Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
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 help support people who were underpaid wages by their former employers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government takes enforcing the minimum wage very seriously. We are clear that anyone entitled to the minimum wage should receive at least the correct minimum wage rate based on their age or apprenticeship status.
HMRC enforces minimum wage regulations on behalf of DBT and considers all complaints from workers. Workers do not need to be currently employed to raise concerns and can complain about underpayments by former employers. If an underpayment of wage is found, HMRC will order employers to pay the workers their money back, and a penalty to the government. HMRC will investigate any underpayments from the last 6 years.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support her Department is providing to small independent funeral directors in response to market pressures from large direct cremation providers.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government provides comprehensive support for small businesses across all industries, including the UK funeral sector. Resources such as the Business Growth Service, via business.gov.uk, and local Growth Hubs can support small independent funeral directors as they face market pressures from large direct cremation providers.
In addition, the recently announced Small Business Plan sets out this Government’s approach for economic transformation alongside the Modern Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy. The Plan includes proposals to tackle the scourge of late payments, modernise the tax system, improving access to finance, revitalise high streets and equip small businesses with digital skills.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
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 clean energy workforce strategy on UK jobs in critical mineral supply chains.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Critical minerals underpin the UK’s Industrial Strategy and the Government’s clean energy goals. The Office for Clean Energy Jobs will publish a full Clean Energy Workforce Strategy shortly setting out further actions to support delivery of the clean energy workforce and ensure that the jobs created across the country are high quality.
The Department for Business and Trade is working closely with industry and partners such as the Critical Minerals Association to identify and to help address workforce gaps across UK critical mineral supply chains.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
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 merits of using spending allocated to the DRIVE35 programme for the domestic critical minerals industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
DRIVE35 builds on the Advanced Propulsion Centre R&D programmes and the Automotive Transformation Fund. These programmes have funded a number of critical mineral projects that are strengthening the UK’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) supply chains, from lithium refinery Green Lithium to battery recycler Altilium.
DRIVE35 will continue to support the latest R&D, accelerate commercial scale-up, and unlock capital investment in ZEV technologies, including their upstream supply chain which can include critical minerals projects.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timetable is for the consultation on the British industrial competitiveness scheme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
From 2027, the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will reduce electricity costs by c.£35-40/MWh for thousands of eligible businesses. These firms will be exempt from paying levies on the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the Capacity Market.
We announced that we would consult on eligibility and design of the scheme. We recognise the need to work quickly and we will publish the consultation and Terms of Reference as soon as we can. We have committed to ensure that the scheme is ready to launch in 2027.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will set out the terms of reference for the consultation on the British industrial competitiveness scheme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
From 2027, the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will reduce electricity costs by c.£35-40/MWh for thousands of eligible businesses. These firms will be exempt from paying levies on the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the Capacity Market.
We announced that we would consult on eligibility and design of the scheme. We recognise the need to work quickly and we will publish the consultation and Terms of Reference as soon as we can. We have committed to ensure that the scheme is ready to launch in 2027.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
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 improve postal services carried out by the Royal Mail in rural areas.
Answered by Justin Madders
Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail's service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
The Government's objective in relation to postal services continues to be to secure a sustainable universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
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 extending the Energy Intensive Industries support scheme to include (a) metal manufacturing, (b) mining and (c) disposal of waste.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The British Industry Supercharger already covers manufacturers of iron, steel, aluminium and other metals, and mining companies, subject to the business-level test on electricity usage. Iron and steel manufacturers may also be eligible for compensation on indirect carbon costs stemming from electricity generation. We will conduct an eligibility review for the British Industry Supercharger in 2026 to account for changing business trends.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to make an assessment of international comparisons of support provided to (a) minerals, (b) metals and (c) processing companies through the (i) planning and (ii) permitting process.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) actively monitors support provided to companies operating across the critical minerals supply chain in comparable countries, including planning and permitting processes.
In the forthcoming Critical Minerals Strategy, DBT will outline further details of the Government’s approach to supporting the UK’s domestic mining, processing and recycling industries, and developing the UK’s competitive advantage.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
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 merits of securing the imports of critical minerals in (a) semi-manufactured materials and (b) raw materials.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. Building on the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre’s updated criticality assessment, government will work hand in hand with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This new, targeted Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.
As part of the ongoing engagement, the government will engage with stakeholders to gather expertise and insights to shape our approach to securing critical minerals.