Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of ongoing (a) rail and (b) postal strikes on small businesses.

Strike action by its very nature is disruptive to the economy. That is why it should always be a last resort and the Government always encourages unions and employers to seek a resolution of disputes before strike action takes place.

While the Government recognises the importance of the right to strike, we need to balance this against the need to protect the public and keep them safe. The Government is therefore reviewing our industrial relations legal framework to ensure that it gets this balance right. More details will be given in due course.