Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support small employers with increases in the national minimum wage.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government will be undertaking an extensive communications campaign to ensure businesses are informed and ready for the April 2024 upratings.
More broadly, the Government has regular engagement with key stakeholders at ministerial and official level including with the Federation of Small Business.
The Government provides extensive business support measures, with over 40 offers to help all types of businesses.
The Government has announced a business rates package worth £4.3 billion, and a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme, to help businesses with their bills.
Businesses can also access support via the Business Support Helpline, Gov.uk, and through our network of local Growth Hubs across England.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) hairdressing and (b) barber salons there are.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
ONS data[1] shows that the number of business premises in the hairdressing and beauty sector totalled 50,485 in 2023. This is an increase of 1.8% compared with 2022 and 17.4% above 2017 levels.
Additional data from the Local Data Company[2] shows that the number of hairdressers fell by 425 in September 2023 compared with a year earlier, while the number of barbers increased by 815.
[1] ONS – UK business activity, size and location – 2023. Data relates to SIC 9602.
[2] https://britishbeautycouncil.com/british-beauty-council-ldc-new-report/
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to establish an independent body to (a) identify and (b) monitor public health threats from defective household (i) boilers, (ii) water tanks and (iii) other products.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State does not currently plan to bring forward legislative proposals in this area.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has received recent representations on the disintegrating of plastic within internal baffles of household water tanks.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has not received recent representations on the disintegrating of plastic within internal baffles of household water tanks.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to create a centralised certification body for water tanks.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State does not currently plan to bring forward legislative proposals in this area.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the potential impact of the ending of freedom of movement with the EU on business costs; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of negotiating with the EU to allow frontier worker permits to be applied to more than one EU country at a time.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this data. In December 2020, the UK and the EU agreed a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which allows short-term business visitors to travel to the EU. This department is not responsible for frontiers workers permits.