Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jim McMahon this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–13 of 13 · Department for Business and Trade
Whether the government intends to equalise the National Living Wage rates for workers over 18 years old.
The removal of the 18–20-year-old age band is a manifesto pledge; we remain committed to the equalisation of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW). The latest increase to the NMW of 8.5% continues to close the gap between the 18-20 NMW rate and the NLW rate, moving towards a single adult rate.
What discussions he has had with the Welsh government on increasing the economic potential of Holyhead Port relative to UK - Ireland trade.
Department for Business and Trade ministers and officials engage regularly with the Welsh Government on the modern industrial strategy, including the economic potential of Holyhead Port and Freeport. The Port of Holyhead carries substantial trade between Ireland and the UK. UKG has invested £20 million into the breakwater at the port, and Holyhead’s potential will be further advanced by the designation of the AI Growth Zone, as well the selection of Wylfa as the preferred site for small modular nuclear in the UK. UKG and WG officials have been working closely together to ensure these opportunities are maximised.
What discussions he has had with local authority trading standards teams about assessing the potential risk of purchasing imported e-bikes and e-scooters, and fire risk from sub standard batteries and chargers.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) within my Department leads the UK’s product safety framework, and works closely with Local Authority Trading Standards (LATS) to enforce product safety laws, including safety requirements for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries. OPSS shares border profiling with LATS to target unsafe products entering the UK and supports LATS with training, testing and scientific advice. In 2024, OPSS funded a programme of LATS inspections of businesses repairing or modifying e-bike and e-scooter products to raise compliance.
What information his Department holds on the assessed domestic (a) brick (b) roof tile (c) steel (d) aggregate (e) plasterboard (f) construction grade timber production capacity for each year from 2015 to date.
The Department does not hold data on assessed domestic production capacity for bricks, roof tiles, steel, aggregates, plasterboard or construction-grade timber. Information on building materials is published in our official statistics - Building material and components: monthly statistics – GOV.UK, UK Manufacturers’ sale by product – Office for National Statistics, World Steel in Figures and 2025 - 2: UK-Grown Timber - Forest Research.
Whether he is taking steps to support the rebuilding of Ukraine through UK to Ukraine economic trade expansion.
My department is working to match British business expertise with Ukraine’s reconstruction needs, including through commitments in the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership Agreement.We extended tariff-free trade under our bilateral Free Trade Agreement on most goods until 2029, offering the most generous tariff concessions of any country. The UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement has updated our digital trading arrangements for the modern age to help Ukraine rebuild its economy. Additionally, we continue to work with the Government of Ukraine to address market access barriers and identify and address priority reconstruction needs through the UK-Ukraine Infrastructure Taskforce and our Project Development Programme.
How many sub postmasters have had claims (a) settled and (b) not settled related to the Horizon issue.
As of 31 October 2025, around 9,300 claims have been settled across the Horizon redress schemes, with around 3,000 claims received not yet settled. The total number of settled claims includes 71 full and final settlements made under the former Overturned Convictions scheme prior to its closure on 2 June 2025. The 40 Overturned Convictions claims not fully settled are now being administered through the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS). The table below illustrates the progress to date across the schemes and is available on GOV.UK. The Department only reports on claims received, as there is not a fixed cohort of claims across these schemes. SchemeFull & Final Claims receivedFull & Final Offers madeFull & Final Offers acceptedFull & Final claims paidHorizon Shortfall Scheme: eligible claims before deadline2,4172,4172,1292,129Horizon Shortfall Scheme: eligible late claims8,8236,9196,2366,192Group Litigation Order Scheme476473400396Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme462460447445
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of self service check outs at supermarkets and convenience stores on the number of jobs in those sectors since 2015.
