Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the British Business Bank has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The British Business Bank has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:
(i) 2022-23 = N/A
(ii) 2023-24 = £9,697
(iii) 2024-25 = £7,857
This includes home working equipment such as desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards and mice. This does not include laptops or mobile phones.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to prevent solvent companies from using Company Voluntary Arrangements to avoid meeting their (a) redundancy and (b) notice period obligations.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Company Voluntary Arrangements (“CVAs”) are a restructuring process for insolvent or contingently insolvent companies. To be eligible, a company must meet the insolvent test as assessed by an insolvency practitioner and the CVA must be agreed by a majority of creditors and shareholders.
Where redundancies are necessary as part of a CVA, the Government ensures employees have appropriate safeguards through employment rights’ legislation. Redundancy payments (within statutory limits) are guaranteed from the National Insurance Fund. The Redundancy Payments Service makes these payments directly to the employees and will seek to reclaim the money back from the company as a creditor.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to ensure that the Universal Service Obligation applies to rural areas.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to a sustainable universal postal service for users throughout the UK, including maintaining the one-price-goes anywhere principle including for those in remote and rural areas.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the the Fair Work Agency is taking with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure the effective enforcement of young women’s rights at work.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Fair Work Agency will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights. It will ensure better enforcement of rights at work for all workers, including young women.
The Agency will work closely with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including to share information relevant to the Commission’s role. We have provided for that by including the Commission in the list of bodies that the Fair Work Agency can share information with, at Schedule 9 of the Bill.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the collapse of Wilko in 2023, what action they have taken against directors and auditors of Wilko.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Insolvency Service received the administrators’ reports in November 2023. After reviewing the reports, the Insolvency Service concluded that there were either no grounds or insufficient grounds to commence a disqualification investigation.
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has not taken any enforcement action against the auditors, and responsibility for investigating the auditor's conduct in this case lies with the relevant professional body. The FRC continues to monitor developments given the public interest in this case.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that SMEs are not required to submit the same data to different government (a) departments and (b) agencies.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We want to free up business owners to focus on running their businesses and our SME Strategy will set out steps to reduce duplication and streamline data-sharing across Government.
This includes simplifying and digitising forms and exploring how services like GOV.UK One Login could offer businesses a more joined-up experience. The Prime Minister has committed to cutting the administrative cost of regulation by 25% by the end of this Parliament. By removing duplication and making services more responsive, we will help SMEs save time and money, enabling them to innovate, grow and drive economic prosperity.
Jul. 15 2025
Source Page: Joint statement: first UK-Pakistan Trade DialogueJul. 15 2025
Source Page: Improved trade rules to boost business and growth across the UK