Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 31113 on Stellantis: Luton, what his Department's definition of appropriate support is.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are supporting affected workers at Stellantis’ Luton plant by making sure they are fully aware of the options available to them and have access to services they need to assist them in taking forward these options e.g. the Job Centre Plus Rapid Response Service.
We have been engaging with the company, trade unions, Luton council and across government throughout the process to ensure that a package of measures is being put in place to support all workers at Luton facing redundancy. This includes tools and services to find new employment.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 28604 on Construction: Employers' Contributions, whether he has held discussions with the construction industry on the potential impact of changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions on the workforce available to that industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The vast majority of firms in the construction sector are small or microbusinesses, which will see no gain or change overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs in 2025-26. Eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 28604 on Construction: Employers' Contributions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions on employment in the construction industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The vast majority of firms in the construction sector are small or microbusinesses, which will see no gain or change overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs in 2025-26. Eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Written Question 31113 on Stellantis: Luton, whether any agreements have been reached during discussions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers have engaged closely with Stellantis on the future of its operations in the UK.
Regrettably, Stellantis confirmed on 5 February that it will be closing the plant in April of this year. We have a longstanding partnership with Stellantis and will continue to work closely with them, as well as trade unions and local partners on the next steps of their proposals.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Stellantis on the closure of their Luton plant.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers have engaged closely with Stellantis on the future of its operations in the UK, with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade most recently meeting the Chair of the Stellantis board on 1 February to discuss how the Luton plant could be kept open as well as ensuring appropriate support for affected workers should a closure proceed.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of increases to employers’ National Insurance on employment in the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Prior to the Government’s recent announcement on the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, a Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November.
We have protected small businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, meaning that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs next year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
We are considering ways to drive business growth and build on our world-leading strengths in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions on employment in the construction industry.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
More than half of employers, including small businesses in the construction sector will see no change or gain overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs next year. Eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Meeting the Government’s commitments to build the infrastructure we need, and deliver 1.5m homes over this Parliament, will need an increased workforce. We are committed to working with industry to do that.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on recent trends in economic growth.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis includes consideration of impacts on economic growth. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts, including on economic growth, given the current stage of policy development. We expect that the majority of reforms will take effect no earlier than 2026. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to take steps to help Luton Borough Council secure the long-term future of employment at the Stellantis Vauxhall site in Luton.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff on its plans to consolidate its two UK manufacturing sites into one plant at Ellesmere Port.
The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including for the future for the site.
We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council on the next steps of their proposals.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he had discussions with Stellantis prior to the announcement of the closure of the Vauxhall site in Luton.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State has been in contact with Stellantis since July to discuss the pressures in their UK and global business and the future of the Luton plant.
He met them again on 26 November where they regrettably shared their proposals to consult on the closure Luton and consolidation at Ellesmere Port.
We know this will be a concerning time for the families of employees at Luton who may be affected, and we will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council on the next steps of their proposals and how the impact on employees affected and the local area.