Written questions by Holden.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on SME firms within UK automotive supply chains; and whether his Department has undertaken any separate modelling of the cost implications for SMEs operating as tier-two and tier-three suppliers.

On Monday 21 October 2024, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill [Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK]. The assessment provides analysis of the potential costs and benefits to business, the impacts on SMEs, potential trade implications as well as the sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the manufacturing sector.

What formal consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their UK-based supply-chain firms on the Employment Rights Bill; what representations his Department has received from those businesses; and how the Government has responded to those representations.

The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.

Which UK automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers Ministers and officials have met to discuss the provisions of the Employment Rights Bill since 1 July 2024; on what dates those meetings took place; and what sector-specific concerns were raised.

The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.

What steps his Department is taking to support UK car manufacturers in developing and commercialising solid-state battery technology.

The Government has made the UK's largest single commitment to battery R&D of £452 million to 2030 in the new Battery Innovation Programme (BIP). This programme builds on the Faraday Battery Challenge to drive cross-sector innovation in emerging and next generation technologies, including Solid-State Batteries. BIP will target technical skills gaps to develop engineers and scientists of the future, connect academic researchers with UK industry, and fund investor partnerships that improve access to investment for innovative battery companies ready to commercialise and scale in the UK.This sits alongside DRIVE35, our long-term £2.5 billion commitment to zero emission vehicle manufacturing which provides capital support and additional R&D funding for strategic vehicle technologies, accelerating their commercial scale-up.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Chinese market dumping of (a) electric vehicles and (b) internal combustion engine vehicles on UK automotive sector.

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including dumping.I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by dumped goods.While the Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices, and regularly engages with the automotive sector, I am not aware any application to the TRA at this time.

How much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

Since 4 July 2024, the Department for Business and Trade and its arm’s length bodies have spent £9,066.00 on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities.The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not purchased any electric vehicles since 4 July 2024.

What support his Department is providing to UK companies in the (a) events and (b) logistics sectors affected by EU visa and travel restrictions under the Schengen 90/180-day rule.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) recognises the challenges UK businesses face in complying with the Schengen 90/180 day rule. I note many of these stem from the botched Brexit deal which he supported. Any changes to the rule are a matter for Member States and the EU. However, DBT publishes guidance for UK nationals travelling to the EU and EFTA countries for business purposes (Travelling to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for work - GOV.UK). DBT will continue to listen to concerns raised by businesses affected by these rules, to advocate for UK companies abroad, and to explore mutually beneficial improvements to short-term business mobility between the UK and EU.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK–US trade deal on bioethanol imports on the UK’s sustainable aviation fuel sector.

As part of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, the UK created a preferential duty-free quota for imports of US ethanol of 1.4bn litres per year. The UK already imports a significant amount of ethanol from the US. DBT officials continue to work closely with other government departments to monitor and assess risks across the supply chain. The Government is actively supporting the Sustainable Aviation Fuel sector. We have allocated £63m in this financial year to support SAF producers through the Advanced Fuels Fund and committed further support throughout the Spending Review period.

What recent discussions he has had with the kitchen manufacturing industry on (a) demand, (b) fixed costs and (c) access to (i) investment and (ii) restructuring support.

The department has not held recent specific discussions with the kitchen manufacturing industry regarding demand, fixed costs, or access to investment and restructuring support.However, the department maintains regular engagement with manufacturing sectors across the economy through various forums and stakeholder meetings. This includes addressing broader business concerns such as energy costs, supply chain resilience, and access to finance.The government remains committed to supporting UK manufacturing, including through the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and the British Business Bank's investment programmes and business support services that are available to all manufacturing sectors.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the civil service of the requirement in the Employment Rights Bill to provide (a) additional facility time to trade unions and (b) facility time for equality representatives.

In October 2024 the government published impact assessments on the trade union-related measures within the Employment Rights Bill and these are available here: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62769 on Companies House: Databases, whether Companies House plans to remove entry 08881386 from the register.

