Written questions by Maguire.

What steps his Department is taking to support small businesses exporting to the EU to navigate the requirements set out in the EU General Product Safety Regulation.

The Government is supporting small businesses to understand and comply with the new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). We published information on GOV.UK regarding its application in Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue engaging directly with businesses. Since October, the UK Export Academy has delivered five free online GPSR training sessions, with over 2,600 attendees.The responsibility for interpreting and providing guidance on EU legislation rests with the European Commission. Exporters to the EU should consult EU guidance and may also contact the Government’s Export Support Service.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle rogue builders.

There are a strong set of consumer law duties that apply to builders like any other trader in the UK, and the Government believes that dealing with rogue builders is primarily a matter of effective enforcement of that legislation. To this end DBT is strengthening consumer law enforcement through the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The Act gives the CMA new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties on businesses which exploit their customers.