Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43474 on Business: Regulation, whether the target to reduce the cost of compliance includes the costs of assimilated EU law.

Assimilated law, formerly retained EU law, is domestic law. It was created by the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (EUWA) and came into effect at the end of the United Kingdom’s post-Brexit transition period, on 31 December 2020. The government’s target to cut the administrative cost of regulation includes the administrative costs of assimilated law.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43474 on Business: Regulation, whether the target to reduce the cost of compliance will be net of the cost of regulation on (a) business and (b) the voluntary sector; and whether it will include local government regulation.

As the Prime Minister has committed to, the government will cut the administrative costs of regulation to business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. We will publish the approach to measuring these administrative costs in due course.

What his planned timetable is for publishing a consultation on lowering the proportional threshold for trade union recognition.

The Employment Rights Bill has a power that enables Ministers to bring forward secondary legislation to vary the trade union recognition application threshold from 10% to 2% trade union membership of the bargaining unit.No decision has yet been made by the Government as to whether or when to exercise this power. Therefore, there is no planned timetable for consulting on it at present.

With reference to section 2, action 1 of his Department's policy paper entitled New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth, published on 17 March 2025, what methodology his Department plans to use to measure the monetary cost of regulation; and whether this is a (a) gross cost and (b) net cost offset by the benefits of regulation.

The government has committed to cut the administrative costs of regulation to business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. To do this, we must determine the cumulative administrative costs of regulation that businesses face, which has not been done for 15 years. By focusing on reducing administrative costs, we will ensure that regulations achieve their policy objectives in the most efficient way possible with the lowest possible costs to business.My department is working with others across Whitehall to determine the best approach to do this and will provide further updates in due course.

What the budget will be of the Fair Work Agency; and what the budget is of the (a) Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority, (b) Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and (c) Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

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 resources.We are working closely with partners to ensure that the Fair Work Agency will support employers, workers, and unions to get Britain moving forward.We are committed to ensuring that the Fair Work Agency is established on a sound finacial footing and operates effectively in fulfilling its mandate. Detailed annual budgets for the proposed Fair Work Agency are currently under development and will be communicated in due course.

With reference to the written statement of 17 December 2024 on Progress towards a modern industrial strategy, HCWS319, if he will publish the declarations of interest of each member of the Strategic Advisory Council; and whether they include declarations of political interest.

All members of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were appointed in line with the Cabinet Office’s Direct Ministerial Appointments guidance based on their broad range of skills and experience from across business, academic and trade unions to inform the Industrial Strategy. All conflicts and interests were declared in line with this appointments process to ensure these are appropriately managed. Direct Ministerial appointees are politically impartial in their roles and there is no requirement for conflicts to be made public under Cabinet Office guidance.

With reference to the consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime, published on 18 November 2024, whether the provisions on subscription contracts will apply to the (a) sale and (b) marketing of trade union membership.

The subscription regime will apply to contracts between a trader (a person acting for business purposes) and a consumer (an individual acting outside of their business) which have auto-renewal features and where the consumer receives goods, services or digital content from the trader in return for payment.Generally, individuals are likely to join a trade union for purposes solely to do with their trade or profession. Although there are variations, they are joining a collective of workers that will represent their interests at work. Unions are democratic organisations, controlled by members, allowing them to influence how their membership fees are used.

What discussions Ministers in his Department had relating to Government business at Labour Party Conference in 2024; whether (a) meetings and (b) other engagement will be recorded in transparency returns; and whether all discussions relating to Government business were reported back to civil servants.

Meetings and engagements held in a political capacity are not declared in transparency returns. Those not held in a political capacity, including at the 2024 Labour Party Conference, can be found at Gov.uk between returns for July to September, and October to December, which will be published soon.

Whether his Department (a) employs staff and (b) uses contractors on zero hour contracts; and whether any (i) staff and (ii) contractors are paid less than the London Living Wage.

