Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many complaints of package holiday operators failing to provide adequate assistance during accommodation emergencies have been reported to the Competition and Markets Authority in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Obtaining a definitive figure for the number of complaints would require a manual review, which would be disproportionate. But a search for relevant terms identified only one complaint relating to the provision of emergency accommodation by a package travel operator, which was received in 2025.
The CMA uses complaints, alongside other sources of information and intelligence, to help inform decisions as to the work it undertakes.
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 is taking to ensure that package holiday operators comply with their obligations under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 to provide appropriate assistance to consumers during emergency situations.
Answered by Justin Madders
We are working closely with the industry and regulators to help them understand and comply with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (PTRs). There are also three DBT approved bodies which assess and monitor business insolvency risk and have codes of conduct travel operators must abide by, as well as offering dispute resolution services if needed.
We have recently undertaken a consultation on the PTRs that included several workshops with industry. We will continue to engage with them on possible legislative changes. This includes the development of guidance that will help them to be compliant.
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 enforcement action has been taken against operators who have failed to comply with their duties under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 are enforced by individual Local Trading Standards Departments with the Civil Aviation Authority overseeing Air Travel Organisers License protected holidays that include flights.
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 is taking to improve consumer awareness of their rights under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.
Answered by Justin Madders
Currently, the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (PTRs) set out all the necessary information that consumers should receive about the package holiday they are buying before and after the contract is concluded. This includes details on the insolvency protection in place amongst other key details.
We recently consulted on the PTRs and conducted consumer research as part of the process. We are considering how to address the issues identified.
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 recognise overseas professional qualifications held by British National (Overseas) migrants.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The government recognises that many British National Overseas (BNO) visa holders have valuable professional qualifications. Recognition of overseas professional qualifications is determined by independent occupational regulators, many of which accept qualifications from Hong Kong.
The government understands the recognition process can be challenging for BNO visa holders and refugees. DBT has worked with regulators to develop the Regulated Professions Register, which Hongkongers can use to access information on entry requirements and relevant regulators. DBT has also published guidance on GOV.UK to support refugees navigating the recognition process. DBT continues to work with regulators to develop further profession-specific guidance.
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 increase awareness of statutory parental leave entitlements among small and medium-sized enterprises in Nottinghamshire.
Answered by Justin Madders
Guidance for businesses on supporting employee work-life balance through measures such as flexible working and parental leave can be found on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website.
We are also publishing an SME Strategy Paper later this year, which will result in positive and practical support for SMEs across the UK.
Paternity Leave and Parental Leave will become ‘day one’ rights through the Employment Rights Bill. We will continue to engage with business, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these changes are implemented, and through the Government’s Review of the parental leave system.
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 assessment his Department has made of barriers to (a) flexible working and (b) statutory parental leave provision in SMEs; and whether his Department plans to bring forward (i) legislative proposals and (ii) guidance to help tackle these barriers.
Answered by Justin Madders
Guidance for businesses on supporting employee work-life balance through measures such as flexible working and parental leave can be found on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website.
We are also publishing an SME Strategy Paper later this year, which will result in positive and practical support for SMEs across the UK.
Paternity Leave and Parental Leave will become ‘day one’ rights through the Employment Rights Bill. We will continue to engage with business, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these changes are implemented, and through the Government’s Review of the parental leave system.
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 take steps to help support SMEs to implement (a) statutory parental leave and (b) flexible working policies.
Answered by Justin Madders
Guidance for businesses on supporting employee work-life balance through measures such as flexible working and parental leave can be found on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website.
We are also publishing an SME Strategy Paper later this year, which will result in positive and practical support for SMEs across the UK.
Paternity Leave and Parental Leave will become ‘day one’ rights through the Employment Rights Bill. We will continue to engage with business, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these changes are implemented, and through the Government’s Review of the parental leave system.
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 he has made in ensuring that all sub-postmasters impacted by failures in the Horizon IT system receive their full compensation; and what steps he is taking to address (a) delays and (b) discrepancies in payments under the (i) Historical Shortfall Scheme, (ii) Group Litigation Order Scheme and (iii) Overturned Historical Convictions Scheme.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
As of 2 June 2025, £1,039 billion has been paid to over 7,300 claimants across the Horizon schemes. This represents a fourfold increase since July 2024, with more than 4,500 victims receiving compensation for the first time.
Claims across schemes are assessed by applying the specific facts of the case to established legal principles and other factors which support reaching a fair outcome.
We continue to seek the views of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board to ensure fairness and consider ways we can speed up redress.
We are taking a variety of measures to increase the pace of the delivery of redress across our schemes. For example, we recently announced that we are reintroducing facilitated discussions in the GLO scheme – as requested by claimants’ lawyers. This should provide significant help in increasing the pace at which challenges are resolved.
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 impact of access to capital from the British Business Bank on rural businesses.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The British Business Bank’s programmes are designed to support businesses across the UK, including in rural areas, to access the finance they need to invest and thrive. Start Up Loans have been issued to new businesses in every UK parliamentary constituency, while the Nations and Regions Investment Funds provide debt and equity finance to businesses in both rural and urban areas outside London and the South East.
ENABLE transactions with the likes of Oxbury Bank are helping more rural and agricultural businesses to access lending tailored to their needs.