Written questions by Dhesi.

What steps he is taking to increase trade between the UK and Canada.

The UK is taking various steps to strengthen our bilateral trade relationship with Canada, which was worth £27 billion in the 12 months to September 2024, up 7% on the previous 12 months.This includes our work with Canada on their ratification of the UK’s membership of the multilateral Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Once ratified, this will provide additional benefits for UK firms seeking to do business in Canada, building on our existing bilateral trade agreement with Canada which already supports trade between our two countries.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of transparency of pre-pack administration procedures.

Transparency is embedded within the regulatory requirements for pre-pack administration procedures. The administrator must give creditors a detailed explanation of why the pre-pack sale was the best outcome. This report is filed at Companies House and is also sent to the administrator’s regulatory body for monitoring and compliance. The Government’s review of administrator pre-pack reports in 2023 concluded there is a high level of compliance with the transparency requirements.The Government keeps these requirements under regular review.

What recent discussions he has with Ofcom on Royal Mail's performance against their quality service targets.

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector.As an independent regulator, it is for Ofcom to decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. While the government does not have a role in Ofcom's regulatory decisions, in January, I met with representatives from Ofcom to discuss the proposed changes to the universal service obligation and the importance of Royal Mail's quality of service.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Ofcom on its decision to investigate Royal Mail on the quality of service performance targets.

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector. As an independent regulator, it is for Ofcom to decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. While the government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions, in January, I met with representatives from Ofcom to discuss the proposed changes to the universal service obligation and the importance of Royal Mail’s quality of service.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of Post Offices within (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

The Government protects the sustainability of the branch network by providing funding on the basis that the Post Office meets its minimum access criteria to ensure that, across the country, 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office including those living in Slough and Berkshire. The Government works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with 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.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of pre-pack administration procedures.

In 2021, the Government’s review of the effectiveness of the voluntary pre-pack sales in administration measures recognised that some improvements needed to be made. Regulations were subsequently made which provide for greater scrutiny to assure stakeholders that such sales are appropriate.The regulations require connected parties to obtain an independent opinion on the purchase of a business and/or its assets where a pre-pack sale is proposed prior to its completion.The Government keeps these regulations under regular review.

What recent steps he has taken to support high street businesses in Slough.

This government is committed to supporting businesses and communities that make our high streets, including those in Slough, successful.This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, reforming the apprenticeship levy, and reforming business rates.We will also use High Street Rental Auctions, to provide local authorities in England with a tool to tackle vacancy, promote minimum letting standards for commercial units and flexible rents.DBT provides core funding for the Berkshire Growth Hub, which provides access to advice and support for local businesses. Slough council have also used UK Shared Prosperity Fund money to establish a new weekly market in Slough high street.Our Small Business Strategy Command Paper, to be published in 2025, will set out this government’s intentions on supporting small businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets.

What recent discussions he has had with Royal Mail on the increase in the cost of first class stamps.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.As an independent business, Royal Mail’s management sets the prices for its services. The government does not have a role in the company’s day-to-day commercial or operational decisions. In setting its prices however, Royal Mail must work within the regulatory framework set by Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services.

What recent steps he has taken to ensure (a) unsafe and (b) non-compliant children's toys are not being sold.

Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements.Where products are identified that do not meet these requirements, the Office for Product Safety and Standards works with local Trading Standards to bring these into compliance with the regulation, or to remove them from sale.The growth in e-commerce has brought significant challenges to the product safety legal framework. The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will enable regulations to be updated to better reflect modern online supply chains.

What recent steps he has taken to ensure that imported products containing banned ingredients are not sold in shops in the UK.