The Department for Business and Trade does not use zero hours contracts for staff or contractors. Civil Servants are employed either as Senior Civil Servants or as one of the Delegated Grades with salaries determined by the relevant pay bands. The Department does not pay any staff or contractors less than the London living wage and this applies to staff based in London and Nationally. Please see the tables below for our current National and London pay scales for Delegated Grades. DBT pay bands 2024/25 - LondonGradeLondon minLondon maxAO (spot rate)£32,051£32,051EO£32,744£34,669HEO£38,138£39,994Fast Stream£35,483£39,578SEO£44,942£48,817G7£59,450£66,338G6£70,845£78,192DBT pay bands 2024/25 - NationalGradeNational minNational maxAO (spot rate)£27,685£27,685EO£28,695£30,664HEO£34,254£36,142Fast Stream£35,483£39,578SEO£41,156£45,112G7£55,836£62,823G6£67,170£76,117

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30700 on Department for Business and Trade: Staff, how many officials in his Department worked in roles relating to international trade in each year since its creation.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) operates a flexible resourcing model to support for matters relating to international trade, and not every employee in scope solely supports this function, full time. DBT defines the scope of this question to be employees whose primary profession has been recorded as “International Trade".Statistics are available from the DBT Annual Civil Service Employment Survey and are published on Gov.uk.The DBT was created in 2023, and official professions data specific to this department is only available from the 2024 survey. The figure provided includes payroll domestic, and UK based overseas staff in-post in DBT on 31 March 2024.Professions data prior to 2024 was provided by DBTs predecessors, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade. This data is readily available on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statisticsPublication YearHeadcount20241550

Whether he plans to widen the definition of a public interest entity to include the largest companies not listed on the main London Stock Exchange.

The Government’s plans to widen the definition of a Public Interest Entity were announced in the King’s Speech.

What steps he is taking to help resolve issues around the administration of ISG; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring construction firms awarded major public infrastructure projects to have an internal audit function.

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement. The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

What discussions his Department had with ISG on its internal audit functions prior to that company going into administration; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of (a) audit and (b) governance legislation.

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement. The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the largest (a) private and (b) public companies to publish a triennial Audit and Assurance Policy mandating them to report (i) internal audit and (ii) other assurance capabilities.

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement. The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

How many officials in (a) his Department and (b) predecessors to his Department have worked in roles relating to international trade in each of the last 27 years.

The information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on establishing a permanent secretariat for the CPTPP in the UK.

Ministers and Senior Officials meet regularly with their counterparts to discuss CPTPP issues. In November last year, CPTPP Ministers, including the UK, agreed the Vancouver Statement, providing an interim report on the CPTPP General Review. This covered a number of recommendations for taking the review forward, including a proposal for further discussions around improving the effective implementation and operation of the Agreement. The Statement noted that ‘these discussions should cover a range of approaches, including, but not limited to, the possible establishment of a secretariat’. The UK will continue to engage in such discussions with other CPTPP Parties under the auspices of the General Review in the coming year.

Whether his Department has undertaken an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Trade Commissioners programme since it was established.

His Majesty’s Trade Commissioners (HMTCs) represent and promote the UK in markets across the world. They lead on export promotion, both inward and outward investment, and trade policy overseas on behalf of His Majesty’s Government (HMG). Their work includes developing regional plans to deliver the Department for Business and Trade’s priorities in global markets and then leading their teams to deliver those priorities.HMTCs are an important part of the department’s regional leadership rather than a programme, so are not subject to programme evaluation.

Whether he plans to include appointments to the Fair Work Agency in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair appointment will be classified as a significant appointment.

The Employment Rights Bill is the first stage of Fair Work Agency implementation, and we will publish further details around the establishment of the FWA in due course. We will make the FWA Chair appointment in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, as regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

If he will take steps to ensure the availability of positive mental health initiatives including (a) on-site mental health resources, (b) training for employers in mental health first aid and (c) helplines for the construction industry.

Considerable investment has been made in improving mental health in the construction sector. Since 2018, the Construction Industry Training Board has supported 950 employers and invested over £1.5m in mental health projects, including training mental health first aiders, and providing awareness training and other resources. The Construction Leadership Council is working in partnership with the Mates in Mind charity, the University of Warwick, and firms in the construction industry, to identify the underlying factors leading to poor mental health, and how to tackle these.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service issue guidance on exemptions to trade union recognition.

Guidance on the trade union recognition scheme is at Gov.UK. This sets out that the scheme is available to unions where the workplace has 21 or more workers. Therefore the smallest workplaces that have 20 or less workers not in scope of the scheme. The Central Arbitration Committee has also published detailed guides to the parties to enable both unions and employers to understand the recognition process.