Julian Smith

We continue to work across government to make the dispute resolution system more resilient, so that that the measures in the Employment Rights Act can be effectively enforced. We recognise the benefits of mediation in resolving disputes swiftly.

A joint DBT/MoJ Taskforce—working with Acas and representatives from business, unions, and other experts —is considering reforms to strengthen dispute resolution.

This includes considering how to maximise use of informal options including meditation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

It is to the benefit of all parties involved in litigation that disputes are managed efficiently. The government, therefore, supports the use, where appropriate, of mediation as a means to resolve disputes without the expense of litigation.

The government is conducting a review of the opt-out collective actions regime for competitive claims before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The review considers all aspects of the regime, including the role of alternative dispute resolution, and a consultation on proposals for change will be published in due course.

It would not be appropriate to comment on a live police investigation.

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on the operational details of the new statutory access framework, including any further matters the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) must have regard to when making determinations on access.

Officials are carefully reviewing all responses and the government will publish a response, which will include next steps on safeguarding considerations, before finalising these details in secondary legislation.

The Government has published a comprehensive assessment on the impact of the Act, which includes analysis of the potential sectoral impacts.

The Government recognises the vital contribution of the hospitality sector to the UK, supporting local employment, sustaining high streets and communities, and playing an important role in our cultural and social fabric.

We are delivering long overdue reform to rebalance business rates system. Over 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties will benefit from permanently lower tax rates. This is a permanent tax cut worth nearly £900 million with no cash cap, benefitting all qualifying properties on high streets across England.

The Government has published a comprehensive assessment on the impact of the Act. As per our Better Regulation requirements, each Impact Assessment includes a small, medium and micro business assessment.

The Small Business Plan also outlines how we will support small and medium sized businesses to grow and thrive across the UK through the most significant package of legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlock billions of pounds in finance to support start-ups and scale ups; remove unnecessary red tape; revitalise the High Street as a place to do business; and deliver growth boosting support for Digital and AI Adoption.

My department has published a robust set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Act 2025, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

The Employment Rights Act is intended to improve security of income and work, while maintaining flexibility. Workers will be able to decline an offer of guaranteed hours if they wish. Employers with seasonal working patterns will continue to have a range of options, including the use of fixed term contracts where appropriate. The government will consult further before making regulations, including on how the right could apply in relation to annualised hours arrangements.

Any reports of alleged wrongdoing in public office are taken seriously by the Government. The Government remains committed to meeting its statutory obligations on records management, disclosure, and cooperation with competent authorities, and any requests will be handled in accordance with established procedures.

My department works closely with hospitality businesses to assess impact of rising operating costs across energy, staffing, compliance and taxation.

This includes regular engagement with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council which provides a formal forum to co-create solutions to pressures facing the industry.

We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

This government is committed to access to justice, and I share the interest of the Rt. Hon. member’s in reducing the burdens of litigation through Alternative Dispute Resolution. The CAT Rules afford the Tribunal significant powers to encourage and facilitate Alternative Dispute Resolution.

The previous Government commissioned a review of the UK’s whistleblowing framework. This report, conducted by Grant Thornton LLP, is currently being reviewed by the Department of Business and Trade and will be published in due course.

The Government supports the use, where appropriate, of mediation as a means to resolve regulatory disputes. However, the decision on whether to use mediation, and whether it is appropriate in a particular case, is primarily a matter for the parties in any dispute.

Further, the Competition Appeal Tribunal is an independent specialist tribunal with significant expertise in the hearing and deciding of cases involving competition or economic regulatory issues. Any decisions or directions in relation to case management or party conduct are an independent judicial matter considered on a case-by-case basis.

The department is working closely with The Small Business Commissioner (SBC) as we develop our proposals for the upcoming late payments consultation.

The Small Business Commissioners office continues to engage closely with businesses and stakeholders across the UK to raise awareness of the SBC service, which includes the role that the SBC can play in mediation between small businesses and their larger partners. Alongside mediation the SBC also conducts investigations into formal complaints of non-payments by large businesses and can provide additional support to small business as they try to deal with late payments.

The Government supports the use, where appropriate, of mediation as a means to resolve regulatory disputes without the expense of litigation.

