Written questions by Hayes.

What recent steps his Department has taken to support the food sector in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

DBT offers extensive support for food and drink businesses in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Our export offer includes educational programmes via the Export Academy, advice from International Trade Advisors, and a programme of global trade shows and missions. UK Export Finance provide access to export finance, with dedicated managers in the Midlands. DBT offers support for small businesses, including the Business Support Service, Gov.uk, Growth Hubs, Help to Grow: Management scheme and financial assistance through the British Business Bank.

What estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse of abolishing the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies.

The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies (“CICs”) (“the Regulator”) plays a crucial role in maintaining the CIC model as an effective form of social enterprise. By exploiting the considerable overlap between the Regulator and Companies House, and the close working relationship that already exists between the two, the Government intends to fully integrate the Regulator’s functions into Companies House as part of wider plans to streamline the UK’s regulatory environment. As the Regulator is entirely funded by fees, there will be no saving to the public purse.

What criteria he used to appoint members of the Industrial Strategy Council.

Appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were made through direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Council’s membership includes a diverse group of the UK’s top business leaders, policy experts and trade union leaders. Members have been appointed in a personal capacity and the Council will help to ensure our Industrial Strategy is informed by a broad and high-quality evidence base, and a diverse range of perspectives.

Whether the Industrial Strategy Council has met.

The Industrial Strategy Advisory Council was launched on 17 December 2024 with their first official meeting. They met in person for a second time on 13 February. In addition the Council has held virtual check in meetings and a number of workstream meetings in smaller groups.

What estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse for establishing the Fair Work Agency.

The Employment Rights Bill is the first phase of delivering our plan to Make Work Pay, supporting employers, workers, and unions to get Britain moving forward.Establishing the Fair Work Agency will create a strong, recognisable single brand so individuals know where to go for help and lead to a more effective use of resourcesWe are committed to ensuring that the Fair Work Agency is established on a sound financial footing and operates effectively in fulfilling its mandate. We will set out details about the approach we will take to implementation and annual costs in due course.

What proportion of food procured by his Department is sourced in the UK.

The department does not procure any food directly. All accommodation, property, and facilities management services - including catering outlets - are provided to, and managed on behalf of, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) by the Government Property Agency (GPA).

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the continued availability of in-person post office services in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Government protects the sustainability of the branch network in South Holland and the Deepings and Lincolnshire, by providing funding on the basis that Post Office meets minimum access criteria to ensure that, across the country, 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office. The Government works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with the published access criteria. Along with the annual £50 million subsidy, we are providing a further £37.5 million this year to safeguard services in the uncommercial parts of the network.

How many officials from his Department attended the World Economic Forum 2025.

Five officials from the Department for Business and Trade attended the World Economic Forum 2025, accompanying two ministers. This is inclusive of one special advisor.

For what purposes UK Export Finance has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.UK Export Finance (UKEF) is currently exploring various scenarios and use cases where AI can assist the department. This involves conducting internal trials and learning exercises to better understand AI's potential. Throughout this process, UKEF remains committed to adhering to the government's AI policy and guidance.

For what purposes the Insolvency Service has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. The Insolvency Service has used AI for three Proof of Concepts of internal chatbots which utilise a Large Language Model. It is working with the Cabinet Office to publish Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standards (ATRS) on two of its services. These relate to our Director Conduct Reporting Service and our Redundancy Payments Service Calculation Engine.

What steps he is taking to promote the Business Growth Service with small business owners in Lincolnshire.

We are engaging widely with stakeholders across the country, including with small business owners and entrepreneurs, on the design, and the implementation of the Business Growth Service (BGS) later this year, to ensure that we deliver on our mission to make it easier for businesses to get the support they need to grow and thrive.

For what purposes Companies House has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Companies House trialled Microsoft Copilot to support administrative tasks. It has deployed specific AI tools to generate tailored communications content and develop new IT services more quickly. Companies House is also developing and testing advanced analytics, machine learning and AI that detect suspicious activity and identify trends.

For what purposes the Competition and Markets Authority has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is as the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Internally, the Competition and Markets Authority (the “CMA”) works with AI in two important and mutually reinforcing ways. Firstly, the CMA carries out research into AI – including hands-on technical work – to ensure it has a strong technical understanding of frontier technologies, can assess their implications for consumers and competition, and ensure its work helps unlock the AI opportunity for the UK. Secondly, the CMA pilots and implements uses of AI internally as part of its digital transformation, with the aims of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the CMA’s frontline work, horizon scanning, cases and investigations – as well as to transform day-to-day operational productivity. Over the last 12 months the CMA has used AI in a range of ways to serve these purposes. This includes testing off-the-shelf AI tools for day-to-day operational productivity and cyber security, as well as developing and piloting more bespoke in-house applications of generative AI to support horizon scanning, market monitoring, and analysis on cases and investigations. The CMA draws on a range of resources to inform its use of AI including internal and external expertise from across academia, industry, international counterparts and the wider public sector. This includes utilising resources on GOV.UK, such as the Generative AI Framework, and liaising with the Government Digital Service and the Department for Business and Trade.

For what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have used AI in the last 12 months.

The Department for Business and Trade is committed to improving its productivity, including through AI and effective use of data. A range of AI tools are available for use by Ministers and officials across various roles the department, including: Microsoft Copilot, Open AI models and other models for specific uses. There are teams focussed on enabling use of AI by building necessary infrastructure and developing specific AI use cases.Ministers and officials also have access to a range of data services which allow them to deploy AI and data tools.We report against the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standard on GOV.UK.

How many full-time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion staff are employed by the Low Pay Commission.

There are zero full-time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion staff employed by the Low Pay Commission.

Whether his Department awarded financial assistance to Vodafone during the 2020 lockdown.

The Government does not comment on whether individual businesses received financial assistance during the 2020 lockdown as that information is considered commercially sensitive.

If he will take steps to prevent companies from changing commissions to franchisees at short notice.

The franchising industry self-regulates through the British Franchise Association (BFA) and its Code of Ethics, and the Quality Franchise Association, which offers a Code of Conduct. Franchise agreements are the primary instrument that govern the relation...

On what occasions Ministers in his Department met representatives of Vodafone in the last five years.

Details of the meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade and its predecessor the Department for International Trade are available on transparency pages of gov.uk and are released as part of the Government’s transparency agenda.

What steps he is taking to ensure that people in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire are able to access essential postal services.

The Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy to support the delivery of a minimum number of Post Office branches and a geographical spread of these branches in line with published access criteria. This requires 99% of the UK population to be wit...

How many full time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion staff are employed by the Competition and Markets Authority.

The Competition and Markets Authority does not have any full time equivalent staff dedicated to diversity, equality and inclusion.