Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) settlement in each year of the Spending Review period is:
Individual programme allocations are subject to annual internal planning. The Department’s CDEL settlement across all years of the Spending Review includes:
There is currently no unallocated capital funding in the Department, and allocations remain subject to the regular review of the Department’s capital spending plans.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to support the UK tyre retreading industry in the context of rising imports of single-life budget tyres; and what assessment the Government has made of the impact of such imports on circular economy objectives and domestic manufacturing jobs.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Following reviews by the Trade Remedies Authority, the Government varied and extended anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of Chinese bus and lorry tyres on 1 August 2025. These measures are in place to protect the UK tyre retreading industry from unfair trading practices, and support jobs.
The Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to the UK tyre retreading industry. Affected producers should speak to the TRA in the first instance.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to support paid leave for fertility appointments.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Government is committed to supporting working people to balance work with their personal lives, including those navigating fertility treatment. Whilst the government has no plans to introduce a paid leave entitlement for fertility appointments, employers should treat staff fairly and accommodate reasonable requests.
Through the Employment Rights Bill, we are making flexible working available to more people, more easily, which may help employees and employers agree arrangements that support medical appointments, including fertility appointments. Many employers already offer compassionate or flexible working arrangements voluntarily, and we encourage businesses to take supportive action.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
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 light of recent job losses in the hospitality sector, the largest employer of young people.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.
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.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 help tackle youth unemployment, in the context of trends in the level of employment 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 in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.
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.
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 information his Department holds on the number of breaches of employment law there have been in each sector during seasonal recruitment periods in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Director of the Labour Market Enforcement’s (DLME) Annual Report for 2023 to 2025 (published in November 2025) provides information on enforcement activity across sectors and areas of heightened risk, including in relation to seasonal workers.
The Government is establishing the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026 which will deliver a much-needed upgrade to employment rights enforcement. Once established, the FWA will publish annual reports on its work and lay them before Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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 assessment he has made of the effectiveness of reporting mechanisms in capturing breaches of employment law among temporary and seasonal workers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Director of the Labour Market Enforcement’s (DLME) Annual Report for 2023 to 2025 (published in November 2025) provides information on enforcement activity across sectors and areas of heightened risk, including in relation to seasonal workers.
The Government is establishing the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026 which will deliver a much-needed upgrade to employment rights enforcement. Once established, the FWA will publish annual reports on its work and lay them before Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the total number of Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate staff; and how many of these staff are a) based in Scotland and b) cover Scotland in their role responsibilities.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) has the budget for 35 members of staff.
EAS currently have one member of staff that is based in Scotland, but all staff can be deployed across the whole of Great Britain as required.
Based on EAS management information, the table below sets out the number of in person or online visits conducted at the time due to covid restrictions.
Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate – Scotland Inspections (Last Five Years)
Financial Year | Number of Inspections |
2020/2021 | 0 (Covid restrictions) |
2021/2022 | 26 (Online inspections due to Covid restrictions) |
2022/2023 | 29 |
2023/2024 | 0 |
2024/2025 | 55 |
Total | 110 |
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many in-person inspections were carried out by the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) has the budget for 35 members of staff.
EAS currently have one member of staff that is based in Scotland, but all staff can be deployed across the whole of Great Britain as required.
Based on EAS management information, the table below sets out the number of in person or online visits conducted at the time due to covid restrictions.
Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate – Scotland Inspections (Last Five Years)
Financial Year | Number of Inspections |
2020/2021 | 0 (Covid restrictions) |
2021/2022 | 26 (Online inspections due to Covid restrictions) |
2022/2023 | 29 |
2023/2024 | 0 |
2024/2025 | 55 |
Total | 110 |
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on helping reduce the number of employers underpaying the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As a Government we are clear: everyone must get the pay they are entitled to.
In 2024/25, HMRC identified £5.8 million owed to 25,000 workers and issued 750 penalties worth £4.2 million to employers.
We are going further- setting up the Fair Work Agency to improve join up with other enforcement and will ensure that every complaint a worker makes will be followed up. We will also publish names of employers breaching the minimum wage more regularly, helping to level the playing field for the vast majority of businesses who do play by the rules.
These reforms will benefit constituents in my honourable friend's area and across the country.