Seema Malhotra Portrait

Seema Malhotra

Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston

First elected: 15th December 2011

Shadow Minister (Education)

(since September 2023)

Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
14th May 2021 - 5th Sep 2023
Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill
7th Jun 2023 - 11th Jul 2023
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill
19th Oct 2022 - 29th Nov 2022
Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill
1st Dec 2021 - 14th Dec 2021
Subsidy Control Bill
20th Oct 2021 - 18th Nov 2021
Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill
1st Jul 2021 - 8th Jul 2021
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) (Employment)
10th Apr 2020 - 14th May 2021
Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
2nd Mar 2020 - 16th Jan 2021
Panel of Chairs
23rd Mar 2020 - 23rd Apr 2020
Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion
15th Nov 2016 - 6th Nov 2019
Committee on Exiting the European Union
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
31st Oct 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Committee on Exiting the European Union
31st Oct 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
14th Sep 2015 - 26th Jun 2016
Shadow Minister (Home Office)
8th May 2015 - 14th Sep 2015
Opposition Whip (Commons)
7th Oct 2013 - 30th Mar 2015
Justice Committee
6th Feb 2012 - 25th Nov 2013


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Seema Malhotra has voted in 753 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Seema Malhotra Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Paul Scully (Conservative)
(253 debate interactions)
Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(231 debate interactions)
Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Cabinet Office)
(43 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Business and Trade
(98 debate contributions)
Home Office
(48 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Seema Malhotra's debates

Feltham and Heston Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want the Government to review and increase allowances paid to foster carers, and also tax exemption levels for foster carers, so they reflect the true cost of caring for a child.

Undocumented Migrants are suffering in silence, with no access to adequate Financial support, or any help. The Government should grant an urgent Amnesty of 5years to those with no criminal record so that they could live their lives as normal human beings and pay tax to help the UK economy.

The Government must make a public statement on the #kissanprotests & press freedoms.

India is the worlds largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating a India that works for all.

Football is a powerful tool of which allows a range of benefits such as employment, and other important aspects of life. Football can be associated with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication across the community. With Fans attending football games a range of economic benefits are there too.


Latest EDMs signed by Seema Malhotra

5th September 2023
Seema Malhotra signed this EDM as the primary signatory on Tuesday 5th September 2023

Freddie Mercury's 77th birthday

Tabled by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
That this House extends its best wishes to the family of Freddie Mercury, who grew up in Feltham alongside Brian May, on what would have been Freddie’s 77th birthday; recognises the enormous contribution of Freddie Mercury and Queen to music and culture and the love for Freddie, which is still …
14 signatures
(Most recent: 25 Oct 2023)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 5
Scottish National Party: 3
Plaid Cymru: 3
Liberal Democrat: 1
Independent: 1
Alba Party: 1
6th March 2023
Seema Malhotra signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 9th March 2023

Fairtrade Fortnight 2023

Tabled by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
That this House commemorates Fairtrade Fortnight 2023; recognises the focus for this year is the impact of the climate crisis on the future of foods, seeking to highlight the damaging effects on food production and farming as a result climate change; understands that producers in developing countries are often most …
12 signatures
(Most recent: 15 Mar 2023)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 5
Independent: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 2
Liberal Democrat: 1
View All Seema Malhotra's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Seema Malhotra, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Seema Malhotra has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Seema Malhotra

Wednesday 12th May 2021

1 Bill introduced by Seema Malhotra


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to establish a duty on schools and colleges in England with pupils aged 16 years and over to enable pupils to gain greater understanding of the processes and benefits of blood, organ and bone marrow donation; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 6th March 2013

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
6 Other Department Questions
21st Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the proportion of invoices her Department paid to small and medium-sized enterprises within five days in the 2021-2022 financial year.

All government departments publish payment performance quarterly showing the percentage of invoices paid in 5 days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. In addition, in accordance with 113 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, Contracting Authorities are required to publish annually the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days online.

