Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will meet with fireworks industry stakeholders, such as Fireworks Impact Coalition, to discuss calls for a comprehensive review of fireworks legislation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on fireworks-related issues. I also recently met with the Scottish Government, and a number of MPs to discuss fireworks policy and hope to meet with the Fireworks Impact coalition in the near future.
The insights from these discussions, as well as other evidence gathered on the impact of fireworks will guide future action.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to adopt a UK-wide model similar to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act (Scotland) 2022.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are currently no plans to adopt a model similar to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act (Scotland) 2022 on a UK-wide basis.
I recently met with Siobhian Brown MSP, Minister for Victims and Community Safety in the Scottish Government to understand the impact of changes made in Scotland. In addition to this meeting, I will engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made to determine whether the 120 dB noise limit for consumer fireworks is sufficient to protect animals and vulnerable people from harm.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No recent formal assessment of the fireworks legislation has been made including whether further restrictions on sales and use would fuel illegal trade or whether the 120 dB noise limit for consumer firework is sufficient.
I launched a public campaign on fireworks safety in October, just ahead of the fireworks season. Ensuring that these materials were shared widely helped to increase their impact. The campaign featured new guidance for those running community fireworks events, as well as social media materials that emphasised the risks associated with the misuse of fireworks.
To inform any future decisions in relation to the regulation of fireworks, I will engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment of the fireworks black market his Department has made to determine whether further restrictions on sales and use of fireworks would fuel illegal trade.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No recent formal assessment of the fireworks legislation has been made including whether further restrictions on sales and use would fuel illegal trade or whether the 120 dB noise limit for consumer firework is sufficient.
I launched a public campaign on fireworks safety in October, just ahead of the fireworks season. Ensuring that these materials were shared widely helped to increase their impact. The campaign featured new guidance for those running community fireworks events, as well as social media materials that emphasised the risks associated with the misuse of fireworks.
To inform any future decisions in relation to the regulation of fireworks, I will engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will conduct a review into fireworks legislation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No recent formal assessment of the fireworks legislation has been made including whether further restrictions on sales and use would fuel illegal trade or whether the 120 dB noise limit for consumer firework is sufficient.
I launched a public campaign on fireworks safety in October, just ahead of the fireworks season. Ensuring that these materials were shared widely helped to increase their impact. The campaign featured new guidance for those running community fireworks events, as well as social media materials that emphasised the risks associated with the misuse of fireworks.
To inform any future decisions in relation to the regulation of fireworks, I will engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his department will conduct a review into current fireworks legislation to determine whether it is fit for purpose and efficiently protects animals and vulnerable people.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities, including those supporting animals and vulnerable people, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action and review into the current fireworks legislation.
The Government has also launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes new guidance for those running community fireworks events, and new social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2023 to Question 199561 on World Economic Forum, how much and what proportion of the £6255.20 was spent on (a) flights, (b) accommodation and (c) hospitality.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department's Transparency returns for the period January to February 2023 show a total cost of £6,225.20 for the visit and this represents the total cost including flights and accommodation. All hospitality is declared in quarterly returns but costs for that are not routinely recorded. In the case of this visit there was no hospitality given.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the data on Ministerial travel for the Department for International Trade, January to March 2023, last updated on 20 July 2023, how much was spent on (a) flights and (b) accommodation for her visit to the World Economic Forum from 17 to 20 January 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The total cost of the flights and accommodation for the Secretary of State’s visit to the World Economic Forum from 17 to 20 January 2023 is set out within the “DIT Ministers' Overseas Travel: January to February 2023” transparency data published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support the growth of battery technology companies.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) and the long-term Advanced Propulsion Centre R&D programme continue to support the development and commercialisation of cutting-edge automotive technologies. The ATF enabled the £1bn electric vehicle hub in Sunderland in partnership between Nissan and Envision AESC.
In October 2022 we announced a record £211m of funding for the Faraday Battery Challenge, to support battery research and innovation, bringing the overall budget of the Challenge to £541m since 2017.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what incentives her Department plans to introduce to encourage businesses to offer flexible working arrangements that help enable jobseekers with SEND to access employment.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government is taking steps to encourage businesses to discuss and agree suitable flexible working arrangements with all workers and jobseekers, including those with SEND.
In December 2022, we published our response to the “making flexible working the default” consultation. This committed to a range of measures, including making the right to request flexible working a ‘day one’ entitlement, by removing the existing 26-week qualifying period.
We are also supporting the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, which will make further changes to improve access to flexible working.
Certain jobseekers with SEND may have the right to reasonable adjustments when applying for jobs, which businesses have a duty to consider.