Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the resilience of UK supply chains for critical minerals was last formally reviewed by his Department; and what the findings of that review were.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) updated the UK Criticality Assessment in November 2024, identifying critical minerals based on global supply risk and the UK’s economic vulnerability. This informed the 2025 UK Critical Minerals Strategy, which introduced a new, complementary list of growth minerals, which will be increasingly important to future industries and economic growth. CMIC will update the criticality assessment in due course; in the interim, Government continues to monitor developments. Further, to help anticipate future risks, DBT’s Supply Chain Centre published its list of growth-driving inputs, including chemicals and raw materials, vital for the Industrial Strategy manufacturing sectors.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has a specific budget to support a) small and b) medium-sized businesses in developing business continuity plans for major disruption.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DBT supports and feeds into cross-Whitehall work to ensure that small and medium sized businesses are more resilient in the event of major disruption. DBT provides direct messaging and guidance to business should major disruption occur, and works closely with cyber partners across Whitehall to drive uptake of practical cyber resilience measures such as Cyber Essentials among SMEs.
DBT supports SMEs through wider business support channels, primarily the Business Growth Service accessible through business.gov.uk, the Business Support Service and Growth Hubs in England, which provide guidance and signposting to help businesses plan, adapt and respond to challenges.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consideration his Department made of the evidence submitted to the consultation regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade carefully considered the evidence submitted through the public consultation on the operational details of the trade union right of access framework, including views on a proposed exemption from statutory access provisions for employers of a certain size.
The government published its response to this consultation on 8 April, setting out the final approach and rationale, including an exemption for employers with fewer than 21 workers. This is consistent with the statutory recognition framework, and strikes a balance between ensuring unions can access workplaces where there is the greatest potential for recognition, while limiting administrative burdens on smaller employers.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings did his department hold with trade unions regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade held several roundtable discussions with business and industry groups throughout the development of the trade union right of access policy. In these meetings the threshold for trade union access to SMEs was discussed. This has included discussions before and during the relevant consultations on the secondary legislation and the new Code of Practice on access.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions were had with business and industry groups regarding the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade held several roundtable discussions with business and industry groups throughout the development of the trade union right of access policy. In these meetings the threshold for trade union access to SMEs was discussed. This has included discussions before and during the relevant consultations on the secondary legislation and the new Code of Practice on access.