This is available on GOV.UK. DCMS payment performance is available here.

The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to SMEs. The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs.

Specifically, the Procurement Bill will imply 30 day payment terms into every sub-contract that is substantially for the purpose of performing a public contract. This will ensure SMEs at every tier of the public supply chain can benefit from faster payments, even if 30 day terms aren't explicitly written into the contract.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to Girliguiding's Girls' Attitudes Survey 2022, what steps she with Cabinet colleagues to tackle sexism (a) online and (b) in the workplace.

The Girlguiding Girls' Attitudes Survey provides valuable data each year which helps the Government's policy development. We share the concerns about harassment and sexism highlighted in this survey and are taking action to protect women and girls, online, in communities and in the workplace.

Strong laws protecting people against workplace harassment and discrimination, including in relation to sex, are set out in the Equality Act 2010. In addition, the Government is supporting the protection from workplace harassment Bill introduced by the Hon. Member for Bath. This Bill will amend the Equality Act 2010 to strengthen legal protections for employees against workplace harassment, including sexual harassment and harassment by third-parties, such as customers and clients.

We will also bring the Online Safety Bill back to Parliament as soon as possible, which will introduce new protections for women and girls online. Under the Bill all services will need to proactively remove and prevent users from being exposed to priority illegal content. This includes content that particularly affects women and girls, such as illegal content relating to sexual images – for example, revenge and extreme pornography, harassment and cyberstalking. Women and girls will also be better able to report abuse and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.

In addition, we are putting a range of measures in place to support children and young people as part of the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. This includes providing £3 million to better understand what works to prevent violence against women and girls. We are investing in high quality, evidence-informed prevention projects, including in schools, to educate and inform children and young people about violence against women and girls, healthy relationships, consent and the consequences of abuse.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help support the (a) well-being and (b) safety of girls and young women (i) online and (ii) in communities.

The Girlguiding Girls' Attitudes Survey provides valuable data each year which helps the Government's policy development. We share the concerns about harassment and sexism highlighted in this survey and are taking action to protect women and girls, online, in communities and in the workplace.

Strong laws protecting people against workplace harassment and discrimination, including in relation to sex, are set out in the Equality Act 2010. In addition, the Government is supporting the protection from workplace harassment Bill introduced by the Hon. Member for Bath. This Bill will amend the Equality Act 2010 to strengthen legal protections for employees against workplace harassment, including sexual harassment and harassment by third-parties, such as customers and clients.

We will also bring the Online Safety Bill back to Parliament as soon as possible, which will introduce new protections for women and girls online. Under the Bill all services will need to proactively remove and prevent users from being exposed to priority illegal content. This includes content that particularly affects women and girls, such as illegal content relating to sexual images – for example, revenge and extreme pornography, harassment and cyberstalking. Women and girls will also be better able to report abuse and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.

In addition, we are putting a range of measures in place to support children and young people as part of the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. This includes providing £3 million to better understand what works to prevent violence against women and girls. We are investing in high quality, evidence-informed prevention projects, including in schools, to educate and inform children and young people about violence against women and girls, healthy relationships, consent and the consequences of abuse.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made an assessment of the findings of the 14th annual Girls' Attitudes Survey published by GirlGuiding in October 2022.

The Girlguiding Girls' Attitudes Survey provides valuable data each year which helps the Government's policy development. We share the concerns about harassment and sexism highlighted in this survey and are taking action to protect women and girls, online, in communities and in the workplace.

Strong laws protecting people against workplace harassment and discrimination, including in relation to sex, are set out in the Equality Act 2010. In addition, the Government is supporting the protection from workplace harassment Bill introduced by the Hon. Member for Bath. This Bill will amend the Equality Act 2010 to strengthen legal protections for employees against workplace harassment, including sexual harassment and harassment by third-parties, such as customers and clients.

