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 recent discussions he has had with the Office for Product Safety and Standards on the enforcement of existing standards for (a) e-bike batteries and (b) conversion kits.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under existing UK product safety law, all consumer products, including e-bike batteries and conversion kits, must meet legal requirements for safety when placed on the market. Tackling unsafe e-bikes is a priority for the Office for Product Safety and Standards, in my Department. They and Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to enforce the law including removing non-compliant products from sale. OPSS has prohibited the supply of certain models of unsafe e-bike batteries, and published 22 separate product recalls for non-compliant e-bikes and similar products since 2022.
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: 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 hold online marketplaces accountable for the sale of (a) unsafe and (b) non-compliant e-bike products.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK product safety law is clear: all products must be safe before being placed on the market, including e-bikes.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards leads a national Online Marketplaces Programme of regulatory action to reduce risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods sold online. This involves a range of activities, including regulatory engagement with online marketplaces on products such as e-bikes and enforcement action where necessary.
The Government has also introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to allow updates to the product safety framework and ensure consumers are protected; recognising the increasingly important role of online supply chains.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 current regulatory framework for the locksmith industry.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s framework for occupational regulation upholds public protection, while ensuring regulatory burdens on industry are proportionate. Although the locksmithing profession is not subject to statutory regulation, several self-regulating trade associations and accreditation schemes exist within the industry and provide training, conduct criminal record checks, and inspect their members.
The government keeps the occupational regulation regime under review and continues to monitor any concerns raised by the public or the industry, including those related to locksmithing.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 adequacy of employment protections for individuals engaged on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government does not believe that individuals engaged on zero-hours contracts currently benefit from sufficient employment protections.
The Government is addressing this through the Employment Rights Bill, by ensuring that employers have to offer qualifying workers guaranteed hours. The Bill will also require employers to offer shifts with reasonable notice and make cancellation payments if they cancel, move or curtail shifts at short notice.
This Government is introducing other landmark reforms in the Employment Rights Bill, including day one protection from unfair dismissal, better protection from sexual harassment and improved Statutory Sick Pay.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring employment policies reflect the needs of sectors with high levels of (a) youth and (b) seasonal employment.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State, responsible Ministers and policy officials meet regularly with their counterparts in HM Treasury about a range of issues including on the Plan to Make Work Pay and the Employment Rights Bill.
The Bill will deliver significant benefits to the UK, including, better working conditions, more secure work, reducing inequalities and improving industrial relations.
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: 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: 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.