Written questions by Smith.

What steps his department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in light of recent job losses in the hospitality sector, the largest employer of young people.

The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.We are supporting more than 50,000 young people into apprenticeships in England by fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16-24-year-olds, removing the need for non-levy paying employers to co-fund these learners. We are also expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors such as hospitality and retail, where young people are traditionally recruited.

Whether he is considering regulatory steps to encourage the fitting of fire suppression systems to agricultural equipment, such as combine harvesters.

The Government is not considering regulatory steps to encourage fitting fire suppression systems to agricultural equipment. This is because existing requirements under The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out that machinery must be designed and constructed in a way to avoid the risk of fire or overheating posed by the machinery itself or by gases, liquids, dust, vapours or other substances produced or used by the machinery. Many organisations also issue guidance to farmers to avoid the damage and disruption caused by accidental combine harvester fires.

What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Government has listened to feedback from small businesses and introduced support measures to help compliance with EPR, including: exemptions from fee obligations for producers with annual turnover below £2 million and packaging tonnage below 50 tonnes; exemptions from reporting for businesses with turnover below £1 million and packaging tonnage below 25 tonnes; and flexibility for those with obligations to pay in quarterly instalments.Both Secretaries of State will shortly be meeting representatives from across the impacted sectors, from Small and Medium Enterprises to larger companies alike, to discuss the economic impact of EPR in more detail.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the Autumn Budget on the hospitality sector.

Hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities and vital for economic growth. Following the budget I have met extensively with hospitality sector stakeholders including a meeting of the Hospitality Sector Council where we discussed the budget The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. All of these measures have been consistently demanded by the sector. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper next year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the Autumn Budget on the retail sector.

The Chancellor has been clear that the government must take difficult choices. This was a budget to fix the foundations of the economy, and these tough decisions are intended to provide a platform for growth.Government is focused on its five-point plan to breathe life back into Britain's high streets. We understand how important the high street is to our businesses which is why our plans include tackling retail crime, ensuring a level playing field between online and high street businesses, stamping out late payments and ending the blight of empty spaces. The government is creating a fairer business rate system and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities.Through the Retail Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills and sustainability. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper next year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the Autumn Budget on the consumer goods sector.

The Chancellor has been clear that the government had to take difficult decisions in budget. To fix the foundations of the economy and provide a platform for growth. Government is focused on its five-point plan to breathe life back into Britain’s high streets supporting the consumer goods sales in particular. We understand how important the high street is to our businesses which is why our plans include tackling retail crime, ensuring a level playing field between online and high street businesses, stamping out late payments and ending the blight of empty spaces. The government is creating a fairer business rate system and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. The Small Business Strategy Command Paper, which we will publish next year, will set out our plan to boost scale-ups, grow the cooperative economy, create thriving high streets, make it easier to access finance, help break into overseas and domestic markets, build business capabilities, and provide a strong business environment.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the Autumn Budget on the professional services sector.

The Chancellor has been clear that the government had to take difficult decisions in budget. To fix the foundations of the economy, and provide a platform for growth. The government is creating a fairer business rate system and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. Through the Professional and Business Services Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector. In addition, Professional and Business Services is one of the Industrial Strategy’s growth-driving sectors. We will work with businesses to co-create a Professional and Business Services Sector Plan which will identify key barriers to growth and describe how government and industry intend to achieve long-term growth for the sector.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the Autumn Budget on the infrastructure sector.

The Autumn Budget outlined The Government’s commitment to support the infrastructure sector to rebuild Britain. It included plans to increase capital investment by over £100 billion in the next five years. This investment spans the infrastructure sector, including rebuilding schools and hospital, improving roads and public transport, building homes, and launching Great British Energy. Strengthening our infrastructure will drive substantial increases to our national income, positively impacting GDP.The Government will also introduce reforms to enable greater delivery of infrastructure projects. This includes publishing a 10-year infrastructure strategy, establishing the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and reforming the planning system.

What steps his Department is taking to stop third party discrimination.

DBT is committed to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive work environment for its employees and does not tolerate any form of unacceptable behaviour or abuse, by any party, towards an employee. DBT’s HR policies provide guidance on how to report third party harassment and the actions managers can take to respond when it occurs. Mandatory training is provided for all employees on bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Whether his Department has a gender action plan.

This Government is committed to closing the gender pay gap.The Department for Business and Trade has recently finalised a Gender Pay Gap Action Plan in response to the 2024 gender pay gap findings which will be published as part of the Department’s annual report in December 2024. The Gender Pay Gap Action Plan aligns with the strategic objectives set out in the Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Framework (2024-28) which was introduced in May 2024.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace.

We are strengthening protections against workplace sexual harassment. The EmploymentRights Bill will amend the Equality Act 2010 to:require employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees;introduce an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties;enable regulations to specify steps that are to be regarded as “reasonable”, to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, and;strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure.