Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 January on United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy Programme, HCWS392, whether he plans to appoint any additional United Kingdom Trade Envoys.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

There are no current plans to appoint any additional Trade Envoys beyond the 32 that were recently appointed.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 January on United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy Programme, HCWS392, what funding has been allocated to support the (a) work and (b) travel of the newly appointed trade envoys.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department will be allocating appropriate funding in the new financial year to meet the costs of travel and subsistence for the newly appointed Trade Envoys when they travel overseas and in the UK, as well as any other incidental costs to fulfil their role. All costs incurred are subject to Departmental guidelines which apply to the programme’s use of public funds.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 January on United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy Programme, HCWS392, what the terms of appointment are for United Kingdom Trade Envoys.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

This is a voluntary and unpaid role, and no remuneration is paid to the Trade Envoy. Each role is tailored according to the requirements of the respective market/s and will align with the Departmental priorities identified for those markets.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 January on United Kingdom 's Trade Envoy Programme, HCWS392, whether any United Kingdom Trade Envoys appointed by the former Prime Minister are still in post.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Of the 32 Trade Envoys appointed, three are still in post from the previous administration. Many of the previous government’s Trade Envoys are no longer parliamentarians.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMT staff must have worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks to be eligible for shared parental leave and pay. Staff can also take unpaid parental leave in addition to shared parental leave if they meet the eligibility criteria.

The Employment Rights Bill will remove this eligibility requirement and staff will be entitled to unpaid parental leave from their first working day. HMT will implement this legislative change when it comes into force.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

To be eligible for shared parental leave in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, each parent must have at least 26 weeks continuous employment with their respective employer by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth or adoption matching date. They must also still be working for the same respective employer (for Civil Servants continuous service applies to other Civil Service employers) when they intend to take the leave.

Some employees could qualify for shared parental leave on their first day of service where they have built up qualifying service in another Civil Service organisation.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill comes into effect.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

No. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

To be eligible for shared parental leave in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, each parent must have at least 26 weeks continuous employment with their respective employer by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth or adoption matching date. They must also still be working for the same respective employer (for Civil Servants continuous service applies to other Civil Service employers) when they intend to take the leave.

Some employees could qualify for shared parental leave on their first day of service where they have built up qualifying service in another Civil Service organisation.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office applies the statutory eligibility criteria for shared parental leave. Some employees may qualify for statutory shared parental leave from their first day of service with the Home Office because they already have service with another Government department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport follows the legislation on Shared Parental Leave, which requires employees to have at least 26 weeks’ qualifying service to be entitled to such leave. The Department exceeds statutory requirements by providing enhanced pay for such leave.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

To qualify for statutory Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Shared Parental Pay (ShPP), both parents (mother/primary adopter and their partner/secondary adopter) must meet an economic activity test relating to employment and earnings and an individual test relating to duration of service as well as having main caring responsibility for the child.

In line with legislation, to be eligible for SPL Cabinet Office policy requires each parent to have at least 26 weeks continuous employment with their respective employer by the end of the 15th week, before the child’s due date or adoption matching date. They must also still be working for the same respective employer when they intend to take the leave.

To be eligible for SPL and ShPP at the statutory rate, an employee must have been employed within the Civil Service continuously during the 26 week period before the end of the 15th week before the child’s due date or adoption matching date.

If an employee has been employed in the Civil Service for this duration, although not in the Cabinet Office, they may still be eligible for SPL and ShPP so long as they meet all the qualifying criteria.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in line with the Government’s legislation on employment rights.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS offers shared parental leave in line with legislation: to access statutory shared parental leave and pay, both parents must have worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks up to the 15th week before their baby is due. However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department, because they already have service with another department.

To access our occupational shared parental leave pay, employees must have at least one year’s continuous service in the Civil Service.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024-25 comes into effect.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

No. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ Some staff may qualify for statutory shared parental leave of their first day of service qualifying service includes employment with another civil service organisation.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 24423 on Employers' Contributions, how many and what proportion of the employers that will see a change in their employer National Insurance have (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) more than five employees.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As is the case with all tax policies, the Government has published a detailed assessment of the policy in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). This includes impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, businesses including civil society organisations, and details on monitoring and evaluation. The TIIN can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl

The Tax Information and Impact Note sets out that around 250,000 employers will see their Secondary Class 1 NICs liability decrease and around 940,000 will see it increase. Around 820,000 employers will see no change. Information on employers listed is not available as we do not hold the breakdown requested by employer size.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 24423 on Employers' Contributions, how many and what proportion of the half of employers that will see no change have (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) more than five employees.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As is the case with all tax policies, the Government has published a detailed assessment of the policy in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). This includes impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, businesses including civil society organisations, and details on monitoring and evaluation. The TIIN can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl

The Tax Information and Impact Note sets out that around 250,000 employers will see their Secondary Class 1 NICs liability decrease and around 940,000 will see it increase. Around 820,000 employers will see no change. Information on employers listed is not available as we do not hold the breakdown requested by employer size.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 24423 on Employers' Contributions, how many and what proportion of the 865,000 employers listed have (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) more than five employees.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As is the case with all tax policies, the Government has published a detailed assessment of the policy in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). This includes impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, businesses including civil society organisations, and details on monitoring and evaluation. The TIIN can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl

