Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the potential impact of regulatory compliance costs on market entry for small businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with the Competition and Markets Authority regarding the potential impact of regulatory compliance costs on market entry for small businesses. Ministers and officials regularly engage with the CMA on various topics, including the role of regulation in supporting growth.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of establishing a statutory worker buy-out framework.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the important role that employee ownership and co-operative business models can play in supporting business succession and growth.
Our call for evidence on business support for co-operatives and non-financial mutuals sought to gather evidence, including on barriers affecting business conversion and mutualisation. The Government response to this Call for Evidence will be published shortly.
We will continue to consider all options which can help ensure the policy and regulatory environment can best support businesses seeking to transition to employee and worker ownership.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing debt-leverage restrictions on private sector investment in regulated infrastructure.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of maintaining an attractive investment environment for regulated infrastructure while ensuring that companies operate on a financially resilient basis.
Requirements relating to company financing are determined through the relevant statutory and sector-specific regulatory frameworks. My Department has made no recent assessment of the potential impact of introducing economy-wide debt-leverage restrictions on private sector investment in regulated infrastructure.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing dividend distribution limits on private sector investment in regulated infrastructure.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the important role private investment plays in delivering and maintaining the UK’s regulated infrastructure. Regulatory frameworks are kept under review to ensure they support investment, protect consumers and promote long-term resilience.
My Department has made no recent assessment of the potential impact of introducing economy-wide dividend-distribution limits on private sector investment in regulated infrastructure.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact of expanding statutory paternity leave allowances on female labour market participation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises that the design of parental leave and pay can affect parents’ participation in the labour market. The Parental Leave and Pay Review is considering how the current system supports economic growth through labour market participation, including its impact on the gender pay gap and motherhood penalty.
All existing parental leave and pay entitlements are within scope, including paternity leave and pay.
The Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings in which the Government will outline next steps for taking any potential reforms forward to implementation.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what research his Department has commissioned into the impact of worker representation on listed company boards on corporate capital investment.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK listed companies are subject to the UK Corporate Governance Code which includes provisions for workforce representation on company boards by having either a worker on the board, a director responsible for engaging with the workforce or a formal workforce advisory panel. While the Department has not commissioned research in this area, the Financial Reporting Council’s annual review of reporting under the Code considers how boards have followed these provisions. The Government expects state-owned enterprises to follow the Code to the extent appropriate, and also expects directors of state-owned enterprises to comply with fiduciary duties followed by directors of private companies under the Companies Act 2006, including the need to have regard to employee and other stakeholder interests, and to the likely consequences of any decision in the long-term.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking through the Modern Industrial Strategy to protect regional manufacturing networks from market concentration pressures.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government recognises that strong regional manufacturing networks are critical to growth and resilience, with 85% of direct Advanced Manufacturing jobs located outside London and the South East. As set out in our Modern Industrial Strategy and Sector Plans, we are supporting manufacturing clusters across the UK through Investment Zones, strengthening and transforming local supply chains, backing innovation and technology adoption among SMEs, and working with city regions to build connected industrial ecosystems. These measures will help ensure firms of all sizes can invest, grow and compete, supporting diverse and resilient regional manufacturing networks.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of worker governance models within state-owned enterprises.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK listed companies are subject to the UK Corporate Governance Code which includes provisions for workforce representation on company boards by having either a worker on the board, a director responsible for engaging with the workforce or a formal workforce advisory panel. While the Department has not commissioned research in this area, the Financial Reporting Council’s annual review of reporting under the Code considers how boards have followed these provisions. The Government expects state-owned enterprises to follow the Code to the extent appropriate, and also expects directors of state-owned enterprises to comply with fiduciary duties followed by directors of private companies under the Companies Act 2006, including the need to have regard to employee and other stakeholder interests, and to the likely consequences of any decision in the long-term.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to patient capital for co-operative and mutual enterprises.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to removing barriers to the growth of the co-operative and mutuals sector, and the Department is commissioning further research into financing challenges facing the sector.
The Department will shortly be publishing its response to the call for evidence on business support for co-operatives and non-financial mutuals, which will set out our position to improving access to finance and co-operative business support more generally.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of state-led capital investment on the supply chain resilience of the domestic manufacturing sector.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Investment, including state-led capital investment, can have an important impact on the resilience and competitiveness of UK manufacturing and its supply chains. The global economic environment is changing, with greater strategic competition, economic coercion, and disruption to global supply chains.
The Government works in partnership with businesses and investors to support investment in UK capability, innovation, skills, and resilient supply chains, and to drive growth across our nations and regions. Where necessary, the Government will act to protect UK businesses and capabilities and safeguard the UK’s economic resilience.