Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of employee monitoring tools.
Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Workplace monitoring technology has the potential to increase business productivity and improve efficiency, but it can also pose risks to workers’ when used disproportionately or without consideration of data protection, equality and employment rights.
The Plan to Make Work Pay makes clear workers’ interests will need to inform the digital transformation taking place in the workplace. We therefore committed to making the introduction of workplace monitoring technologies subject to consultation and negotiation.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect graduate and entry-level jobs.
Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to giving the next generation the opportunities to thrive.
The labour market is very strong by historical and international standards, and whilst there has been a downturn in graduate vacancies over the last 12 months, the employment rate for graduates in England has remained steady over the past 10 years at around 87% on average.
In June the Government published our modern Industrial Strategy, which will support good jobs and higher incomes across the country. This outlined interventions including £1.2 billion of additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the proposed merger of Anglo American and Teck Resources for jobs in United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
His Majesty's Government are pleased that the UK will remain as the base for Anglo Teck's incorporation, tax and primary listing, recognising London's role as a global centre for mining finance. We also welcome the news that a corporate office will be retained in London and that Anglo Teck has committed to progress the development of the Woodsmith Project (a polyhalite fertiliser mine) in North Yorkshire, a significant investment in the region.
The Department for Business and Trade will continue to engage with both companies as plans for the merger, including jobs, develop.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current level of confidence in the economy among small businesses; and how they plan to support small businesses.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Small businesses are vital to our communities and are essential to our economic success. Whilst we recognise the business environment has been difficult in recent times for many small businesses, according to the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer business confidence rose in June 2025 and is at its highest since 2015.
The upcoming SME Strategy Paper will outline our vision for small businesses to boost scale-ups, revitalise high streets, improve access to finance and markets. We are engaging with small business owners on the development of the Business Growth Service (BGS), to ensure that we deliver on our mission to make it easier for businesses to get the support they need to grow and thrive.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence chatbots in toys aimed at children; and what plans they have to introduce regulations governing the use of AI in such products.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is actively exploring the implications of integrating artificial intelligence into consumer products including toys, particularly the regulatory challenges this poses for ensuring product safety. The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, which completed its passage through Parliament on 10 July, grants new powers to help ensure the UK's regulatory framework remains responsive to emerging technologies such as AI.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of United States tariffs on UK businesses, and what steps they are taking to reduce those impacts.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The UK and the US have reached a deal which was announced on 8th May 2025. We continue to negotiate a wider economic deal with the United States that will further support our industries and safeguard jobs.
We have announced an additional £500 million in lending capacity under the Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS), delivered by the British Business Bank and we are also expanding UKEF’s business support package by £20 billion, £10 billion of which will be used specifically for businesses impacted by the current US tariffs.
Businesses concerned about the impact of US tariffs can also find clear guidance on business.gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of trade finance regulations on small businesses.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
An area of regulation that impacts the availability of trade finance to small business is the implementation of Basel 3.1 standards.
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is responsible for setting capital requirements for UK credit institutions, such as banks and building societies, including those for trade finance-related activities. The PRA is currently implementing the final set of international banking reforms designed in response to the 2008 global financial crisis, known as Basel 3.1. The PRA's final Basel 3.1 proposals for trade finance tailor the Basel 3.1 standards to maintain capital requirements for the most material trade finance related activities. The PRA made this adjustment to its original proposals in light of the evidence provided by the International Chamber of Commerce which demonstrated that the current treatment was more appropriate.
In addition to regulatory reform, the Government is supporting small businesses to export by increasing UK Export Finance's capacity by £20bn to £80bn, allowing them to access government-backed finance and support to grow their presence both domestically and overseas.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the BBC report about high prices that businesses can pay to rent phone equipment on lengthy finance deals, what assessment they have made of the impact of finance agreements on equipment, such as phones, on small businesses.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Department for Business and Trade has not made any assessment of the impact of financial agreements on equipment in relation to small businesses.
Businesses can reach out to the Business Support Service or their Local Growth Hub for further support and advice before taking out any finance agreements. Further financial support can be found via the Business Finance Finder on https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of artificial intelligence technologies on the customer service sector; and what steps they are taking to support job security in the sector.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
In November 2023, the Department for Education published a report showing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on areas within the UK labour market and education The impact of AI on UK jobs and training - GOV.UK. The report noted that professional occupations are more exposed to AI, particularly those associated with more clerical work and across finance, law and business management roles.
The Government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the Government is reforming the skills system. The Government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage businesses to increase their hiring rates; and whether further support is needed to help businesses expand their workforce.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government is committed to building a firm economic foundation, working closely with businesses and workers to kickstart and rebuild our economy.
The SME Strategy will be published later this summer, including the Business Growth Service that will make it easier for businesses to get the advice and support they need to grow and thrive. The Government-backed British Business Bank aims to improve access to finance to help businesses invest and grow.
Employment is central to the recently announced Industrial Strategy, supporting growth sectors to create high-quality, well-paid jobs across the country.