Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 impact on GDP of reducing average business-to-business payment times by one day.
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 Department has not made a separate assessment of the GDP impact of reducing average business-to-business payment times by one day. Late payments are estimated to cost the UK economy almost £11 billion each year. The Commercial Payments Bill is designed to improve payment practices, strengthen cashflow for small businesses and to reduce their time spent chasing late invoices. It supports productivity, supply chain resilience and growth across the wider economy.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to publish an implementation plan for the Small Business Protections Bill, including enforcement responsibilities, staffing requirements and delivery milestones.
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)
This Government is committed to the successful implementation of the Commercial Payments Bill. The Bill is designed to strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner to investigate poor payment practices, adjudicate disputes and take enforcement action. The Commissioner will have the resources needed to deliver its expanded functions, including operational arrangements, staffing or enforcement requirements and will continue to publish its annual report and guidance.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to establish a dedicated implementation taskforce to oversee enforcement of the Small Business Protections Bill and wider late payment reforms.
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)
This Government is committed to the successful implementation of the Commercial Payments Bill. The Bill is designed to strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner to investigate poor payment practices, adjudicate disputes and take enforcement action. The Commissioner will have the resources needed to deliver its expanded functions, including operational arrangements, staffing or enforcement requirements and will continue to publish its annual report and guidance.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many enforcement actions have been taken under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 in each year since those regulations came into force.
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)
Late payment is estimated to cost the UK economy almost £11 billion each year. The Government’s impact assessment takes account of the cost of enforcing late payment legislation. The Department currently has two FTEs monitoring and encouraging businesses to comply with the Payment Practices Reporting regime. To date, no criminal enforcement action has been taken. We are bringing forward new legislation to tackle late payments. This includes new enforcement powers for the Small Business Commissioner that will make it easier to enforce accurate reporting of payment practices and performance data via the use of penalty notices for large businesses not complying.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department are assigned to monitoring and enforcing compliance with the Payment Practices Reporting regime.
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)
Late payment is estimated to cost the UK economy almost £11 billion each year. The Government’s impact assessment takes account of the cost of enforcing late payment legislation. The Department currently has two FTEs monitoring and encouraging businesses to comply with the Payment Practices Reporting regime. To date, no criminal enforcement action has been taken. We are bringing forward new legislation to tackle late payments. This includes new enforcement powers for the Small Business Commissioner that will make it easier to enforce accurate reporting of payment practices and performance data via the use of penalty notices for large businesses not complying.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 economic return of additional enforcement funding for late payment regulations.
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)
Late payment is estimated to cost the UK economy almost £11 billion each year. The Government’s impact assessment takes account of the cost of enforcing late payment legislation. The Department currently has two FTEs monitoring and encouraging businesses to comply with the Payment Practices Reporting regime. To date, no criminal enforcement action has been taken. We are bringing forward new legislation to tackle late payments. This includes new enforcement powers for the Small Business Commissioner that will make it easier to enforce accurate reporting of payment practices and performance data via the use of penalty notices for large businesses not complying.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 changes in the UK’s global market share in (a) pharmaceuticals and (b) chemicals since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of changes in the UK's global market share in pharmaceuticals or chemicals since the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Global market share across these sectors is inherently complex to assess. There is no single, authoritative data source that captures comprehensive global market share figures in a consistent and comparable manner across all jurisdictions.
The Department continues to monitor the performance of both the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors through a range of available data sources, including trade statistics published by HMRC and international trade data.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 support micro-businesses in Surrey Heath constituency.
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 is committed to supporting all small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including micro-businesses, through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive support package in a generation.
The plan features the most significant legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in finance for start-ups; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets, as well as boosting Digital and AI Adoption.
The Business Growth Service makes it easier for SMEs to access the right support at any stage of their growth journey, while Business Surrey provides free, expert advice for businesses across Surrey Heath.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 potential impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on the rate of small and medium-sized enterprise dissolution since 2021.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) have faced significant challenges trading with the EU since Brexit. This Government regularly engages with business representative organisations and industry stakeholders to understand the implications.
The UK-EU Summit in May 2025 marked a turning point. Negotiations on a food and drink agreement and on linking Emissions Trading Schemes will help reduce costs and red tape for UK businesses.
Our Business Growth Services provide practical support, including free business academy training and UK Export Finance for SMEs to export into the EU with confidence.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of a UK-EU mutual recognition agreement for manufactured goods on (a) GDP trade volumes and (b) regulatory costs for UK businesses.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Ahead of the UK-EU Summit in May 2025 we explored several proposals with the EU on manufactured goods. To inform these discussions, the government assessed the potential economic benefits of a range of measures, including the potential impact of mutual recognition agreements for conformity assessment on GDP, manufacturers, and business cost. This assessment indicated such agreements would be mutually beneficial for both the UK and the EU. To protect negotiation-sensitive information the Department will not be publishing this assessment nor its analytical methodology.