Written questions by Whitby.

What steps he is taking to take ensure that any consultations with pubs include independent publicans.

We recognise the valuable contributions of independent publicans in the pubs consultation process.Ministers and officials from my Department regularly meet with independent publicans and their trade association representatives at the British Institute of Innkeeping and are represented on the Hospitality Sector Council. Last month, I met with pub landlords at a roundtable organised by the British Institute for Innkeeping, attended by several of their members.We always encourage them to engage with all consultations such as the recent ones on licensing reforms, market access for local beers, the Pubs Code Adjudicator and on the forthcoming review of the rateable valuation methodology for pubs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2024 to Question 20869 on Consumer Goods: Safety, what steps his Department is taking to support sole traders selling (a) engineering and (b) other products in meeting the requirement for an EU-based responsible person, in the context of the availability of STEM skills in the EU.

I recognise that the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) may require changes for some businesses, including sole traders and those selling engineering products to the EU.We have published guidance for Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue to support businesses trading with the EU. Since October 2024, the UK Export Academy delivered eight free GPSR training sessions supporting over 5,000 users.DBT's Export Support Service are now signposting businesses to verified external service providers specialising in GPSR via the Export Support Directory. These are paid for providers, so businesses should perform due diligence before entering commercial relationships.

What steps his Department is taking to help make it easier for small businesses to export to the EU.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting small businesses to export and access the EU market. UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk, including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network with teams based across the EU, and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers. Unlock Europe is an Export Academy webinar series designed to help UK businesses strengthen relationships with European customers and increase their exporting potential to the EU. At the coming UK-EU summit, we aim to make progress on tackling barriers to trade and securing outcomes that will help more UK businesses export to our European neighbours.

What steps his Department is taking to support artisans and sole traders in (a) Derbyshire and (b) the UK with (i) the requirement for an EU-based responsible person and (ii) the other requirements under the new General Product Safety Regulation.

The Government is supporting small businesses across the UK to understand and comply with the new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) and its application in Northern Ireland.We have published information on GOV.UK regarding GPSR's application in Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue engaging directly with businesses. Firms exporting to the EU should note that EU guidance is now available and may also wish to contact the Government's Export Support Service. Since October, the UK Export Academy has delivered five free online GPSR training sessions to over 2,600 attendees.