John Hayes

As of July 2024, 3,698 interim compensation payments have been paid to living infected persons and bereaved partners. This information is not made available on a regional basis. The process under which estates can apply for interim compensation payments opened on 24th October. We will provide an update on the number of applications in due course.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is not about financial savings but is concerned with removing the outdated and indefensible right of the remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Question of 14 October is attached.

Data regarding the nationality of candidates working in Whitehall is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

All Mission Boards have met since 5 July 2024.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees - including mission boards - is not normally shared publicly.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. The most recent publication of transparency data took place on 29th August 2024.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. The most recent publication of transparency data took place on 29th August 2024.

The Competition and Markets Authority does not have any full time equivalent staff dedicated to diversity, equality and inclusion.

The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out the essential requirements that must be met before a machinery product is placed on the UK market, in order to protect users of that machinery from any undue harm. This includes agricultural vehicles in scope.

As part of those existing requirements, machinery must be designed and constructed in such a way as to avoid any risk of fire or overheating posed by the machinery itself or by gases, liquids, dust, vapours or other substances produced or used by the machinery.

The Industrial Strategy identified eight growth-driving sectors but all sectors can shape and will benefit from wider policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations. The Government is engaging with the food, drink and farming industries regularly. The Government has committed £5 billion to the farming budget for England over two years directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery.

DBT provides a wide-ranging package of export support for food and drink businesses in Lincolnshire and the whole of the UK. This includes educational support to upskill food producers via our Export Academy and one to one support from International Trade Advisors and our extensive overseas network, with trade advisors promoting UK food in over 100 countries. Overseas we deliver a comprehensive programme of trade shows, trade missions and events to connect exporters with buyer and new market opportunities. Our UK Export Finance agency helps companies access export finance, with a dedicated finance manager covering Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) looks to encourage investment across the UK, working closely with relevant economic development and inward investment officers across the whole of the Lincolnshire region.

Investment into the region has seen 1,295 new jobs were created in the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area in 2021-22, 1,159 in 2022-23 and 198 in 2023-24. Statistics at LEP level are not available for previous years.

The estimated economic impact of FDI in the UK in 2023-24 was £5.8bn and analysis shows that FDI has a net economic benefit to the whole of the UK.

Independent brewers, including those in Lincolnshire, are at the heart of many of our communities and important for economic growth.

The government is reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, representing an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and will consult on ways to encourage small brewers to retain and expand their access to UK pubs, maximising drinkers’ choice and local economies.

This Government will be publishing our Small Business Strategy next year. This will set out our vision for all small businesses, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy.

Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Official statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbt-inward-investment-results-2023-to-2024 show that 1,295 new jobs were created in Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2021-22, 1,159 in 2022-23 and 198 in 2023-24. Statistics at LEP level are not available for previous years. Figures were published at International Territorial Level 2 (ITL2) for the first time in 2023-24 which showed that 182 new jobs were created in Lincolnshire. Previous years figures at ITL2 level are not available.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) can impose a financial penalty on a large retailer if, following an investigation, it has been found to have breached the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. The permitted maximum fine is 1% of the retailer’s annual UK turnover, giving the Adjudicator significant scope to impose an appropriate fine in the event of non-compliance. The Government will undertake the fourth statutory review of the GCA’s effectiveness next year which may also consider whether to change the permitted maximum financial penalty the Adjudicator can impose following an investigation.

The Government-owned British Business Bank supports business investment across the UK including through its Nations and Regions Investment Funds. This includes the £400m Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, supporting growing businesses across the Midlands.

Our Growth Hub network, including Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, supports businesses of all sizes and sectors across England throughout their business journey. The Department for Business and Trade works across the UK, including Greater Lincolnshire, to showcase strong commercial investment opportunities to potential investors and support business to grow. The Government has also agreed a £720 million investment fund as part of the devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire to support growth and business investment.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) has powers to investigate where there are reasonable grounds to suspect the Code has been breached by a designated retailer. If an investigation finds the Code has been breached, the GCA can make recommendations, require the retailer to publish details of any breach and in the most serious cases impose a fine up to 1% of total turnover. The GCA did not launch or conclude an investigation in 2022 or 2023 and therefore did not impose fines on any of the designated retailers.

We are resuming delivery of the UK’s programme negotiating new and updated FTAs, starting with the Gulf Co-operation Council, India, Israel, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and Turkey. This is the extent of the current bilateral FTA programme. The Secretary of State has written to these international partners, and we expect the first discussions in the resumed programme to start this Autumn. We are also committed to ensuring UK businesses can take full advantage of CPTPP when it enters into force in December.

Eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties currently benefit from 75 per cent business rates relief, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-25. The small business multiplier is frozen at 49.9p for 2024/25.

The government identified that the current business rates system disincentivises investment, creates uncertainty and places an undue burden on our high streets. In England, the government will replace the business rates system, so we can raise the same revenue but in a fairer way.

We will establish Skills England, a new partnership with employers at its heart and reform the apprenticeship levy, a key ask of hospitality businesses.

The English Devolution Bill will establish a new framework for English devolution. It will give local leaders the tools they need to drive growth, including empowering communities with a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets, such as empty shops and pubs.

Small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets, our communities, and essential to our economic success. This Government will hardwire the voice of small business into everything we do.

The Government is committed to improving access to finance for small businesses by reforming the British Business Bank and freeing up capital for small and medium-sized firms so they can expand. We have also announced our plan to align key institutions under the National Wealth Fund, which will boost growth and unlock investment. They can also access support from UK Export Finance, which helps UK exporters win contracts, fulfil orders, and receive payment by providing guarantees, insurance and loans to support export activities.

Eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties currently benefit from 75 per cent business rates relief, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-25. The small business multiplier is frozen at 49.9p for 2024/25, protecting over a million ratepayers from bill increases.

The British Business Bank supports SMEs to grow by improving their access to finance. The Growth Guarantee Scheme offers a 70% government guarantee on loans to SMEs of up to £2 million in Great Britain, and £1 million in Northern Ireland and is available until the end of March 2026.