Department for Business and Trade

The Government is committed to repealing the Trade Union Act 2016. Further information on implementing this will be outlined in due course.

The UK operates one of the most transparent export licensing systems in the world. We publish quarterly and annual statistics on all our export licensing decisions, including information on export licences granted, refused and revoked. On 11 June 2024, we published an ad hoc data release on export licensing relating to Israel. That ad hoc release was done due to the exceptional circumstances and the Parliamentary and public interest at the time. Since then, in June 2024, the Government released Official Statistics covering all licensing decisions from July to December 2023. Official Statistics for July and August 2024 have not yet been published. Information covering January to July 2024 are planned to be released by November 2024.

The Government is committed to repealing the Trade Union Act 2016. Further information on implementing this will be outlined in due course.

As set out in our Plan to Make Work Pay, we will consult on a simpler two-tier employment status framework that differentiates between workers and the genuinely self-employed. We will confirm plans for this in due course.

I pay tribute to the vital efforts of foster carers, who carry out a challenging role that requires skill, dedication and love. This government will ensure more children can receive loving care in foster families.

We will work with councils and fostering services to ensure foster carers receive the support they need and deserve, but there are no plans to give worker status to foster carers.

The Industrial Strategy Council will be an independent body which is responsible for monitoring and advising the government on the delivery of the Industrial Strategy, through wide engagement with stakeholders and the development of a strong evidence base. The government will legislate to make this a statutory body. In the meantime, it will form an advisory council made up of leading figures with wide ranging experience, the membership of which will be announced in due course.

The Industrial Strategy Council will be an independent body which is responsible for monitoring and advising the government on the delivery of the Industrial Strategy, through wide engagement with stakeholders and the development of a strong evidence base. The government will legislate to make this a statutory body. In the meantime, it will form an advisory council made up of leading figures with wide ranging experience, the membership of which will be announced in due course.

The scope and terms of Open General Licences (OGLs) are chosen so they are consistent with the SELC. OGLs are typically offered for low risk destinations and low risk items. If our assessment of the risks relating to an OGL changes, then the OGL is amended or revoked. We would expect exporters to apply for a Standard Individual Export Licence where OGLs are not available and we would then be able to make a detailed assessment taking into account the specifics of the application before deciding whether or not to issue a licence.

The UK’s approach is designed to enable a rigorous risk assessment to be carried out before a licence is issued to consider whether goods might be used in a way which is inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). The UK does not carry out end-use verification checks overseas after a licence is issued.

The Government is committed to tackling barriers to trade, including reducing frictions at the UK Border.

To do this we need effective dialogue with businesses. Minister Thomas and I recently hosted a roundtable to gather businesses’ views on how to improve the UK-EU trading relationship. My officials are also engaging with businesses to understand the barriers they face and how we can support them to grow and export to the EU.

DBT is also working across government to understand how initiatives like the UK Single Trade Window and the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) can improve the passage of goods.

Open General Licences (OGLs) are pre-published licences that permit the export of specified items to specified destinations, following an online registration. These licences do not have any approved named recipients, however what they permit and to which destinations must be consistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). If this assessment changes for either, then the OGL is amended, typically by removing the destination of concern. Removal of a destination from an OGL does not prevent an exporter from applying for a Standard Individual Export Licence – which would be assessed on its own merits against the SELC.

The Government has set out its immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay. The Plan includes a number of measures which may help people manage endometriosis and other menstrual conditions at work - including making sure people can benefit from flexible working and ensuring flexibility is a genuine default.

Some of the measures in Make Work Pay will be delivered through an Employment Bill. The Government will confirm the contents of that Bill in due course.

My department is working in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland through DBT’s Trade and Investment hub in Belfast and its wider global network to showcase NI as a location for investment.

We are focused on driving investment into all parts of the UK, including through our forthcoming International Investment Summit in October 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade is committed to boosting UK exports to the EU. UK businesses, including those in Colne Valley & West Yorkshire, can access our export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises a digital self-serve offer and our wider network of support, including Export Champions, the Export Academy, our International Markets network, and UK Export Finance. Alongside this, our international trade advisers provide one-to-one tailored support to businesses across the UK.

We will also continue work with the EU to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship and reduce unnecessary barriers to trade, in order to help British and EU businesses thrive.

We are resuming delivery of the UK’s programme negotiating new and updated FTAs, starting with the Gulf Co-operation Council, India, Israel, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and Turkey. This is the extent of the current bilateral FTA programme. The Secretary of State has written to these international partners, and we expect the first discussions in the resumed programme to start this Autumn. We are also committed to ensuring UK businesses can take full advantage of CPTPP when it enters into force in December.

As set out in the King's Speech, the Government intends to publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill, which will contain measures to tackle bad financial reporting through a strengthened regulator. The draft Bill will uphold standards and independent scrutiny of companies' accounts, supporting investment and economic security.

