Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of how much oil derived from Russian crude has entered the UK market through third countries in the last two years; and what steps she is taking to prevent its entry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK, alongside our international allies, has imposed sanctions on Russia to limit its ability to wage war.
In line with WTO rules of origin and the approach of the European Union, Russian crude which has been substantially processed into refined oil in a third country is no longer considered to be of Russian origin, and therefore, the UK sanctions on Russian oil do not apply.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has plans to increase the amount of statutory paid leave to parents who lose a child under the age of 18 are entitled to.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises that the death of a child is a tragic event. In April 2020, we introduced a new statutory entitlement to up to two weeks’ Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay for parents who lose a child under the age of 18.
The Government has no plans to increase this amount of statutory paid leave, but we strongly encourage employers to act with compassion and go beyond the statutory minimum when they are able to.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to require that any free trade agreement with India be conditional on India ratifying conventions (a) 87 and (b) 98 of the International Labour Organisation conventions.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
While we do not comment on live negotiations, our approach to FTA negotiations is to secure provisions that ensure labour standards are not compromised in order to increase trade or investment. An FTA with India will not come at the expense of our worker protections.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what representations her Department has received from (a) trade unions and (b) labour rights organisations in (i) the UK and (ii) India, on the free trade agreement negotiations with India.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
While we do not comment on live negotiations, our approach to the UK-India FTA has been shaped through substantial engagement with interested stakeholders. Our objectives in the India FTA were informed by a 14-week long public call for input, which incorporated recommendations from businesses, civil society groups, trade unions, public bodies and individuals.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent the setting up of fraudulent businesses and (b) improve the security and verification process when registering a business.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, currently passing through Parliament, includes measures to reform the role of Companies House and improve transparency over UK companies, to strengthen our business environment and support our national security and combat economic crime, whilst delivering a more reliable companies register to underpin business activity.
The Bill will make it much easier to identify and clamp down on fraudulent companies, by giving Companies House new powers to check, challenge, and decline any dubious information on the Register, and by introducing identity verification for new and existing directors, beneficial owners and those who file information with Companies House.