Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans her Department has to prioritise Canada in future bilateral trade negotiations; and whether this will be reflected in the scope of the UK–Canada trade taskforce.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.
As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This includes seeking to address existing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements.
The working group will report back to both Prime Ministers within six months.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the expiry of Country of Origin quotas under the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement will be considered by the UK-Canada trade taskforce; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Canada on the expiration of Country of Origin quotas.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
As agreed between our Prime Ministers, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further, including by building on existing arrangements and addressing bilateral market access barriers.
That will include looking at Rules of Origin arrangements under the Trade Continuity Agreement, and what can be done there to grow trade and make it easier for UK exporters to access the Canadian market.
The Business and Trade Secretary had a warm introductory conversation with his Canadian counterpart at the G7, where they agreed to work together on deepening and growing the bilateral trading relationship further.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Canada.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We remain committed to strengthening our long, positive and wide-ranging trading relationship with Canada, with our trade in bilateral goods and services worth £28bn in 2024. There are no plans at present to appoint a Trade Envoy as the UK already has sophisticated diplomatic, trade and investment networks to support our engagement in Canada, as well as our recent visits by Ministers, including the Prime Minister on 15th June.
Markets where there are no Trade Envoys will continue to receive support alongside our other initiatives for exporters and investors, both of which are driving economic growth and creating opportunities at home and abroad.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As the start date of this request (6th April 2022) pre-dates the formation of DBT (7th February 2023), information in scope of this request would include data captured by DBT's predecessor, Department for International Trade (DIT).
The number of permanent civil servants who had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance can be found in the table.
Financial Year | Total Number |
2022-2023 | <5 |
2023-2024 | <5 |
2024-2025 | <5 |
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department taken to (a) monitor and (b) ensure the adherence by regulators to the The Growth Duty Performance Framework, last published on 16 May 2024; and how many complaints his Department has received about regulators that have not adhered to this Framework in each year since 2021.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Growth Duty Performance Framework was introduced by the last government on 16 May 2024, and was launched as a voluntary process for regulators to self-report in relation to how they are delivering economic growth. Being voluntary, there was not a requirement for adherence.
The current government set out an extensive Action Plan in March this year, including: a list of key regulator pledges delivering tangible impacts on growth; a strengthened model of accountability and formalised performance reviews; and regulators publishing clear targets for processing authorisations.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
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 impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the number of public houses.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK].
The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill. However, our assessment finds that workers in the low-paying sectors like hospitality, including public houses, will benefit the most from the Bill.
The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of US tariffs on the hospitality sector in the UK.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.
Hospitality businesses play a key role in the UK economy and we’re prioritising engagement with the US to stand up for industry and find a resolution.
We will continue to engage closely and productively with the US to press the case for UK business interests. We will keep all options on the table and won’t hesitate to respond in the national interest.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to review the mis-selling of timeshare schemes.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Consumers are already protected from mis-selling by consumer law.
Additionally, The Timeshare, Holiday Products, Resale and Exchange Contracts Regulations 2010 specifically prevent mis-selling and pressure-selling of timeshares and give consumers protections against unfair contracts.
Recognising that tough enforcement is crucial to protecting consumers, the Government has introduced the Digital Market, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Part 3 of the Act introduces penalties of up to 10% of turnover for breaches of the law and gives the Competition and Markets Authority new powers to take swifter enforcement action without having to go through the courts.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not have any roles which focus solely on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is using AI software in responding to written parliamentary questions.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A small proportion of staff in the Department for Business and Trade have access to AI software tools at the moment. These tools may be used to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions. All responses are reviewed by policy officials to ensure accuracy and consistency with government policy, and are signed off personally by Ministers.