Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of correspondence (a) to and (b) from Lord Mandelson relating to Sempra Commodities between 2009 and 2010.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether trade envoys are permitted to visit northern Cyprus.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While carrying out official duties Trade Envoys are representatives of Government and are therefore expected to follow Government policy. The Government’s long-standing position of not recognising the self-declared ‘Turkish Republic of North Cyprus’ remains unchanged.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance Companies House has provided on whether political parties may be incorporated as (a) unlimited and (b) limited companies.
Answered by Justin Madders
Companies House has not issued general guidance on whether political parties may be incorporated as (a) unlimited and (b) limited companies.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 530393 on Picketing, whether the 6 person limit on picketing will be (a) retained or (b) removed when the Code of Practice on Picketing is revised.
Answered by Justin Madders
There is no statutory limit on the number of people attending a picket. The Code of Practice on Picketing, which is issued by the Secretary of State under section 203 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, recommends a 6 person limit.
At this time, we do not plan to change the 6 person recommendation in the Code of Practice.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) the Competition and Market Authority and (b) his Department has provided guidance to public authorities on offering loans to developers (i) at less than market rate and (ii) on preferential terms.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Department for Business and Trade’s statutory guidance for the subsidy control regime helps public authorities to comply with the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
This includes subsidies given in the form of loans. We also provide additional guidance to public authorities on request. This would include discussions on below market rate and preferential loans. Where relevant thresholds are met, the Subsidy Advice Unit in the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for evaluating the relevant public authority’s assessment of compliance with subsidy control rules, and publishing a report of their findings. These can be found on the CMA’s website.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 48445 on Picketing, whether there is a statutory basis for the six person limit in the Code of Practice on Picketing, published in March 2024.
Answered by Justin Madders
There is no statutory limit on the number of people attending a picket. The Code of Practice on Picketing, which is issued by the Secretary of State under section 203 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, recommends a 6 person limit as a way of enabling unions to ensure they can adhere to the legal requirement that the picket be peaceful and therefore does not intimidate others, including workers who may seek to cross it to go to work.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45682 on Unite: Annual Report, what the auditing issues are that have led to the delays in providing full returns.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Certification Officer included an explanatory note alongside her publication of Unite the Union's partial annual returns for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The explanatory note records the Certification Officer's understanding that the issues identified during the auditing process are currently under investigation by other authorities. As such, it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment further on those matters.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45678 on Licensing Laws, who the members of the taskforce are; and how they were selected.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The Taskforce Terms of Reference and membership is published Terms of Reference and taskforce member list - GOV.UK
Members were selected by Department for Business and Trade, Home Office, Ministry of Housing Communities Local Government and Department for Culture Media and Sport officials. The Taskforce brings together representatives from government, industry, police and local government, including mayoral areas.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has received recent representations from trade unions on the six person limit on pickets; and whether he has considered amending this limit.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Department has not received recent representations from trade unions on the six person limit on pickets. The six person limit is a recommendation contained in a Code of Practice on Picketing; any consequential changes to the Code will be considered following Royal Assent of the Employment Rights Bill.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on (a) the trade union action in Birmingham and (b) industrial action in general.
Answered by Justin Madders
In October 2024 the government published impact assessments on the trade union-related measures within the Employment Rights Bill. The impact assessments covering the Bill’s repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 included an assessment of the expected impact on industrial action.