Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of limiting the use of fireworks to specific times and days.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Existing legislation already restricts the use of fireworks between 11pm and 7am, with later cut-off times for Bonfire Night, New Year, Diwali and Chinese New Year. The Government recently concluded a public consultation on targeted reforms to fireworks and pyrotechnics legislation, launched in response to public and parliamentary concerns about noise, safety and misuse. The consultation closed on 7 October 2026 and the Government is reviewing responses, which will help inform decisions on any future legislative or policy changes.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what metrics his Department is using to assess the Early Careers Jobs Alliance in whether it is helping to maintain entry-level employment for young people.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Early Careers Jobs Alliance brings together government, employers, trade unions and young people, initially focussed on the digital and technology sector, to understand how AI is changing entry-level work and how businesses can maintain pathways into employment. Backed by £20 million of UKRI funding, the Alliance will deliver pilot programmes to test and evaluate approaches to sustaining high-quality entry-level opportunities as AI is adopted.
Alongside the pilot programmes, the Alliance will work with the AI Economics Institute and other government partners to track entry-level hiring. This evidence will help assess whether pathways into employment for young people are being maintained and identify what works.
Asked by: Adnan Hussain (Independent - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring employers to provide basic employment references for former employees.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government has not assessed the merits of requiring employers to provide employment references for former employees. Employers can choose whether to provide a reference, except where there is specific legal or contractual obligation to do so. However, where an employer does provide a reference, common law requires it to be fair, truthful, accurate and not misleading. ACAS publishes guidance for employers on this issue on its website.
The government recognises concerns that some recruitment practices may create barriers to labour market participation and will consider how best to work with employers to reduce any potential barriers. However, at this time there are no plans to require further steps from employers on this issue.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing legislation in holding online platforms and search engines accountable for fraudulent locksmith business advertisements published through their services.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government is aware of concerns about fraudulent locksmiths advertising and the harm it causes consumers and legitimate locksmith businesses. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions and omissions, and clarifies that online platforms must exercise professional diligence in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.
The department is engaging with relevant stakeholders (including the Master Locksmiths Association) and enforcement bodies to better understand the issue and consider how fraudulent practices can best be addressed.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fraudulent locksmith advertising on (a) consumers and (b) legitimate locksmith businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government is aware of concerns about fraudulent locksmiths advertising and the harm it causes consumers and legitimate locksmith businesses. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions and omissions, and clarifies that online platforms must exercise professional diligence in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.
The department is engaging with relevant stakeholders (including the Master Locksmiths Association) and enforcement bodies to better understand the issue and consider how fraudulent practices can best be addressed.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many cases of alleged fraudulent voluntary insolvency of companies have been the subject of investigation in the last three years where the Department, agencies or regulators have been aware that potential victims of the alleged fraud were being pursued by administrators or insolvency practitioners.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fraudulent voluntary insolvency is not an investigation criterion used by the Insolvency Service. The Insolvency Service holds data on insolvency practitioner appointments and the directors of insolvent companies. However, its case management systems cannot match these datasets to identify insolvent companies that have both the same directors and the same insolvency practitioner
Insolvency practitioners must report to the Insolvency Service on directors’ conduct. These reports do not record whether an insolvency practitioner is pursuing potential victims of alleged fraud. The requested figures are not held centrally and only could be produced through a manual review which would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many companies currently being investigated for alleged fraudulent voluntary insolvency have been declared insolvent by the same directors and involve appointment of the same administrators.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fraudulent voluntary insolvency is not an investigation criterion used by the Insolvency Service. The Insolvency Service holds data on insolvency practitioner appointments and the directors of insolvent companies. However, its case management systems cannot match these datasets to identify insolvent companies that have both the same directors and the same insolvency practitioner
Insolvency practitioners must report to the Insolvency Service on directors’ conduct. These reports do not record whether an insolvency practitioner is pursuing potential victims of alleged fraud. The requested figures are not held centrally and only could be produced through a manual review which would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what consultations have been held with the UK defence manufacturing sector regarding the implementation of the National Security Strategy 2025.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government engages regularly with the UK defence manufacturing sector on the delivery of its national security and defence priorities. This engagement has informed the Defence Industrial Strategy, which sets out how Government and industry will work together to strengthen the UK’s defence industrial base, support UK-based businesses, accelerate innovation and build greater industrial resilience. This supports the National Security Strategy 2025 commitment to rebuild the UK’s defence industrial base and increase sovereign capabilities.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many individual companies have received investment from the Sovereign AI Fund.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the Government will publish a draft National Policy Statement for data centres for consultation, and which Department will lead this following the machinery of Government changes.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade is leading the development of the Data Centres National Policy Statement. The National Policy Statement, once published, will explain to prospective developers what is required to apply under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime and set out the policy framework for the relevant Secretary of State to make decisions on applications. We expect to publish the draft National Policy Statement in due course and will launch a public consultation shortly after its publication.