Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of preventing (a) housing developers, (b) management companies and (c) housing associations from imposing blanket bans on amateur radio antennas.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade has no plans to make an assessment on preventing companies from imposing blanket bans on amateur radio antennas.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 26 September 2025 submitted by the hon. member for Newton Abbot with case ref MW10473.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department of Business and Trade aims to respond to correspondence in 15 working days. I have instructed officials at the department to investigate the delay and expect a response to be issued in the coming days.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending paternity leave for the residents of Newton Abbot constituency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We recognise that more can be done to support working families. That is why, through the Employment Rights Bill, we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right, which will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement.
On 1 July we launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review, which will consider all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay. When considering calls to increase entitlements for parents, the Government will balance the needs of parents, the impact on employers, and affordability for taxpayers.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the permissible noise limits of fireworks used for (a) public and (b) private functions.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No assessment has been made of the potential merits of reducing the permissible noise limits of fireworks used for public and private functions. However, the Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.
The Government has also launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes new guidance for those running community fireworks events, and new social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to present the Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill during this parliamentary session.
Answered by Justin Madders
Due to the current volume of legislation before Parliament, the Government will not publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill this session. We will improve our proposals further through consultation on the details with stakeholders in the Autumn.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that public services do not use non-disclosure agreements on whistleblowers.
Answered by Justin Madders
There are existing legal limitations to what NDAs can be used for, and an NDA would be unenforceable if it attempted to prevent a worker from making a protected disclosure, i.e., whistleblowing.
However, we have heard calls for change and taken action. We have tabled an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill which will further limit the use of NDAs by voiding NDAs between employers and workers that prevent a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment and discrimination in the workplace. This will give millions of workers confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will not be hidden.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on corporate governance.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government intends to upgrade the existing reporting and audit regulator, to expand the regulator’s scrutiny to the largest private companies and to hold company directors to account for serious failures in their duties connected with company accounts.
It will bring forward its planned legislation when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on the Company Directors (Duties) Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders
I would be pleased to meet with the Honourable Member to discuss his Private Member’s Bill (the Company Directors (Duties) Bill) and the Government’s plans to publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on the Corporate Governance Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders
I would be pleased to meet with the Honourable Member to discuss his Private Member’s Bill (the Company Directors (Duties) Bill) and the Government’s plans to publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a legal requirement for manufacturers to list (a) the components and (b) any trace toxic chemicals in period products.
Answered by Justin Madders
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13th June 2025 to question 57485 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).