Department for Business and Trade

The Government recognises the hard work of the Munitions workers and is extremely grateful for their input and sacrifices made during both world wars.

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

A commemorative badge is available thanks to the support of the BAE Systems Heritage Department and the efforts of the Munitions Workers Association. Surviving munitions workers and their families can approach the Munitions Workers Association to arrange to receive this commemorative badge munitionsworkersassociation@gmail.com

The Government recognises that labour market pressures, particularly in seasonal roles, can affect tourism and hospitality businesses in coastal areas.

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

The Government remains committed to ongoing collaboration across Government and industry, helping to mitigate impacts and build a more sustainable, skilled workforce to support the long‑term success of tourism and hospitality in our coastal areas.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has not undertaken region-specific modelling of economic spillover effects for (a) Wiltshire or (b) other individual counties. In developing place-based policy, DBT may draw on cross-government evidence—for example, Office for National Statistics publications (e.g., subnational trade flows; UK input–output tables) and Department for Transport scheme appraisals of “wider economic impacts”—but these are not DBT analyses, are method- and scheme-specific, and are not designed to produce county-level spillover estimates. DBT keeps the available evidence under review to inform programmes where appropriate.

As part of our recently launched Plan for Small Business, the Government is modernising the tax and customs system as referenced in HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap. This will include AI powered technology and personalised digital experiences making it easier for small businesses to navigate their tax affairs.

The new AI tools will also help small businesses avoid common tax mistakes and find the information they need. HMRC will continue to deepen its engagement with SMEs to understand their priorities in simplifying the processes and remain compliant with VAT returns and customs declarations.

We launched ‘Backing Your Business – our plan for small and medium-sized enterprises’ on 31 July. It is a long-term strategy focussing on five areas:

1. Fixing the Fundamentals by tackling late payments and cutting regulatory burdens
2. Unlocking Access to Finance
3. Backing the Everyday Economy by revitalising our high streets
4. Future-Proofing SMEs with support for digital adoption
5. Opening Up Opportunities through export support, public procurement reform, and a new Business Growth Service

This strategy, together with the Industrial Strategy, is just the start of our commitment to work hand-in-hand with SMEs to drive growth.

The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas. Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

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

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

The plan outlines five ambitious actions on how we will make thriving small and medium sized businesses, including in rural areas, a reality across the UK.

Hospitality businesses, including those in Somerset and across other regions, play a vital role in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.

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

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

DBT supports wine producers in West Dorset and across the UK through a wide range of export initiatives and skills development programmes. The Business Academy offers free training and expert guidance to help businesses access international markets, complemented by one-to-one support from International Trade Advisors. The Export Support Service also provides direct assistance with customs, logistics, and regulatory advice. To boost global visibility, DBT facilitates trade missions to key international markets and champions the work of WineGB at major trade shows and Embassy tastings. This helps showcase award-winning wines including from West Dorset– such as Langham Wine Estate – to buyers and distributors around the world.

The Department for Business and Trade monitors the level of SME participation in our procurement through contract award data via a live commercial dashboard which captures supplier type and specifically whether a supplier qualifies as an SME. DBT will publish SME spend data annually (in line with Procurement Policy Note 001). Strategies for high value spend are scrutinised by the department's Commercial Approvals and Assurance Group which challenges teams on whether proposed contracts are sufficiently accessible for SMEs.

The commercial team will present bi-annual progress updates against the department's SME spend target to the Minister for Small Businesses.

The Government is committed to engaging with and supporting small businesses across the UK through the transition to net zero.

DBT has recently announced the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme which will reduce electricity costs for over 7,000 electricity-intensive businesses and reform the grid connections process.

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

The Government has published its Small Business Plan (Backing your Business) in July 2025. We are delivering the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation.

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

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

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold statistics that cover the full range of Govt-funded business support at constituency level.

The Government has published its Small Business Plan (Backing your Business) in July 2025. We are delivering the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation.

