Written questions by Hayes.

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 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 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 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.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on levels of investment in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

This comprehensive agreement is expected to boost increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion and boost wages by £2.2 billion each and every year in the long run.This deal is expected to make trade between the UK cheaper and easier, which helps encourage more businesses to expand and invest. For example, the high-value manufacturing sector will benefit from reduced Indian import tariffs on many advanced manufacturing goods.We will set out further information on the regional impacts of this agreement in our Impact Assessment.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-US trade agreement on levels of investment in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

The US is our biggest investor and our top investment destination. At the end of 2023, the UK and US had over £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies.On 8th May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the US. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.This Government will continue to act in Britain’s national interest including for workers, businesses and families in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.In addition, in DBT we are also committed to providing all employees with varied opportunities for learning and development, apprenticeships are a core part of this offer. As of End Quarter 4 2024/2025 3.8% of DBT’s domestic workforce were on an apprenticeship. We are taking active steps to continue to build on this by offering all new Executive Officer (EO) vacancies as apprenticeships, encouraging those at the start of their careers to consider an apprenticeship route as default. DBT are committed to support the ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA) Programme. As the Department for Business and Trade we understand the importance of skills to drive growth and of providing good quality roles which support fulfilling and long-term careers.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on tackling the purchase of fireworks for anti-social use.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible and appropriate manner. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, animals, and property. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the unregulated sale and misuse of fireworks on public safety including the purchase for antisocial use and damage to property. However, to inform any future decisions I have and will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) unregulated sale and (b) misuse of fireworks on (i) public safety and (ii) property.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible and appropriate manner. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, animals, and property. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the unregulated sale and misuse of fireworks on public safety including the purchase for antisocial use and damage to property. However, to inform any future decisions I have and will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

Whether he plans to review the penalties for the anti-social use of fireworks leading to significant criminal damage.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police and local authorities with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour, including the misuse of fireworks. To inform any future decisions I have and will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

What guidance his Department is providing to local authorities to help them (a) manage and (b) enforce firework safety regulations in areas where firework misuse has led to (i) vandalism and (ii) antisocial behaviour.

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, based on their circumstances. New Respect Orders will enable police and local councils to enforce strict behavioural conditions on persistent perpetrators of antisocial behaviour - banning them from local town centres and neighbourhoods including high streets and parks. Offenders could be required to address causes of their behaviour through mandatory rehabilitative conditions.

If the Competitions and Markets Authority has offered apprenticeships since 2010.

The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”), formed in 2014, is committed to developing the next generation of competition and consumer protection professionals and recognises the importance of nurturing a diverse and skilled workforce. Through its apprenticeships programme, the CMA offers individuals the opportunity to gain both a recognised professional qualification and hands-on experience in various fields including business administration, law, economics and finance.Since the CMA began offering apprenticeships in April 2016, 125 apprentices have been enrolled on CMA programmes, which is broken down by year below:YearTotal2016 - 2017<102017 - 2018132018 - 2019<102019 -2020272020 - 2021142021 - 2022132022 - 2023172023 - 2024232024 - 202510TOTAL125