We will also bring the Online Safety Bill back to Parliament as soon as possible, which will introduce new protections for women and girls online. Under the Bill all services will need to proactively remove and prevent users from being exposed to priority illegal content. This includes content that particularly affects women and girls, such as illegal content relating to sexual images – for example, revenge and extreme pornography, harassment and cyberstalking. Women and girls will also be better able to report abuse and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.

In addition, we are putting a range of measures in place to support children and young people as part of the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. This includes providing £3 million to better understand what works to prevent violence against women and girls. We are investing in high quality, evidence-informed prevention projects, including in schools, to educate and inform children and young people about violence against women and girls, healthy relationships, consent and the consequences of abuse.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
20th Sep 2022
To ask the President of COP26, how many young people aged eighteen or younger have undertaken work experience in his Department in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those young people were (a) girls and (b) boys from state schools.

There have been no people aged eighteen or younger over the past twelve months who have undertaken work experience in the COP26 Unit.

Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
27th Feb 2024
To ask the Attorney General, how much her Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

The apprenticeship levy for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is managed by the Government Legal Department (GLD). The GLD also manages the apprenticeship levy for HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI). These apprenticeship levies are combined into one pot and it is not possible to isolate them by department. However, it is possible to isolate the levy fees spent by the AGO to support its apprentices.

Between 01 September 2021 and 31 August 2023, the apprenticeship levy fees paid for the AGO, GLD, and HMCPSI were £1,380,581. This includes the 10% government top up.

During the same period, the AGO spent £30,173 to support AGO apprentices.

Please note that, except for the references to the GLD and HMCPSI above, I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HMCPSI, GLD, and Serious Fraud Office).

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of invoices received by her Department were paid within five days in (a) the 2021-2022 financial year and (b) each of the last 12 months.

The table below shows the percentage of invoices received and paid within five days for (a) 2021-22 and (b) each of the last 12 months.

Month

Year

2021/22

18.06%

Apr-22

7.95%

May-22

5.26%

Jun-22

33.33%

Jul-22

25.00%

Aug-22

25.71%

Sep-22

33.33%

Oct-22

4.76%

Nov-22

36.36%

Dec-22

44.44%

Jan-23

28.57%

Feb-23

0.00%

Mar-23

18.52%

Michael Tomlinson
Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
11th Feb 2020
To ask the Attorney General, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

The Civil Service aims to increase opportunities for people of all backgrounds and create a Civil Service fit for 21st century Britain through work experience, internships and apprenticeship schemes. However, the confidentially of work undertaken at the Attorney General’s Office makes offering work experience opportunities difficult.

For people aged 16 and under there was the following number of work experience placements:

2017: 0

2018: 0

2019: 0

For people over 16 years old there was the following number of work experience placements:

2017: 0

2018: 0

2019: 0

27th Feb 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

The Cabinet Office has contributed £6,388,833 into its apprenticeship levy funds between 01 September 2021 and 31 August 2023. This includes the 10% government top up.

During the same period the department has spent £2,981,047 from its apprenticeship levy funds.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs on 8 November 2023, Official Report, column 114, what responsibility the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs has for Pathway Two of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

In October this year, the Prime Minister asked me to coordinate departmental plans for relocating eligible Afghans and their families under both the ARAP and ACRS schemes. Departments retain responsibility for their specific policy areas.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
20th Jun 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister plans to appoint a Minister for pandemic and disaster preparedness.

My right Hon. friend the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for the oversight of civil contingencies & resilience.

The government has a well-established method of planning for risks through the lead government department model, with the Cabinet Office supporting in its convening role. Risks such as pandemics, which have significant cross-cutting impacts, have cross-government governance - with Ministerial oversight through National Security Council (Resilience) where required. The government has set out its overarching approach to this through the Resilience Framework.

19th Jun 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials held meetings with the International Labour Organisation each year since 2019; what the reasons for each of those meetings were; and who was present at each meeting.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
9th Jun 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to release statistics on (a) covid-19 and (b) other workplace-related illness and deaths among the nursing workforce broken down by ethnicity.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Lady's Parliamentary Question of 9 June is attached.

