Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to prevent people from selling high-powered e-bikes and scooters that are not legal for use on roads.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s legal framework for product safety places responsibility for the safety of e-bikes and e-scooters on the businesses manufacturing or importing them. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations.
Vehicles sold for a legitimate and permitted use but which are used on public land illegally is an enforcement matter for the police, under the Department for Transport’s road safety regime.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to ban the sale of (a) e-bikes and (b) scooters that are not legally allowed to be used on roads.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s legal framework for product safety places responsibility for the safety of e-bikes and e-scooters on the businesses manufacturing or importing them. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations.
Vehicles sold for a legitimate and permitted use but which are used on public land illegally is an enforcement matter for the police, under the Department for Transport’s road safety regime.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the findings of the most recent four day week pilot; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure businesses have a structured forum in which to share insights on effective implementation.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We are aware of the findings of the 4 Day Week Foundation’s recent trial.
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. Currently, all employees have the right to request a flexible working arrangement, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that requests are accepted.
We have no plans to mandate a four-day week, or any other working arrangement. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the delivery of these planned changes, as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has reviewed the findings of the recent national four-day working week pilot; and whether he plans to respond to the 4 Day Week Foundation’s recommendation to establish a working time council.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We are aware of the findings of the 4 Day Week Foundation’s recent trial.
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. Currently, all employees have the right to request a flexible working arrangement, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that requests are accepted.
We have no plans to mandate a four-day week, or any other working arrangement. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the delivery of these planned changes, as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that self-employed delivery riders are included in mandatory training obligations designed to protect (a) themselves and (b) the public.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, self-employed people have duties with regards to health and safety where they employ others, or where their work creates a risk to others who are not their employees. Existing UK laws also require that all consumer products must be safe before businesses can place them on the market, including those sold online.
We recognise that new technologies and ways of working have made it more complex for businesses and workers to apply the law, which is why the Government has committed to consulting on a simpler framework for employment status.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing legal duties on online marketplaces to (a) verify sellers of e-bikes and (b) remove unsafe e-bike listings.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
All products placed on the market in the UK must be safe. However, the current legislative framework was not designed with online supply chains in mind. This is a key reason why Government has introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, which provides powers to update the framework and improve the safety of products sold online.
Following Royal Assent, we intend to consult on using the Bill’s powers to modernise the responsibilities of online marketplaces, so that they take steps to prevent unsafe products being made available to consumers and to ensure that sellers comply with product safety obligations.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to implement (a) the proposed PAS 7250 specification and (b) other safety standards for e-bikes.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As part of its work tackling unsafe e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), in my Department, has commissioned the British Standards Institution to develop the publicly available specification (PAS) 7250. This will focus on the technical safety of lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes, e-scooters and e-bike conversion kits, and is expected to be published within 18 months. The new PAS will help manufacturers and other businesses to comply with their legal obligations for product safety.
OPSS is also engaging with stakeholders on future updates to e-bike standard EN 15194:2017.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance Companies House has provided on whether political parties may be incorporated as (a) unlimited and (b) limited companies.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House has not issued general guidance on whether political parties may be incorporated as (a) unlimited and (b) limited companies.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help support businesses to take up digital technologies.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will shortly publish its final recommendations to accelerate digital adoption among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and we are launching pilots to test delivery of support.
Our Industrial Strategy set out ambitions, informed by the Technology Adoption Review, to increase digital adoption in growth-driving sectors. This includes expansion of Made Smarter Adoption up to £99m for manufacturing SMEs.
This complements existing support like Help to Grow: Management which offers training to business leaders (including on digital), National Cyber Security Centre guidance, and implementation of the AI Opportunities Action Plan.