Department for Business and Trade

Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.

The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

We are committed to delivering better life chances for all - breaking the link between background and success.

The National Minimum Wage has been one of the most successful economic policy interventions over the last quarter of a century. In 2024, the percentage of employees in low-hourly paid jobs was 3.4% - a record low, and compared to 21.9% in 1999, when the National Minimum Wage was introduced.

In April 2025, over 3 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to the increase to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The Government keeps under review best ways to prevent environmental harms, modern slavery and human and labour rights abuses in both private and public sector supply chains including effective due diligence rules.

Noting the EU’s adoption of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses, and has been in regular contact with the European Commission on this issue through the Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field for Open and Fair Competition and Sustainable Development.

The Government is committed to tackling environmental harms, modern slavery and human and labour rights abuses in both private and public sector supply chains and will take an evidence-based approach as we assess the best ways to achieve this. The Department for Business and Trade regularly engages with stakeholders in business, financial institutions and civil society on these issues, as do other Government departments, and we will consult thoroughly with interested stakeholders as we consider any further action.

Supporting law enforcement in combatting online fraud and other economic crimes, my Department, through its sponsored bodies, plays a critical role in supplying data on UK registered commercial entities to assist investigations and prosecutions.

Companies House and the Insolvency Service work closely with the National Economic Crime Centre and similar agencies to identify threats and trends to facilitate UK law enforcement in preventing and closing down such scams at the earliest opportunity.

Through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we raise awareness about how to spot, avoid and report scams. The Scams Awareness Campaign recently run by Citizens Advice had particular focus on the top financial scams: fake debt advice; friend in need scams; investment scams; pension scams; and parking QR code scams

The consumer rights framework is kept under review to ensure it continues to provide effective consumer protection.

For example, the department is implementing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 which strengthens enforcement of this framework by giving the CMA new direct enforcement powers and the CMA and court enforcers the ability to impose significant monetary penalties where necessary.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.

In November, I met with Royal Mail’s CEO, Emma Gilthorpe, and stressed the importance of a reliable postal service.

Ministerial colleagues and I regularly engage with businesses and business representative organisations. Further, officials in my Department have been in contact with businesses and trade bodies in anticipation of the EU GPSR's entry into force and continue to engage with them. This allows businesses to raise questions directly with the Government.

Ministerial colleagues and I regularly engage with businesses and business representative organisations. Further, officials in my Department have been in contact with businesses and trade bodies in anticipation of the EU GPSR's entry into force and continue to engage with them. This allows businesses to raise questions directly with the Government.

As Royal Mail is an independent business, the government does not have a role in its operational decisions including its responsiveness to enquiries from Members of Parliament.

The CMA has been given bespoke tools to increase competition in digital markets through the Digital Markets, Competition, Consumers Act 2024. Strategic Market Status investigations are the gateway into the regime and interested stakeholders can engage with the process, including firms under investigation, relevant third parties and the wider public.

Decisions on which SMS investigations to start are for the CMA as the UK’s independent competition authority.

The Department for Business and Trade works closely with businesses in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, construction, aerospace, and automotive sectors, and will continue to.

Each Government department engages with relevant sectors where appropriate.

DBT works with all regions in the UK to understand in detail the areas sector by sector potential for investors. In Luton, DBT has a strong working relationship with Luton Borough Council and the South Midlands Growth Hub, where we have a shared understanding of Luton’s strengths in areas such as manufacturing, automotive, creative & digital and the green economy.

Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements.

Where products are identified that do not meet these requirements, the Office for Product Safety and Standards works with local Trading Standards to bring these into compliance with the regulation, or to remove them from sale.

The growth in e-commerce has brought significant challenges to the product safety legal framework. The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will enable regulations to be updated to better reflect modern online supply chains.

The Plan to Make Work Pay sets out an ambitious agenda to ensure employment rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and contribute to economic growth.

Its reforms will strengthen the rights of workers, address the fragmented labour market enforcement framework, and support workers in balancing responsibilities outside work.

The Government is committed to working in partnership with businesses, trade unions and other stakeholders to deliver the Plan to Make Work Pay.

