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, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission on (a) employment and (b) economic growth in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State for the Department of Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, visited China from 10-11 September to co-chair the first UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission since 2018 and the UK-China Industrial Cooperation Dialogue.
The visit delivered over £1bn of market access wins over 5 years, across multiple sectors, including the signing of a Pet Food Protocol which will support British businesses with access to the Chinese market.
DBT, DEFRA, and the British Embassy in Beijing, continue to work with the Chinese authorities to expand access to the Chinese market for British business.
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, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK's Trade Strategy 2025 on economic growth in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK's Trade Strategy takes a balanced approach reflecting sectors and regions. It works in tandem with the Industrial Strategy to benefit the UK’s growth-driving sectors, recognising the importance of both our high-productivity service sectors, but also our manufacturing and agricultural industries, particularly given their different regional impacts across the UK. The trade levers utilised in the Trade Strategy are cross-cutting and create the domestic and international trade frameworks that increase trade by British businesses and sectors across the economy, helping them grow. We have no analysis on the constituency level or that is specific to the Lincolnshire area.
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, what steps he is taking to support rural pubs in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth, employment and community cohesion, especially in rural areas. That is why we are offering targeted support for the sector, such as the Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects such as Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment.
In April, we launched a Taskforce to consider ways to create a more balanced premises licensing system that not only safeguards communities but also supports responsible businesses. On 7 October the Government issued a Call for Evidence on Reforming the licensing system - GOV.UK (deadline: midday, 6 November 2025). These reforms are part of the Small Business Strategy, which also tackles late payments, improves access to finance, and cuts red tape. We want planning and licensing systems to work fairly for businesses and residents.
Additionally, we’re creating a fairer business rates system, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties under £500,000 rateable value and continue to work closely with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council to boost productivity and resilience by working together to address the challenges facing businesses.
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, what steps he has taken to ensure the continued availability of in-person post office services in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire since 5 September 2025.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government protects the sustainability of the Post Office network – and the rural network in particular – by providing an annual Network Subsidy. This ensures Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with the Government-set access criteria. This financial year we are providing £83 million in subsidy, up from £50 million previously, and building on the uplift provided last year. The access criteria ensures that, however the network changes, 99% of the UK population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74315, how much his Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024, by influencer.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has spent a total of £39,700 on social media influencer promotion since July 2024. Please note this figure is inclusive of whole costs, including agency fees. We are unable to provide details of how much was paid to each person due to confidentiality provisions in the individual agreements.
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, what steps his Department is taking to support people impacted by failures in the Horizon Post Office system in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to support those affected by the Horizon scandal. This includes launching redress schemes tailored to specific victims’ needs, such as the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme and the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process. We have also committed to provide first offers on receipt of fully completed claims within 40 working days in 90% of cases. As of 30 September 2025, approximately £1,229 million has been paid to more than 9,100 claimants – a fivefold increase since July 2024.
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 many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department does not hold a record of when the union flag is flown. Our buildings are managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for flag flying at our main sites.
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, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.
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, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on the agricultural sector.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
As part of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, we have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef. For the first time ever, British farmers can sell their high-quality British beef to a market of over 300 million people, helping farmers grow their business.
Our approach to this trade deal has ensured that any agricultural imports coming into the UK will continue to meet the highest food, animal welfare and environmental standards. Imports of hormone treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal.
We continue to engage extensively with the agricultural and food sectors.
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 Competition and Markets Authority has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Competition and Markets Authority has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:
(i) 2022-23 = £44,658.20
(ii) 2023-24 = £42,469.83
(iii) 2024-25 = £40,739.89
This includes home working equipment such as desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards and mice. This does not include laptops or mobile phones.