Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blake Stephenson this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 60 · Department for Business and Trade
Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119566 on Industry: Working Hours, when he plans to publish the public consultation on guaranteed hours.
The government will consult on the right to guaranteed hours in due course, to be sure to get the detail of the regulations right for both workers and employers across all sectors.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of guaranteed hours requirements on small and medium-sized enterprises operating in sectors reliant on temporary labour.
The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025.This analysis includes consideration of increases in labour costs and effects on flexibility for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, and identifies the sectors most likely to be affected by the measures.
Whether the Government plans to introduce sector-specific exemptions from the right to guaranteed hours in industries with seasonal or fluctuating demand.
Exemptions to the duty to offer guaranteed hours may be made by Ministers in regulations and will be subject to a full public consultation on how the measures are implemented. However, we envisage that any exemptions to the duty to offer guaranteed hours will be narrow.
Whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of Royal Mail’s delivery performance in rural areas.
The government is committed to an efficient universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards. The regulator sets Royal Mail enforceable targets to deliver a certain proportion of 1st and 2nd class post on time each year. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.
Pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to written question 79794, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of residents in Mid Bedfordshire constituency who live within one mile of a post office.
Post Office’s performance against the Government’s Access Criteria is assessed at a national level rather than by individual constituencies. Information on how the Post Office measures network performance against these criteria is published annually in its Network Report, which is available on the Post Office’s website.
Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the capacity of the construction industry to deliver planned housing and infrastructure projects in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.
Government is investing £625 million in construction skills over this Parliament, with the aim of delivering up to 60,000 additional skilled workers and support employers to invest in training.The industry-led Construction Skills Mission Board is working to create construction job opportunities to meet the government’s announced infrastructure and built environment commitments.The Construction Leadership Council’s Material’s Supply Chain Group, in October 2025, noted that product availability was generally good, with isolated reports of shortages, some caused by manufacturing issues.
How many visas a) his Department, b) the Competition and Markets Authority, c) Companies House, d) the Financial Reporting Council, e) the Trade Remedies Authority, f) the Post Office and g) the British Business Bank have sponsored since 4 July 2024.
The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.
If he will publish the sectoral analysis his Department undertook before selecting the IS-8 sectors in the Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025.
The methodology for selecting the IS-8 sectors has already been published.The Invest 2035 Green Paper (published on GOV.UK in October 2024) identified 8 high-level ‘growth driving’ sectors (the IS-8): Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital & Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Professional & Business Services. Pages 18-20 of Invest 2035 outline the methodology for identifying the IS-8 sectors.Subsequently, the Technical Annex of the Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 (published on GOV.UK in June 2025) outlined the methodology for identifying the frontier industries within the IS-8 sectors.
Pursuant to the Answer to Question 50646 on Trade Agreements: USA, what progress his Department has made on trade talks with the United States.
The UK continues to engage across the range of issues outlined in the General Terms for the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal.During President Trump’s State Visit in September, the UK and US announced the Technology Prosperity Deal focused on developing fast-growing technologies like AI, quantum, and nuclear.The US also confirmed in September that the UK will not face an increase in steel and aluminium tariffs to 50% and will remain the only country in the world to benefit from a preferential 25% rate, thanks to the EPD. The UK received a preferential 10% rate for tariffs imposed in October on lumber products.Discussions continue on digital and services, tariff and non-tariff barriers, and Section 232 tariffs.
If he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by their Department since 4 July 2024.
The information requested is not centrally held in an easily accessible form as there are no expenditure categories that just cover consultations or reviews.Due to this any response could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Pursuant to the Answer to Question 50271 on Holiday Accommodation: Bedfordshire, when he expects to publish that impact assessment.
The consultation- Package travel – updating the framework 2025 - GOV.UK closed 30 June 2025. The government is now analysing responses.The government response will be published by the end of the year.
With reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, whether vehicle manufacturers will be eligible for this support.
The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy states that the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme “will benefit manufacturing electricity intensive frontier industries in the IS-8, such as automotive and aerospace, and foundational manufacturing industries in the supply chains, such as chemicals.” The precise details of eligibility will be determined following a consultation, which will open in the coming weeks.
With reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of this intervention.
As stated in the Modern Industrial Strategy, we intend to fund the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme by bearing down on levies and other costs in the energy system.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Post Office services on rural communities.
Post Office services are vital to rural communities, providing access to mail, cash, banking, bill payments, and government services. Around 41% of branches are in rural areas, and 99% of the rural population lives within three miles of a branch. The Government supports the rural network with targeted funding and access criteria, recognising its role in tackling social isolation and supporting local businesses. The Department for Business and Trade continues to monitor the impact of network changes and works closely with Post Office Ltd to ensure rural communities retain convenient access to essential services.
Whether he has made an estimate of the number of Stellantis Luton workers who have not yet found alternative employment as of 1 September 2025.
The Department for Business and Trade has not made an estimate of the number of Stellantis Luton workers who have not yet found alternative employment as of 1 September 2025. The Government worked with Stellantis, Unite the Union and other partners to support affected workers, including via the Department for Work and Pensions’ Rapid Response Service. The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners included connecting people to jobs in the labour market; help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them; help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps; and what benefits they may get and how to claim.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of opening Post Office branches within Banking Hubs.
Thousands of Post Offices already provide the same everyday banking services, such as cash withdrawals and deposits, that are available at Banking Hubs. In its published response to the Government’s Post Office Green Paper, Post Office recently set out how it could enhance its banking offer by accommodating community bankers within larger post offices. This would enable customers to access support for more complex services available via community bankers at Banking Hubs. Government would welcome further collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector and will be convening a roundtable to discuss opportunities for future potential collaboration.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Post Office branch in Flitwick.
The Government does not intervene in decisions regarding the location of Post Office branches, as this remains an operational matter for Post Office Limited. However, the Government-set Access Criteria ensure that, regardless of changes to the network, postal services remain within local reach for all citizens. These criteria require that 99% of the UK population must be within three miles of their nearest Post Office outlet, and 90% must be within one mile. The post office network continues to meet and exceed Government-set Access Criteria at a national level.
Whether his Department considered intervening in the closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK, in the context of previous interventions in British Steel.
The closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK in June 2025 and the loss of 250 jobs was a great disappointment. In the lead up to the final decision to close, HMG was significantly involved at ministerial and official level to broker a deal between EGF UK’s parent company, Nippon Electric Glass, to facilitate a sale with a few interested parties, those interactions were constructive but ultimately the parent company took the decision to close. This was not the outcome we would have wished to have seen, ultimately it was a business decision.
With reference to the press release entitled UK launches global talent drive to attract world-leading researchers and innovators, published on 22 June 2025, if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment for this decision.
The Global Talent Taskforce (GTT) is a delivery-focused unit actively developing a pipeline of highly talented individuals who are considering laying down roots and investing in the UK. It provides tailored account management to support these individuals in support of the UK’s Industrial Strategy priority sectors. The Department for Science and Technology-led (DSIT) Global Talent Fund is a £54 million fund, administrated by UKRI and delivered by research organisations, which covers 100% of eligible costs, including relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. DSIT and UKRI are working with GTF ROs to maximise delivery impact in line with government ambitions to attract global talent to the UK. No, the Department for Business and Trade does not plan to publish an impact assessment in relation to the launch of the Global Talent Taskforce as it wouldn’t be required or appropriate for a Taskforce.
With reference to page 27 of the Agenda Report entitled The formation of the Vauxhall Luton Taskforce of the Agenda for the Luton Borough Council Executive meeting on 23 June 2025, whether the Government has made its own assessment of the cost of the closure of the Stellantis plant on the Bedfordshire economy.
Despite extensive engagement from Ministers, Stellantis regrettably decided to close its Luton plant, with production ending in May 2025. While we do not have a formal assessment of the cost of the plant closure for the Bedfordshire economy, the Government along with Luton Borough Council and other partners worked closely to understand the likely impact of the closure. The Government also asked Luton Borough Council to form a locally led taskforce to co-ordinate the local response to the economic impact of the plant closure and provided ministerial and official support to the taskforce’s work.