Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that unsafe children's toys are not sold on online marketplaces.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements. Despite this, we recognise that it remains too easy for non-compliant products to be made available to UK consumers on online marketplaces. The Office for Product Safety and Standards works to assess the prevalence of unsafe toys online and takes enforcement action where needed.
Government has also introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, which allows us to introduce clearer requirements on online marketplaces to improve consumer safety and ensure fair competition. We will consult on proposals with stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase trade between the UK and India.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has signed a landmark trade deal with India which it is estimated will boost the UK’s GDP by £4.8bn and increase bilateral trade by £25.5bn each year, supporting the Government’s Plan for Change.
We are working to bring the deal into force as quickly as possible.
We are helping businesses to prepare to seize the opportunities from the agreement, including through bespoke guidance and trade promotion sessions. The Prime Minister recently led a major trade delegation to India to drive trade, investment, and growth across the UK.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase trade between the UK and Canada.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) underpinning our bilateral trade, which was worth £30 billion in the 12 months to June 2025, up 15% in current prices on the previous 12 months.
In June, our Prime Ministers issued a Joint Statement making it clear we want to enhance this important relationship in a number of areas – including on trade, defence, digital, quantum, and critical minerals. They established the UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group with the objective of growing bilateral trade, including by addressing existing market access barriers and building on existing arrangements.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken with local councils to tackle the illegal use of fireworks in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many officials were investigated under his Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 1st July 2023 due to a Machinery of Government Change, the Department of International Trade (DIT) became the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), alongside parts of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). We therefore only hold information from DBT from 1st July 2023, and information from DIT before this date, and all information shared will be within these parameters.
Year | No. of officials investigated |
2025 | 19 |
2024 | 9 |
2023 | 11 |
2022 | 11 |
2021 | <5 |
Here are the figures for UK Export Finance:
Year | No. of officials investigated |
2025 | <5 |
2024 | <5 |
2023 | <5 |
2022 | <5 |
2021 | <5 |
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 implications for his policies on employment law of the adequacy of working rights of app-based (a) private hire drivers and (b) couriers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill.
This is available at: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of statutory paternity leave entitlements for self-employed parents.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Self-employed parents are not currently eligible for statutory paternity leave or pay. On 1 July the Government launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review. The Review will consider all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including whether support available meets the needs of self-employed parents.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the prevention of violence against retail workers.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
Retail crime remains a significant concern, and we are taking steps including measures in the Crime and Policing Bill and in the Safer High Streets missions to tackle this important issue.
We are increasing police spending power by an average 2.3% per year in real terms over the spending review period, supporting us to meet our plan for change commitment of putting 13,000 additional police officers, police community support officers and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales. In the Crime and Policing Bill, we brought in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.
The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention will continue to host the Retail Crime Forum to ensure regular engagement with law enforcement and the retail sector and to discuss what more we can do to tackle retail crime, including abuse.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with retailers on the prevention retail crime.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
Retail crime remains a significant concern, and we are taking steps including measures in the Crime and Policing Bill and in the Safer High Streets missions to tackle this important issue.
We are increasing police spending power by an average 2.3% per year in real terms over the spending review period, supporting us to meet our plan for change commitment of putting 13,000 additional police officers, police community support officers and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales. In the Crime and Policing Bill, we brought in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.
The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention will continue to host the Retail Crime Forum to ensure regular engagement with law enforcement and the retail sector and to discuss what more we can do to tackle retail crime, including abuse.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has any plans to review the length of statutory paternity leave.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government is committed to making sure that parents receive the best possible support to balance their work and home lives. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ Right allowing eligible employees to give notice of their intention to take these entitlements from their first day in a new job.
We understand that the parental leave system needs further improvement. That is why we have committed to conducting a review of the system, to ensure it best supports working families.
The review will look at Paternity Leave and Pay, and the length of leave available to fathers and partners.