Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a legal requirement for manufacturers to list (a) the components and (b) any trace toxic chemicals in period products.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13th June 2025 to question 57485 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps bring forward regulations to ban period products which include pesticide residues.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13th June 2025 to question 57485 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing testing for period products to ensure they are free from toxic chemical residues.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13th June 2025 to question 57485 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer 13 June 2025 to Question 57485 on Chemicals: Sanitary Products, what further (a) research and (b) evidence does his Department plan to commission.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In February, the Government published a draft Code of Conduct setting out how we intend to consult when using the new powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill - Product safety: checks and balances on developing policy and legislation - GOV.UK. It is this approach that the Government will take in relation to period products.
Officials are currently reviewing the evidence base concerning the safety of these products, from which any evidence gaps will be identified, and appropriate expert evidence or further research will be sought. The Department welcomes continued engagement on this important matter from relevant external organisations.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer 13 June 2025 to Question 57485 on Chemicals: Sanitary Products, which groups his Department plans to consult.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In February, the Government published a draft Code of Conduct setting out how we intend to consult when using the new powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill - Product safety: checks and balances on developing policy and legislation - GOV.UK. It is this approach that the Government will take in relation to period products.
Officials are currently reviewing the evidence base concerning the safety of these products, from which any evidence gaps will be identified, and appropriate expert evidence or further research will be sought. The Department welcomes continued engagement on this important matter from relevant external organisations.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of supermarket loyalty scheme pricing models on consumers.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has not made such an assessment. However, in 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) undertook a review into loyalty pricing in the groceries sector, publishing their findings in November 2024. The CMA found that shoppers who are members of a loyalty scheme can almost always make a genuine saving on the usual price by buying loyalty priced products. This should give shoppers confidence that they are not being treated unfairly. The CMA analysed around 50,000 grocery products on a loyalty price promotion and found very little evidence of supermarkets inflating their ‘usual’ prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.
In addition, shoppers without a loyalty scheme membership are generally paying the same price during the loyalty price promotion as they do in the weeks both before and after loyalty price promotions. However, the CMA found several loyalty priced products which were significantly more expensive than the cheapest price available at other supermarkets at that time, so there is value in shopping around.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that company law prioritises stakeholder primacy over shareholder primacy.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. As part of this, officials have engaged with industry-led reports such as the Demos report, "The Purpose Dividend" published in 2023.
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. The Government believes that this allows companies to determine their purpose and priorities themselves. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe duty only to shareholders.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries meeting with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had meetings with (i) business representatives and (ii) civil society organisations on changing shareholder primacy into stakeholder primacy in business in the last 12 months.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. As part of this, officials have engaged with industry-led reports such as the Demos report, "The Purpose Dividend" published in 2023.
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. The Government believes that this allows companies to determine their purpose and priorities themselves. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe duty only to shareholders.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries meeting with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 implications for its policies of Demos' report entitled The Purpose Dividend, published on 28 November 2023.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. As part of this, officials have engaged with industry-led reports such as the Demos report, "The Purpose Dividend" published in 2023.
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. The Government believes that this allows companies to determine their purpose and priorities themselves. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe duty only to shareholders.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries meeting with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to consult (a) businesses, (b) trade unions, (c) investors and (d) civil society organisations on the principle of moving from shareholder primacy to stakeholder primacy.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard in their decision-making to the interests of their employees and to the impact of the company's operations on the community and the environment. All large companies must report annually on how their directors have fulfilled this duty. Section 172 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe their duty only to shareholders.
The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. I look forward to considering the clauses of the Company Directors (Duties) Bill when available.
I would be pleased to meet with the Honourable Member for Newton Abbot to discuss his Private Member's Bill.