Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards for the marine environment they plan to include in the Free Trade Agreement with the Maldives.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers I gave on 27 November 2025 to questions UIN HL12107, UIN HL12108 and UIN HL12109.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the proposed Free Trade Agreement with the Maldives.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers I gave on 27 November 2025 to questions UIN HL12107, UIN HL12108 and UIN HL12109.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to establishing a unit to promote import substitution; and what assessment they have made of the potential for such a unit to improve the UK's balance of payments.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
Our modern Industrial Strategy is a 10‑year plan to back the UK's strengths and realise our potential, creating a connected, high‑skilled, and economically growing country. We are also establishing a new Supply Chain Centre to analyse key inputs for priority sectors, assess future demand and identify where action is needed to increase our economic resilience - such as building domestic capability, diversifying supply routes and forming strategic international partnerships to ensure resilient and competitive supply chains. We will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the UK's current trade deficit with China; and what they forecast this deficit will be in each of the next three years.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
In the 12 months to September 2025, the UK ran a £43.5bn total trade deficit with China. The UK's goods and services trade balances were -£52.9bn and £9.4bn respectively. Over the same period, the UK ran an overall total trade deficit of £29.9bn with the world. [ONS UK total trade all countries Q3 2025]
Neither the UK government or the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the official forecaster for the UK economy, forecasts bilateral trade balances.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with local councils to tackle the anti-social use of fireworks in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Local authorities and the police have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by misuse of fireworks. New Respect Orders will empower police and local councils, via court mandates, to impose stringent behavioural restrictions on individuals who repeatedly engage in antisocial behaviour. I recently met with the Scottish Government and was interested to hear about the initiatives they are deploying to tackle anti-social use of fireworks. Engagement with devolved governments and local authorities are a key part of the evidence gathering process as we consider future decisions in relation to the regulation of fireworks.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 impact of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on tackling the purchase of fireworks for anti-social use.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There has been no assessment on the impact of the fireworks regulations 2004 on tackling purchase of fireworks for anti-social use.
I recognise that people hold a range of views on this issue. On 19th January, MPs debated two e-petitions relating to the sale and noise of fireworks respectively. As the Minister responsible, I will ensure that all evidence gathered, including views from the debate, and experiences shared by members of the public, are fully considered. I can assure you that public safety, the impact on people, animals and property, will remain central to this work.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality, pub and food to go sectors to remain in business.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting pubs and the wider hospitality sector, which is why we have taken decisive action. We recently announced an additional 15% cut for pubs on top of the permanent reduction in the business rates multiplier for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties.
We recognise that revaluation has increased bills for some businesses, which is why we are providing £4.3 billion over three years to protect ratepayers from sharp rises. We are also launching a review of how pubs and hotels are valued for business rates.
Alongside this, we have introduced the first National Licensing Policy Framework, expanded temporary event permissions, doubled the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 million, and will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy later this year to help reinvigorate our communities.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to hold the consultation on proposed changes to NDAs under the Employment Rights Bill; and what is the planned timeline for implementation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will address the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) by employers who want to silence workers about harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
The Government will consult on the conditions under which NDAs can still be validly made (known in the legislation as ‘excepted agreement’). We will also consult on the individuals that a worker with an excepted agreement can speak to (e.g. the police, or medical professionals).
We will bring forward the consultation shortly. The consultation will inform the policy detail in order to draft the regulations and commence this measure in due course.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 provision of data on employee health benefits to SME decision makers on levels of employee ill health.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care on the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase, focused on tackling health-related economic inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces. We are partnering with employers of all sectors and sizes, including SMEs, alongside employee health benefit providers, to test and identify what interventions are most effective in preventing and managing employee ill health. This will include exploring what support SMEs need to make informed decisions about accessing suitable health benefit provision.
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, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed UK-China bilateral services partnership on trends in the level of UK service exports.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK‑China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) is designed to deliver high‑value benefits for UK businesses in the world’s second-largest services import market.
UK services exports to China rose 81% in current prices between 2016 and 2024. However, in 2024 the UK had nearly a three times greater share of the global services import market (at 8.0%) than of China’s market (at 2.6%) [ONS and UNCTAD data].
The BSP therefore aims to help UK firms access China’s large and expanding services market. It is a mechanism to push for improved market access as well as deliver practical support to help drive UK services exports to China, supporting growth.