Written questions by Baldwin.

When the timing of the meeting of 18 December 2024 with the Indian Business Leaders delegation was agreed.

On 18 December 2024, a business delegation of 13 Indian companies met with the UK's Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers in a curated visit to enhance the UK-India partnership.The delegation provided perspectives on opportunities for investment and economic growth between the UK and India and discussed opportunities under a UK-India trade deal. The timing of the meeting was agreed in the second half of 2024 and there is no intention to publish minutes of the meeting.

Whether (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had meetings with President-Elect Trump.

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 forward to working closely with President-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship. The Prime Minister spoke to the President-elect again on 18 December. Neither the Secretary of State, Ministers, nor officials in the Department have had meetings with President-Elect Trump's transition team.

What meetings for what purpose (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the People's Republic of China since 5 July 2024.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade met the Vice Minister of Commerce in the margins of the G20 trade summit in Brazil to discuss the UK-China trade relationship. The Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets met the Vice Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation in the UK to discuss competition issues.

What meetings for what purpose (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the European Union since 5 July 2024.

Since 5 July 2024, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has held meetings with Commissioner Dombrovskis on three occasions: an introductory call on 10 July 2024; a meeting at the G7 Trade Ministerial in Italy; and a meeting at the G20 in Brazil. On each of these occasions the Secretary of State underlined the Government’s commitment to reset our relationship with the EU.

How many in-year awards were made to officials in his Department since 5 July 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) operates a fully in year reward system for delegated grades and, like in other departments, has a non-consolidated performance budget that is derived from a percentage of the pay bill. In DBT, this is 1.3% and may be spent on cash or vouchers (up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee in any financial year).Between 5th July 2024 and 19th December 2024, DBT made 3,468 cash in-year awards (with a total value of £1,551,060) and 2,466 non-cash awards (with a total value of £190,648).

What discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the sectors in the scope of an India-UK Free Trade Agreement.

The Prime Minister is committed to delivering growth and opportunities throughout the UK, which a trade deal with India will support.Negotiating a deal with India will align with the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, enabling our world-leading sectors to adapt and grow, as well as seizing opportunities to lead in new sectors.

If he will publish the minutes of the Indian Business Leaders delegation meeting of 18 December 2024.

On 18 December 2024, a business delegation of 13 Indian companies met with the UK's Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers in a curated visit to enhance the UK-India partnership.The delegation provided perspectives on opportunities for investment and economic growth between the UK and India and discussed opportunities under a UK-India trade deal. The timing of the meeting was agreed in the second half of 2024 and there is no intention to publish minutes of the meeting.

Whether he plans to appoint Trade Envoys.

The Trade Envoy programme will continue and the House will of course be notified of any appointments in due course.

How many international trips Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 5 July 2024.

Since 5th July 2024, Ministers within the Department for Business and Trade have undertaken 22 international trips.

On what dates he has met with representatives of BMW since 5 July 2024.

DBT Secretary of State regularly meets businesses including those in the automotive sector. These meetings are recorded in publicly available transparency data on the .GOV web site under ‘DBT: Ministerial gifts, hospitality, overseas travel and meetings’ which is being updated to include meetings since July.

On what dates he has met with representatives of Nissan since 5 July 2024.

DBT Secretary of State regularly meets businesses including those in the automotive sector. These meetings are recorded in publicly available transparency data on the .GOV web site under ‘DBT: Ministerial gifts, hospitality, overseas travel and meetings’ which is being updated to include meetings since July.

On what dates he has met with representatives of Jaguar Land Rover since 5 July 2024.

DBT Secretary of State regularly meets businesses including those in the automotive sector. These meetings are recorded in publicly available transparency data on the .GOV web site under ‘DBT: Ministerial gifts, hospitality, overseas travel and meetings’ which is being updated to include meetings since July.

When his Department plans to publish the small business strategy.

The government will publish its Small Business Strategy in 2025 after the Phase 2 Spending Review. This will set out the government’s vision for supporting small businesses, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy and across key policy areas.

Whether he has met with the US Chamber of Commerce.

Ministers meet regularly with business organisations and trade associations. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly on GOV.UK. The most recent return was published on 28 November and the next one will be published by the Spring.

What steps he is taking to to ensure the accuracy of his Department's headcount and payroll data.

DBT verifies headcount monthly through commissioning each business area to review employee records, check leaver processing and performs quality assurance to reconcile any data issues.DBT ensures accuracy of payroll data from our shared service provider (UKSBS) through monthly reviews and control account reconciliations. DBT also:monitors UKSBS’s performance against KPIs monthly and has representation on governance boards.ensures segregation of duties and approval/authorisation controls where we have administrative responsibility.undertakes comparative analytics and queries movements outside our understanding of operations.Submits Annual Report & Accounts to NAO, who sample-test payroll data and report any errors.

Whether he has met with business representatives to discuss the Control Subsidy Regime.

To date I have not met with business representatives to discuss the subsidy control regime, however my department would welcome the views of business representatives in response to the current public consultation on refinements to the UK’s subsidy control regime. The consultation closes on 21 January 2025.

Whether he has met with the UK High Streets Taskforce.

Across Government, Ministers and officials meet with a range of high street experts. I have recently met with the Hospitality Sector Council and Retail Sector Council and visited Gateshead and Consett town centres.To mark Small Business Saturday, the Secretary of State visited Walthamstow High Street and Sunflour Café in Islington, meeting with the businesses which that make our town centres successful. We continue to engage with those involved in the delivery of the High Streets Task Force, which has now concluded, to learn the lessons from the programme.

When trade talks with India will commence.

Following a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on 18 November, the Prime Minister announced that UK-India trade talks will relaunch in the new year.

With reference to his Department's news story entitled, Ministers tell business leaders they will be involved every step of the way in Make Work Pay plans, published on 3 September 2024 which (a) people attended and (b) businesses were represented at that business breakfast.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Business and Trade were joined by officials, special advisers, and representatives from the following companies:Burberry, BT Group, Co-op, DHL Supply Chain, Haleon, John Lewis, Mace Group, Mars Wrigley UK, McDonalds, Octopus Energy, Sainsbury's, Whitbread.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's research on the EU Green Taxonomy Framework, published on 29 November 2024.

In November, the Department published research that it commissioned from the researcher provider, PUBLIC. This project was subject to robust procurement and contract oversight processes to ensure that it is was conducted according to appropriate methodologies. The report compiles the views of interviewed businesses and does not necessarily reflect the views of UK government.The government is currently consulting on whether a UK Green Taxonomy would be complementary to existing sustainable finance policies. Alongside the research, this consultation will inform an assessment of the value of implementing a UK Taxonomy, and how it could be designed as effectively as possible.