Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many enquiries his Department has received on the EU Regulation on General Product Safety in each month between June 2024 and January 2025.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has received more than 500 queries on the new GPSR since June 2024, with the majority coming in December 2024. Officials have responded to these queries in a timely manner.
Government has been raising awareness of the regulation through its own channels as well as through trusted stakeholders, which falls under standard operating costs for the Department. We have published guidance on GPSR in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review, and continue to engage directly with businesses.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department has spent on increasing awareness of the EU Regulation on General Product Safety.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has received more than 500 queries on the new GPSR since June 2024, with the majority coming in December 2024. Officials have responded to these queries in a timely manner.
Government has been raising awareness of the regulation through its own channels as well as through trusted stakeholders, which falls under standard operating costs for the Department. We have published guidance on GPSR in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review, and continue to engage directly with businesses.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much time staff in his Department have spent dealing with enquiries on the EU Regulation on General Product Safety in each month between June 2024 and January 2025.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has received more than 500 queries on the new GPSR since June 2024, with the majority coming in December 2024. Officials have responded to these queries in a timely manner.
Government has been raising awareness of the regulation through its own channels as well as through trusted stakeholders, which falls under standard operating costs for the Department. We have published guidance on GPSR in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review, and continue to engage directly with businesses.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an impact assessment for the EU Regulation on General Product Safety.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our assessment of the impact of the updated GPSR remains that it largely formalises how businesses are operating in the UK and that where businesses need to make changes, in most cases, they are already adapting to continue trading with the EU. The measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. We have provided guidance, which we will keep under review, and are engaging businesses directly to ensure they are supported to trade freely across the UK and with the EU.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many meetings Ministers in his Department had with trade bodies on the EU Regulation on General Product Safety before those regulations came into force.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministerial colleagues and I regularly engage with businesses and business representative organisations. Further, officials in my Department have been in contact with businesses and trade bodies in anticipation of the EU GPSR's entry into force and continue to engage with them. This allows businesses to raise questions directly with the Government.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many meetings Ministers in his Department had on the EU Regulation on General Product Safety before those regulations came into force.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministerial colleagues and I regularly engage with businesses and business representative organisations. Further, officials in my Department have been in contact with businesses and trade bodies in anticipation of the EU GPSR's entry into force and continue to engage with them. This allows businesses to raise questions directly with the Government.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which parts of the (a) UK-Australia and (b) UK-New Zealand trade agreements will be monitored as part of the biennial monitoring reports on those treaties.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department is currently considering our approach to FTA monitoring, and we will provide an update on this in due course to align with the Trade Strategy.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which groups his Department will consult for its biennial monitoring reports on the (a) UK-Australia and (b) UK-New Zealand free trade agreements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Business and Trade engages with and recognises the need to understand a range of stakeholder perspectives in its aims to monitor Free Trade Agreements, including Australia and New Zealand.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 provide employment protections for (a) young cancer patients and (b) their families.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is important that people with cancer are supported to return to, or remain in work, if that is what they choose to do. Workers with cancer and their carers are protected from employment discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Their family members or friends may also be entitled to up to a week of unpaid carer’s leave to support them. We are reviewing implementation of carer’s leave and are exploring whether additional support may be needed.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to support small businesses with meeting the requirements of the EU Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988).
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The updated GPSR largely formalises how many businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. However, we understand that for some businesses, the regulation will require changes, and we take any concerns very seriously.
Government is supporting small businesses to understand the regulation. We have published guidance on GPSR in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review, and we are continuing to engage directly with businesses. Firms exporting to the EU should note that EU guidance is now available and may also wish to contact the Government’s Export Support Service.