Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the comparative (a) employment practices and (b) delivery of delivery companies excluding Royal Mail; and what plans he has to ensure similar standards to those applied to Royal Mail to improve delivery outcomes.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the independent regulator for the postal sector.
Delivery companies are independent businesses, and the government has no role in their operational decisions. Ofcom does not regulate the employment models of delivery companies.
The Government will consult on the topic of employment status generally, as soon as possible in the New Year.
Delivery targets covering all postal operators would be a decision for Ofcom to consider as part of its reviews of postal regulation.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 Royal Mail on improving service levels in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have discussed Royal Mail’s performance with the chief executive of Royal Mail and its parent company, and they recognise the need to do more to meet service delivery targets.
In October, Ofcom, the independent regulator of postal services, fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he expects any shift from direct waged or salaried employment towards (a) self employment and (b) use of temp and staffing agencies as a result of measures in the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Act and this is available here: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
This includes analysis on wider impacts, and considers potential employment effects.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with small and medium-sized enterprises on the potential impact of restrictive software licensing practices on their businesses.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers regularly meet with businesses of all sizes.
Government is committed to delivering a competitive and prosperous digital economy. That is why we implemented the new digital markets regime on 1 January 2025. The Competition and Markets Authority now has bespoke powers to increase competition in digital markets.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of measures on zero hours contracts in the Employment Rights Bill on the (a) music festival and live music events, (b) theatre and (c) exhibitions, conferences and business events sectors.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department has published a robust set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Act, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
This analysis includes consideration of increases in labour costs for businesses and the subsequent effects, as well as assessments on how the proposed zero hour contract measures could affect different sectors. The impact on the sectors in question will depend on the regulations that we will bring forward following consultation.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
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 reduce youth unemployment in the context of employment levels in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality sector in providing employment for young people. The Budget made more than £1.5bn available over the next three years for investment in employment and skills support. This funds £820m for the Youth Guarantee and provides £725m for the Growth and Skills Levy, ensuring young people have the support they need to earn or learn.
We are supporting more than 50,000 young people into apprenticeships in England by fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16-24-year-olds, removing the need for non-levy paying employers to co-fund these learners. We are also expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors such as hospitality and retail, where young people are traditionally recruited. All these measures will be available to assist the hospitality sector in employing young people.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 97021, what proportion of his Department's expenditure on Microsoft Software licenses and services was allocated to a) new service implementations and b) renewal or maintenance of existing system; and how this compares to the previous year’s expenditure in each category.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department does not hold this information in the format requested. We do not routinely capture or report expenditure on Microsoft software licences and services split between new service implementations and renewal or maintenance of existing systems. A year-on-year comparison is therefore not available.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework on the competitiveness of UK manufacturers exporting to the EU.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As with other relevant EU regulations, the Department for Business and Trade is monitoring the EU’s Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF) and its impact on British businesses including UK manufacturers exporting to the EU. The government is using TCA structures and informal channels to ask questions and where necessary raise concerns about new EU regulations. During this year's annual Level Playing Field Trade Specialised Committee, the UK raised the CISAF and its impact on Third Countries with the EU.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish the methodology for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department of Business and Trade recently launched a consultation on the proposed approach to eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme. The final approach to eligibility will be published in due course following the consultation’s closure in January.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has assessed the potential merits of introducing paid bereavement leave.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The loss of a loved one is one of the hardest things a person can experience. This is why we have introduced a new right to bereavement leave in the Employment Rights Bill which will be available to those grieving the loss of a loved one, including pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
The Bill deals with the introduction of leave only, and we are consulting further on the detail of the entitlement to ensure it supports employees while remaining proportionate for employers. It will remain at employers' discretion to offer pay, as many already do.