Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support small companies with (1) skills, (2) funding, and (3) policy, so they can reach their strategic development.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Help to Grow: Management scheme is helping small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK learn new skills, reach more customers and boost profits. Additionally, SMEs can access expert advice and guidance via the Business Support Helpline and network of Growth Hubs across England.
Eligible SMEs can access funding via the Recovery Loan Scheme to help them grow and invest. For new and early-stage UK businesses, the Start Up Loan scheme provides access to affordable finance and mentoring support.
Businesses can find government support and advice for growing, starting and exporting through the Help to Grow website: https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/
Businesses wanting to export can find support via the General Export Facility (GEF) and the Export Development Guarantee (EDG).
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that guide dog users are protected from access refusals.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No one should be refused access to businesses or services because they use a guide or other assistance dog.
Under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), businesses and public bodies that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people, including those with assistance dogs. The Act places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This could include allowing the use of assistance dogs so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.
Parliament intended the Act to guide the policies of service providers, including those exercising public functions, as well as providing legal protection. Failure by a service provider to comply with the Act by making a reasonable adjustment will mean that they have unlawfully discriminated on grounds of disability.
People who feel that they have been discriminated against can use other provisions within the Act to seek redress against a non-compliant service provider, including going to Court if necessary.
This is the case for all the other protected characteristics in the Act and the Government has no plans to amend this process, which is based on the long-established civil law principle that it is for an aggrieved person to enforce the law.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to introduce enforceable penalties for businesses who refuse access to guide dog users.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No one should be refused access to businesses or services because they use a guide or other assistance dog.
Under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), businesses and public bodies that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people, including those with assistance dogs. The Act places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This could include allowing the use of assistance dogs so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.
Parliament intended the Act to guide the policies of service providers, including those exercising public functions, as well as providing legal protection. Failure by a service provider to comply with the Act by making a reasonable adjustment will mean that they have unlawfully discriminated on grounds of disability.
People who feel that they have been discriminated against can use other provisions within the Act to seek redress against a non-compliant service provider, including going to Court if necessary.
This is the case for all the other protected characteristics in the Act and the Government has no plans to amend this process, which is based on the long-established civil law principle that it is for an aggrieved person to enforce the law.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that users of guide dogs are not refused entry to public establishments.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No one should be refused access to businesses or services because they use a guide or other assistance dog. Ignorance of the law is not a defence.
Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses and public bodies that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people, including those with assistance dogs.
The Act places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This could include allowing the use of assistance dogs so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to provide fiscal support for (a) takeaways and (b) other small and micro businesses.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has demonstrated its long-standing commitment to supporting small and micro businesses, entrepreneurs, and businesses on our high streets, including takeaways. At Spring Budget, we confirmed that, from April 2023, the Small Profits Rate will mean 70% of businesses will see no increase in Corporation Tax this April. In fact, the UK has the lowest corporation tax rate in the G7.
In addition, the UK also has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU member state and second highest in the OECD – which keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether. We have also put in place a generous package of Business Rates relief worth £13.6 billion.
The Government continues to invest in the 38 Growth Hubs providing businesses across England with free one-to-one support and advice. Growth Hubs offer a triage, diagnostic and signposting service to make sure that all businesses, whatever their size or sector, know what help is available and can access the most appropriate support.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she plans to take to encourage businesses to improve (a) facilities and (b) access for people with disabilities.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to improving life choices and opportunities for disabled people in their private lives, in their communities and in employment. We want everyone to live their lives free from discrimination and harassment, including disabled people.
The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects people from being discriminated against or harassed because of a disability in the provision of services. The Act also requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings, provide auxiliary aids and services (such as providing information in an accessible format, provide induction loop for customers with hearing aids, special computer software or additional staff support when required), and allowing access to guide or assistance dogs, so that disabled customers have the same right to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.
This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty. This means that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.
The Government is delivering for disabled people - recently we have supported the passage of two landmark pieces of legislation, the British Sign Language Act and the Down Syndrome Act. The Minister for Disabled People also announced on 2 December 2022 that a new Disability Action Plan will be consulted on and published in 2023. The Plan will set out the action the government will take in 2023/2024 to improve disabled people’s lives.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on Target 14 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The package agreed at COP15, including the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, represents a historic step forward towards addressing the biodiversity crisis.
Internationally, the UK has committed in our latest International Development Strategy to taking steps to ensure our bilateral Official Development Assistance becomes ‘nature positive’ in alignment with the Framework.
To help drive action by businesses, the UK Government supports the market-led Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) initiative, which is on track to launch a clear, user-friendly risk management and reporting framework on nature-related impacts, dependencies, and risks by September 2023. The TNFD will support the realignment of financial flows towards nature-positive outcomes by integrating biodiversity into economic decision-making.
In England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the UK–Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement, what discussions they have had with the government of Kazakhstan regarding assistance in removing barriers to digital trade or signing a similar agreement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK continues to work to strengthen our trade and investment relationships with countries such as Kazakhstan. Fast growing economies such as Kazakhstan provide an abundance of opportunities for UK businesses across a wide range of sectors – notwithstanding our world leading digital sector.
The Department for Business and Trade is supporting British business to grab these opportunities through trade dialogues and regular exchanges including the annual United Kingdom-Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Investment that I co-chaired earlier this year in February in London.
At this moment, we are not expecting to launch negotiations with Kazakhstan on a Digital Trade Agreement.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she plans to take to support small and medium sized businesses with the effects of trends in the level of (a) inflation and (b) energy costs.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Government recognises the impact of increased costs on small businesses and is freezing the business rates multiplier for another year, worth £9.3 billion over the next 5 years. Small to medium sized businesses will have also benefitted from a range of government measures, including reversal of the National Insurance rise, cut to fuel duty for 24 months, support via the Energy Bill Relief Scheme and an increase in the Employment Allowance to £5,000.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what business expansion grants are available for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Businesses of all sizes can access government-backed finance from the British Business Bank. The Start Up Loans Company provides loans and pre- and post-application support to new entrepreneurs, including a year of free business mentoring for successful applicants. The Recovery Loan Scheme helps smaller businesses access loans and other kinds of finance up to £2 million per business group so they can grow and invest. Additionally, SMEs seeking to grow through exports can access the Export Academy and UK Export Finance.
The newly-launched Help to Grow website contains links to the full range of government funding available to small businesses.