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

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

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold statistics that cover the full range of Govt-funded business support at constituency level.

The UK is one of the leading countries confronting the scourge of modern-day slavery, including forced labour. We engage through bilateral and multilateral fora to find ways to tackle forced labour in global supply chains and ensure workers benefit from high labour standards domestically and internationally. We recognise that trade policy is an important tool in a comprehensive approach to prevent, identify and eliminate forced labour in global supply chains and we are considering measures that can help improve supply chain transparency and traceability.

As well as the Fashion Watchdog or Garment Trade Adjudicator idea, there have been other proposals including licensing and increased guidance on managing supply chains. We will continue to review measures to drive up standards across the sector and monitor global regulatory proposals in the sector.

The UK recognises that investors state dispute settlement provisions as an interest of UK business. In parallel to the Free Trade Agreement, we are negotiating a Bilateral Investment Treaty to progress UK interests. These talks have not concluded, and the agreement remains under discussion.

The Secretary of State commissioned the Chair of Trade and Agriculture Commission upon signature of the India FTA and has given the Chair until 24 October to provide advice which will be laid before Parliament shortly thereafter. The Government will then produce a Section 42 Report, under its obligations in the Agriculture Act 2020, in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, which will be laid in Parliament once we have considered the Commission's advice. Per the Government’s Trade Strategy, there will be at least 20 sitting days between the publication of the Section 42 Report and any triggering of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act process.

The Secretary of State commissioned the Chair of Trade and Agriculture Commission upon signature of the India FTA and has given the Chair until 24 October to provide advice which will be laid before Parliament shortly thereafter. The Government will then produce a Section 42 Report, under its obligations in the Agriculture Act 2020, in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, which will be laid in Parliament once we have considered the Commission's advice. Per the Government’s Trade Strategy, there will be at least 20 sitting days between the publication of the Section 42 Report and any triggering of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act process.

The UK–India trade deal includes mobility provisions that support short-term business mobility for highly skilled professionals. These provisions do not affect the UK’s points-based immigration system and are not expected to add to net migration in the long term.

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

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

The final Impact Assessment and accompanying data tables for the UK–India trade deal were published on 24 July.

The analysis outlines the long-term economic benefits of the deal, including an estimated £4.8 billion boost to UK GDP and £2.2 billion increase in wages annually.

The full treaty, including goods tariff schedules and rules of origin annexes are published on Gov.uk and have been laid in the House. The Government will implement the changes to UK tariffs in line with usual procedures.

The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy sets out our key policies to drive growth and investment in every region across the UK. In addition to a range of sector initiatives, Northern Ireland will receive £30 million through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund to drive transformative innovation in the Belfast and Derry/Londonderry corridor. We will also continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to establish the Enhanced Investment Zone. The Regional Investment Summit, taking place in October 2025 will showcase our regional economies and drive investment across the entirety of the UK.

The legal requirement to claim payment for redundancy in writing from the employer within six months of dismissal only applies to the redundancy element of the monies claimed from the National Insurance Fund. It does not apply to elements such as unpaid wages, holiday or notice pay.

Applications can be submitted after 6 months if the claimant can provide evidence, such as any correspondence sent to the employer or relevant officer holder seeking payment. ACAS can provide advice in situations such as this.

There are no plans to amend the 6-month time period.

Of the Department’s ICT contracts, 83% are with UK registered companies equating to 85 out of 103 contracts. The department has a corporate contract with a UK registered company for stationery (including printing materials). The majority of office furniture in buildings occupied by the Department is procured by the Government Property Agency (GPA).

We do not hold information on the country of manufacture of ICT, stationery or office furniture commodities.

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services. The Procurement Act 2023 contains numerous provisions to support UK businesses win public contracts and the Cabinet Office is currently consulting on a package of further reforms to public procurement to support the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Of the Department’s ICT contracts, 83% are with UK registered companies equating to 85 out of 103 contracts. The department has a corporate contract with a UK registered company for stationery (including printing materials). The majority of office furniture in buildings occupied by the Department is procured by the Government Property Agency (GPA).

We do not hold information on the country of manufacture of ICT, stationery or office furniture commodities.

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services. The Procurement Act 2023 contains numerous provisions to support UK businesses win public contracts and the Cabinet Office is currently consulting on a package of further reforms to public procurement to support the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Where a dismissal occurs prior to an insolvency event the individual should contact the relevant officer appointed in the insolvency as a claim can still be made for payment from the National Insurance Fund. If the details of that officer are not known, the Redundancy Payments Service can provide these. Some elements of the claim may be affected by the time lapse between date of dismissal and the insolvency event.

Help on how to claim is available from the ACAS, Citizens Advice Bureau or the RPS. There is also guidance on GOV.UK: Your rights if your employer is insolvent: Overview - GOV.UK.

The Department for Business and Trade and its arms-length bodies do not have any policies to specifically encourage procurement of British made office products and stationery. However, the Government is committed to supporting British businesses, ensuring they have opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.

Cabinet Office is consulting on a package of further reforms to public procurement regulation to support the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The government has committed to cut the administrative costs of regulation to business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. By focusing on reducing administrative costs, we will ensure that regulations achieve their policy objectives in the most efficient way possible with the lowest possible costs to business. My department is working across government to support delivery of this target and make businesses’ lives easier, including SMEs who represent the majority of businesses and are foundational to our economy.

Impact assessments are generally required for all the Government’s interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector and-or civil society organisation or public services. The Better Regulation Framework requires regulatory provisions with impacts on business of greater than +/-£10 million to be accompanied by a final impact assessment which is laid before Parliament alongside the regulations. These assessments consider the impact on small businesses, explore whether such businesses need to be in scope and identify mitigations for the additional burden.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister announced that government will cut administrative costs of regulation to all business, including SMEs, by 25% by the end of this Parliament. We are working across government to deliver this target to make it easier to do business in the UK. The target focuses on reducing the overall burden of regulation rather than the number of regulations. Whilst there is no SME-specific target, we will be considering where regulation has a disproportionate impact upon SMEs and should be removed, supporting the aims of the plan for Small and Medium sized Businesses.

Currently, the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (PTRs) set out all the necessary information that consumers should receive about the package holiday they are buying before and after the contract is concluded. This includes details on the insolvency protection in place amongst other key details.

We recently consulted on the PTRs and conducted consumer research as part of the process. We are considering how to address the issues identified.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 are enforced by individual Local Trading Standards Departments with the Civil Aviation Authority overseeing Air Travel Organisers License protected holidays that include flights.

We are working closely with the industry and regulators to help them understand and comply with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (PTRs). There are also three DBT approved bodies which assess and monitor business insolvency risk and have codes of conduct travel operators must abide by, as well as offering dispute resolution services if needed.

We have recently undertaken a consultation on the PTRs that included several workshops with industry. We will continue to engage with them on possible legislative changes. This includes the development of guidance that will help them to be compliant.

The Government is currently considering the responses from the Call for Evidence to shape future trade measures on steel following the expiry of the steel Safeguard in June 2026.

The future of the steel sector is of great importance to this Government as well as the UK's prosperity and security. This Call for Evidence reflects the UK Government's longstanding commitment to ensuring sufficient measures are in place to address the impact of global steel overcapacity and to strengthen the security of the UK's critical supply chains.

We will announce next steps in due course.

The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will only be applicable to businesses within Great Britain. This is due to the energy market being devolved within Northern Ireland, where a Shared Energy Market is operated with the Republic of Ireland.