21st Mar 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the proportion of invoices his Department paid to small and medium-sized enterprises within five days in the 2021-2022 financial year.

This information is not held by the Cabinet Office, as we cannot separate out small and medium-sized enterprises. I refer you to the Cabinet Office Prompt Payment statistics, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1093446/Cabinet_Office_prompt_payment_data_-_April_2021_to_March_2022__3_.csv/preview

This Conservative Government knows that small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of the British economy and I am proud of the work we are doing to support them. For instance, the Procurement Bill we are introducing will bring four complex regimes into one and enable simpler, more flexible public procurement processes, giving small and medium sized businesses greater opportunities to benefit from Government contracts.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Mar 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Department’s Small Business Advisory Panel has met in each of the last five years.

The SME Advisory Panel met 19 times between February 2018 and February 2023 for official Cabinet Office led SME Advisory Panel meetings. Panel members also contributed to the Baroness Neville-Rolfe led SME Roundtable on the Procurement Bill in October.

The SME Advisory Panel was set up by the Cabinet Office in 2011 and works with the Government to support start-ups and small businesses via government procurement.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Mar 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Department’s Small Business Advisory Panel has met in each of the last five years.

The SME Advisory Panel met 19 times between February 2018 and February 2023 for official Cabinet Office led SME Advisory Panel meetings. Panel members also contributed to the Baroness Neville-Rolfe led SME Roundtable on the Procurement Bill in October.

The SME Advisory Panel was set up by the Cabinet Office in 2011 and works with the Government to support start-ups and small businesses via government procurement.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Mar 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) businesses of any size and (b) SMEs have signed up to the Contracts Finder platform in each year since its launch in 2011.

Contracts Finder originally went live in 2011 as a Business Link service. It was replatformed as a GOV.UK service in 2015. Data from 2011 - 2014 has been archived and cannot be interrogated to answer these questions.

Contracts Awarded to SMEs:

Total awards

Awarded to SMEs

% awarded to SMEs

2015

12,414

298

2.40%

2016

18,747

1,828

9.75%

2017

24,237

3,922

16.18%

2018

29,187

9,290

31.83%

2019

33,217

11,510

34.65%

2020

31,398

11,980

38.16%

2021

48,292

17,752

36.76%

2022

53,851

20,899

38.81%

Registered businesses:

All Business

SME

%

2015

14,604

2,767

18.9%

2016

1,068

484

45.3%

2017

10,194

4,722

46.3%

2018

8,682

3,827

44.1%

2019

7,704

3,313

43%

2020

9,559

3,599

37.7%

2021

9,084

2,687

29.6%

2022

7,851

2,067

26.3%

The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to SMEs. The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Mar 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts have been placed with SMEs through Contracts Finder in each year since its launch in 2011.

Contracts Finder originally went live in 2011 as a Business Link service. It was replatformed as a GOV.UK service in 2015. Data from 2011 - 2014 has been archived and cannot be interrogated to answer these questions.

Contracts Awarded to SMEs:

Total awards

Awarded to SMEs

% awarded to SMEs

2015

12,414

298

2.40%

2016

18,747

1,828

9.75%

2017

24,237

3,922

16.18%

2018

29,187

9,290

31.83%

2019

33,217

11,510

34.65%

2020

31,398

11,980

38.16%

2021

48,292

17,752

36.76%

2022

53,851

20,899

38.81%

Registered businesses:

All Business

SME

%

2015

14,604

2,767

18.9%

2016

1,068

484

45.3%

2017

10,194

4,722

46.3%

2018

8,682

3,827

44.1%

2019

7,704

3,313

43%

2020

9,559

3,599

37.7%

2021

9,084

2,687

29.6%

2022

7,851

2,067

26.3%

The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to SMEs. The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of business (a) awareness of and (b) satisfaction with the Contracts Finder and Find a Tender services.

