Written questions by Griffith.

When he plans to respond to Questions 18414, 18415 and 18416 tabled by the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs on 6 December 2024.

Questions 18414, 18415 and 18416 were answered on 19 December 2024.

What assessment he has made of potential efficiency savings (a) his Department and (b) in arms length bodies for which his Department is responsible.

At the announcement of Phase 2 of the 2025 Spending Review, departments have been set a target of identifying efficiency savings of 5% by 2029. Through the spending review process my department will be carrying out the required work to identify options fo...

What is the projected annual budget of the Fair Work Agency.

The Employment Rights Bill is the first phase of delivering our plan to Make Work Pay, supporting employers, workers, and unions to get Britain moving forward. Establishing the Fair Work Agency will create a strong, recognisable single brand so individual...

What meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives from the European Union since 5 July; and for what purpose.

My officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the European Commission to discuss areas such as implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Competition Cooperation Agreement, and trade. Officials have also recently presented the Ind...

How many applications his Department received for the appointment to the Industrial Strategy Council; and how many and what proportion of those applications reached each stage of consideration for appo

Appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were made through direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Council’s membership includes senior business leaders, poli...

If he will outline the process for appointments to the Industrial Strategy Council.

Appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were made through direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Council’s membership includes senior business leaders, poli...

What meetings (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with President-Elect Trump's transition team on a potential UK-US trade deal.

The incoming US administration is still in the process of appointing senior staff.The Prime Minister had a warm introductory call with President-Elect Trump on 6 November. During this call, the Prime Minister offered his congratulations and said he looked...

How many (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments with (i) current and (ii) former employees his Department has made in each of the last 12 months.

The Department for Business and Trade made no settlement agreements or special severance payments in the last 12 months for either current or former employees.

How many away days or off-site team building exercises his Department has arranged for officials in each month of this year; and what the cost of these was.

The Department for Business and Trade does not routinely collect this information. It could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

How many (a) commercial and (b) non-commercial flights he has taken since 5 July 2024.

We can confirm that since 5 July 2024, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has taken: 28 commercial flights1 non-commercial flight

Whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets attended any of the meetings held by his Department with Stellantis.

I refer the member for Arundel and South Downs to the answer I provided to UIN 17527 on 6 December.

What steps his Department is taking to prepare for the potential imposition of trade tariffs by the US.

The Government has not speculated on what President-elect Trump may or may not do when he is in office. The Government will continue to make a strong case for open, transparent, and free trade. We are an open trading economy, and we benefit from that in o...

Whether he has had discussions with (a) the ONS (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Public Services Productivity Review.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has confirmed that no formal discussions have taken place with (a) the Office for National Statistics (ONS) or (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the Public Services Productivity Review.

What steps his Department takes to monitor the productivity of officials when they work from home.

It is expected that every Department for Business and Trade employee has personal objectives aligned to their role. Performance is monitored regularly against these objectives, as part of ongoing reviews.

How many of his counterparts from G20 nations (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met.

(a) Since July, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has met with counterparts from 16 G20 nations .(b) The DBT ministerial team have met a total of 18 G20 nations.

What meetings he has had with representatives from British Steel since 11 November 2024.

We’re working across government in partnership with trade unions and businesses to secure a bright future for steel in the UK, including working with British Steel on their future plans. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has met with British Steel’s...

Whether he has met with his counterparts from (a) Canada and (b) Mexico on the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Ministers regularly meet with their counterparts to discuss a wide range of key issues. The Secretary of State met with Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, Mary Ng at the G7 and the G20. I met with Minister...

How many applications for standard individual export licences were made between July and November 2024.

We will release statistics on export licensing outcomes relating to this period one quarter at a time via our regular Strategic Export Controls Licensing Statistical Releases.Export licensing statistics for 1 January to 30 June 2024 were published on 12 D...

How many employment tribunals were heard relating to employees of his Department between 1 August 2024 and 1 December 2024.

During the period stated, the Department for Business and Trade had 1 Employment Tribunal heard.

How many searches have been made on his Department's subsidy database since July 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade does not have data for completed searches for this period. However, following recent improvements to the Department’s analytical capabilities, numbers of searches on the database will be available for periods starting...