The Department for Business and Trade has no plans to assess the impact of self-service checkouts on employment levels in the retail sector since 2015. Decisions about in-store services in supermarkets, including provision of staffed and self-checkout tills are rightly a matter for individual retailers. The Government recognises that the retail sector continues to be an important employer in the UK economy and while technological changes may alter the nature of some roles within the sector, they can also create new opportunities and job types across the retail industry. The Government continues to engage with the industry, including through the Retail Sector Council, which brings together employers, unions and other stakeholders to address challenges and opportunities.
What the total number of calls (a) answered (b) abandoned was for each public helpline numbers provided by his Department and its executive agencies for each year from 2015 to date.
This information is not held centrally and would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold to estimate these figures. Any member of the public can get in touch with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) helplines on +44 (0) 20 4551 0011 or via our website.
What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of checks on new company formation with Companies House.
Companies House has developed and is continuing to develop capabilities in data analysis and measures to prevent the registration of misleading information and to better understand what measures will prove effective in preventing the registration of misleading information.As of 31 October 2025, Companies has addressed 148,084 compliance issues involving 85,201 companies. Performance in this reporting period is on track to meet the ministerial target set out in Companies House’s 2025-2026 Business Plan to act against 150,000 companies.
How many companies registered with Companies House were a). trading b). dormant and c). pending strike off action for each year from 2015 to date.
The following table shows the total size of the Register of Companies and the trading status of companies in the specified periods:Financial YearTotal register at end of periodTrading StatusTradingDormant2015-163,678,8603,191,442487,4182016-173,896,7553,398,018498,7372017-184,033,3553,528,417504,9382018-194,202,0443,681,450520,5942019-204,350,9133,811,504539,4092020-214,716,1264,159,227556,8992021-224,894,3564,294,680599,6762022-235,116,7434,474,920641,8232023-245,350,7594,697,033653,7262024-255,427,7874,757,947669,840The following table shows the status of entities on the register at the start and end of the reporting period:Financial YearTotal register at end of periodEffective register at end of periodIn course of dissolutionIn liquidation2015-163,678,8603,433,780160,41984,6612016-173,896,7553,648,478159,80288,4752017-184,033,3553,770,022172,45590,8782018-194,202,0443,926,374185,06590,6052019-204,350,9134,064,063194,04992,8012020-214,716,1264,410,236210,73295,1582021-224,894,3564,499,342293,784101,2302022-235,116,7434,645,402364,998106,3432023-245,350,7594,876,374365,033109,3522024-255,427,7874,872,293443,076112,418Figures in both tables are extracted from management information. They are unaudited and subject to change.Due to timing differences, discrepancies can occur between the register status statistics and the trading status statistics. Consequently, the trading status statistics have been adjusted proportionally to align with the Official Statistics publication.A review of the statistics regularly published is ongoing.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of year-round fireworks displays by commercial venues (a) in and (b) near residential areas on social well-being.
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of year-round fireworks displays by commercial venues in and near residential areas on social well-being.The Government recently launched new guidance for community groups and event organisers on running safe and considerate fireworks displays covering fireworks safety, the gathering of crowds and the impact on the local community. This supplements existing guidance from Government and other organisations that is available to help people to use fireworks safely.
What steps his Department is taking to help support the growth of the co-operative sector.
The Department for Business and Trade committed to launch a Call for Evidence on co-operative and mutual business. The Call for Evidence will focus on how the government can continue to support co-operative and mutual businesses, to start, grow and scale, as well as support for existing businesses who want to transition to become a co-operative or mutual.DBT is also looking at how to integrate support for co-operatives and mutuals within the government’s overall approach for supporting SMEs, including what we can do via the Business Growth Service, and through DBT funded Growth Hubs (England only) which aim to support local businesses, including co-operative and mutuals.
What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Government-funded business development support in the co-operative and mutual sectors.
The Department for Business and Trade committed to launch a Call for Evidence on co-operative and mutual business. The Call for Evidence will focus on how the government can continue to support co-operative and mutual businesses, to start, grow and scale, as well as support for existing businesses who want to transition to become a co-operative or mutual.As part of this, we will be collecting data on existing business support for co-operatives and mutuals, including, but not limited to government funded support.