The data for the Contracts Finder service and the Find a Tender Service is listed below.

Contracts Finder unique users by year, based on cookies which store user information and preferences between website visits. Starting in 2020, users were able to opt out of cookies, meaning that it became a much less reliable indicator of uniques users - and led to a drop in the reported number of unique users recorded using this methodology.

Contracts Finder service unique users by year:

2017 - 650,003

2018 - 656,661

2019 - 780,951

2020 - 533,809 - users begin to be able to opt out of cookies

2021 - 187,905

2022 - 169,530

Find a Tender Service unique users by year:

2021 - 90,503

2022 - 81,515

No assessment of business awareness is available. And, although user research is continually conducted with public and private sector users of both Contracts Finder and Find a Tender, no specific data is available with regards to user satisfaction. The ongoing user research is used to identify areas of improvement for both systems to meet ongoing user needs.

11th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unique users there have been of the Find a Tender service in each year since its founding.

The data for the Contracts Finder service and the Find a Tender Service is listed below.

Contracts Finder unique users by year, based on cookies which store user information and preferences between website visits. Starting in 2020, users were able to opt out of cookies, meaning that it became a much less reliable indicator of uniques users - and led to a drop in the reported number of unique users recorded using this methodology.

Contracts Finder service unique users by year:

2017 - 650,003

2018 - 656,661

2019 - 780,951

2020 - 533,809 - users begin to be able to opt out of cookies

2021 - 187,905

2022 - 169,530

Find a Tender Service unique users by year:

2021 - 90,503

2022 - 81,515

No assessment of business awareness is available. And, although user research is continually conducted with public and private sector users of both Contracts Finder and Find a Tender, no specific data is available with regards to user satisfaction. The ongoing user research is used to identify areas of improvement for both systems to meet ongoing user needs.

11th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unique users there have been of the Contracts Finder service in each year since its founding.

The data for the Contracts Finder service and the Find a Tender Service is listed below.

Contracts Finder unique users by year, based on cookies which store user information and preferences between website visits. Starting in 2020, users were able to opt out of cookies, meaning that it became a much less reliable indicator of uniques users - and led to a drop in the reported number of unique users recorded using this methodology.

Contracts Finder service unique users by year:

2017 - 650,003

2018 - 656,661

2019 - 780,951

2020 - 533,809 - users begin to be able to opt out of cookies

2021 - 187,905

2022 - 169,530

Find a Tender Service unique users by year:

2021 - 90,503

2022 - 81,515

No assessment of business awareness is available. And, although user research is continually conducted with public and private sector users of both Contracts Finder and Find a Tender, no specific data is available with regards to user satisfaction. The ongoing user research is used to identify areas of improvement for both systems to meet ongoing user needs.

20th Sep 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people aged eighteen or younger have undertaken work experience in his Department in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those young people were (a) girls and (b) boys from state schools.

There have been no people aged eighteen or younger over the past twelve months who have undertaken work experience in the Cabinet Office.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
23rd May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress the Supply Chain Advisory Group and Industry Taskforce has made on its work.

The resilience of UK supply chains remains a key priority for the Government. Following Sir Dave Lewis' final recommendations at the end of last year, work has focused on ensuring that Government:

  • continues to build and embed departmental capability and collaboration on supply chains policy,

  • builds stronger capability to horizon scan, spot risks early, and collate and utilise data to understand supply chains issues, and works with industry to resolve them, and

  • considers how best to optimise existing infrastructure capacity and improve cross-modal connectivity.

28th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Minister for Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of 18 to 24 year olds (a) in part time employment, (b) in contracted work and (c) unemployed.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

17th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of business deaths that have occurred during the last three recorded quarters.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

13th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of business deaths during the first quarter of 2022.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

17th Nov 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle delays in the UK supply chain of (a) raw materials and (b) goods.