Companies House will take appropriate action using the powers available whenever suspicious information is brought to its attention or identified by internal checks.The company in question was dissolved in 2018 and does not form part of the Register of Companies, though its records will remain available for 20 years.Companies House will act to remove inaccurate information relating to the company in question from the public records.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of new packaging regulations on the cost of producing draught and bottled beer; and whether those impacts were taken into account when setting beer duty rates.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole.Decisions on tax policy, including beer duty rates, are made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at fiscal events. The Treasury welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.

What steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in Essex to deliver place-based foreign direct investment strategies in line with the Harrington Review recommendations.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes investment across the UK. At the International Investment Summit, we announced a major overhaul of how DBT will implement the Harrington Review - strengthening the Office for Investment (OfI) and aligning government efforts under a single strategic delivery plan.We have established an expanded OfI at the heart of government to reduce duplication, offer a clearer 'single door' for investors, and increase our influence on regulation and policy across HMG. We continue working with local partners, including Essex Council, to support and showcase investment opportunities aligned with industrial and infrastructure strategies to global investors.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Strategic Investment Opportunities Unit within the Office for Investment supports SMEs and scale-ups to access investment in (a) Basildon and Billericay constituency and (b) other areas outside major conurbations.

As announced in the Infrastructure Strategy the new Strategic Investment Opportunities unit will identify, shape and deliver on strategic projects and programmes with significant scope for private capital and investor interest. These will be aligned to investor demand and matched to relevant institutional investors. Attracting investors and capital is crucial to driving growth across the country, and will ultimately benefit SMEs in locations outside major conurbations, where aligned to investor demand.

Pursuant to the Answers of 2 July 2025 and 11 July 2025 to Questions 62768 and 64918 on Pay: Publicity, whether he has considered releasing the (a) aggregate value of the payments made to and (b) the names of the six digital influencers hired for its campaign.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2nd July 2025 to question 62768 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament) and the answer I gave on 11th July to question 64918 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).

What steps she is taking to prevent solvent companies from using Company Voluntary Arrangements to avoid meeting their (a) redundancy and (b) notice period obligations.

Company Voluntary Arrangements (“CVAs”) are a restructuring process for insolvent or contingently insolvent companies. To be eligible, a company must meet the insolvent test as assessed by an insolvency practitioner and the CVA must be agreed by a majority of creditors and shareholders. Where redundancies are necessary as part of a CVA, the Government ensures employees have appropriate safeguards through employment rights’ legislation. Redundancy payments (within statutory limits) are guaranteed from the National Insurance Fund. The Redundancy Payments Service makes these payments directly to the employees and will seek to reclaim the money back from the company as a creditor.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62346 on Postage Stamps, whether his Department hold copies of the (a) agenda (b) minutes and (c) papers of the Royal Mail’s stamp advisory committee.

The Stamp Advisory Committee advises Royal Mail on future stamp designs. The Postal Museum’s online catalogue lists copies of Stamp Advisory Committee minutes which are available to the public for research in line with Royal Mail’s retention policy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62768 on Pay: Publicity, what the aggregate value was of the payments to the six digital influencers; and if he will name those influencers.

Influencer marketing is a credible paid communications channel, which is considered for government advertising campaigns and can be an effective way in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.We used this channel to raise awareness of the new National Minimum and Living Wage rates to ensure audiences such as young people, part-time female workers, ethnic minorities and disabled groups are paid correctly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54274 on Government Departments: Publicity, if he will publish the spending control business case and approval for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage campaign.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28th May 2025 to question 52688 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).

With reference to his Department’s publication entitled Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: second progress report, published on 16 June 2025, what steps he is taking to remove (a) false, (b) misleading and (c) incorrect information from the Companies House register.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has given Companies House new powers to tackle false, incorrect or misleading information on its registers. To 31 May 2025, the use of these powers by Companies House has impacted 121,800 companies and has seen the removal of information including 100,500 registered office addresses.In addition to removing information from its registers, Companies House is developing new capabilities to detect, track and block suspicious information pre-registration. These steps have already prevented over 10,000 suspicious filings.