Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many people, other than special advisers, have been appointed to civil service posts in his Department without open competition since 4 July 2024; what their (a) job titles and (b) salary bands are; and on what basis each was appointed.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are 10 exceptions to fair and open recruitment, details of which can be found within the Civil Service Commission’s published Recruitment Principles. DBT has appointed 6 individuals under these Exceptions since 4th July 2024 with 4 of these being previous Civil Servants who were reappointed.
Role titles could lead to individuals being identified therefore we are not able to provide this information.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the potential impact of data processing by data centres on water usage.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is implementing a Water Demand Target to reduce the use of public water supply by 20% by 2037/38. As part of this, Defra is working with the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Environment Agency (EA) to determine how we can improve water efficiency and demand in data centres.
Defra also works closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Business and Trade and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on plans to support the economic opportunities data centres bring, whilst making sure these developments are sustainable for local water supplies. The department will also continue to work with Ofwat to identify ways in which we can reduce overall water demand and achieve a secure supply of water for customers and the environment.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Ofwat on increased demand on water supply by data centres.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is implementing a Water Demand Target to reduce the use of public water supply by 20% by 2037/38. As part of this, Defra is working with the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Environment Agency (EA) to determine how we can improve water efficiency and demand in data centres.
Defra also works closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Business and Trade and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on plans to support the economic opportunities data centres bring, whilst making sure these developments are sustainable for local water supplies. The department will also continue to work with Ofwat to identify ways in which we can reduce overall water demand and achieve a secure supply of water for customers and the environment.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential merits of requiring companies building data centres to invest in (a) building and (b) maintaining water supply infrastructure.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is implementing a Water Demand Target to reduce the use of public water supply by 20% by 2037/38. As part of this, Defra is working with the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Environment Agency (EA) to determine how we can improve water efficiency and demand in data centres.
Defra also works closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Business and Trade and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on plans to support the economic opportunities data centres bring, whilst making sure these developments are sustainable for local water supplies. The department will also continue to work with Ofwat to identify ways in which we can reduce overall water demand and achieve a secure supply of water for customers and the environment.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to monitor the water usage of data centres.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is implementing a Water Demand Target to reduce the use of public water supply by 20% by 2037/38. As part of this, Defra is working with the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Environment Agency (EA) to determine how we can improve water efficiency and demand in data centres.
Defra also works closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Business and Trade and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on plans to support the economic opportunities data centres bring, whilst making sure these developments are sustainable for local water supplies. The department will also continue to work with Ofwat to identify ways in which we can reduce overall water demand and achieve a secure supply of water for customers and the environment.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of Arden Strategies.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Details of Senior Officials’ and Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Special Advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.
Where a Special Adviser accompanies their Minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the Special Adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the Minister will be the main attendee.
Where an ‘informal’ lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that Parliament has meaningful powers to (a) scrutinise trade negotiations as they progress and (b) (i) debate and (ii) vote on trade treaties ahead of ratification.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting parliamentary scrutiny of the UK’s trade agreements, balancing the need for robust scrutiny with the need to ensure we can negotiate effectively in the UK’s best interests.
Free trade agreements are subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, prior to ratification.
The Department for Business and Trade is currently considering wider scrutiny arrangements for trade agreements, to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions the Joint Committee established by the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom has had about whale and dolphin hunts.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. The Department for Business and Trade utilises the opportunities provided by the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement to engage the Faroese government on this important matter. The UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee meets annually, and UK officials highlight our strong opposition to the practice at every opportunity, including at the last meeting in February 2024.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in (a) his Department and (b) the Competition and Markets Authority was in each of the last three years.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The table below shows the average length of paternity leave taken by staff. This includes paternity leave after birth.
Time period | Average length of paternity leave (working days) |
01.08.2023. - 31.07.2024. | 10 |
01.08.2022. - 31.07.2023. | 10 |
01.08.2021. - 31.07.2022. | 10 |
The Department for Business and Trade is a newly formed Department established in February 2023. The new department absorbed the functions of the former Department for International Trade (DIT) and some of the functions of the former Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The figures prior to 01.08.2023 include all former DIT staff and former BEIS staff who transferred to DBT.
The below figures cover the same period for staff at the Competition and Markets Authority.
Year | Average length (mean) of paternity leave (working days) |
2021-22 | 9.8 |
2022-23 | 9.4 |
2023-24 | 8.9 |
2024-25 (to date) | 8.9 |
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on how many days his Principle Private Secretary worked from home in (a) in the last (i) six and (ii) 12 months and (b) since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade does not routinely collect this information.