurial landscape as a whole.
The code’s founding signatories include Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest, Barclays and HSBC UK. Current delivery partners include UK Finance, the British Business Bank and Small Business Britain.
[HCWS279]
Treasury Sanctions Designation: Northern Ireland-related Terrorism
(1 month ago)
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The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Tulip Siddiq)
On 3 December 2024, HM Treasury announced a sanctions designation under the Counter Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. This regime is used to target those involved in terrorist financing on UK soil. This action is the first use of HM Treasury’s sanctions power targeting an individual suspected of involvement in Northern Ireland-related terrorism.
The designation imposes an asset freeze on an individual suspected of being involved in terrorist activity by facilitating terrorism and associating with members of the New Irish Republican Army (‘New IRA’). He is further suspected of providing or assisting others in providing financial services or making available funds or economic resources for the New IRA.
This action demonstrates this Government’s commitment to protecting the peaceful consensus of the people of Northern Ireland and to upholding the principles of the Good Friday Agreement in support of the UK’s wider efforts to protect national security for all citizens and prevent terrorism.
The specific designation is:
Brian Sheridan—suspected New IRA financier who has control over Brisher Limited.
[HCWS280]
Food and Drink Advertising Restrictions
(1 month ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Andrew Gwynne)
This Government are committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever, and today we are taking another step towards achieving that goal.
Further to my statement on 12 September 2024, I wish to inform the House that today the Government will lay before Parliament the Advertising (Less Healthy Food Definitions and Exemptions) Regulations 2024 and an explanatory memorandum. This legislation enacts the provisions set out in the Health and Care Act 2022, which amended the Communications Act 2003, for a 9 pm watershed on the advertising of less healthy food or drink on television and a 24-hour restriction on paid-for advertising of these products online. Alongside laying the regulations, the Government are publishing a response to the technical consultation held between September and October 2024 on how the advertising restrictions apply to internet protocol television (IPTV) services, which deliver TV and advertising live over the internet. The consultation response confirms that IPTV services regulated by Ofcom will be subject to the broadcast restrictions (9 pm watershed), in the same way as other Ofcom-regulated TV and on-demand programme services, and we have clarified this in the final regulations. The Government are also publishing guidance for industry on the food or drink categories in scope of the advertising restrictions to support their preparation for implementation.
Following previous policy consultations and the Government’s response on 12 September 2024 to the consultation on the draft secondary legislation, the legislation and guidance published today provide businesses with further certainty in terms of the products, businesses and services in scope of the restrictions as well as practical guidance on their application, so that they can continue to prepare ahead of the restrictions coming into force on 1 October 2025. We will continue to engage with stakeholders during this period.
This delivers on our manifesto commitment to implement the junk food advertising restrictions without further delay, and in doing so we expect to remove 7.2 billion calories from UK children’s diets per year and reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000.
Obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer and costs the UK health service more than £11 billion each year. By taking preventative action now, the Government will begin fixing the foundations of good health and protecting the next generation so that it can become the healthiest ever.
The Government’s response to the IPTV consultation and guidance on food or drink products in scope of the restrictions will be published on gov.uk shortly.
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