Written questions by Griffiths.

What data his Department holds on the number of involuntary business liquidations that have taken place each month of the last five years.

The numbers of companies entering compulsory liquidation in each month since January 2019 are provided in monthly Official Statistics on company insolvency at Company insolvency statistics releases - GOV.UK and in the tables below.England & Wales 201920202021202220232024January31729551124204339February2592313377162225March23717533140302230April2341003094187291May2723234141195248June2747037148264293July25017544137249336August1957938151232236September2284932219255221October2376753252260212November2703754296364340December1704352186164[x]Source: Insolvency Service. [x] indicates not yet availableScotland 201920202021202220232024January574512145334February51447102233March68471194044April66179174148May50108193543June45211483643July452114154433August491811383342September43128253018October551011193560November561321423054December4721172240[x]Source: Companies House. [x] indicates not yet available Northern Ireland 201920202021202220232024January7212218February918010114March25120728April3036217May35013222June16011138July1211135August501221September280022515October391101417November22022133December181726[x]Source: Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland

What data his Department holds on the number of voluntary business liquidations that have taken place each month of the last five years.

Voluntary liquidations consist of creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs) and members’ voluntary liquidations (MVLs). Tables 1 to 3 show monthly numbers of CVLs, based on Insolvency Service official statistics at Company insolvencies, November 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 4 shows numbers of MVLs, based on Companies House official statistics at Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024 - GOV.UK. MVL data is not published on a monthly basis. Table 1: Creditors’ voluntary liquidations by month, England & Wales 201920202021202220232024January1,2251,0546631,3831,4021,309February8529916381,3511,5391,726March1,1829349451,8592,0361,452April1,0459738471,8101,3711,853May9958549741,6052,1911,626June1,0585931,1641,4721,7731,906July1,0436311,0291,6291,3441,662August1,0076281,3021,6831,9051,555September1,1487771,3721,4001,5881,441October1,1087191,2751,6081,9101,514November1,1008141,5421,6101,9831,631December8231,0851,3831,6761,749[x]Source: Companies House. [x] indicates not yet available Table 2: Creditors’ voluntary liquidations by month, Scotland 201920202021202220232024January252115355447February233616616358March222129716264April312629736459May241738705772June222061667460July392855555177August272176667257September282553745348October202754565951November242777737456December3626758566[x]Source: Companies House. [x] indicates not yet available Table 3: Creditors’ voluntary liquidations by month, Northern Ireland 201920202021202220232024January831121117February106541010March711513915April10224512May43617820June78913117July781210811August17281069September78918910October7712131214November686161010December9601116[x] Table 4: Members’ voluntary liquidations by financial year, United KingdomFinancial YearMembers' voluntary liquidations2023/2411,5072022/2314,9292021/2211,8242020/2110,2492019/209,240

How many small businesses the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports has visited since 4 July 2024.

I have engaged extensively with small businesses since my appointment, including visits to Ware, Coventry, Birmingham, Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, and various locations in London. I also regularly attend small business round tables alongside industry representatives such as the Federation of Small Business, Small Business Britain, and Enterprise Nation, as well as meeting small businesses one-to-one in the Department for Business and Trade. I am looking forward to having further engagements.

What discussions he has had with businesses on the subsidy control regime.

To date I have not met with business representatives directly to discuss the subsidy control regime, however my department would welcome the views of businesses in response to the current public consultation on refinements to the UK’s subsidy control regime. The consultation closes on 21 January 2025 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/refining-the-uk-subsidy-control-regime.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2024 to Question 19287 on Trade Agreements: India, whether talks have begun.

UK-India trade talks will relaunch early this year, and work is underway across government to prepare for negotiations.

What the net monetary value to business was of the removal of regulation in each year from 2010 to 2024.

The Business Impact Target BIT, which was repealed by the previous government through the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act, was the principal mechanism through which government made an estimate of the change in the total annual cost of regulation to business. The total impact of regulatory changes between 2011-2022 measured by equivalent annual net direct cost to business is estimated to be an increase of £6.2bn. This data is taken from annual BIT reports and for the period 2011-2015 the data also includes calculations by the National Audit Office of some regulatory changes outside the BIT’s remit.

How many laptop computers procured for his Department have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last 12 months.

The Department for Business and Trade figures for (a) lost and (b) stolen between start Jan 2024 and end Dec 2024 are:(a) Lost = 31(b) Stolen = 25

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 19977 on Trade Union Officials, on what dates (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met with trade union officials since 1 November 2024.

The Secretary of State and departmental Ministers have met with many trade union officials, representing millions of British workers since 1 November 2024. Information about Ministerial meetings can be found on Gov.uk.

How many mobile phones procured for use by his Department have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last 12 months.

DateLost PhoneStolen PhoneDec-23123Jan-24170Feb-24122Mar-24130Apr-24190May-24162Jun-24114Jul-24103Aug-24140Sep-24141Oct-24202Nov-24183Dec-2472Total (Jan 24- Dec 24)17119

How many ministerial (a) cars and (b) drivers his Department has use of.

The Department for Business and Trade contracts 3 Ministerial cars, each with a team of two drivers and six in total.

How many officials have been sent on foreign visits by his Department since 5 July 2024; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

Since 5th July 2024, the Department for Business and Trade has sent 838 officials on foreign visits at a total cost of £1,632,898.02.

How many visits (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have made to Northern Ireland since 5 July 2024.

As of 17 December, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and his ministerial team have not yet visited Northern Ireland, but plan to do so in the upcoming months.

How many trips by ministerial car Ministers in his Department have taken since 5 July.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold data on the number of trips by ministerial car and to provide this could only be done at disproportionate cost.

What steps his Department is taking to support foreign direct investment in the north of England.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes and supports investment opportunities across all of the UK. We are scaling the Office for Investment to become the UK’s full investment promotion function providing support to our most important international and domestic investors and help turn the Industrial Strategy and regional growth plans into a clear and commercially credible pipeline of investment opportunities. For the North of England specifically, we will continue to collaborate with Mayoral Combined Authorities and local partners to showcase investment opportunities across the region to potential investors and to work with them to deliver transformative investment.

How many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with trade union officials since 5 July 2024.

Ministers have met with many trade unions, representing millions of British workers, on numerous occasions since 5 July 2024. This is part of this government’s regular engagement with union leaders to support our growth mission, including on multiple industrial issues neglected by the previous government. Information about ministerial meetings can be found on Gov.uk.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the public bodies for which his Department is responsible.

On 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive impact assessment for the Employment Rights Bill, which included analysis on the impacts on the public sector.Given the early stages of policy development, many reforms require further development and consultation before implementation. The Department will engage closely with the public sector and wider stakeholders as policy development continues to ensure the detail is right before changes are implemented.Where measures require secondary legislation and codes of practice to implement, the Government will update and refine its analysis following the consultation based on additional evidence to inform policy options and impacts.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the steel sector.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessmentsThe majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the construction sector.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessmentsThe majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the (a) maritime and (b) shipbuilding sector.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessmentsThe majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the (a) materials and (b) critical minerals sector.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessmentsThe majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from the Bill. The assessment suggests that the construction, steel, materials, critical minerals and shipbuilding sectors are unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.