Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 Somerset Council in rural town centre regeneration in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities, including Somerset council. We have launched the Final Local Government Finance Settlement through which the government have updated the way we fund local authorities. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26.
This month this Department have also announced that Leonardo UK within Yeovil constituency has secured a £1 billion contract sustaining thousands of skilled British Jobs and I look forward to seeing how DBT can continue to work closely with rural communities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to create cross-departmental (a) structures and (b) regulations that support small and medium-sized enterprises in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to reducing regulatory compliance costs for SMEs and announced in March a commitment to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament.
We are putting in place the policies and services needed to drive growth. This includes tackling late payments, boosting access to finance, and removing red tape to enable small businesses, including those in Yeovil constituency, to grow and thrive. SMEs can also access a wealth of business and export support via business.gov.uk.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 rural convenience stores to manage their operating costs.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
From April 2026, we are introducing permanently lower business‑rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million a year and benefiting over 750,000 premises. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the government has introduced £4.3 billion transitional support package, to protect ratepayers from large overnight increases.
We have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning around 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. The government and Ofgem are taking decisive action to inform and protect non-domestic energy consumers as well as improving access to redress when issues occur. Later this year, we will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy, to help reinvigorate our communities. These measures will provide meaningful, long-term support to rural retailers at the heart of their communities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of small to medium sized enterprises that are planning to close or contract over the 2026-2027 financial year.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is not able to make predictions on total future numbers of businesses starting, closing or contracting. Our plan is to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, with a culture that supports entrepreneurship in every community and high street.
Our Small Business Plan, launched in July 2025, contains over 200 targeted actions, which will make a real difference to the day-to-day trading operations of small and medium sized businesses and give them the right support to grow and thrive.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 merits of introducing government testing of period products for harmful chemical residues.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 require that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, are placed on the market. There are obligations on Producers and distributors to where reasonable, sample test products to check safety. The Government employs a risk-based approach to product testing, targeting categories with a high potential for danger and do not test period products. During the passage of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, the Government committed to consult on period product safety. Officials are currently reviewing the need for any further research and testing in this area to complement the consultation.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 support the local hospitality sector to regenerate high streets in (a) Yeovil, (b) Chard and (c) other towns.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is reforming business rates to protect the high street, including permanently lower taxes for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000 from 2026.
We are also slashing red tape to breathe new life into high streets making it quicker and easier to convert disused shops into cafes, bars, and music venues. A new National Licensing Policy Framework and 'hospitality zones' will simplify planning, fast-track alfresco dining and protect long-standing venues.
We continue to work with the Retail and Hospitality Sector Councils to improve the resilience of high street businesses by addressing skills gaps and improving productivity through innovation. Locally, businesses in Yeovil can get access to free expert advice, support and signposting to all kinds of Government programmes from the Heart of the South West Growth Hub.
This support, alongside other policies set out in our Plan for Small Business published in July, aim to boost local economies and help communities, like those in Yeovil and Chard, to thrive.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help (a) increase recruitment and (b) tackle staffing shortages in the hospitality sector in (a) towns, (b) rural communities and (c) other places in (i) Somerset and (ii) other regions.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
Hospitality businesses, including those in Somerset and across other regions, play a vital role in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.
We work closely with the Hospitality Sector Council to improve the productivity and resilience of hospitality businesses by co-creating solutions to the issues impacting business performance, including in addressing jobs shortages and building the sector’s talent pipeline.
As part of this, we are expanding Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which fast track individuals into hospitality vacancies by providing flexible training and support. SWAPs have already seen 10,000 starts in the sector in less than two years.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 merits of increasing the (a) funding, (b) resources and (c) powers available to the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) determines the level of funding and resources he needs to discharge his functions. Subject to Ministerial consent, the GCA imposes an annual levy on the 14 large retailers regulated by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) to fund his work.
The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review on the effectiveness of the GCA in enforcing the Code. If stakeholders believe there are additional powers that would increase the GCA’s effectiveness, they will be able to share their views through the public consultation that the government will issue shortly to support the statutory review process.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that people working in the gig economy receive (a) at least the minimum wage, (b) sick leave and (c) holiday entitlement.
Answered by Justin Madders
All employers must comply with their legal obligations towards those they engage.
The Government is committed to creating of the Fair Work Agency. It will bring existing functions like minimum wage enforcement into one place and it will also enforce rights such as holiday pay and Statutory Sick Pay.
We have committed to consult on moving towards a simpler two-part framework that differentiates between workers and the genuinely self-employed.
If workers believe they are not being afforded the rights they are entitled to, they can contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for free and impartial advice on employment matters.