UK product safety regulations require that only safe consumer products be placed on the market. Importers must ensure their products comply with these regulations, including any requirements covering chemicals or banned substances. Distributors have a duty of care to not sell products they know, or should know, are unsafe. National and local regulators enforce these regulations, including using data and intelligence to target checks on dangerous and non-compliant products entering the UK at the border and sold online. The Government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, introduced to Parliament in September, provides powers to further strengthen the UK's product safety framework.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that were created as a result of foreign direct investment in the Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership area in the last three years.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) works closely with local authorities and investment partners to monitor and support the impact of foreign direct investment in the Berkshire area. Official statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbt-inward-investment-results-2023-to-2024 show that Foreign Direct Investment projects created 1,270 new jobs in Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2021-22, 746 in 2022-23 and 399 in 2023-24.

How their Department defines strategy.

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on taking steps to help support high street businesses.

Revitalising our high streets is a priority for this government. The Secretary of State and I are working with MHCLG to engage colleagues across Whitehall in delivering a cross-government approach for creating better conditions for high street businesses to thrive.This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, working with the banking industry to roll out 350 banking hubs, reforming business rates, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, and upgrading the new apprenticeship levy.

If he will make an estimate of the number of jobs created via foreign direct investment in Slough constituency in the last 12 months.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) works closely with local authorities and investment partners to monitor and support the impact of foreign direct investment in the Slough constituency. Foreign direct investment in the Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area resulted in 33 FDI projects and the creation of 399 new jobs in 2023-24, including both single-site and multi-site projects. While this area covers Slough, specific statistics for the parliamentary constituency are not published due to confidentiality concerns.

What support his Department is providing to businesses in Slough to increase levels of exports of (a) goods and (b) services.

DBT supports companies like Montmartre Patisserie in Slough to export to locations such as Japan, Singapore and Spain. UK businesses, including those in Slough, can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and our wider network of support, which could include the Export Academy, our International Markets network, UK Export Finance and our International Trade Advisers, who use their experience of exporting and knowledge of SMEs to provide one-to-one tailored support to targeted businesses. Alongside this, across the UK, our Export Champions are sharing their experience of trading internationally, encouraging other businesses to export.

What steps his Department is taking to support local businesses in Slough High Street.

This government is committed to supporting businesses and communities that make our high streets, including those in Slough, successful. This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, reforming the apprenticeship levy, and reforming business rates. We will also use High Street Rental Auctions, to provide local authorities in England with a tool to tackle vacancy, promote minimum letting standards for commercial units and flexible rents. Slough council have used UK Shared Prosperity Fund money to establish a new weekly market in Slough high street. Small businesses in Slough also benefit from DBT’s Berkshire Growth Hub funding. Our Small Business Strategy Command Paper, to be published in 2025, will set out this government’s intentions on supporting small businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets.

What steps he taking to help increase productivity within his Department through the use of (a) artificial intelligence and (b) effective use of data.

The Department for Business and Trade is committed to improving its productivity, including through artificial intelligence and effective use of data. For example, we are participating in the trial of Microsoft Copilot Pro, making secure AI tools available for staff, and continue to use machine learning in internal and external products and services. Work with the Alan Turing Institute produced a governance framework to manage and monitor AI use. Staff have access to a range of data services under continual review including CRM, central data catalogue and a data environment with dashboards and data analysis tools along with training packages.

What steps he is taking to tackle the illegal use of fireworks.

There is a comprehensive legislative framework regulating the manufacture, storage, supply, possession and use of fireworks in the UK. Local Authorities and the Police have a wide range of powers available to them to tackle the misuse of fireworks.To ensure people continue to use fireworks in a safe and considerate manner I have launched a fireworks campaign for this season to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks and encouraging responsible use.To inform any future decisions on the legislative framework, I intend to engage with stakeholders to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks.

What steps he is taking to help mitigate the impact of fireworks on communities.

There is a comprehensive legislative framework regulating the manufacture, storage, supply, possession and use of fireworks in the UK. Local Authorities and the Police have a wide range of powers available to them to tackle the misuse of fireworks.To ensure people continue to use fireworks in a safe and considerate manner I have launched a fireworks campaign for this season to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks and encouraging responsible use.To inform any future decisions on the legislative framework, I intend to engage with stakeholders to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks.