Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
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 e-invoicing for small businesses on reducing payment times.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to tackling late payments, which can be a major obstacle for small businesses. In September 2024 we announced new measures including a new Fair Payment Code (launched in December 2024), legislation requiring large companies to report headline payment performance data in their annual reports, and a public consultation on further measures.
Business adoption of e-invoicing can also help improve payment times by reducing administrative burdens and streamlining invoicing processes. DBT and HMRC recently ran a consultation to gather views on promoting e-invoicing in the UK and will be publishing a summary of responses in due course.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
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 e-invoicing for small businesses on productivity.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is committed to driving business productivity and economic growth in the UK. Adoption of digital technologies, such as e-invoicing, can significantly improve firm-level productivity by streamlining business processes and reducing administrative work and errors.
However, few small businesses use e-invoicing in the UK. Adoption of e-invoicing by SMEs in the UK is behind countries like France and Germany. This is why, as announced at Budget 2024, DBT and HMRC recently ran a 12 week consultation on promoting e-invoicing in the UK. We will be publishing a summary of responses and updating on next steps in due course.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
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 e-invoicing for small businesses on (a) exports and (b) imports.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Usage of digital technology such as e-invoicing can streamline business processes, including for trading businesses, whether they are importing or exporting.
Usage of e-invoicing software and standards that are compatible with those used by trading partners in other countries can be particularly beneficial. However, small businesses may find adoption of new tools and processes more onerous than larger businesses.
DBT and HMRC recently ran a 12 week consultation to gather views on promoting e-invoicing in the UK. The consultation closed on 7 May, and we will be publishing a summary of responses and updating on next steps in due course.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing e-invoicing.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Business adoption of digital technologies such as e-invoicing can offer benefits that include reduced administrative burdens and fewer data processing errors. This can lead to increased productivity, improved payment times, and streamlined tax administration and collection.
However, we recognise the need to think carefully about introduction of any e-invoicing requirements or standards, especially for smaller businesses who might find this to be an additional burden. We recently ran a 12 week consultation jointly with HMRC, to gather views on promoting e-invoicing in the UK. The Government will publish a summary of responses and provide an update on next steps in due course.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to introduce e-invoicing in the UK.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Many businesses and public bodies already use e-invoicing in the UK. As announced at Budget 24, HMRC and DBT have run a joint consultation on promoting e-invoicing among UK businesses and the private sector. This consultation closed on 7 May and the government will publish a summary of responses and update on the next steps following this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of e-invoicing for improving tax administration and collection.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Following the Chancellor’s announcement at Budget 24, HMRC and DBT have run a joint consultation on promoting e-invoicing among UK businesses and the private sector. This consultation closed on 7 May and the government will publish a summary of responses and update on the next steps following this consultation in due course. As part of HMRC’s work on e-invoicing the department will consider the potential merits of e-invoicing for improving tax administration and collection.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to take steps to support investment under the Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To build demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK, the Government introduced a SAF Mandate scheme on 1 January 2025. The scheme sets annually increasing targets for fuel suppliers to ensure a proportion of their jet fuel is SAF, starting at 2% in 2025, reaching 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040. To help meet the demand generated by the SAF Mandate, government is committed to unlocking investment in UK SAF production. To that end, the government has introduced a SAF Bill which will enable us to deliver a Revenue Certainty Mechanism. We are also supporting the UK SAF industry through a grant funding scheme, the Advanced Fuels Fund, for which £63m of funding is available in 2025/26. Together, these measures will give the investment community the confidence to invest in SAF production in the UK.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish updated advice from the UK Chief Medical Officer on the potential impact of excessive screen time and social media use on children’s (a) mental and (b) physical health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and giving mental health the same importance as physical health.
Children are being brought up in increasingly digitised environments and are facing new and complex challenges in their childhoods.
We welcome further research exploring the relationship between screentime and social media use and children’s physical and mental health. Departmental policies will remain agile in light of this emerging evidence base.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled people who will never be able to work in Livingston constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work.
As part of the recent announcements, we are making changes to the rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected.
We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future.
Asked by: Gregor Poynton (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 38284, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the individual risk to UK residents of travelling to areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic and (b) the risk to UK public health of local transmission of those diseases.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
United Kingdom residents travelling to areas with mosquito-borne diseases face risks that depend on their health, the reason and length of their trip, and the precautions they take, such as vaccinations and measures to prevent bites.
The National Travel Health Network and Centre advises UK travelers to stay safe and healthy while travelling. This includes information on mosquito-borne diseases, tips for avoiding mosquito bites, and specific advice for different destinations on their website, which is available at the following link:
https://travelhealthpro.org.uk
Travelers from the UK going to areas with mosquito-borne diseases should consult a healthcare professional, like a general practitioner or pharmacist, before their trip. Currently, there is no local transmission of these diseases in the UK, and the risk to the public is low.
The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Health Effects of Climate Change report indicates that current temperatures in the UK are too low for vectors or transmission cycles to develop. The report can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-health-effects-in-the-uk
The UKHSA monitors mosquito-borne diseases and has a national plan for invasive mosquitoes, which you can find at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-contingency-plan-for-invasive-mosquitoes