Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of automated recruitment processes on graduates.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government has not specifically assessed the potential impact of automated recruitment processes on graduates.
However, it recognises concerns raised by young people who contributed to Alan Milburn's interim review of the rise in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Many reported submitting large numbers of job applications but receiving either no response or only automated rejections.
The government is considering these concerns and will respond to any recommendations arising from Alan Milburn's final review once it is published.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment they have made of the impact that delayed and lost deliveries from poor performance of courier services have on small and medium-sized businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
We expect all delivery companies to provide a good level of service for businesses and have been clear that some need to do more to meet customer expectations.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for reviewing the regulatory framework including considering the needs of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) users. Ofcom monitors the experiences of businesses and consumers of parcel delivery services. Its last 2024/25 annual post monitoring report found that around eight in ten SMEs were satisfied with delivery services. Ofcom has, however, recognised concerns about parcel delivery performance and is keeping the need for further regulation under review.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting non-compete clauses on the competitiveness of the UK financial services sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of a competitive and dynamic UK financial services sector, which is a key driver of growth across the economy. The Prime Minister recently announced that the Government will legislate on non-compete clauses in employment contracts and bring forward options to address the wider use of restrictive practices. These reforms are intended to support labour mobility, innovation and business dynamism while ensuring firms continue to have tools available to protect legitimate business interests. Further detail will be set out in the Government's response to the working paper on reform of non-compete clauses at Budget 2026.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what actions they have planned to review the regulatory framework for postal deliveries to ensure small and medium-sized businesses are not negatively impacted by the poor performance of courier services.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
We expect all delivery companies to provide a good level of service for businesses and have been clear that some need to do more to meet customer expectations.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for reviewing the regulatory framework including considering the needs of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) users. Ofcom monitors the experiences of businesses and consumers of parcel delivery services. Its last 2024/25 annual post monitoring report found that around eight in ten SMEs were satisfied with delivery services. Ofcom has, however, recognised concerns about parcel delivery performance and is keeping the need for further regulation under review.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of restricting non-compete clauses on (a) labour market mobility, (b) innovation and (c) business investment in staff training.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The evidence is clear that non-compete clauses deter labour mobility, which can lead to reduced wage growth and lower business creation. Around 5 million employees are subject to a non-compete clause in Great Britain with a typical duration of around 6 months. The government will legislate to make sure that non-compete clauses will no longer be a barrier to hiring for our most innovative and promising startups and scaling firms.
The Competition and Markets Authority found non-compete clauses were associated with slightly more formal on-the-job training, but not with other types of training, suggesting that not all non-compete clauses are protecting substantial training investments.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of excluding product codes 14 and 27 from the new steel tariffs.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government engaged extensively with both primary steel producers and downstream users, including those in the manufacturing and defence sectors, to inform development of the steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025. The policy has been developed to strike the right balance between securing the future of domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure supply chains.
Detail of the codes under Categories 14 and 27 covered by the measure are available on GOV.UK. We will continue engaging regularly with companies across the supply chain and will closely monitor impacts. This includes a review after twelve months to ensure the measure remains effective and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what impact assessment he has made of the changes to steel tariffs on the supply chain for the defence industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government engaged extensively with both primary steel producers and downstream users, including those in the manufacturing and defence sectors, to inform development of the steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025. The policy has been developed to strike the right balance between securing the future of domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure supply chains.
Detail of the codes under Categories 14 and 27 covered by the measure are available on GOV.UK. We will continue engaging regularly with companies across the supply chain and will closely monitor impacts. This includes a review after twelve months to ensure the measure remains effective and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what impact assessment he has made of the changes to steel tariffs on the manufacturing sector.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government engaged extensively with both primary steel producers and downstream users, including those in the manufacturing and defence sectors, to inform development of the steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025. The policy has been developed to strike the right balance between securing the future of domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure supply chains.
Detail of the codes under Categories 14 and 27 covered by the measure are available on GOV.UK. We will continue engaging regularly with companies across the supply chain and will closely monitor impacts. This includes a review after twelve months to ensure the measure remains effective and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the estimated costs saved to businesses following the cancellation of the Audit Reform and Corporate Governance bill.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has not made a full assessment of the costs to business of the policies previously intended to form part of the Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill. Most of those costs would have come from the expansion of the Public Interest Entity audit regime to private companies with 1000 or more employees and £1 billion or more in turnover.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to put the Financial Reporting Council on a statutory footing.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will look to put the Financial Reporting Council on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows. We will set out next steps in due course.