Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 the time taken for exports on specialist engineering and manufacturing firms reliant on timely international shipments.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government seeks to drive up economic growth by extending UK exports. Our export control system seeks to enable responsible and legitimate international trade in military equipment and technology, and in dual-use items. We aim to conclude 70% of standard individual export licence applications within 20 working days and 99% within 60 working days.
In some cases, however, we have to balance the desire for speed with the need for careful and thorough consideration of the application. Some decisions can therefore take longer, especially for destinations or end uses which involve more complex or finely balanced assessments.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department provides to UK firearms‑related manufacturing businesses to ensure that legitimate exports are processed in a timely manner.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government seeks to drive up economic growth by extending UK exports. Our export control system seeks to enable responsible and legitimate international trade in military equipment and technology, and in dual-use items. We aim to conclude 70% of standard individual export licence applications within 20 working days and 99% within 60 working days.
In some cases, however, we have to balance the desire for speed with the need for careful and thorough consideration of the application. Some decisions can therefore take longer, especially for destinations or end uses which involve more complex or finely balanced assessments.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that whistleblowers are not subject to (a) disciplinary action, (b) dismissal and (c) blacklisting after raising concerns in the public interest.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.
For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.
The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 effectiveness of the whistleblowing framework in protecting people who report wrongdoing in public bodies.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.
For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.
The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to bring forward proposals to strengthen statutory protections for whistleblowers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.
For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.
The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 adequacy of regulatory oversight of whistleblowing complaints in the public sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.
For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.
The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that regulators correctly investigate whistleblowing disclosures.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.
For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.
The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 adequacy of working conditions for self‑employed couriers in the parcel delivery sector, including training standards, pay rates, and safeguarding obligations.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
All businesses must comply with relevant laws and employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their workforce receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled. Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, does not regulate the employment models of parcel delivery companies.
Many employment rights, including the National Minimum and Living Wage do not apply to self-employed individuals. While the government recognises self-employed arrangements can provide valued flexibility, we also recognise concerns regarding exploitation of the current employment status framework and will consult on addressing these.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 supermarket pricing strategies on the long-term viability of UK farming businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for investigating UK competition issues. The CMA updated its analysis of competition and profitability in the groceries sector in July 2024, which found no evidence of groceries inflation being driven by weak competition between retailers.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) regulates the relationship between the UK’s largest grocery retailers and their direct suppliers by encouraging, monitoring and enforcing compliance with Groceries Code, a CMA owned competition measure. The Code covers interactions between retailers and direct suppliers which excludes most farmers. The Code does not regulate prices, which is a commercial negotiation.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to cover (a) farmers and (b) other indirect suppliers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The review considers the GCA’s effectiveness in enforcing the Groceries Code between 31 March 2022 and 1 April 2025.
The public consultation to the review additionally asked if there are unfair contractual practices in parts of the supply chain not covered by either the GCA or the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA). The ASCA enforces the Fair Dealing Regulations under the Agriculture Act 2020 which the government introduced to deal with the production end of the supply chain in specific sectors.