Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to tackle regulatory barriers to the creation of new co-operatives.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to reducing regulatory barriers to establishing and growing co-operatives. We will shortly publish our response to the call for evidence on business support for co-operatives and non-financial mutuals, which will set out our approach to easing regulatory barriers more generally.
In September, the Department published a consultation on modernising corporate reporting, including considering how reporting requirements can be made more proportionate and better suited to member-owned businesses.
Separately, the Law Commission is reviewing co-operative and community benefit society law, including provisions on share capital and external investment, and is expected to report in early 2027.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the temporary ban on disposable barbecues on eliminating sales by retailers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government has engaged extensively with businesses, representative trade bodies and local authorities following the introduction of the statutory guidelines on the sale of disposable barbecues on 14 August. Feedback from local authorities, retailers and representative organisations, indicates that disposable barbecues have generally been removed from sale. Local authorities are responsible for enforcement at a local level and can take appropriate action where non-compliance is identified. The guidelines have been welcomed by Fire and Rescue Services as a proportionate measure supporting wider efforts to reduce the risk of wildfires and fire-related incidents.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to finance for people wishing to set up co-operatives.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to removing barriers to the sustainable growth of the co-operative and mutuals sector, including barriers to accessing finance.
Co-operatives and mutuals can access British Business Bank-backed Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme, while Community ENABLE Funding supports community development finance institutions serving co-operatives, social enterprises and other underserved businesses.
The Department will also shortly be publishing its response to the call for evidence on business support co-operatives and non-financial mutuals.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to support energy intensive businesses with energy costs.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Industry Supercharger cuts electricity costs for around 600 of the most electricity-intensive businesses, including Goodfish, a plastics manufacturer in Cannock. Last April, the Government uplifted relief from network charges for Supercharger recipients from 60% to 90%, raising the average electricity discount to around £65 to £87 per megawatt hour.
Around 120 of the most electricity-intensive and trade-exposed businesses also benefit from the EII Compensation Scheme, which provided a discount of around £24 per megawatt hour in 2025.
From 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs for over 10,000 manufacturers by up to £40 per megawatt hour.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of vehicles rented by his Department are electric vehicles.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has a contract with Enterprise for car hire. In the 2024/25 financial year there were 672 rentals, of which 4 were electric vehicle (EV) rentals (0.61%). All vehicle types were rented for 1672 days in total, of which 7 were EV rental days (0.42%).
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11619 on the Groceries Code Adjudicator: Finance, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the £1 billion turnover threshold on farmers.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for monitoring effectiveness of the Groceries (Supply Chain Practices) Market Investigation Order 2009 in ensuring that businesses, including farmers, that supply groceries directly to designated retailers are treated lawfully and fairly. This includes the £1 billion threshold at which a retailer can be designated by the CMA.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of lowering the turnover threshold of £1 billion for businesses that are required to fund the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) is currently funded by an annual levy on the 14 large retailers that are designated under the Code by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA assesses annually whether retailers which have a turnover exceeding £1bn of grocery sales in the UK should be designated under the Code. The £1bn threshold is set out in the Groceries (Supply Chain Practices) Market Investigation Order 2009 which is the responsibility of the CMA.