Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle potential barriers to overseas companies establishing UK operations and employing workers directly.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Overseas companies are able to establish operations in the UK and employ workers directly, subject to the relevant legal, tax and employment requirements. The Government continues to take steps to ensure the UK remains an attractive and competitive location for international businesses to invest, establish and grow.
This includes a strengthened Office for Investment to support strategically significant investors, working across government to help address potential investment barriers including access to finance, access to skills, planning, and utilities. The Government is also looking to introduce a corporate re-domiciliation regime, enabling overseas companies to move their incorporation to the UK while retaining their legal identity, thereby reducing associated costs and complexity.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 for remote and distributed employment models to increase access to tech and AI jobs in regions outside London and the South East.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Remote working and other forms of flexible working can increase access to employment opportunities across sectors and the country. The changes we are making through the Employment Rights Act will improve access to flexible working.
While the Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of these changes on technology and AI jobs, we are helping people across the UK seize the opportunities of AI by investing in local talent, skills and career pathways. Through the TechLocal fund, we are connecting people to new tech jobs, graduate traineeships and AI learning opportunities in their communities.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 potential impact of (a) pricing structures imposed by large pub companies on tenant landlords and (b) restrictions on purchasing alcohol from independent breweries on the long term sustainability of community pubs.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government works with the Hospitality Sector Council to address challenges facing the sector, including community pubs. The Government’s £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme co-funds projects to help community pubs adapt to their communities’ changing needs. The Government is also conducting an exercise to understand potential market barriers for small brewers. Interested parties can contact [email protected].
Tied tenant landlords of pub-owning businesses with 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales are protected by the Pubs Code which ensures they are treated fairly and lawfully and are no worse off than if not subject to any product or service tie. The third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator is underway and the call for inputs is open until 14 August 2025.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on a Free Trade Agreement.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
On 29 July 2024 the Secretary of State for Business and Trade announced the Government’s intention to deliver negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council, India, Israel, South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey.
The Secretary of State has spoken to Minister Barkat a number of times since the July 2024 General Election, including on the Free Trade Agreement.