Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Adam Smith Institute's report entitled Knock, Knock: The Effects of the New Union Access Regime on SMEs, published on 6 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of that report’s findings of the potential impact of the proposed trade union access on the level costs for SMEs; and if he will make it his policy to implement the mitigations recommended in the report, including raising the trade union access threshold to businesses with a minimum headcount of 250 employees.

My officials have considered the Adam Smith Institute’s report, alongside other relevant evidence, as part of the policy development process. Our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, proposed an exemption for employers with fewer than 21 employees, with the aim of ensuring access is directed toward workplaces where recognition is most likely to be viable, while taking account of the practical implications for smaller employers.

We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will set out the Government’s final approach in our formal response, which will be published in due course.