We have not had any engagement with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or Meta on workers' rights.

The government funds the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) to deliver the UK International Consumer Centre. The funding agreement for the current financial year is £456,000. This figure is reviewed annually and agreed with the CTSI each year alongside an agreement over what is to be delivered. The Centre provides information, advice and
assistance to consumers in the UK who are experiencing difficulties resolving disputes with traders based outside the UK.

The Government views effective competition regulation as a key driver for growth of UK businesses. As outlined in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, effective competition drives innovation and boosts productivity, enabling businesses to thrive. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK’s primary consumer and competition authority. The CMA has returned over £23 in savings to consumers for every £1 spent by UK taxpayers over the last 3 years.

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. The government is developing a new Critical Minerals Strategy which will be more targeted towards the delivery of our industrial strategy and its eight core growth sectors. This new Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.

Royal Mail is an iconic part of the UK’s infrastructure, and the government has ensured that the takeover has been properly scrutinised. The government has secured a commitment from EP Group, the potential buyers, to ensure that Royal Mail retains control of assets necessary to deliver the universal service obligation and an additional commitment to ensure that Royal Mail continues to use the Royal Cypher in accordance with existing arrangements.

Specific operational arrangements and agreements for historic post boxes continue to be a matter for Royal Mail as an independent business.

Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) states that around 52,500 patients had in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and 3,000 had donor insemination (DI) treatment, at HFEA licensed fertility centres in the UK in 2022. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold any additional data on how many of those individuals were working, either nationally or by region.

DBT has not specifically assessed the potential impacts on women in the workplace of seeking fertility treatment, however, the Government recognises how important that treatment is to individuals and couples undertaking it. We have set out our immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay, and while the Plan does not include any specific measures on fertility treatment, our plan aims to deliver change so that people are more able to balance working life with their personal circumstances.

The ‘apply for a SIEL’ service (Single Individual Export Licence) was launched on gov.uk on 17 September 2024, the first licence type introduced on our new export control platform, LITE.

To ease the transition for exporters, a suite of training videos, webinars, and frequently asked questions are available online. Live demonstrations are provided, supported by regular engagement with trade associations.

A dedicated helpline offers practical support, and users can flag technical issues.

Approximately 70% of SIEL applications are submitted via LITE, up from 33% in June, 2024. Reducing processing times for all applications remains a priority of ECJU.

HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously and we operate one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world. This is an important lever for promoting both UK prosperity and national and global security.

A range of crowd control equipment is subject to UK export controls and exporters are required to apply for an export licence to export such equipment from the UK. We rigorously assess every export licence application on a case-by-case basis against strict assessment criteria, as outlined in the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, and this assessment will consider the ultimate destination of the equipment.

The UK Government is aware of the agreement reached between the International Monetary Fund and the Government of El Salvador for a new arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, which aims to support economic reforms in the country. The UK will continue to use the UK-Central America Association Agreement to strengthen our trade relationship with El Salvador, which was worth £66m in the 12 months to June 2024.

Ofcom are the independent regulator of postal services, and the Government do not collect or hold this type of information. Ofcom has a duty to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service. It monitors Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service and has powers to investigate and take enforcement action if Royal Mail fails to achieve its performance targets as appropriate, taking account of all relevant factors.

Ofcom are the independent regulator of postal services, and the Government do not collect or hold this type of information. Ofcom has a duty to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service. It monitors Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service and has powers to investigate and take enforcement action if Royal Mail fails to achieve its performance targets as appropriate, taking account of all relevant factors.

I refer the Hon Members to the answer given by the Department of Health and Social Care on 16 January 2025, Official Report, PQ 24604.

The UK currently applies an anti-dumping measure on imports of Chinese bicycles and certain bicycle parts, and an anti-dumping and a countervailing measure on imports of Chinese e-bikes. All three measures are currently subject to review by the UK’s independent Trade Remedies Authority who will assess the impact of amending the measure on UK producers, importers and consumers. The Secretary of State will have the final decision on the measures, and he will weigh up all the evidence provided. Whilst these reviews remain an ongoing process I cannot comment further.

Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the government has committed to the importance of protecting funding on mental health. The Department of Health and Social Care have chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement & Support, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues and providing support for people to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.

Furthermore, the digital service for Employers, Support with employee health and disability – GOV.UK, offers advice on managing health and disability-related needs at work. There is also the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) offers practical, independent, and impartial help to employers, employees and their representatives about a wide range of employment relations matters (www.acas.org.uk).

The Department for Business and Trade allows foster carers to take paid special leave for both training and to settle a new foster child into their home. Employees also have the statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment.

DBT has an Employee Assistance Programme which provides impartial and confidential advice, counselling and online resources for all employees. The department also has dedicated parents’ network who provide advice and support to working parents.

Arms length bodies have their own individual policies and procedures relating to foster carers.

Economic growth is the number one mission of this Government. In November we published our Industrial Strategy Green Paper, which set out that Sector Plans will be designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions and other stakeholders. Sector Plans will identify key barriers to growth and describe how Government and industry intend to achieve long-term growth and create more good jobs in every part of the country.

In addition, the Government will continue to monitor carefully the impacts of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage on the economy. The Government's remit to the Low Pay Commission's (LPC) asked the LPC to take into account the impact on business, competitiveness, the labour market, and the wider economy when recommending rates.

The department does not maintain records of expenditure on measures to achieve net zero.

The department’s estate is managed and maintained by the Government Property Agency (GPA). The GPA is responsible for investment in energy efficiency measures that relate to the department’s office estate.

Details of the department’s sustainability performance can be found in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament. As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer. Public reviews and consultations will be available on GOV.UK as they are published.

The Department for Business and Trade is committed to improving its productivity, including through AI and effective use of data. A range of AI tools are available for use by Ministers and officials across various roles the department, including: Microsoft Copilot, Open AI models and other models for specific uses. There are teams focussed on enabling use of AI by building necessary infrastructure and developing specific AI use cases.

Ministers and officials also have access to a range of data services which allow them to deploy AI and data tools.

We report against the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standard on GOV.UK.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. However operational issues such as error charges and complaints procedures are a matter for Royal Mail as an independent business, with the delivery of the universal service obligation overseen by Ofcom as the independent regulator.

Following its 2022 review of the regulatory framework for post, Ofcom issued new guidance which took effect from 1 April 2023 on improving complaints handling processes to ensure postal operators’ compliance with their existing regulatory obligations. Ofcom has committed to ongoing monitoring of the new provisions. Further information on Ofcom’s findings in its review are available on Ofcom’s website: www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/postal-regulation-review.

Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) states that around 52,500 patients had in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and 3,000 had donor insemination (DI) treatment, at HFEA licensed fertility centres in the UK in 2022. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold any additional data on how many of those individuals were working, either nationally or by region.

DBT has not specifically assessed the potential impacts on women in the workplace of seeking fertility treatment, however, the Government recognises how important that treatment is to individuals and couples undertaking it. We have set out our immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay, and while the Plan does not include any specific measures on fertility treatment, our plan aims to deliver change so that people are more able to balance working life with their personal circumstances.

Details of the meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade are available on transparency pages of gov.uk and are released as part of the Government’s transparency agenda.

However, I have attended events such as AtkinsRealis and Screwfix Live and also met with multiple Trade Associations and companies across the sector through my role as Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, including Build UK, The Civil Engineering Contractors Association, The Builders Merchants Federation and Mace.

The Government published an impact assessment on 21 October 2024, setting out its assessment of the expected impacts of the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 via the Employment Rights Bill.

Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) states that around 52,500 patients had in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and 3,000 had donor insemination (DI) treatment, at HFEA licensed fertility centres in the UK in 2022. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold any additional data on how many of those individuals were working, either nationally or by region.

DBT has not specifically assessed the potential impacts on women in the workplace of seeking fertility treatment, however, the Government recognises how important that treatment is to individuals and couples undertaking it. We have set out our immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay, and while the Plan does not include any specific measures on fertility treatment, our plan aims to deliver change so that people are more able to balance working life with their personal circumstances.

The government is committed to a sustainable universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.