Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support British bakeries.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from 2026 - 27. Ahead of these changes being made, we have extended retail, hospitality, and leisure relief for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.
The Government will protect the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all. We are also working with businesses to understand their barriers to growth and High Streets will be a key pillar of our forthcoming Small Business Strategy.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of uptake of Shared Parental Leave and (b) how this will inform future policies to support fathers in taking early parental leave.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that in 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available), 17,200 individuals were in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay.
The government is committed to supporting working families. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights. We have committed to review the parental leave system, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Planning work is already underway.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 implications for her Department's policies of the length of parental leave in other OECD countries.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.
The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 impact of the statutory two week paternity leave on the economy.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.
The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 merits of extending paternity leave.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.
The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 ensure that Christmas toys sold through online retailers are safe.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold. Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards runs the national Online Marketplaces Programme, to reduce the risk of non-compliant products sold online. Through monitoring marketplaces, including purchasing and testing products, we assess the prevalence of unsafe toys and take appropriate enforcement action.
While regulations are clear that toys must be safe, the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will enable regulations to be updated to better reflect modern online supply chains.