Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the proposals of the Better Business Act campaign.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Better Business Act campaign seeks changes to Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to provide for company directors to deliver benefits to shareholders, society and the environment. Section 172 already enables companies to amend their articles of association to provide for this purpose, or any other corporate purpose. Section 172 also requires directors to have regard to a range of interests, including those of employees and the community and the environment. Large companies must report each year on how this has informed their directors’ decision-making. Therefore, the Government has no plans currently to amend Section 172.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 implications for his policies of the ruling by the Unitary Agrarian Court Number 28 in Mexico that the company Fresnillo PLC must pay damages to farmers in El Bajío for illegal extraction of gold on the community's land from 2005 to 2013.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Business and Trade is aware of the case between the Unitary Agrarian Court and Fresnillo PLC. This is a domestic legal matter for Mexico.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 (a) effectiveness of and (b) implications for his policies of recent investor-state dispute settlements under the bilateral investment treaty with Colombia; and whether he plans to retain that treaty.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government regards the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) as playing an important role in the investment relationship between our two countries. The stock of total investment between the UK and Colombia was £6.8 billion in 2023. The BIT contains legally binding investment protection commitments which ensure UK and Colombian investors are treated in line with the rule of law, and are protected against unfair, arbitrary or discriminatory treatment, and expropriation without adequate compensation.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if the Prime Minister will create a Minister for Manufacturing post in the Department for Business and Trade.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I am responsible for manufacturing as Minister for Industry.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to implement tariffs on vehicles produced in China.
Answered by Greg Hands
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 companies that make employees redundant without (a) giving notice and (b) following a consultation process.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
While we recognise that tough decisions such as redundancies remain a commercial matter, it’s important that employees are treated fairly and that correct process is followed.
The Government has a robust package of measures to address non-compliance including:
Whether an employer met consultation requirements for collective redundancy would be a matter for an employment tribunal to decide, having heard detailed evidence on the facts of the case.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to ensure that Trading Standards have adequate resources to investigate all reports it is provided on the alleged operation of rogue traders.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales are independent from central government and are responsible for determining their resourcing priorities in accordance with the needs of the local electorate.
The majority of Government funding is not ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities including those relating to rogue traders.
The Department for Business and Trade provides additional funding through the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland (TSS) to prioritise and coordinate national and regional consumer enforcement in England, Wales and Scotland respectively.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to enable employees to use salary sacrifice schemes that reduce their cash earnings below National Minimum Wage rates.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The law prevents employers from reducing pay below the National Minimum Wage through salary sacrifice schemes and pay deductions where this is in some way for the employer's own use and benefit. Such a benefit could derive from a reduction in the employer's National Insurance contributions. This remains the case even if the worker chooses to participate in such a scheme.
The Government is not currently considering changing this legislation. It is important that we continue to prevent exploitation from unscrupulous employers and harm to vulnerable workers. It is the responsibility of all employers to understand and follow these rules.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the (a) implications for her policies of the capacity limits of container ports around the western Mediterranean and (b) impact of those limits on (i) inventory costs and (ii) the availability of components for (A) retailers and (B) manufacturers.
Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Government is monitoring the disruption to shipping caused by Red Sea attacks and working with businesses to understand the current and potential future impacts on shipping.
Shipping operators are working to mitigate any potential impact on consumers, and the shipping and supply chain sectors are well practiced at putting contingencies in place to continue to meet their customer needs.
If UK businesses are facing issues as a result of actions in the Red Sea, they can access advice and report disruptions through the Export Support Service: https://www.gov.uk/ask-export-support-team.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to implement third-party certification to ensure e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries are approved by an independent body before being available for sale.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Government takes consumer protection very seriously and is concerned about the frequency of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters. Products must be safe before being placed on the UK market.
Working across Government we are taking action against unsafe products and have issued guidance on the safe use of these products. We are also seeking to better understand the root causes of these incidents and have commissioned research from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (part of Warwick University).
This research will help inform the position moving forward including the interaction between batteries and chargers, and the suitability of third-party conformity assessment to tackle this complex issue.