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.
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 has had discussions with HM Treasury on the potential merits of re-introducing a 75% retail, hospitality and leisure relief rate.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Without any Government intervention, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief would have ended in April, creating a cliff-edge for businesses. We are providing support for retail, hospitality and leisure properties in the interim period leading up to the new permanent multiplier by providing 40% relief to RHL businesses on their business rates in 2025-26, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. This is protecting the smallest properties by freezing the small business multiplier in 2025-26 and protecting over a million properties from inflationary bill increases. We continue to work closely with HM Treasury on the challenges facing high streets and other businesses.
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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions on pubs in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
An assessment of the changes to Employers’ National Insurance has been published by HMRC in their Tax Information and Impact Note, including impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, and businesses including civil society organisations, alongside details on monitoring and evaluation.
The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.
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 recent progress his Department has made on negotiating a free-trade agreement with the US.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK-US trading relationship is already worth around £300 billion, supporting over a million jobs and representing 17% of total UK trade. This government's priority is economic growth and increasing trade with international partners is a major part of that. The Prime Minister had a warm call with President Trump on 26 January where they discussed trade and the economy and agreed to meet soon for further discussions.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of american tariffs on steel on future trends in the level of UK steel imports.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tariffs on US steel imports have not yet been implemented, and this Government will engage with the US administration to seek a solution that benefits both nations. On 12 February I met with UK Steel, trade unions and our six steel producers to discuss the matter.
My Department will continue to engage with UK industries impacted, including the UK steel industry, to conduct a thorough assessment of any potential impacts. The UK's steel safeguard measure remains an essential tool to shield industry from surges in imports, and this Government is backing our steel industry with up to £2.5 billion of Government investment to help build a bright future.
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 progress his Department has made on distributing compensation for people impacted by failures in the Horizon system.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Government has made significant progress in delivering redress to postmasters affected by the Post Office Horizon Scandal. As of 31 January 2025, approximately £663 million has been paid to over 4,300 claimants across 4 schemes, an increase of £427 million since the end of June 2024. There is however more to do.
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 employee settlement agreements there were in his Department in each year since 2020; and what the total value of such agreements is.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade issued less than 5 settlement agreements in the years 2020 and 2022. We withhold the exact figures and the total value of these agreements under Section 40(2) (Personal information) of the Data Protection Act. Due to a Machinery of Government change, data prior to 1st July 2023 relates to the Department for International Trade.
No settlement agreements were made in the other years requested.