Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans his Department has to support small-medium enterprises in Cornwall, in the context of the proposed rise in employers' National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is reforming business rates to offer permanent reductions for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, which represent a significant portion of Cornwall's SMEs. We have also shielded the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of increased Employer National Insurance by raising the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500.
Looking ahead, the government has announced plans to launch a Business Growth Service, designed as a national initiative with local delivery at its core, and will publish a Small Business Strategy Command Paper later this year.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish his timetable for the third Statutory Review of the Pubs Code and the Pubs Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The next statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator, as required by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 and associated regulations, will cover the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025. The review will commence once the current review period has ended.
The Secretary of State is required to publish a report of the findings of the review and lay a copy of the report before Parliament as soon as practicable after the end of the review period.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of investing in the marine economy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade recognises the critical importance of the marine economy to the UK, facilitating around 95% of the country’s trade in goods, directly employing 227,000 people and generating over £55bn in business turnover in 2019. This sector also plays a vital role in advancing the UK’s sustainability goals - highlighted by the Department for Transport's recent announcement of a further £30m investment into the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. My department works closely with the sector to support new investment opportunities and to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to support small businesses with the costs of compliance with (a) EU general safety and performance requirements and (b) EU regulations.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK businesses exporting medical devices to the EU should comply with EU General Safety and Performance Requirements (GSPR), which outline the criteria for medical and in vitro diagnostic devices marketed in the EU. These apply under the EU Medical Device Regulations (MDR) and the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), which came into force in 2017.
Responsibility for interpreting and providing guidance on EU legislation rests with the European Commission. For detailed guidance, businesses should refer to the European Commission's website. UK Government continue to assess implementation milestones of MDR and IVDR. Businesses experiencing EU market access issues, may seek support via the UK Export Support Service.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 the EU General Product Safety Regulation on UK small businesses exporting to the EU.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I appreciate that for some businesses, the updated EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) will require changes, and we take these concerns very seriously. Government is supporting small businesses to understand GPSR and is engaging directly with businesses to assess the regulation’s impact.
We have published guidance on GPSR’s application in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review. The responsibility for interpreting EU legislation lies with the European Commission. The Commission have published their own business guidance and impact assessment of the regulation.
Small businesses exporting to the EU may also wish to contact the Government’s Export Support Service.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 small businesses exporting to the EU to navigate the requirements set out in the EU General Product Safety Regulation.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is supporting small businesses to understand and comply with the new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). We published information on GOV.UK regarding its application in Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue engaging directly with businesses. Since October, the UK Export Academy has delivered five free online GPSR training sessions, with over 2,600 attendees.
The responsibility for interpreting and providing guidance on EU legislation rests with the European Commission. Exporters to the EU should consult EU guidance and may also contact the Government’s Export Support Service.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 help tackle rogue builders.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are a strong set of consumer law duties that apply to builders like any other trader in the UK, and the Government believes that dealing with rogue builders is primarily a matter of effective enforcement of that legislation. To this end DBT is strengthening consumer law enforcement through the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The Act gives the CMA new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties on businesses which exploit their customers.