The Government is determined to deliver a genuine living wage for working people and has asked the Low Pay Commission to make progress on extending the National Living Wage to all adults.

HMRC enforces the minimum wage, and they investigate where they believe an employer is not paying the minimum wage. This includes considering all complaints from workers, conducting proactive enforcement activities and delivering educational activity to support employer compliance.

The National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme sends a clear message to businesses that they must pay their workers at least the National Minimum Wage where required, or we will publicly name them for having failed to meet their legal obligations.

The Government is investing £1.14 billion over 30 years (£38 million annually) towards West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s local economic priorities, including business support. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund also provides £83 million for West Yorkshire, including support to businesses in Colne Valley.

For small businesses across the country, we will deliver on commitments to boost exports, improve access to finance, stamp out late payment practices and open up competition for public procurement contracts. The department also provides support through Help to Grow Management, the Business Support Service and a network of Growth Hubs – including the West Yorkshire Business Support Service.

DBT is committed to driving long-term, inclusive and secure economic growth in all parts of the country, and engagement with Mayors, businesses and communities in all regions, including the West Midlands, is therefore a priority.

DBT officials are in regular contact with Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce colleagues, helping to support their local businesses. The Ministerial team's plans for engagement, including regional and local visits, are revisited regularly.

Businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, can access support through their local Growth Hubs. DBT is committed to helping rural businesses to boost exports, improve access to finance, stamp out late payment practices and compete for public procurement contracts.

This Government is committed to delivering the Plan to Make Work Pay in full and updating Britain's employment protections, so they are fit for our modern economy and the future of work. As set out in the Plan to Make to Work Pay we are committed to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), so it provides a safety net for those who need it most. We will remove the Lower Earnings Limit to make it available to all workers and remove the waiting period so that SSP is paid from the first day of sickness absence. Ministers are identifying the most appropriate delivery mechanisms for the commitments in the Plan, including an Employment Rights Bill that will be introduced to Parliament within 100 days of taking office.

The Government made a commitment to review carer’s leave in the Plan to Make Work Pay. We will provide an update on progress in this area in due course.

The Plan to Make Work Pay also includes a number of measures which will help unpaid carers workers to enter, remain and progress in work - including making flexible working the default and introducing a right to switch off.

The purpose of the UK’s arms export licensing criteria is to ensure that the Government’s decisions on export licences are informed by a set of criteria which promote global security and facilitate responsible exports. The Criteria enable the Government to operate one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world. We consider all new licence applications against the Criteria and will refuse any which are inconsistent with them. Specifically, Criteria 2c states that the Government will not issue or maintain export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law.

The Department for Business and Trade intends to cover the UK’s accession to the CPTPP Agreement in a Free Trade Agreement monitoring report. The Department will consider a range of areas for inclusion in this report, including the environment, and it will take account of stakeholder views. The timing of the report will be provided in due course.

The Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses. No UK company should have forced labour in its supply chains.

This Government is reviewing the details of the EU Forced Labour Regulation and US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act and will continue to engage with our European and US partners to understand the impact on UK businesses as we consider how we best tackle forced labour in supply chains.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets and is committed to championing sufficient access for all.

We have committed to work closely with banks to roll out at least 350 banking hubs. That rollout is overseen by Cash Access UK (CAUK). LINK (the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network) assesses a community’s needs for access to cash in the event of the closure of a core cash service or if LINK receives a request directly from a community.

The Department for Business has not made an assessment of the merits of creating a new employment right for Disability Leave.

The Government has set out its immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay. The Plan includes a number of measures which will help disabled workers to enter, remain and progress in work - including making flexible working the default and introducing a right to switch off.

DBT Funding for the Marches Growth Hub for each FY since it was established is set out in the table below:

The Government is investing £540 million over 30 years in the York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s local economic priorities, including business support. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is also providing support to York businesses.

For small businesses across the country, we will deliver on commitments to boost exports, improve access to finance, stamp out late payment practices and open up competition for public procurement contracts. The department also provides extensive support through Help to Grow Management, the Business Support Service and network of Growth Hubs.

DBT Ministers have engaged with the Northern Ireland Executive since assuming office, including productive meetings and correspondence at SoS and Minister of State level as well as detailed and ongoing official level dialogue regarding the interests of Northern Ireland Executive and businesses in Northern Ireland in the UK Government growth agenda.

While Government recognises the important role postmasters play in our communities and for small businesses across the UK, issues surrounding staffing are an operational matter for the Post Office.

Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria, and protects services by setting minimum services to be provided at post offices across the country. The Post Office network meets the access criteria at a national level.