We will continue to work in partnership with the Government of Northern Ireland to ensure the Industrial Strategy benefits people and businesses in Northern Ireland. This includes working with the Northern Ireland Executive to establish an Enhanced Investment Zone, as well as funding support for growth-driving sectors like advanced manufacturing and defence to further drive growth where Northern Ireland thrives.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade outlined a clear mission: to support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and economic growth across the UK. Key departmental initiatives that support job creation include championing free trade agreements, securing foreign investment, supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to export, reforming regulations for economic growth, developing the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, and investing in growth sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. Since taking office, the Government has welcomed over £100 billion in investment announcements. And the latest ONS data shows that from June 2024 to March 2025 the number of jobs in the UK increased by around 384,000.

This government is developing a Steel Strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable industry and the actions needed to get there. The strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals. We intend to publish the Steel Strategy later in the year and will incorporate our response to the Plan for Steel consultation.

(a)

Anyone selling precious metals items must comply with the Hallmarking Act 1973. British Hallmarking Council guidance is available at: ”Selling articles of precious metal on the internet - GOV.UK”. In January 2025, I met some of the major online marketplaces and emphasised the importance of ensuring non-compliant products are not made available through their channels.

(b)

VAT collection is already regulated by HMRC under the VAT Act 1994, with updates from the Finance Act 2021 that place VAT obligations on online marketplaces. Since 2021 online marketplaces are liable to VAT from overseas sellers operating on their platform, levelling the playing field with UK businesses.

Legislation requires that cosmetics, including sun creams, must be safe. To ensure that products are safe before sale, a safety assessment must be completed by a qualified assessor.

Sun protection products which have been recommended by the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) for NHS prescribing for specified conditions are listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. Products which are not medicines or medical devices may be prescribed by clinicians. If a sun cream is prescribed that is not classified as a medical device it will still need to meet the safety requirements in the Cosmetic Regulation.

The Government is committed to ensuring Companies House is fully resourced to fulfil its new functions. In May 2024, the incorporation fee and annual fee increased from £12 to £50, and £13 to £34 respectively. This funding, alongside £19m from the Economic Crime Levy, has provided additional resources across Companies House and the Insolvency Service to tackle economic crime.

Companies House has grown considerably since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 passed, increasing from around 1,400 to 2,142 staff. This will further increase in the coming months. Fees remain under review to ensure Companies House remains sufficiently resourced.

Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.

Growing our bilateral trade is a shared priority. As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada have established a new Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This includes seeking to address existing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements into new areas, including digital trade.

The Working Group will begin meeting in the months ahead and report back to both Prime Ministers within six months.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct across the economy. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and the merits of alternative means of supporting responsible business practices.

As part of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, we have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef. For the first time ever, British farmers can sell their high-quality British beef to a market of over 300 million people, helping farmers grow their business.

Our approach to this trade deal has ensured that any agricultural imports coming into the UK will continue to meet the highest food, animal welfare and environmental standards. Imports of hormone treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal.

We continue to engage extensively with the agricultural and food sectors.

The Business and Trade Secretary had a warm introductory conversation with his Canadian counterpart Minister Sidhu at the G7, where they discussed the bilateral trading relationship and agreed to work together on deepening and growing the bilateral trading relationship further. They did not discuss a trade deal with Argentina.

The Department for Business and Trade monitors developments that may affect the implementation of the UK–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, including those with environmental implications. The UK raised the issue of oil and gas developments with New Zealand during the Environment and Climate Change Sub-Committee meeting in May 2025. The Department continues to keep this matter under review, working closely with colleagues at the British High Commission Wellington.

The weaponisation of trade for geopolitical purposes is growing. This Government recognised those risks in our National Security Strategy, and why the Department of Business and Trade announced in the Trade Strategy that we would reform our trade defence tools, including seeking views on new powers to respond to deliberate economic pressure against the UK. Moreover, through the Trade and Industrial Strategies we are working to make our supply chains and economy more resilient and secure, including through simplifying export support services to help businesses diversify and build resilience, and establishing a Supply Chain Centre and an Economic Security Advisory Service.