Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department were responded to (a) within the statutory 20 working day deadline, (b) between 21 and 40 working days, (c) between 41 and 60 working days, and (d) after 60 working days, in each of the last three calendar years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Cabinet Office publishes official Freedom of Information (FOI) statistics for all monitored central government bodies, including the Department for Business and Trade, as part of its regular Government FOI Statistics series. These statistics are available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
FOI statistics for 2023 and 2024 are currently available online through this collection. The 2025 FOI statistics are scheduled to be published in April 2026.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
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 Act 2025 on the number of entry-level and flexible jobs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights act and this is available here: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.
Our analysis, supported by independent modelling and international evidence, demonstrates pro-employment effects are more likely and deems the overall risk to employment to be low.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
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 the Employment Rights Act 2025 does not negatively impact employment levels.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our analysis demonstrates that the Act is more likely to help more people into work than reduce employment. Making work more attractive and accessible to a wider range of people, such as those with caring responsibilities or health conditions, can help more people enter or return to the workforce.
Changes will be introduced gradually over a two-year period, giving businesses time to prepare. We have launched a dedicated website offering practical guidance and support for businesses and workers, alongside wider communication, engagement and educational activity to raise awareness. We will keep consulting with businesses, trade unions and civil society to make sure we get the detail right.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to hold an African Investment Summit.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the member for Arundel and South Downs to the answer I gave to UIN 101498 on 8 January.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, where the new Fair Work Agency offices will be located.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Fair Work Agency brings together in one place the work of the existing employment rights enforcement bodies. To ensure there is no disruption to front line operational activity there are no immediate plans to changes to existing, nationwide, locations of staff.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what was the total value of the Emission Trading Scheme/Carbon Price Support compensation paid to British Steel during 2024-2025.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
For the last decade, Government has provided compensation to a small number of businesses in the most electricity intensive sectors, including steel, to lower their electricity bills and help keep them viable in the UK. In the 2024/25 financial year, approximately 140 of the most electricity intensive and trade exposed companies received support worth £142 million. The Department does not publish the details of individual awards given to companies through compensation schemes due to commercial sensitivities.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, on what date the security flaw allowing unauthorised access to company details was first introduced to the WebFiling system.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House has investigated the technical issue and confirmed that it was introduced on 11 October 2025 as part of a major WebFiling service update. It was not the result of any malicious attempt to breach its systems from outside or a cyber-attack. The issue has now been fixed and the WebFiling Service reopened at 9am on 16 March after comprehensive testing.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, whether his Department has formally notified the Information Commissioner’s Office of a personal data breach regarding the potential exposure of director details.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House formally notified the Information Commissioner’s Office on 13 March 2026, as soon as it became aware of a potential data breach and is actively engaging with them as its internal investigation progresses. The issue was fixed and the WebFiling Service reopened at 9am on 16 March after comprehensive testing.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, how many unique user accounts successfully performed the set of actions required to access another company’s details without consent during the period the vulnerability was active.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is not currently possible to determine the number of unique user accounts affected. However, Companies House is investigating this from both a technical and customer perspective. Following the initial report, ongoing investigations have found no subsequent confirmed cases of personal data having been accessed without permission as a result of the issue. There is no confirmed evidence that any records have been changed. The absence of any new confirmed cases is welcome, although investigations continue.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate his Department has made of the number of companies whose private dashboard information, including director home addresses, was accessed by unauthorised users.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House is investigating this from both a technical and customer perspective. Following the initial report, ongoing investigations have found no subsequent confirmed cases of personal data having been accessed without permission as a result of this issue. There is no confirmed evidence that any records have been changed. The absence of any new confirmed cases is welcome, although as the investigation continue it is not yet possible to provide an estimate of whether any confirmed cases will be identified.