Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic merits of mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and the EU.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 93339 on 27 November 2025: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of a UK–EU youth mobility scheme on labour supply in sectors reliant on temporary or seasonal workers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under a Youth Experience Scheme, young Brits and EU citizens will be given the opportunity to travel and work abroad, providing a highly valuable form of cultural exchange. My Department is committed towards the inclusion of as many sectors as possible to provide the widest possible set of opportunities for our young people. The exact parameters are subject to ongoing negotiation, and I therefore cannot comment on potential impact, but it is in the UK and EU’s interests to stand up the scheme quickly so that young UK and EU nationals can take up these opportunities as soon as possible.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mutual recognition of professional qualifications with the EU on employment levels in regulated professions.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We remain committed to improving the recognition of professional qualifications with the EU. Highly skilled professionals from the EU make a valuable contribution to the UK’s regulated sectors and vice versa. We continually assess the benefits that mutual recognition would bring, including the impact on employment levels in regulated professions in the UK and the opportunities for UK businesses in the EU. Improvements would reduce market access barriers, address skills gaps, increase service exports and promote growth across regulated professions.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the role a youth mobility scheme could play in supporting UK–EU trade in services.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have not made such a precise assessment but since we are still working towards concluding negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme by the next EU-UK summit, I cannot provide a running commentary on ongoing negotiations. We will update the House in the usual way as soon as possible.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving market access for UK legal services in the European Union through the 2026 review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We recognise the merits of improving market access across the board, which is why we remain committed to improving market access for UK service providers, including legal services. The EU is the most economically significant destination for UK legal services exports, at £3.3bn in 2024.
We continue to explore opportunities to reduce market access barriers, address skills gaps, and promote growth for the legal sector with our European partners, including through the Trade Specialised Committee on Services, Investment and Digital Trade, the dedicated dialogues on recognition of professional qualifications and business mobility and future UK-EU summits.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Royal Mail on improving service levels in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have discussed Royal Mail’s performance with the chief executive of Royal Mail and its parent company, and they recognise the need to do more to meet service delivery targets.
In October, Ofcom, the independent regulator of postal services, fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact on businesses of current delivery times for parcels between the UK and the EU during the festive period.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government recognises that the proper functioning of postal services is vital for businesses, particularly small businesses engaged in international trade. However, parcel delivery times are an operational matter for postal operators to address as private businesses operating in a competitive market.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant pressures facing pubs, including those in Surrey Heath, and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.
We’re investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.
The government is delivering its commitment to rebalance the business rates system in England by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million a year, which will benefit over 750,000 RHL properties.
The Government is committed to reducing barriers to growth for hospitality businesses by rebalancing the licensing system. This is why the Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to finance for pubs in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant pressures facing pubs, including those in Surrey Heath, and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.
We are supporting pubs by expanding Start-up Loans to offer 69,000 new businesses the chance of finance and mentoring, boosting access to finance by committing to the British Business Bank’s Growth Guarantee Scheme for the longer term, and expanding the capacity of the ENABLE programme by £3 billion to £5 billion helping lenders unlock more finance options for small businesses.
We are also offering £340m to help boost the availability of early-stage equity finance for innovative businesses across the UK, and working with private lenders on the appropriate use of Personal Guarantees, including a mandatory Code of Conduct for loans issued under the Growth Guarantee Scheme, to ensure their use is fair and transparent.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support pubs with operating costs in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant pressures facing pubs, including those in Surrey Heath, and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.
We’re investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.
The government is delivering its commitment to rebalance the business rates system in England by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million a year, which will benefit over 750,000 RHL properties.
The Government is committed to reducing barriers to growth for hospitality businesses by rebalancing the licensing system. This is why the Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.