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 and Trade)
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 - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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 - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 his Department plans to publish an assessment of the potential impact of a UK-EU mutual recognition agreement on manufacturers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 methodology his Department used to assess the economic benefits of a UK EU mutual recognition agreement on manufactured goods.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a UK-EU mutual recognition agreement on manufactured goods on the economy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 number of UK haulage firms operating internationally that have entered insolvency in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department does not hold information about whether UK haulage firms, or UK firms more generally, operated internationally prior to entering insolvency.
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 recent trends in levels of business confidence in the hospitality sector in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While the Department does not produce constituency-level assessments of business confidence, government closely monitors business confidence across the hospitality sector.
We have introduced targeted support measures to strengthen the sector’s resilience. These include permanently reduced business rates for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, a substantial enhancement of the Hospitality Support Fund, initiatives to streamline regulatory requirements, and progress on licensing reform toward a new National Licensing Policy Framework. This framework is designed to offer greater flexibility for pubs and hospitality venues, enabling them to prosper.
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 he is taking to support the creation of well-paid jobs in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade is supporting the creation of jobs and opportunities across the UK, including in the Surrey Heath constituency. We are doing this by supporting small and medium sized businesses to export, including developing a new Business Growth Service to simplify finding the advice and support they need. We are also supporting high streets by delivering long overdue reforms to rebalance the business rates system. We have also developed the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and are investing in growth sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121982 on Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, what the expected timeframe is for publishing the evidence submitted to the consultation on UK accession to the Pan‑Euro‑Mediterranean Convention.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government’s response to the call for evidence on UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) was published on 26th March 2026.