Trade Agreements: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, a) what progress his Department has made in implementing the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and b) what benefits it will bring to families and businesses in i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and ii) Staffordshire
Once in place, families and businesses across Staffordshire, including in Newcastle-under-Lyme, will benefit from reduced tariffs on 92% of UK goods exports, and iconic businesses such as JCB will be able to take advantage of lower tariffs on machinery, s...
Council Tax: Surcharges
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, whether the Treasury has discussed the wording required on council tax billing statements with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government; and what assessm
Workplace Pensions
To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that communications and promotional material relating to surplus release and endgame strategies are balanced, accurate and in the best interests of scheme beneficiaries.
Economic Growth: Staffordshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help increase economic growth in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
The Department for Business and Trade is supporting economic growth across the UK, including in Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme, through the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, championing free trade agreements (including the recently announced Free T...
Construction: Training
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in professional and technical built environment skills, specifically (1) surveying, (2) architecture, (3) construction management, and (4) planning, beyond the 2025 announcement of £625
Teachers: Pay
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 117426, Teachers: Pay, what assessment she has made of the impact of differences in pay between further education college lecturers and school teachers on sta
Teachers: Pay
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 117426, Teachers: Pay, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of binding collective bargaining arrangements in further education.
Poultry: Animal Housing
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of prohibiting the import of eggs produced using caged systems for laying hens.
Palestinian Authority
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of an April 2026 US State Department report indicating the Palestinian Authority contin
I refer the Hon Member to the answer he received on 9 March in response to Question 115697.
Business: Staff
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to consult with business to bring forward a comprehensive workforce strategy.
The government’s Modern Industrial Strategy outlined our commitment to provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028-29 and set out plans to deliver more opportunities for people at all stages of life to learn and earn in our hi...
Shipping: Russia
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2026 to Question 128971 on Shipping: Sanctions, what the legal basis is for conducting maritime interdiction operations against sanctioned Russian Shadow Fleet vessels tra
Workplace Pensions
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difference between the estimate of £160 billion in defined benefit pension scheme surplus in the press release published on 21 May 2025, Record pension scheme funding means up to £160 b
Workplace Pensions
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the preference among trustee boards for buyout strategies, and how that preference may limit the level of defined benefit pension scheme surplus release.
Unfair Dismissal
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to build on the tripartite discussions on the unfair dismissal provisions in the Employment Rights Act; and whether he is going to hold further discussions with business and tra
The Department for Business and Trade has engaged with business representative organisations and trade unions on the measures within the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025, including through tripartite discussions. These discussions have successfully suppor...
Small Businesses: Conditions of Employment
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department will take to support businesses, especially small business, in complying with the Employment Rights Act, to ensure enforcement of the new framework.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is being implemented in phases over a two-year period to give businesses, and in particular small businesses, time to plan and prepare.We are providing support and guidance to help businesses get ready. We have launched a de...
Ataxia
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the accessibility of TG6 blood tests for diagnosis of gluten ataxia.
Apprentices
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to introduce an apprenticeship guarantee for 16-24 years old.
This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. We are investing £2.5 billion into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to support nearly one million 16–24-year-olds into work, education or training. Over the next...
Artificial Intelligence: Intellectual Property
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the provisions enabling AI Sandboxes in the Regulating for Growth Bill will include protections for UK Intellectual Property to ensure that it cannot be suspended to allow experimentation in re
The AI Growth Lab, enabled through the Regulating for Growth Bill, will support the safe testing of AI-enabled products and services by allowing, in limited and controlled circumstances, temporary modifications to certain regulatory requirements that may ...
Workplace Pensions
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the additional resources or regulatory capacity required by the Pensions Regulator if more defined benefit pension schemes are expected to operate on a run-on basis for longer periods.
Global Combat Air Programme: Finance
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in securing funding for the Global Combat Air Programme beyond the existing deal with Edgewing.
Air Force: Unmanned Air Systems
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his foreword in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, what progress he has made in delivering autonomous fighters as part of a next-generation RAF.
Small Businesses: Trade Unions
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consideration his Department made of the evidence submitted to the consultation regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.
The Department for Business and Trade carefully considered the evidence submitted through the public consultation on the operational details of the trade union right of access framework, including views on a proposed exemption from statutory access provis...
Workplace Pensions
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release Record pension scheme funding means up to £160 billion ready to boost growth, published on 21 May 2025, what assessment they have made of the likelihood that £160 billion in defined benefit pen
Small Businesses: Trade Unions
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions were had with business and industry groups regarding the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.
The Department for Business and Trade held several roundtable discussions with business and industry groups throughout the development of the trade union right of access policy. In these meetings the threshold for trade union access to SMEs was discussed....
Small Businesses: Trade Unions
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings did his department hold with trade unions regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.
The Department for Business and Trade held several roundtable discussions with business and industry groups throughout the development of the trade union right of access policy. In these meetings the threshold for trade union access to SMEs was discussed....