Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 that salons operating rent-a-chair arrangements comply with employment status law where working practices may indicate worker or employee status.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While the Secretary of State has not held specific meetings with representatives of the Salon Employers Association, this Department regularly engages with hair salons on a range of issues such as employment status and compliance, including through Personal Care Roundtables which I chair.
The Government recognises the complexity of the current employment status framework. Bogus self‑employment is unacceptable, and employers should not deny individuals their employment rights by incorrectly classifying them as self‑employed. Responsibility for determining employment status rests on the facts of each case, and compliance activity is led by HMRC. Where operated correctly, rent‑a‑chair models are a legitimate and long‑standing business practice.
HMRC does not consider trends in business numbers and employed/self-employed numbers in the sector to be unexpected. If a business disaggregates, as in the rent-a-chair model, the number of businesses will increase but the number of employees may increase, decrease or not change at all depending on how the business disaggregates.
However, we recognise that under the current framework, many workers may find it difficult to know either what protections they are owed or how to comply with legal obligations; this is why, through collaboration with the hair industry, Government published dedicated guidance for hair and beauty businesses to help the latter better understand their employment status for tax purposes: Check employment status if you work in hair and beauty - GOV.UK.. This Government is also committed to consulting on employment status.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has met with representatives of the Salon Employers Association or other industry bodies to discuss employment status compliance and fair competition within the hairdressing industry.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While the Secretary of State has not held specific meetings with representatives of the Salon Employers Association, this Department regularly engages with hair salons on a range of issues such as employment status and compliance, including through Personal Care Roundtables which I chair.
The Government recognises the complexity of the current employment status framework. Bogus self‑employment is unacceptable, and employers should not deny individuals their employment rights by incorrectly classifying them as self‑employed. Responsibility for determining employment status rests on the facts of each case, and compliance activity is led by HMRC. Where operated correctly, rent‑a‑chair models are a legitimate and long‑standing business practice.
HMRC does not consider trends in business numbers and employed/self-employed numbers in the sector to be unexpected. If a business disaggregates, as in the rent-a-chair model, the number of businesses will increase but the number of employees may increase, decrease or not change at all depending on how the business disaggregates.
However, we recognise that under the current framework, many workers may find it difficult to know either what protections they are owed or how to comply with legal obligations; this is why, through collaboration with the hair industry, Government published dedicated guidance for hair and beauty businesses to help the latter better understand their employment status for tax purposes: Check employment status if you work in hair and beauty - GOV.UK.. This Government is also committed to consulting on employment status.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the levels of disguised self-employment in the hairdressing sector, particularly in salons operating rent-a-chair models.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While the Secretary of State has not held specific meetings with representatives of the Salon Employers Association, this Department regularly engages with hair salons on a range of issues such as employment status and compliance, including through Personal Care Roundtables which I chair.
The Government recognises the complexity of the current employment status framework. Bogus self‑employment is unacceptable, and employers should not deny individuals their employment rights by incorrectly classifying them as self‑employed. Responsibility for determining employment status rests on the facts of each case, and compliance activity is led by HMRC. Where operated correctly, rent‑a‑chair models are a legitimate and long‑standing business practice.
HMRC does not consider trends in business numbers and employed/self-employed numbers in the sector to be unexpected. If a business disaggregates, as in the rent-a-chair model, the number of businesses will increase but the number of employees may increase, decrease or not change at all depending on how the business disaggregates.
However, we recognise that under the current framework, many workers may find it difficult to know either what protections they are owed or how to comply with legal obligations; this is why, through collaboration with the hair industry, Government published dedicated guidance for hair and beauty businesses to help the latter better understand their employment status for tax purposes: Check employment status if you work in hair and beauty - GOV.UK.. This Government is also committed to consulting on employment status.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of police forces to enforce existing fireworks regulations; and what steps he is taking to improve enforcement where police resources are limited.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There has been no recent assessment of the capacity of police forces to enforce existing fireworks regulations. The 2025-26 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement. Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their specific circumstances.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the power, noise levels, and explosive force of consumer fireworks currently permitted for public sale compared with products available in previous decades.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government published The Firework Noise testing report on 2 February 2023. The project measured the noise levels of fireworks commonly sold for public use in the UK. There has been no recent assessment of the power and explosive force of consumer fireworks. The Government is continuing to engage with stakeholders including consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues of fireworks to inform any future action.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of unpredictable firework noise on people with autism, sensory processing conditions, and other neurodivergent conditions; and whether he has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues on mitigating those impacts.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There has been no recent assessment or discussion with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of unpredictable firework noise on people with autism, sensory processing conditions, and other neurodivergent conditions. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on fireworks-related issues and inform future action.
I launched a public campaign for this year's fireworks season. The campaign features guidance for those running events to reduce the impact on the community, and social media materials that emphasise the risks from misuse, and the promotion of low noise fireworks.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to introduce a North West Living Wage, similar to the London Living Wage premium.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is committed to building an economy that delivers for working people. It sets the statutory minimum National Living Wage (NLW) which applies to all employers. When recommending rates for the NLW, the Low Pay Commission considers a range of factors, including the cost of living.
Defining multiple regional economies presents significant challenges and the complexities of enforcing multiple rates would likely impact upon unintentional non-compliance. Furthermore, businesses highlight a strength of the NLW is the simplicity of its administration, with the same rates applying across the country.
The Living Wage Foundation set voluntary London and National Living Wages, but we have not considered implementing a statutory regionally adjusted NLW in the Northwest or any other region in the UK, including London.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 need for a regional living wage reflecting higher cost of living pressures in major northern cities, including Manchester.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is committed to building an economy that delivers for working people. It sets the statutory minimum National Living Wage (NLW) which applies to all employers. When recommending rates for the NLW, the Low Pay Commission considers a range of factors, including the cost of living.
Defining multiple regional economies presents significant challenges and the complexities of enforcing multiple rates would likely impact upon unintentional non-compliance. Furthermore, businesses highlight a strength of the NLW is the simplicity of its administration, with the same rates applying across the country.
The Living Wage Foundation set voluntary London and National Living Wages, but we have not considered implementing a statutory regionally adjusted NLW in the Northwest or any other region in the UK, including London.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 merits of introducing a regionally adjusted Living Wage for major urban areas outside London, including Greater Manchester.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is committed to building an economy that delivers for working people. As part of this work, the government sets the statutory minimum rates for the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW) which applies to all employers.
We have not considered implementing a regionally adjusted NLW. Defining regional economies presents significant challenges and the complexities of enforcing multiple rates would likely impact upon compliance. Furthermore, businesses consistently highlight that one of the NLW’s primary strengths lies in its simplicity and ease of administration with the same rates applying across the country.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered banning the import of goods to the UK produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our position is clear that Israeli settlements in Palestine are illegal under international law. There are clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity. We advise that those contemplating any economic or financial involvement in settlements should seek appropriate legal advice.
Goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements are not entitled to tariff and trade preferences under either the existing agreement between the UK and Israel or in our agreement with the Palestinian Authority.