However, the decision on whether to use mediation, and whether it is appropriate in a particular case, is primarily a matter for the parties in any dispute.

Supporting consumers (including businesses) in accessing redress is of the utmost importance to this Government, and how consumer protection could be improved is kept under regular review.

So-called ‘class actions’ are just one avenue for consumers to seek redress and can provide a helpful avenue to do so where many individuals have claims substantially similar in nature. My department’s remit is limited to collective actions brought in relation to competition issues, where this tool can improve access to justice where bringing a claim would otherwise be impractical or unaffordable.

Great British Energy will provide dedicated capacity and capability, and financial support to help local government and community energy groups deliver local clean energy projects.

Clean energy projects owned by local government and community energy groups can lower energy bills and bring in money for the people who own them, which can then be reinvested back into the community.

By generating electricity closer to where people use it, community and local projects help to reduce pressure on the national grid and reduce the need for expensive upgrades, when they are strategically placed and paired with flexible technology.

The Local Power Plan is a joint DESNZ‑GBE publication setting out the UK’s largest ever public investment in community energy.

The Department will deliver the policy and regulatory change working with Ofgem, NESO and others as appropriate. Great British Energy (GBE) will act as the principal delivery body for the Local Power Plan, providing funding and advisory support to eligible projects

DESNZ will continue to work across government and with the Community and Local Energy sector to demonstrate the value Power Purchase Agreements offer and develop models in line with accounting standards.

GBE’s capability and capacity support will create a knowledge hub with standardised templates for contracts, including PPAs.

Backed by up to £1 billion, Great British Energy (GBE) aims to support at least 1,000 local and community energy projects by 2030.

GBE will do this through funding, and support including awareness raising, project origination and project development support and standardised documents and templates.

GBE will also provide dedicated capacity and capability support to help local government and wider public sector deliver local clean energy projects.

The Government is working closely with the DCC and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties in all regions as soon as reasonably possible. One such solution, currently being trialled, will involve Virtual WAN (VWAN) - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.

The Government is working closely with the DCC and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties in all regions as soon as reasonably possible. One such solution, currently being trialled, will involve Virtual WAN (VWAN) - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.

The Government is working closely with the DCC and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties in all regions as soon as reasonably possible. One such solution, currently being trialled, will involve Virtual WAN (VWAN) - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.

The Government has recently announced the decision to directly regulate energy brokers and other Third Party Intermediaries (TPIs). Once implemented, our plans will help ensure that consumers, in particular businesses, can trust that brokers are acting in their best interests. The Government has also published a consultation with proposals to strengthen the powers of the Energy Ombudsman to ensure consumers receive fairer and faster redress. Taken together these measures aim to improve competition and market access, and ensure that non-domestic customers are able to access free dispute resolution support.

The Government has not made such an assessment specific to North Yorkshire. While the Government is tackling energy costs at every avenue, to drive growth, we also understand that some UK industries are struggling with the cost of energy.

The Government has a variety of schemes, already in place or due to be launched soon, that either directly support businesses by reducing energy costs or support them to reduce costs by making energy efficiencies and decarbonising.

Schemes that directly reduce energy costs include the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, which will reduce electricity prices by up to 25% for eligible businesses in electricity intensive manufacturing sectors in the Industrial Strategy and foundational sectors in their supply chain, and the British Industry Supercharger, which includes a series of targeted measures to bring down electricity policy costs for businesses in key energy intensive industries.

The Government is also providing funding to improve the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH), an online resource which will support SMEs to identify and implement changes to their energy use, resulting in decarbonisation and energy bill savings. Funding is also being provided to support a Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial, which will deliver a trial of online tools and services to support SMEs in hospitality across England to decarbonise and reduce their energy demand.

The Data Communications Company (DCC) is obligated under its licence conditions to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage to at least 99.25% of premises across Great Britain and 99.5% in the ‘North’ region, which includes the Skipton and Ripon constituency.

The DCC is required by licence conditions to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of smart meter Wide Area Network coverage and is examining several options to reach homes not currently able to get coverage as part of its Future Connectivity strategy, which includes consideration of a full range of technical solutions.