Written questions by Morello.

What assessment his Department has made of the use of Section 25 notices by pub-owning companies to regain control of pubs for direct company operation.

Awaiting answer.

What protections are available to pub tenants who have made improvements to leased premises when facing lease (a) termination and (b) non-renewal by pub-owning companies.

Awaiting answer.

What information his Department holds on the number of pubs that are currently operated under tenancy or lease agreements with pub-owning companies in West Dorset constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions his Department has had with the Pubs Code Adjudicator on lease renewal processes used by pub-owning businesses.

Awaiting answer.

How many Section 25 notices have been issued by pub-owning companies to tenants in West Dorset constituency in each of the last five years.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure consumers are provided with adequate and clear information on the value of extended warranties at the point of sale.

Manufacturers are not required to provide warranties on their products. Whether they choose to do so and under what terms is a commercial decision for them.  Where warranties are given, they are benefits in addition to consumers’ rights against the trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which requires that products are fit for purpose, as described and of satisfactory quality. Terms of warranties must be clearly communicated to consumers. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle misleading practices in the sale of extended warranties.

Manufacturers are not required to provide warranties on their products. Whether they choose to do so and under what terms is a commercial decision for them.  Where warranties are given, they are benefits in addition to consumers’ rights against the trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which requires that products are fit for purpose, as described and of satisfactory quality. Terms of warranties must be clearly communicated to consumers. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision.

What guidance his Department provides to the Post Office to ensure continuity of service in areas served by mobile post offices.

The Government sets the overall access criteria for the Post Office network, but day‑to‑day operational matters – including the deployment and management of mobile post office services – are the responsibility of the Post Office. Where mobile units are temporarily unavailable due to repair or maintenance, the Post Office works to restore services as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption for the communities affected.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that communities relying on a mobile post office service continue to have provision when vehicles are undergoing repair or maintenance.

The Government sets the overall access criteria for the Post Office network, but day‑to‑day operational matters – including the deployment and management of mobile post office services – are the responsibility of the Post Office. Where mobile units are temporarily unavailable due to repair or maintenance, the Post Office works to restore services as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption for the communities affected.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of regulations allowing people whose companies’ debts are written off to retain personal wealth on public confidence in (a) fraud investigation and (b) public bodies.

There are no plans for any such assessment.Companies are separate legal entities from their directors; those directors only become liable for company debts in limited circumstances. This protection encourages entrepreneurship and is central to the health of the UK economy.Most companies become insolvent for genuine reasons, however insolvency office-holders have wide powers to recover funds from directors who have not acted in the company’s best interests. The Insolvency Service may also take disqualification action against reckless or dishonest directors and can apply for a compensation order against them, as well as prosecute breaches of company and insolvency legislation.

Whether he plans to review company insolvency rules that permit company directors to retain significant personal assets following corporate bankruptcy.

Companies are separate legal entities and directors only become liable for company debts under limited circumstances. This protection encourages entrepreneurship and is central to the health of the UK economy. Most companies do not become insolvent due to any wrongdoing by the company directors. However, when there is evidence of misconduct, the Insolvency Service may take action to disqualify a director, and where the disqualified director’s conduct has caused a quantifiable loss, can apply to the court for a compensation order to recover personal assets for the benefit of creditors. There are no plans to review this legislation.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of restricting the sale of high-noise fireworks in response to reports of harm to livestock and working farm dogs in West Dorset.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

Whether his Department plans to review the licensing regime for fireworks.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

What recent discussions he has had with veterinary organisations on the effects of fireworks noise on dogs and companion animals in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare in (a) rural constituencies (b) West Dorset constituency.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

What steps he is taking to improve public awareness of the potential impact of fireworks on animals in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

Whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen protections for small businesses against “phoenixing” as part of the Government’s late payment reforms in West Dorset constituency.

This Government will legislate to end the scourge of late payments which costs the UK economy £11bn per year and closes down 38 UK businesses every day. We published a consultation on our proposed legislative measures on 31st July which is live until 23rd October.The Insolvency Service is committed to working closely with HMRC and Companies House to tackle the harm caused by companies who use ‘Phoenixing’ as a means of avoiding liabilities. There is a range of ongoing activity being led by the Treasury that includes a desire to develop a detailed cross-government threat assessment.

Whether his Department plans to introduce (a) additional regulatory and (b) enforcement measures to prevent directors of insolvent companies from engaging in phoenixing.

The Government is keenly aware of concerns around “phoenixing”, and officials at The Insolvency Service are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the civil enforcement regime to evaluate how best to tackle and prevent wrongdoing by directors of insolvent or dissolved companies. Measures were also announced at both the Autumn Budget 2024 and the Spring Statement 2025 committing HMRC, the Insolvency Service and Companies House to increase collaboration to tackle those using contrived corporate insolvencies and dissolutions (often referred to as ‘phoenixism).

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) prevalence of phoenixing and (b) potential impact of phoenixing on small businesses.

The Insolvency Service is committed to working closely with HMRC and Companies House to tackle the harm caused by companies who use ‘Phoenixing’ as a means of avoiding liabilities. There is a range of ongoing activity set out in the recent Treasury Minutes – CP 1306 including a desire to develop a detailed cross-government threat assessment.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of costs of (a) energy, (b) water and (c) business rates on the viability of pubs in West Dorset constituency.

The Government recognises the significant pressures facing the hospitality sector, including pubs in West Dorset, due to rising costs and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.We aim to permanently reduce business rates for RHL properties with a rateable value of less than 500,000 and we have announced a new Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial which aims for Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to slash their energy bills as part of the government’s Plan for Change.Additionally, the Department will continue to engage with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council with an aim to co-create solutions to the issues impacting business performance.