Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 adequacy of resourcing levels in local Trading Standards services.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Trading Standards are provided by local authorities who operate independently from central government, so local authorities make decisions according to their individual needs.
The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% increase on 2025-26. Much of this funding is not ringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
My officials are undertaking a review of Trading Standards duties, to ensure that consumers remain protected from harm and that local enforcement teams are able to focus on the issues that have the most impact on citizens and communities.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how (i) consumers and (ii) businesses can report incidents of illicit trade on high streets.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The National Crime Agency estimates that at least £1 billion is being laundered through rogue shops operating on UK high streets. Addressing this threat is a priority for the Government, and on 19 May, the government announced a £30 million crackdown targeting cash intensive business such as barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops operating on our high streets, over three years.
Consumers who have concerns about the conduct or legitimacy of a business can contact the Citizens Advice consumer service. The helpline can refer issues to local trading standards officers for them to act upon. The information shared is also used by enforcement teams and regulators nationwide to identify wider market issues and allow for more serious action to be taken against the most egregious breaches of consumer law.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many times Ministers from his Department have attended UK conferences, trade shows and exhibitions since 7 February 2023.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Details of the meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade are available on transparency pages of gov.uk and are released as part of the Government's transparency agenda.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to remove minimum wage age bands.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government is committed to ensuring that every adult worker benefits from a genuine living wage, and we will remove the discriminatory age bands for adults.
From April 2025, we are boosting the National Minimum Wage for 18–20-year-olds by 16.3% or £1.40 to £10.00 per hour, a record increase and a significant step towards our commitment.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he sought external legal advice when drafting the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders
With respect to the Employment Rights Bill, the Department has been supported by legal advice from the Government Legal Department and, where appropriate, external legal advice. Legal advice provided to the Government is privileged.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has carried out a proportionality assessment on clause 16 of the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Employment Rights Bill establishes a new day one statutory right for all employees who have experienced the loss of a loved one. The measures in the bill set a framework for the entitlement, and the details will be set out in secondary legislation.
The Government has published an Impact Assessment, which covers the impacts on businesses and workers. Due to the sensitive and personal nature of bereavement, we will be consulting stakeholders on the specifics of the entitlement to ensure that Bereavement Leave is sculpted by the needs of employees and employers.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to create a single enforcement body to ensure employment rights are upheld.
Answered by Justin Madders
Creating the Fair Work Agency (FWA) is a complex process that requires primary legislation. The Employment Rights Bill is the first phase of delivering the FWA and implementation will occur in phases following Royal Assent. We will set out more detail on this in due course.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what role the Fair Work Agency will play in ensuring businesses observe best practice when granting their employees maternity leave.
Answered by Justin Madders
We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of workers’ rights.
The Fair Work Agency will work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), which already provides guidance for both employers and workers in these specific areas, to deliver appropriate support to the majority of businesses who want to comply with the law.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the role of the Fair Work Agency will be in helping to ensure businesses observe best practice in granting paternity leave.
Answered by Justin Madders
We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of workers’ rights.
The Fair Work Agency will work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), which already provides guidance for both employers and workers in these specific areas, to deliver appropriate support to the majority of businesses who want to comply with the law.