Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supply chain disruption to the construction industry as a consequence of global effects; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate these effects on the construction industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Department is monitoring the situation, and is in regular contact with stakeholders, including through our partnership with the Construction Leadership Council, which I co-chair.
The Construction Leadership Council’s Material’s Supply Chain Group, in March 2026, noted the main disruption to the sector from the Middle East crisis is the rapid rise in energy prices and their immediate impact on material costs, particularly for products with energy-intensive manufacturing processes or derived from oil-based raw materials.
Ministers are being kept updated on the supply chain disruption (and impacts) as part of our cross Whitehall monitoring.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 small construction companies in the context of recent global supply chain disruption to the construction industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Department is monitoring the situation, and is in regular contact with stakeholders, including through our partnership with the Construction Leadership Council, which I co-chair.
The Construction Leadership Council’s Material’s Supply Chain Group, in March 2026, noted the main disruption to the sector from the Middle East crisis is the rapid rise in energy prices and their immediate impact on material costs, particularly for products with energy-intensive manufacturing processes or derived from oil-based raw materials.
Ministers are being kept updated on the supply chain disruption (and impacts) as part of our cross Whitehall monitoring.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has assessed whether future UK trade or investment engagement involving Hong Kong should take account of reported prison conditions and maltreatment of political prisoners.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Reports of mistreatment in Hong Kong’s prisons are deeply concerning. The Government continues to express serious concerns about the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including the implications of recent national security measures, and monitors associated human‑rights risks as part of its wider policy approach. The UK regularly reviews its Overseas Business Risk information for UK businesses trading overseas, which makes clear to UK companies the risks of operating in certain regions and urges them to conduct appropriate due diligence when making business decisions.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of the risk that UK firms could be linked through supply chains to surveillance, security or prison-related technology used in Hong Kong’s correctional system against political prisoners.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to highlight concerns about the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong in public statements, and monitors associated risks through wider human‑rights and supply‑chain due‑diligence policies. UK businesses are guided by NCSC supply‑chain security principles to identify and manage risks in complex supply chains. The UK operates a comprehensive regulatory framework for strategic export controls, which prevents the export of goods where there is a risk to domestic security, international security, or human rights.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to include kinship parents in its Parental leave and pay review.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.
In addition to considering, all current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
The Government is also supporting kinship carers through other mechanisms and has recently launched a kinship pilot to support up to 5,000 kinship families by paying eligible carers an allowance equivalent to the Fostering National Minimum Allowance.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 penalties to deter organisations from discriminatory employment practices.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department keeps employment rights and enforcement mechanisms under regular review.
Discrimination in the workplace is unlawful, and robust penalties already exist under the Equality Act 2010 for employers who breach these obligations. We will continue to assess whether the current framework provides an effective deterrent, including the potential merits of enhanced enforcement models—such as Fair Work Agency measures—to support fair treatment in workplaces and strengthen compliance.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department provides support to pregnant employees that have challenged their unfair dismissal and discriminatory employment practices that they have experienced.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Business and Trade, provides authoritative and impartial advice free to employees or employers in relation to employment discrimination issues via their website (http://www.acas.org.uk) and telephone helpline 0300 123 1100 or text relay service 18001 0300 123 1100. ACAS also provides employees and employers with Early Conciliation to help them resolve or settle their workplace dispute without going to court.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to ensure that employment protections for pregnant employees are legally enforceable.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to ensuring pregnancy and maternity protections are effective and enforceable.
We recently consulted on legislation to make it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on Maternity Leave, and for at least six months after they return to work, except in specific circumstances. We sought ideas to improve awareness of workplace rights, so pregnant employees feel confident to challenge unlawful treatment and hold employers to account.
To strengthen enforcement, we are also extending the Employment Tribunal time limit from three to six months, giving pregnant women more time to bring claims.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on the adequacy of delivery services (a) in Rushcliffe constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.
In November, I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and International Distribution Services and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if quality of service does not improve.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress his department has made on the parental leave and pay review.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Parental Leave and Pay Review’s Call for Evidence closed on 25 August 2025 after receiving almost 1500 responses, which are currently being analysed and will go on to inform the review.
We are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including advocacy groups, trade unions and business representatives, including through a series of thematic roundtables to inform our ongoing work. We intend to continue this engagement in 2026.
The Review will be concluded in early 2027 and the Government will outline next steps for taking any reforms forward to implementation.