Written questions by Hayes.

If he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its premises.

Within the Department’s head office, the Old Admiralty Building, London, the Government Property Agency provides 32 male toilets, 39 female toilets and 7 non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities). This is in addition to 21 wheelchair accessible toilets.

What recent steps he has taken with local councils to tackle the illegal use of fireworks in Lincolnshire.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission on (a) employment and (b) economic growth in Lincolnshire.

The Secretary of State for the Department of Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, visited China from 10-11 September to co-chair the first UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission since 2018 and the UK-China Industrial Cooperation Dialogue. The visit delivered over £1bn of market access wins over 5 years, across multiple sectors, including the signing of a Pet Food Protocol which will support British businesses with access to the Chinese market. DBT, DEFRA, and the British Embassy in Beijing, continue to work with the Chinese authorities to expand access to the Chinese market for British business.

What steps his Department plans to take to ensure that critical services continue to run in the event of a major internet outage.

Government has a robust set of policies in place to ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes in place, and to ensure continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK's Trade Strategy 2025 on economic growth in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The UK's Trade Strategy takes a balanced approach reflecting sectors and regions. It works in tandem with the Industrial Strategy to benefit the UK’s growth-driving sectors, recognising the importance of both our high-productivity service sectors, but also our manufacturing and agricultural industries, particularly given their different regional impacts across the UK. The trade levers utilised in the Trade Strategy are cross-cutting and create the domestic and international trade frameworks that increase trade by British businesses and sectors across the economy, helping them grow. We have no analysis on the constituency level or that is specific to the Lincolnshire area.

What steps he has taken to ensure the continued availability of in-person post office services in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire since 5 September 2025.

The Government protects the sustainability of the Post Office network – and the rural network in particular – by providing an annual Network Subsidy. This ensures Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with the Government-set access criteria. This financial year we are providing £83 million in subsidy, up from £50 million previously, and building on the uplift provided last year. The access criteria ensures that, however the network changes, 99% of the UK population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office.

What steps his Department is taking to support people impacted by failures in the Horizon Post Office system in Lincolnshire.

The Government continues to support those affected by the Horizon scandal. This includes launching redress schemes tailored to specific victims’ needs, such as the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme and the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process. We have also committed to provide first offers on receipt of fully completed claims within 40 working days in 90% of cases. As of 30 September 2025, approximately £1,229 million has been paid to more than 9,100 claimants – a fivefold increase since July 2024.

What steps he is taking to support rural pubs in Lincolnshire.

The Government recognises the significant role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth, employment and community cohesion, especially in rural areas. That is why we are offering targeted support for the sector, such as the Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects such as Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment.In April, we launched a Taskforce to consider ways to create a more balanced premises licensing system that not only safeguards communities but also supports responsible businesses. On 7 October the Government issued a Call for Evidence on Reforming the licensing system - GOV.UK (deadline: midday, 6 November 2025). These reforms are part of the Small Business Strategy, which also tackles late payments, improves access to finance, and cuts red tape. We want planning and licensing systems to work fairly for businesses and residents.Additionally, we’re creating a fairer business rates system, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties under £500,000 rateable value and continue to work closely with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council to boost productivity and resilience by working together to address the challenges facing businesses.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74315, how much his Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024, by influencer.

The Department for Business and Trade has spent a total of £39,700 on social media influencer promotion since July 2024. Please note this figure is inclusive of whole costs, including agency fees. We are unable to provide details of how much was paid to each person due to confidentiality provisions in the individual agreements.

How many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The Department does not hold a record of when the union flag is flown. Our buildings are managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for flag flying at our main sites.

Whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on the agricultural sector.

As part of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, we have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef. For the first time ever, British farmers can sell their high-quality British beef to a market of over 300 million people, helping farmers grow their business.Our approach to this trade deal has ensured that any agricultural imports coming into the UK will continue to meet the highest food, animal welfare and environmental standards. Imports of hormone treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal.We continue to engage extensively with the agricultural and food sectors.

How much the British Business Bank has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The British Business Bank has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:(i) 2022-23 = N/A(ii) 2023-24 = £9,697(iii) 2024-25 = £7,857This includes home working equipment such as desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards and mice. This does not include laptops or mobile phones.

How much the Trade Remedies Authority has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Trade Remedies Authority has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:(i) 2022-23 = £5,695(ii) 2023-24 = £2,010(iii) 2024-25 = £3,672This includes home working equipment such as desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards and mice. This does not include laptops or mobile phones.

How much the Competition and Markets Authority has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Competition and Markets Authority has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:(i) 2022-23 = £44,658.20(ii) 2023-24 = £42,469.83(iii) 2024-25 = £40,739.89This includes home working equipment such as desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards and mice. This does not include laptops or mobile phones.

How much his Department spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.

DBT’s default approach is Hybrid Working. This combines the benefits of face-to-face working with the flexibility of working from home or another location. Contractual homeworking is a type of flexible working arrangement where an employee and the department agree to change the employee’s designated place of work to their home address. The Civil Service position on contractual home working agreements is that these are not routinely approved other than for a very small number of relevant roles, or where a workplace adjustment is agreed in respect of a disability under the Equality Act or occasionally as a redundancy mitigation. Civil servants are expected to spend at least 60 per cent of their time in the office or on official business, which can include conducting site visits or meeting stakeholders.DBT is required by The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 to ensure that workstation users, including those who work from home, perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of their workstation. Before purchasing equipment, users must complete mandatory health and safety training, a homeworking checklist, a Display Screen Equipment self-assessment, and obtain line manager approval.DBT has spent a total of £318,148 from April 2022 to March 2025.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of banking hubs in Lincolnshire.

We understand the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets and are committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority.Government is working closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 170 hubs have already been opened and around 60 more have been recommended.The location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK – the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments. I will ask the Post Office to share the honourable member's interest. The honourable member may also wish to engage directly with LINK to discuss Lincolnshire’s access to cash needs.

What steps his Department is taking to support the creation of start-ups in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Start-up businesses can contact the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, which supports SMEs in South Holland and the Deepings and across Greater Lincolnshire.For new entrepreneurs, the Hub offers a comprehensive array of resources and fully funded programmes dedicated to start-ups and SMEs looking to scale-up, accelerate business growth and access new markets in the UK and overseas.Backed by the British Business Bank, the Start Up Loans Company (SUL) helps new and early-stage UK businesses access affordable finance and mentoring support. SMEs can also access services such as the Business Support Service, Help to Grow: Management and the UK Export Academy.

What steps his Department is taking to help support cafes in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Hospitality businesses, including cafes, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth and community cohesion.The government plans to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000 and we’ve introduced a £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects which aim to help those furthest from the job market into employment and boosting productivity.Additionally, the government announced a Zero Carbon Hospitality Trial, meaning over 600 small and medium sized hospitality businesses will receive free energy and carbon reduction assessments to help cut energy costs, this will include cafes.