The Tax Information and Impact Note sets out that around 250,000 employers will see their Secondary Class 1 NICs liability decrease and around 940,000 will see it increase. Around 820,000 employers will see no change. Information on employers listed is not available as we do not hold the breakdown requested by employer size.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 24423 on Employers' Contributions, if she will provide disaggregated cost figures for the hospitality sector for the same period of time.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As is the case with all tax policies, the Government has published a detailed assessment of the policy in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). This includes impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, businesses including civil society organisations, and details on monitoring and evaluation. The TIIN can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl

The Tax Information and Impact Note sets out that around 250,000 employers will see their Secondary Class 1 NICs liability decrease and around 940,000 will see it increase. Around 820,000 employers will see no change. Information on employers listed is not available as we do not hold the breakdown requested by employer size.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 24423 on Employers' Contributions, if she will provide disaggregated cost figures for the retail sector for the same period.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As is the case with all tax policies, the Government has published a detailed assessment of the policy in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). This includes impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, businesses including civil society organisations, and details on monitoring and evaluation. The TIIN can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl

The Tax Information and Impact Note sets out that around 250,000 employers will see their Secondary Class 1 NICs liability decrease and around 940,000 will see it increase. Around 820,000 employers will see no change. Information on employers listed is not available as we do not hold the breakdown requested by employer size.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency's National Assessment of Flood Risk, published in December 2024, whether he plans to request an 88% increase in the budget for flood defences for the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency’s (EA) National Assessment of Flood risk report is not directly comparable with previous assessments due to improvements in modelling.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. This Government will invest £2.4 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences.

Longer term funding decisions will be made at the next Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 January on United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy Programme,HCWS392, how the countries to which United Kingdom Trade Envoys have been appointed were selected.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Trade Envoys enhance the value of HMG export and investment services already provided in a market. The following criteria are used to establish whether a market offers opportunities for a Trade Envoy to be effective; High growth and emerging market which attracts fewer ministerial visits; significant opportunities for commercial exploitation; where Government to Government relationships can open doors for UK businesses and whether there is appropriate DBT resource to support the Trade Envoy in market.

Markets where there are no Trade Envoys such as the United States, Europe and India already receive regular high level ministerial visits plus have networks in place that maintain our relationship.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the new lower employers' National Insurance threshold applies to retained fire crews.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance.

The rate of employer NICs will increase from 13.8% to 15% and the per-employee threshold at which employers start to pay National Insurance (the Secondary Threshold) will be reduced to £5,000.

At the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, the government announced an additional £515 million of support for local government to manage the impact of changes to employer NICs announced at the Autumn Budget.

Fire and rescue authorities will receive a share of the overall funding provided to local government.

Payments will be unringfenced to allow funding to be used across direct, commissioned, and externally provided local services.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he has made an assessment of the potential impact of additional trade barriers between the United States of America and Mexico on the UK economy.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On 4 February, President Trump agreed to hold off imposing all tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, following calls with Prime Minister Trudeau and President Sheinbaum. We will continue to monitor any further developments, including through discussions with counterparts, and we will always do what is in the national interest for our economy, businesses and the British people.

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 impact of additional trade barriers between the United States and Canada on the UK economy.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On 4 February, President Trump agreed to hold off imposing all tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, following calls with Prime Minister Trudeau and President Sheinbaum. We will continue to monitor any further developments, including through discussions with counterparts, and we will always do what is in the national interest for our economy, businesses and the British people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

To qualify for shared parental leave, an employee must have been in continuous employment with the Civil Service for 26 weeks up to and including the fifteenth week before the week in which their baby is due to be born.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

The Civil Service management code states that, departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave. However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a department because they already have qualifying service with another department.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with the Canadian Government on a potential UK-Canada trade deal.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Secretary of State met with his Canadian counterpart Trade Minister Mary Ng at the G7 in July last year; they discussed the paused bilateral FTA and agreed that senior officials should begin discussions to see what it might take to resume negotiations.

I have met with Minister Ng twice since then, including in Vancouver last November where we agreed that senior officials should continue these discussions, which are ongoing. Meanwhile, the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement remains in force, underpinning approximately £27 billion in bilateral trade.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with counterparts in Mexico regarding on the potential impact of additional US-Mexico trade barriers on UK trade.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On 4 February, President Trump agreed to hold off imposing all tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, following calls with Prime Minister Trudeau and President Sheinbaum. We will continue to monitor any further developments, including through discussions with counterparts, and we will always do what is in the national interest for our economy, businesses and the British people.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with counterparts in Canada on the impact of additional US-Canada trade barriers on UK trade.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On 4 February, President Trump agreed to hold off imposing all tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, following calls with Prime Minister Trudeau and President Sheinbaum. We will continue to monitor any further developments, including through discussions with counterparts, and we will always do what is in the national interest for our economy, businesses and the British people.

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