Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will commit to making regulations under section 76(1) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 to prohibit employers from making 100% wage deductions where the partial performance in question constitutes protected industrial action.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government response to the consultation on Protection against Detriments for Taking Industrial Action, published 23 June 2026, states that the government does not plan to change the common law rules allowing pay deductions for industrial action, including partial performance. This is an area of law continuing to develop in the courts.
The draft Protection Against Detriment (Industrial Action) Regulations 2026, to be made under section 236A Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, prohibiting the use of detriments to penalise or deter protected industrial action, were laid in Parliament on 24 June 2026 and are consistent with this position.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to conduct a review into the adequacy of fireworks legislation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
No recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of current legislation governing fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 ensure the same sustainability standards are applied (a) Temu, (b) Shein and (c) other Chinese low-cost suppliers as to suppliers in the UK.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
All businesses operating in the UK, regardless of where they are owned, are required to comply with UK sustainability regulations and standards. This includes the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The government will continue to monitor and assess the effectiveness of existing and emerging policy levers which prevent human rights abuses, labour rights abuses and environmental harms across business operations and supply chains.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to include foie gras in it's trade strategy.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The trade strategy will set out how we can achieve long-term sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth through trade. The development of the strategy will consider the Government’s commitment to uphold our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards, areas in which the UK is a world leader.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will initiative a review of UK treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK is party to 83 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain investment protection and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). In 2022, these BITs covered at least £195 billion of UK investment overseas.
ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without adequate compensation.
The Government has no plans to review UK treaties containing ISDS.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will initiative a review of UK treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK is party to 83 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain investment protection and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). In 2022, these BITs covered at least £195 billion of UK investment overseas.
ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without adequate compensation.
The Government has no plans to review UK treaties containing ISDS.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the turnover threshold to £500,000 for businesses that are required to fund the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) is currently funded by an annual levy on the 14 large retailers that are designated under the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA assesses annually whether retailers which have a turnover exceeding £1bn of grocery sales in the UK should be designated under the Code. The £1bn threshold is set out in the Groceries (Supply Chain Practices) Market Investigation Order 2009 which is the responsibility of the CMA.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has plans to widen the scope of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Groceries Code Adjudicator enforces the Groceries Supply Code of Practice which regulates the relationship between large supermarkets in the UK and their direct suppliers. At the production end of the supply chain, powers in the Agriculture Act allow the government to introduce ‘Fair Dealings’ Regulations, applying to businesses when purchasing agricultural products from farmers. Such regulations have been introduced to cover the UK dairy sector and will be enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator.
The government will continue to monitor the supply chain and will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness in the supply chain across all sectors.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 level of statutory paternity leave on new families.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As committed to in the Plan to Make Work Pay, the Government will review the system of parental leave, including Paternity Leave, to ensure that it best supports working families. We are in the early planning stage for this Review and are actively considering its parameters.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department will launch the review of the parental leave system.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As committed to in the Plan to Make Work Pay, the Government will review the system of parental leave, including Paternity Leave, to ensure that it best supports working families. We are in the early planning stage for this Review and are actively considering its parameters.