As of 30 August, 253 offers had been made to claimants under the GLO scheme; 207 postmasters had accepted their offer. Data on all Horizon redress schemes are published monthly on gov.uk.

As outlined in our Plan to Make Work Pay, we will end exploitative zero hours contracts by giving workers the right to a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work. We will also introduce a new right to reasonable notice of shifts, with compensation for shifts cancelled or curtailed at short notice.

We appreciate that zero hours contracts work well for some people. Those who are offered guaranteed hours will be able to remain on zero hours contracts if they wish. However we are committed to ending one-sided flexibility, and ensuring that if workers are not benefitting from the flexibility these contracts offer, they have a right to an alternative.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), including spend by predecessor Department for International Trade (DIT), spent £24,299,000 on communications in financial year 2022-2023 as reported in the Department’s annual report and accounts, available on GOV.UK.

This spend has supported DBT’s strategic efforts to promote the UK’s international trade agenda and achievements, position it as a destination for inward investment, and boost export promotion.

The Department is producing an impact assessment of the Employment Rights Bill, in line with the HMT Green Book and the Better Regulation Framework, consideration will be given to the potential impact on SMEs and other employment effects.

The updated GPSR largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. However, where businesses do require some support, we are exploring ways in which the Government can help. We are providing more guidance in this area, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely with the EU.

UK product safety law requires that all products must be safe before being placed on the market and enforcement authorities have powers to take appropriate action where unsafe or non-compliant products are identified. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with stakeholders to ensure the safety of products on the UK Market regardless of their origins.

This Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will ensure the UK is better placed to address product safety issues we face today and in the future. It will allow for agile and robust regulatory measures for products, including lithium-ion and button batteries, placed on the UK market.

UK product safety law requires that all products must be safe before being placed on the market and enforcement authorities have powers to take appropriate action where unsafe or non-compliant products are identified. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with stakeholders to ensure the safety of products on the UK Market regardless of their origins.

This Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will ensure the UK is better placed to address product safety issues we face today and in the future. It will allow for agile and robust regulatory measures for products, including lithium-ion and button batteries, placed on the UK market.

Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one-off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government.

Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data

The United Kingdom as a whole will accede to the CPTPP, and every nation and region of the UK is expected to benefit from the agreement, which is expected to increase GDP by £2 billion a year in the long run as published in the Department’s Impact Assessment (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cptpp-impact-assessment). Northern Ireland’s gross value added (GVA) is estimated to increase by around £70 million from UK accession to the CPTPP (relative to 2019 values).

The Department has started hosting a series of events leading up to entry into force to ensure businesses are aware of, and know how to take advantage of, the opportunities CPTPP will present. This activity is spread across the UK, including events across the Nations and Regions of the UK, and will increase in the run-up to and beyond entry into force of CPTPP.

The UK has not placed a blanket embargo on spare parts for foreign cars.

All information on trade sanctions, embargoes and restrictions, including trade controls and transit controls can be found on GOV.UK [here].

Legislation is expected to be laid before Parliament in 2024 to amend the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 to require new retention reporting requirements.

Amendments were made to the Payment Practices and Performance Regulations which introduced two new reporting metrics which will cover the value of payments, and the level of invoices not paid because of disputes. Businesses will be required to collect data and report on these new metrics from January 2025 as planned.

Boosting trade abroad is essential to deliver a strong economy at home. That is why we are committed to negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with India, which is projected to be the world’s third largest economy by 2027.

It is the department’s established practice to not comment on the details of live negotiations. We will commence negotiations as soon as possible to secure an agreement that creates new opportunities for businesses, supports jobs across the United Kingdom, and delivers growth.

All Business and Trade direct ministerial appointments are currently under review and no direct Ministerial appointments have been finalised.

This Government is focused on its five-point plan to breathe life back into Britain’s high streets. Our plans include tackling retail crime, ensuring a level playing field between online and high street businesses, stamping out late payments and ending the blight of empty spaces. This work will ensure that our high streets are great places for our businesses, supporting economic growth across the UK.

The British Business Bank supports SMEs to grow by improving their access to finance. The Growth Guarantee Scheme offers a 70% government guarantee on loans to SMEs of up to £2 million in Great Britain, and £1 million in Northern Ireland and is available until the end of March 2026.

The industry-led Retail Sector Council has identified High Street Regeneration and Investment as one if its key area of work and has been considering a sector vision for the high street.

The UK is committed to a circular economy which will keep resources in use as long as possible, extracting maximum value, minimizing waste and promoting resource efficiency. Policies such as the UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax help support innovation, growth and jobs in the waste management and the recycling sectors, including within chemical recycling.

The UK supports investment into green technologies through competitive research and innovation-based incentives such as R&D tax credits, innovation funding and incentives.

DBT will use its investment services to support Great British Energy to seek investment into new technologies to speed up and scale their deployment.