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 survey by the British Retail Consortium on 29 April, particularly the finding that 52 per cent of human resources directors surveyed suggested the Employment Rights Bill would reduce staffing levels.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Delivering on our plan to Make Work Pay is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all. We are committed to working in partnership with businesses to realise that ambition, enabling businesses and workers to thrive.
The Government has consulted with stakeholders extensively. We have collaborated directly with over 170 stakeholders, working in partnership to deliver on our Plan to Make Work Pay. Many of these conversations touch on research undertaken by external organisations.
My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This initial analysis includes consideration of the potential effects on employment; the risk is currently deemed low. This analysis is available at: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK. This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.
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 more investment into British publicly traded companies.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK government has been taking action to boost investment in British publicly traded companies by promoting stability and delivering the reforms needed to support growth as set out in the Chancellor’s Mansion House speech last year.
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 10 percent tariffs that the United States of America has placed on United Kingdom imports; and how will this affect United Kingdom manufacturing and exports.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is disappointed by the announcement of an increase in tariffs, which are not in the UK’s national interest, and we understand businesses are concerned.
That is why the government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States, and we will continue to engage with the US to understand the details of how these tariffs will be implemented.
We remain resolute in our support for UK industry across the board. We have already heard from a number of business organisations including the CBI and the British Chamber of Commerce, that they support our approach and want us to continue working to secure an economic deal with the US. Ministers and officials will continue to meet with impacted stakeholders from a range of sectors.
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 the increase in minimum wage on 1 April on the number of job vacancies.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the Impact Assessment accompanying the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage (NLW) rates, the economic literature to date shows that increases to the NLW have had a limited impact on labour demand.
There were around 816,000 vacancies in December 2024 to February 2025, broadly unchanged on the quarter, based on the latest official data.
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 (1) the introduction of 25 per cent tariffs on European car imports to the United States, and (2) the impact of those tariffs on UK car exports.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We’re disappointed by the decision to impose global tariffs of 25% on the auto imports and know this will be deeply concerning for our automotive sector. We support our automotive industry, and in the first instance we will continue to pursue a deal that works for both us and the US.
We have backed the auto sector with £2 billion to support the transition of domestic manufacturing and £300 million announced in the Budget to drive uptake of electric vehicles. We will also use our Industrial Strategy to strengthen UK automotive competitiveness.
This government is clear that we will always do what is necessary to defend the UK’s national interest. This is why the government has launched a request for input from businesses to help shape our response to US tariffs.
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 strengthen trade relations with the United States of America, particularly in the technology and digital sectors.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK-US relationship is already very strong, with trade worth £315 billion in 2024, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023.
As you will be aware, on Tuesday 18 March, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the Special Envoy to the UK Mark Burnett in Washington DC. The meeting followed last month’s agreement between the Prime Minister and President Trump that teams would start working together on an Economic Prosperity Deal, building on our shared strengths and commitment to economic security.
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 net zero targets on the car industry in the UK, particularly in relation to new vehicle manufacturing.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State and Minister Sarah Jones speak to the automotive industry regularly, so we know targets are important for certainty. We also need to ensure the transition to Zero Emission vehicles works for industry. That is why the Department for Transport has recently sought views from industry on how Government can best support it to meet the targets in the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. The response will be published in the near future.
This Government has also committed over £2 billion of funding to 2030 for zero emission vehicle manufacturing and supply chains. This support will be crucial for scaling up green technologies - supporting growth across the 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 statement by the British Retail Consortium that 160,000 part-time retail jobs may be at risk as a result of regulatory changes and increased employer costs.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is creating a fairer business rate system and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities.
Delivering on our plan to Make Work Pay is a core part of the Government's Plan for Change, supporting the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all. The Department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis includes consideration of increases in labour costs for businesses and the subsequent effects. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.
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 ensure that the Department for Business and Trade has sufficient resources to attract inward investment into the UK.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are expanding the Office for Investment to ensure it is fit for purpose and has the capability needed to continue to showcase the UK as the first choice for investment and the best place in the world to do business. The enhanced OfI will originate and execute major deals, develop commercially attractive investment propositions, market the UK to investors globally, and coordinate investment activity across Government. This will ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader for attracting international investment which is central to our mission to drive growth, job creation and productivity across the 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 how the UK's trade relations with the EU could harm the UK's trade relations with the United States.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Prime Minister has made clear that the UK is not choosing between the US and the EU. As set out by the Chancellor, we recognise that our markets are highly interconnected. This government's main priority is growing the UK economy - strengthening trade with our most economically important markets is a major part of that.
We are committed to continuing our work with both the US and the EU to remove barriers to trade and help UK businesses grow.