Written questions by Campbell.

If he will have discussions with (a) eBay, (b) Etsy, (c) Folksy and (d) other online suppliers and platforms on steps to help ensure that consumers placing orders in Northern Ireland are not disadvantaged compared to other UK based consumers.

We continue to support businesses in ensuring a smooth flow of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, including through regular engagement with online suppliers and platforms. DBT regularly talks to online suppliers and platforms, and works with the NI Department for the Economy to support people in Northern Ireland.

Whether he plans to publish guidance on the introduction of the EU General Product Safety Regulations.

Guidance for businesses on the new General Product Safety Regulation was published last week on 3rd December and has been shared with the business community in Great Britain and Northern Ireland through existing channels. My officials will keep the guidance under review to ensure we are supporting businesses to trade freely across the UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 17511 on Living Wage: Part-time Employment, when he plans to publish that Impact Assessment.

The Government publishes an Impact Assessment each year alongside the legislation that implements the increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates. The legislation for the 2025 rates is expected to be laid in Parliament early in the new year, with debates in both Houses expected in February or March, subject to Parliamentary timetable.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to question 16452 Living Wage Living Wage, what the average number of hours worked by those in part-time employment and who paid the National Living Wage was in 2024 to date.

This will be included in the Impact Assessment that we plan to publish alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Living Wage in 2025.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people who earn the national living wage in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) estimate that 2.9% of full-time employee jobs and 12.0% of part-time employee jobs were covered by the relevant National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rate in 2023. The LPC will publish updated analysis in early 2025.

What estimate has been made of the average annual salary of people in receipt of the National Living Wage in April 2024.

The current National Living Wage (NLW) is set at £11.44 per hour. This means for a full-time worker on the NLW working 35 hours each week, their gross annual earnings are £20,821. This will increase to £22,222 after the new NLW rate of £12.21 is applied from 1st April 2025.Each worker's take home salary will vary as this will depend on a range of factors, including total hours worked, taxes and other lawful deductions, and additional benefits.

What changes have been made to the (a) numbers and (b) job types of staff employed in his Department's trade and investment hub in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

(a) The number of active employees attached to the Trade and Investment Hub in Northern Ireland during the previous 12 months is shown on Table 1. This is representative of active employees who are based in Norther Ireland and work for the Trade and Investment Hub, Northern Ireland. There are also employees in other teams and locations that indirectly support Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. DBT defines “staff employed” as Civil Servants on payroll with an active payroll assignment. (b) All active employee records attached to the Trade and Investment Hub in Northern Ireland recorded the same job type, International Trade. This was not amended throughout the reporting period 1st December 2023 – 1st November 2024. Table 1Report DateCount of Active Employees01/12/20231201/01/20241201/02/20241001/03/2024901/04/2024901/05/20241001/06/2024901/07/20241001/08/20241001/09/2024901/10/20241001/11/202410

If he will make an estimate of how many (a) Crown Post Offices and (b) sub Post Offices there will be in 2029.

No decisions to close any or all of the remaining Directly Managed Branches have been taken. The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government. Longer term, Government has set out our plan to publish a Green Paper to consult with the public on the long-term future of the Post Office. This Green Paper will help inform what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.

What estimate he has made of how many people will be paid the increased national living wage in April 2025.

We estimate that over 3 million workers will receive a pay rise due to the increase in the National Living Wage in April 2025. The number of workers paid at the National Living Wage in April 2025 is expected to be lower as some of these workers will receive a further indirect pay rise as employers decide to pay above the minimum. We will publish an Impact Assessment alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Living Wage.

What (a) plans for investment in and (b) other plans for UK (i) nations and (ii) regions have been agreed as a result of the international investment summit on 14 October 2024.

At the International Investment Summit we announced a total of £63 billion of investment with nearly 38,000 jobs to be created across the UK. DBT is committed to building on the success of the summit and continuing to attract and retain investment across the whole of the UK. We also announced we will be expanding the Office for Investment to become the UK's investment promotion function. The Office for Investment will work across government and UK nations and regions to drive inward investment and deliver on our collective mission to drive growth across the UK.