Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many letters her Department has sent informing postmasters and former postmasters that their conviction has been rescinded under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the honourable Member to the GOV.UK page where the Ministry of Justice publishes monthly management information on the progress of the Post Office Convictions casework team. This page can be found at: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024: Quashed convictions management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
As of the 29 November, the Department had assessed 875 individual cases and had written to 526 individuals or their appropriate contacts to inform them that they had one or more convictions quashed by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024. A further update will be published in mid-January.
I would actively encourage anyone who believes they have a conviction in scope of the legislation and has not heard from my department to register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme on GOV.UK so their case can be considered.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with trade union officials since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers have met with many trade unions, representing millions of British workers, on numerous occasions since 5 July 2024. This is part of this government’s regular engagement with union leaders to support our growth mission, including on multiple industrial issues neglected by the previous government. Information about ministerial meetings can be found on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 foreign direct investment in the north of England.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes and supports investment opportunities across all of the UK. We are scaling the Office for Investment to become the UK’s full investment promotion function providing support to our most important international and domestic investors and help turn the Industrial Strategy and regional growth plans into a clear and commercially credible pipeline of investment opportunities.
For the North of England specifically, we will continue to collaborate with Mayoral Combined Authorities and local partners to showcase investment opportunities across the region to potential investors and to work with them to deliver transformative investment.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 of the Employment Rights Bill on the public bodies for which his Department is responsible.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive impact assessment for the Employment Rights Bill, which included analysis on the impacts on the public sector.
Given the early stages of policy development, many reforms require further development and consultation before implementation. The Department will engage closely with the public sector and wider stakeholders as policy development continues to ensure the detail is right before changes are implemented.
Where measures require secondary legislation and codes of practice to implement, the Government will update and refine its analysis following the consultation based on additional evidence to inform policy options and impacts.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 of the Employment Rights Bill on the (a) materials and (b) critical minerals sector.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.
The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 of the Employment Rights Bill on the (a) maritime and (b) shipbuilding sector.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.
The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 of the Employment Rights Bill on the steel sector.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.
The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 of the Employment Rights Bill on the construction sector.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.
The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 of the Autumn Budget 2024 on the (a) materials and (b) critical minerals sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I can confirm that the Budget will support growth for our critical minerals industry. Already, following decisions made at the Autumn Budget, the National Wealth Fund has confirmed it can co-invest in domestic critical mineral projects to support our clean energy transition.
Furthermore, the Chancellor has expanded UK Export Finance’s mandate to enable it to finance overseas critical minerals projects that secure supply for the UK’s high-growth export industries. I will continue to engage with industry to develop a new, targeted Critical Minerals Strategy, matched to UK strengths, set for publication next year.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of Autumn Budget 2024 on the construction sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to supporting growth and investment in the construction sector. At the Budget, plans were announced to boost capital investment by over £100 billion over the next five years, including in transport and housing, to help unlock long-term growth.
We are providing over £5 billion of investment in housing next year, increasing the affordable homes programme to £3.1 billion and providing £3 billion of guarantees to boost the supply of homes and support small house builders. Alongside our planning reforms and our new Industrial Strategy, we are providing the stability needed to enable a thriving construction sector.