HM Government is taking several steps to ease the pressures on supply chains in the UK across different sectors, including raw materials and goods. For example, the Government has expanded and streamlined testing for HGV drivers, increasing capacity by 90% from pre-pandemic levels. The Government has also introduced temporary visas where needed to bolster our food supply chain workers and HGV drivers.

17th Nov 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings have been held of the Supply Chain Advisory Group announced on the 8 October 2021; what the dates of those meetings were; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

Last month, the Prime Minister appointed Sir Dave Lewis to advise HM Government on supply chains to identify both immediate improvements and any necessary long-term changes. He has spoken with over 100 businesses from across 14 sectors since his appointment. We understand the importance of working closely with businesses to help them solve these issues and to help us understand what more the Government can do to support all sectors of our economy. It is important that these are open conversations and that businesses feel able to provide, often commercially sensitive, information to Government without fear of compromise.

14th Sep 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle supply chain issues in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Government Ministers responsible for the supply chain ecosystem are working collectively, and in close partnership with industry, to drive the development and delivery of plans to strengthen supply chain resilience, supporting economic recovery and levelling up.

21st Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of exports from small and medium sized enterprises (SME) as of 21 July 2021; and what assessment he has made of trends in the level of exports from SMEs in the last five years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

19th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of not consulting business or trade union on the Government guidance entitled Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread, updated on 19 March 2021.

Step 4 policy and guidance was developed in collaboration with departments and stakeholders including businesses and unions. The Government continuously reviews and updates the guidance available in light of emerging information and feedback from the public, working to ensure the guidance is clear and accessible.

We discussed the development of guidance with stakeholders, including businesses and unions, however this did not happen under a formal consultation process, largely due to the need to react and make decisions swiftly at Ministerial level, given the circumstances during the pandemic.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
13th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what target each Department has for the proportion of their spending that is contracted with SMEs.

Government is committed to increasing spend with SMEs.

The latest procurement figures for 2019/20 show that across government, £15.5bn was paid to small and medium sized businesses to help deliver vital public services. This is an increase of £1.3bn on the previous year and the highest since records began in 2013.

Central government departments have dedicated SME action plans setting out specific actions being taken to promote increased spend with SME organisations.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
1st Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of central government procurement that is spent with SMEs led by minority ethnic groups.

This information is not held centrally.


The government is committed to supporting start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), directly or via the supply chain, through government procurement, including those led by women and minority ethnic groups. Government spending with SMEs is also continuing to rise, with 26.7% of the £58bn spent by the government in 2019/20 going to SMEs.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
1st Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of central government procurement that is spent with majority women-led SMEs.

This information is not held centrally.


The government is committed to supporting start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), directly or via the supply chain, through government procurement, including those led by women and minority ethnic groups. Government spending with SMEs is also continuing to rise, with 26.7% of the £58bn spent by the government in 2019/20 going to SMEs.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government is making on meeting its target of spending 33 per cent of its procurement budget with SMEs by March 2022.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to PQ 2999 on 24 May 2021.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
18th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the share of Government contracts that are won by SMEs.

The government wants SMEs to benefit from central government procurement spend, either directly or indirectly via the supply chain.

Reports on central government spend with SMEs are published on GOV.UK on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office. The latest procurement figures for 2019/20, published on the 7th of May 2021 show that across central government, £15.5bn was paid to SMEs to help deliver vital public services. The figure is an increase of £1.3bn on the previous year and the highest since records began in 2013. Overall, spending with SMEs represented 26.7 per cent of the £58bn spent by the government in 2019/20 – an increase of 1.1 per cent on the previous year.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Sep 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people received honours in each constituency between August 2016 and August 2020.

Honours recipients are not categorised by constituency. However, the honours lists, as published on GOV.UK, are searchable by county.

7th Sep 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he had made of the effect on employment levels in the event that an agreement is not reached on a future relationship with the EU by the end of the transition period.

Any responsible Government has a duty to prepare for all scenarios. Planning for the end of the transition period is well underway and we have already been engaging with businesses and industry, including ensuring our borders are ready by the end of the year, and will continue to do so.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
2nd Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase diversity on public boards.

