Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consideration his Department made of the evidence submitted to the consultation regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.

The Department for Business and Trade carefully considered the evidence submitted through the public consultation on the operational details of the trade union right of access framework, including views on a proposed exemption from statutory access provisions for employers of a certain size.

The government published its response to this consultation on 8 April, setting out the final approach and rationale, including an exemption for employers with fewer than 21 workers. This is consistent with the statutory recognition framework, and strikes a balance between ensuring unions can access workplaces where there is the greatest potential for recognition, while limiting administrative burdens on smaller employers.