Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department can take to communicate with businesses about rising operating costs in a clearer and more timely manner.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Ministers and their teams continue to work closely with SMEs and the trade associations that represent them, to ensure information on operating costs and Government’s support offer is clearly communicated through established business engagement channels. This includes providing key messages through our Backing your Business campaign.

We are committed to reducing operating costs for all UK businesses, including reducing the annual administrative burden of regulation by £5.6 billion by the end of the Parliament. The government has also introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect businesses seeing their business rates bills increase.

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 and medium-sized businesses.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to supporting small and medium sized businesses through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation.

This includes the new Business Growth Service, accessed through business.gov.uk and the most significant legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in finance to support start-ups; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets, and boosting Digital and AI Adoption among small businesses.

Business Wales provides free expert advice, including 1 to 1 support with a regional hub in Caerphilly supporting local entrepreneurship.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to limit the exposure of (a) children and (b) young people to alcohol advertising on popular (i) social media apps and (ii) streaming platforms.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is the independent regulator responsible for regulating all advertising in the UK, including alcohol advertising, through codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP). The Government is not involved in these codes, nor in the investigations and enforcement delivered by the ASA.

The codes state that marketing communications for alcoholic drinks should not be targeted at people under 18. Specifically, alcohol advertising is prohibited in any medium where more than 25 percent of the audience is under 18, and where advertising is permitted, it should not be likely to appeal particularly to people under 18. If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the Codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory authority.

Building on this backdrop, the Online Advertising Taskforce brings government and industry together to improve trust, transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain. A key taskforce aim is to further reduce children being served advertising for products and services illegal to sell to them. An Age Assurance working group focussed on this topic is building a more detailed understanding of the current landscape of age assurance online, and considering how it can be improved.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) alcohol advertising and (b) alcoholic products are not directed at (i) children and (ii) young people.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is the independent regulator responsible for regulating all advertising in the UK, including alcohol advertising, through codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP). The Government is not involved in these codes, nor in the investigations and enforcement delivered by the ASA.

The codes state that marketing communications for alcoholic drinks should not be targeted at people under 18. Specifically, alcohol advertising is prohibited in any medium where more than 25 percent of the audience is under 18, and where advertising is permitted, it should not be likely to appeal particularly to people under 18. If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the Codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory authority.

Building on this backdrop, the Online Advertising Taskforce brings government and industry together to improve trust, transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain. A key taskforce aim is to further reduce children being served advertising for products and services illegal to sell to them. An Age Assurance working group focussed on this topic is building a more detailed understanding of the current landscape of age assurance online, and considering how it can be improved.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had on the need for an independent regulator of alcohol advertising.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is the independent regulator responsible for regulating all advertising in the UK, including alcohol advertising, through codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP). The Government is not involved in these codes, nor in the investigations and enforcement delivered by the ASA.

The codes state that marketing communications for alcoholic drinks should not be targeted at people under 18. Specifically, alcohol advertising is prohibited in any medium where more than 25 percent of the audience is under 18, and where advertising is permitted, it should not be likely to appeal particularly to people under 18. If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the Codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory authority.

Building on this backdrop, the Online Advertising Taskforce brings government and industry together to improve trust, transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain. A key taskforce aim is to further reduce children being served advertising for products and services illegal to sell to them. An Age Assurance working group focussed on this topic is building a more detailed understanding of the current landscape of age assurance online, and considering how it can be improved.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress she has made on reducing exposure to alcohol advertising by (a) children and (b) young people.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is the independent regulator responsible for regulating all advertising in the UK, including alcohol advertising, through codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP). The Government is not involved in these codes, nor in the investigations and enforcement delivered by the ASA.

The codes state that marketing communications for alcoholic drinks should not be targeted at people under 18. Specifically, alcohol advertising is prohibited in any medium where more than 25 percent of the audience is under 18, and where advertising is permitted, it should not be likely to appeal particularly to people under 18. If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the Codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory authority.

Building on this backdrop, the Online Advertising Taskforce brings government and industry together to improve trust, transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain. A key taskforce aim is to further reduce children being served advertising for products and services illegal to sell to them. An Age Assurance working group focussed on this topic is building a more detailed understanding of the current landscape of age assurance online, and considering how it can be improved.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of wealth inequality on levels of suicide.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

People living in the most deprived areas of England face a higher risk of suicide. Between 2020 and 2024, the age-standardised suicide rate for people aged 25 to 44 years old in the most deprived 10% of areas in England was 14.9 per 100,000 people, compared with 10.6 per 100,000 in the least deprived 10% of areas.

The Government is committed to delivering the five-year cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, which sets out over 100 actions aimed at saving lives through early intervention, prevention initiatives, and better support for anyone who may reach crisis point.

The strategy recognises that nobody should be left out of suicide prevention efforts. This includes responding to the needs of marginalised communities and addressing inequalities in access to effective suicide prevention interventions, as well as listening to individuals and being responsive to their needs.

While the overall framework remains the same, the strategy was designed to be iterative, and we continue to consider where further action can be taken most effectively to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide.

Found:

Found: Waterston, Editor, The Mirror Routine media engagement ahead of Autumn Budget Rachel Reeves 04/11/2025 Chris Evans