Annual reports by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the Cabinet Office include data on those taking up and holding public appointments. The government has published and is implementing the Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan, available on gov.uk. I will keep this plan under review and the next update will reflect the Government's levelling up agenda, including regional diversity, and diversity of thought.

Michael Gove
Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
2nd Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to increase diversity in the (a) nomination for and (b) award of UK honours.

Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve diversity in the honours system. For example, we now consistently see around half of awards overall going to women, and in the New Year 2020 Honours List, 51% of honours went to women. Around 10% of awards go to recipients from a BAME background. The Cabinet Office will consider whether further steps to improve diversity and representation are required. We welcome more nominations from under-represented regions and we are running a programme of regional events to promote the system in those areas most under-represented.

27th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much her Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

Following a machinery of government in February 2023, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Department for International trade were replaced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade.

As the Department for Business and Trade did not exist between September 2021 and January 2023, we are unable to provide data on payment towards the apprenticeship levy and spend of levy funds for this period.

Since the creation of the Department for Business and Trade the apprenticeship levy account has remained shared between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade. Therefore, the Department for Business and Trade is unable to accurately provide the amount paid in apprenticeship levy fees between February 2023 and August 2023 and is unable to accurately provide the amount spent from the levy over the same period.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

My Department provides extensive support. Key schemes include Help to Grow: Management, the Automotive Transformation Fund and the Energy Intensive Industries Scheme.

The Government works with the British Business Bank to help SMEs access finance and the Recovery Loan Scheme helps businesses access loans and other kinds of finance. SMEs can also access guidance via the free Business Support Helpline and in England from the network of Growth Hubs.

These are some of the most relevant schemes. Interested parties may find it helpful to access the developing ‘Find a Grant’ website https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/ (more grants are being added all the time).

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
1st Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help support businesses that export to the US with complying with the enforcement regulations under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act that come into force on 1 January 2024.

The Government’s Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, focuses on the challenges UK businesses face when exporting. It targets barriers to trade and helps businesses at every stage of their export journey. The Department for Business and Trade continues to support companies through our network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, sector specialists and the Export Support Service.

Businesses can contact the Export Support Service if they have any export related questions.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's transparency data publication entitled DBT: spending over £25,000 for March 2023, for what purpose her Department spent at IPSOS (Market Research) Ltd (a) £45,000 on 24 March 2023, (b) £11,500 on 27 March 2023, (c) £16,850 on 27 March 2023, (d) £15,550 on 28 March 2023 and (e) £33,350 on 30 March 2023.

Payment b) of £11,500 and payment c) of £16,850 both relate to monitoring and evaluation of the Department for Business & Trade's (DBT) work in building resilience into the UK’s supply chains. Payment a) of £45,000 and payment d) of £15,550 both relate to research to enhance DBT's services to exporters. Payment e) of £33,350 relates to research to understand how businesses use unregistered design rights to protect their intellectual.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of potential greenwashing by businesses in relation to their environmental, social and governance practices.

The Government recognises the risk that businesses can make unsubstantiated claims in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. In April 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published research, which found that “a high proportion of practitioners in the field of socially responsible investment feel that NFR [non-financial reporting] provided by companies is often an exercise in ‘impressions management’ or ‘greenwashing”.

The Green Finance Strategy (March 2023) set out the Government’s approach to regulating ESG disclosures, including through the UK’s adoption of International Sustainability Disclosure Standards.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
24th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data her Department holds for (a) enrolment and (b) completion figures in relation to the Help to Grow Management scheme, published on 9 May 2023.

As at the end of February 2023, Help to Grow: Management has had 5,395 enrolments to the programme and 3,340 participants have completed the course. We will publish updated enrolment and completion data in the autumn.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
24th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when her department plans to publish its Product Safety Review.

The Product Safety Review consultation is currently being finalised and will be published shortly.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)