Asked by: Baroness Stedman-Scott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative impact of business rates, employer National Insurance contributions, and wage regulation on the competitiveness of bricks-and-mortar retailers compared with online-only retailers.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government works closely with the Retail Sector Council and industry bodies to help inform support for bricks and mortar businesses and ensuring a level playing field with online only retailers, including targeted reliefs and measures.
The government is introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties worth nearly £900 million per year, benefiting over 750,000 properties. To protect businesses from bill increases following the 2026 revaluation, a £4.3 billion support package is being implemented over three years.
Additionally, the retail sector will benefit from a rebalanced business rates system, with large distribution warehouses paying around £100 million more in 2026/27, with this funding directly lowering bills for in-person retail. The government has also launched a Small Business Plan aimed at removing barriers holding back businesses and breathing new life into high streets.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to issue fines against social media companies which host sexualized deepfake content.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Sharing, or threatening to share, a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence - for individuals and for platforms. Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety and has confirmed that they have opened an investigation into Grok’s production of sexualised deepfake content. They have the backing of this government to use the full powers which Parliament has given them.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 5 January (HL13151), where the information about whether the conviction of Jimmy Lai represents a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration is located in the statement or response in the House of Lords on 17 December 2025 (HL Deb cols 798–806).
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
At Column 799, in the Foreign Secretary's statement.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he will take steps to prevent organisations with which the Government has a policy of non-engagement from submitting written evidence to (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) public consultations.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government does not and will not engage with organisations with whom they have a policy of non-engagement.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Make Work Pay: Right of Trade Unions to Access Workplaces, published on 23 October 2025, what discussions he has had with business organisations about the raising of the threshold to exempt SMEs with a headcount less than 250 employees.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government recognises the concerns raised regarding the impact of the new trade union right of access might have on small employers. As part of the consultation process, we engaged with business organisations and unions on proposals put forward in the public consultation, including the proposed exemption from statutory access provisions for employers of a certain size. We are carefully reviewing all responses to this consultation and will publish a formal response in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to her Department's press release entitled Technology Secretary statement on xAI's Grok image generation and editing tool published on 9 January 2026, what official communications has her Department received from X regarding image manipulation by its xAI Grok tool.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is clear that no one should have to go through the ordeal of these horrendous images online.
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety and has confirmed that they have opened an investigation into X and have made relevant contact with representatives at X. They have our full backing to take any necessary enforcement action.
This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what consideration her Department has given of the potential merits of requiring mobile network operators to fund the installation of emergency back‑up power for mobile phone masts from company profits rather than through customer bill increases.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular impact on rural communities.
Mobile network operators have legal obligations to put in place appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure the resilience of their networks and services. This is overseen by the independent regulator Ofcom, who have powers to monitor compliance, conduct investigations, issue penalties and enforce remedial actions.
Ofcom have completed a public consultation on power back-up for mobile services across the UK, which identified a particular impact on rural communities. They published an update on their work in February 2025 and announced they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures required to ensure adequate resilience for consumers.
The Government is also supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to deliver measures so that when power cuts occur the likelihood of disruption to telecommunications services is as low as possible, and where disruption does occur it should affect as few people for the shortest possible time.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to introduce mandatory requirements under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 for mobile network operators to install emergency generator capacity at mobile phone masts.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular impact on rural communities.
Mobile network operators have legal obligations to put in place appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure the resilience of their networks and services. This is overseen by the independent regulator Ofcom, who have powers to monitor compliance, conduct investigations, issue penalties and enforce remedial actions.
Ofcom have completed a public consultation on power back-up for mobile services across the UK, which identified a particular impact on rural communities. They published an update on their work in February 2025 and announced they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures required to ensure adequate resilience for consumers.
The Government is also supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to deliver measures so that when power cuts occur the likelihood of disruption to telecommunications services is as low as possible, and where disruption does occur it should affect as few people for the shortest possible time.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with organisations impacted by the delay in the publication of the EHRC Code of Practice on single-sex spaces.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations provides guidance on all protected characteristics, not solely sex and gender reassignment. This is a legally complex document which will have an impact on service providers up and down the country. We are working at pace to review it with the care it deserves.
We have set out our expectation for service providers to follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps are being taken to strengthen European support for Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my opening statement in the general debate on Ukraine held on 14 January.