Written questions by Hollinrake.

If he will make an assessment with local authorities of the potential merits of introducing a unified regime for the (a) licences, (b) permits and (c) certificates needed to operate (i) restaurants and (ii) pubs.

Pubs and hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK. We are constantly testing our planning, regulatory and licensing regimes to ensure they remain proportionate and don’t unnecessarily burden hospitality businesses. Our forthcoming Small Business Strategy will set out our plan for further supporting small businesses on the high street and beyond.

Whether the Deputy Prime Minister has a role in the development of his Department’s employment law reforms.

Making work pay is a priority for delivering the Government's Plan for Change.As Chair of the Future of Work Cabinet Committee, the Deputy Prime Minister oversees the Committee which considers and takes decisions on matters related to the Make Work Pay package of reforms to the employment law framework. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets work very closely with the Deputy Prime Minister and have responsibility for all policy development which falls within the responsibility of the Department for Business and Trade.

With reference to paragraph 94 of his Department's final stage impact assessment entitled Strengthening workers’ rights to trade union access, recognition and representation, published on 21 October 2024, whether he has made an estimate of the cost of the statutory right of facility time for trade union equality activities to (a) local government and (b) the civil service.

Equality representatives play a key role in raising awareness and promoting equal rights, as well as developing collective policies and practices that will enable organisations to realise the benefits of being an equal opportunities employer.As the impact assessment notes the cost of equality representatives taking facility time is not likely to be significant for individual employers and could benefit business performance and worker retention. The impact assessment also identified a £0.33m benefit to public sector employers from not having to provide information on facility time.

What assessment has been made of the cost of the Employment Rights reforms on local authorities, including the indirect cost through outsourced social care services.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published 24 Impact Assessments, providing a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis includes consideration of impacts on the public sector, particularly where proposed legislative reforms are expected to affect local authorities. We will engage closely with local authorities as policy develops.

Whether he has had recent discussions with participants at the UK Investment Summit 2024 on the status of their planned investments in the context of the Autumn Budget 2024.

The International Investment Summit brought together the world’s most important companies and investors to showcase the UK’s strengths and opportunities. Since it took place, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has been working closely with the ...

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 16140 on Nightclubs: Closures, what steps his Department plans to take to measure the effectiveness of the five point plan for high streets.

Kickstarting economic growth is the number one mission for this government and thriving high streets are essential to supporting this. We have launched a new package to tackle late payments, backing small businesses and the self-employed, alongside measur...

What steps he is taking to help reduce the number of nightclub closures.

We recognise the important role night-time economy business plays in supporting local economies and communities. Healthy night-time economy businesses not only support our creative industries, including musicians, DJs and performance artists, but also sup...

Whether his Department plans to classify new measures in the Employment Rights Bill as a burden via the New burdens doctrine.

Our Impact Assessments provide an initial, indicative assessment of the impacts that could result from primary legislation. This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We intend to refine our ana...

Whether any businesses have (a) withdrawn and (b) reduced their investment commitments following the International Investment Summit on 14 October 2024.

We are not aware of any announcements that investment highlighted at the International Investment Summit has subsequently been withdrawn or reduced. The Office for Investment continues to support business on all the investment projects announced at the su...

With which businesses the Minister for Industry had meetings on 30 October 2024.

Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published routinely on Gov.uk as part of the Government’s transparency agenda.

What steps he is taking to help raise awareness of the impact of mentoring on the business community.

Small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets, our communities, and essential to our economic success.Professional mentoring can have a positive impact on business growth. Opportunities to access a mentor are actively signposted through the H...

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Second Report of Session 2024-25 of the House of Lords Constitution Committee on Product Regulation and Metrology Bill,

The Department for Business and Trade is grateful for the Select Committee’s observations. The Committee’s concerns about the use of delegated powers in the Bill were also raised by the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee in its report of 1...

How many times he has had a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister since 5 July 2024.

The Secretary of State works closely with all his cabinet colleagues, including the Deputy Prime Minister as part of the normal operation of Government. For example, the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister have jointly met with businesses and...

For how many hours officials in his Department have discussed the Employment Rights Bill with trade unions since 5 July 2024.

Since July, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken an extensive programme of engagement around the Employment Rights Bill and broader Plan to Make Work Pay. Such engagement has been underpinned by a strong commitment to working in partnershi...

For how many hours officials in his Department have discussed the Employment Rights Bill with businesses since 5 July 2024.

Since July, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken an extensive programme of engagement around the Employment Rights Bill and broader Plan to Make Work Pay. Such engagement has been underpinned by a strong commitment to working in partnershi...

With (a) how many and (b) which trade unions he has met to discuss the Employment Rights Bill before its First Reading.

Since July, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken an extensive programme of engagement around the Employment Rights Bill and broader Plan to Make Work Pay. Such engagement has been underpinned by a strong commitment to working in partnershi...

With (a) how many and (b) which businesses he has met to discuss the Employment Rights Bill before its First Reading.

Since July, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken an extensive programme of engagement around the Employment Rights Bill and broader Plan to Make Work Pay. Such engagement has been underpinned by a strong commitment to working in partnershi...

For how many hours he has discussed the Employment Rights Bill with businesses since 5 July 2024.

Since July, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken an extensive programme of engagement around the Employment Rights Bill and broader Plan to Make Work Pay. Such engagement has been underpinned by a strong commitment to working in partnershi...

For how many hours he has discussed the Employment Rights Bill with trade unions since 5 July 2024.

Since July, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken an extensive programme of engagement around the Employment Rights Bill and broader Plan to Make Work Pay. Such engagement has been underpinned by a strong commitment to working in partnershi...

How many meetings he has had with representatives of Santander since 5 July 2024.

The Secretary of State has met once with representatives of Santander since 5 July 2024.