Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the barriers faced by small businesses in using the tribunal system to recover late payments.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have not made an assessment of the barriers faced by small business using the courts and tribunal system to recover late payment.
DBT has launched a consultation on late payment which includes proposals to provide the Small Business Commissioner with powers to arbitrate disputes between small and large businesses with the intention of reducing financial and procedural burdens to resolve payment disputes. A final impact assessment will be published before these proposed measures are taken forward in primary legislation.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many small businesses have used the tribunal system to pursue late payments in each of the last five years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The information requested is not collated centrally and judgments produced by the courts and tribunal system do not actively include information on whether the parties are small businesses.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 (a) monitor and (b) help prevent the online sale of products containing asbestos; and whether the Health and Safety Executive has issued recent (i) enforcement actions and (ii) guidance to online marketplaces on this matter.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Product safety regulations require consumer products to be safe when placed on the market, whether sold online or offline. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has published three recalls for products containing asbestos in the last three years.
In the last 12 months, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not received any concerns related to the supply of asbestos containing articles that were part of its workplace safety remit; should any be received, they would be investigated.
HSE regularly engages with online platforms on their restricted items policies and provides advice to Local Authorities on asbestos related products.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the new Maritime and Coastguard Agency proposed safety code for small vessels on microbusinesses.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
My department works closely with the Maritime Coastguard Agency on regulations, including the new proposals for small commercial vessels, to ensure that they evolve alongside technology and alternative fuels while maintaining safety. The UK is committed to supporting a robust UK maritime sector — recognising that 99% of businesses in the industry are SMEs — and is dedicated to fostering their growth. Support is available through UK Export Finance, export campaigns and through Department for Transport initiatives including UK SHORE, which has funded decarbonisation projects involving over 150 SMEs, together with the new SME support hub launched by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on their new proposed safety code for small commercial vessels.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
My department works closely with the Maritime Coastguard Agency on regulations, including the new proposals for small commercial vessels, to ensure that they evolve alongside technology and alternative fuels while maintaining safety. The UK is committed to supporting a robust UK maritime sector — recognising that 99% of businesses in the industry are SMEs — and is dedicated to fostering their growth. Support is available through UK Export Finance, export campaigns and through Department for Transport initiatives including UK SHORE, which has funded decarbonisation projects involving over 150 SMEs, together with the new SME support hub launched by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 commercial vessels.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
My department works closely with the Maritime Coastguard Agency on regulations, including the new proposals for small commercial vessels, to ensure that they evolve alongside technology and alternative fuels while maintaining safety. The UK is committed to supporting a robust UK maritime sector — recognising that 99% of businesses in the industry are SMEs — and is dedicated to fostering their growth. Support is available through UK Export Finance, export campaigns and through Department for Transport initiatives including UK SHORE, which has funded decarbonisation projects involving over 150 SMEs, together with the new SME support hub launched by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 provisions in the Employment Rights Bill on (a) statutory sick pay and (b) dismissal procedures on small businesses.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government has published a robust set of Impact Assessments on all aspects of the Employment Rights Bill, available here: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK. These include assessments on the impacts to small and micro businesses in line with the Better Regulation Framework.
New dismissal procedures and statutory sick pay measures will apply to all businesses regardless of size. Whilst it is recognised that smaller businesses could potentially face disproportionate challenges due to their limited resources, the broader societal benefits of increased job security, productivity and fairness in the labour market justify the policies scope.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 increased operating costs on the (a) employment retention and (b) pay levels of small businesses.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers.
The Government has doubled the Employment Allowance, meaning that more than half of businesses with NIC liabilities will either gain or will see no change this year. As well as this, a Business Growth Service will make it easier for businesses across the UK to get the advice they need.
The National Minimum Wage increases that came into effect on the 1st April 2025 follow the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. To inform its recommendations, the Low Pay Commission considered the impact on business, competitiveness and the labour market, and undertook extensive research and stakeholder engagement. The Government’s Impact Assessment1, includes a detailed assessment of the impact of the rates on small and micro businesses, including the increase in pay levels and possible wider impacts on competitiveness and employment.
1The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 - Impact Assessment
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 effectiveness of the tribunal system in supporting small businesses facing late payments.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The Government understands the impact late payments has on small businesses and the important role the tribunal system plays in helping to recover late payments, alongside the Office of the Small Business Commissioner which was set up to help small businesses with late payment disputes and which runs a free dispute resolution service. The Government will soon be launching a public consultation seeking views on how we can go further to tackle late payments.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate on employment levels in the UK automotive manufacturing sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government does not hold data on how the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate has affected automotive employment in the UK.
We speak regularly to all the major UK automotive stakeholders to understand the health of the sector and factors impacting competitiveness. Government is committed to ensuring the transition to zero emissions works for industry. That is why we introduced significant changes to the Mandate, allowing for greater flexibility in meeting ZEV targets and extending the sale of hybrid vehicles.