Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 50 · Department for Business and Trade
What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of payroll employment; what discussions his Department has had with businesses on hiring freezes and investment plans; and whether he plans to introduce additional support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that lower-paying sectors including hospitality and retail have experienced some of the largest falls in payroll employment and vacancies; what support the Government is providing to businesses in those sectors to retain staff; and whether Ministers have considered temporary reliefs or targeted interventions to prevent further job losses.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the cumulative impact of the Employment Rights Act 2025, increases in employer National Insurance contributions and changes to business rates relief for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors on (a) employment levels, (b) youth unemployment, (c) business closures and (d) recruitment activity; and whether he plans to repeal or amend provisions relating to guaranteed hours, unfair dismissal, trade union facility time and statutory flexible working rights.
Awaiting answer.
In reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that future IT systems used by the Post Office avoid the operational and governance failures associated with the Horizon system; what procurement processes are being used to select replacement providers; and whether Fujitsu will have any future role in Post Office IT systems or services.
Post Office Limited is using the competitive flexible process (pursuant to the Procurement Act 2023) in order to select suppliers. Post Office expect by Summer 2026 to award a contract for a new supplier to replace Fujitsu and all parties remain committed to seeing that happen as soon as possible. The Government acknowledges the necessity for maintained oversight and is taking appropriate action to ensure that POL can successfully transition to a new IT system which is robust and fit-for-purpose. Fujitsu has announced that it will not bid for further Government business unless specifically asked to do so by Government. Such requests are made only where Fujitsu’s involvement is necessary to maintain critical public services.
With reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what proportion of the planned £180 million network subsidy funding over the next three financial years represents new funding rather than the continuation or repurposing of existing subsidy arrangements; how that funding will be allocated across the network; and what conditions will be attached to the use of that subsidy by the Post Office.
The Department plans to provide up to £180 million of funding through a new network subsidy to Post Office over the next three financial years. The entirety of this funding is new, with the specific allocation of funding across the network being an operational matter for the Post Office. This funding will support with the operational costs of delivering government policy, which requires Post Office to deliver essential services across specific access criteria. This includes the requirement to ensure that 99% of the UK population is within 3 miles of their nearest post office outlet. The Framework Document between the Department and POL sets out that network subsidy is ringfenced for the purposes of delivering government policy via the branch network.
With reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what increase in remuneration for postmasters is expected to result from the introduction of Banking Framework 4; what assessment his Department has made of the sustainability of Post Office banking services as bank branch closures continue; and what additional services are being considered to strengthen the Post Office’s role in providing access to cash and banking services.
Banking Framework 4 increases remuneration rates for cash services. Increases will vary by branch activity. Post Office has also committed to improving remuneration through its Transformation plan, which includes cost saving investments (such as automation) related to the implementation of the Banking Framework. Banking Framework 4 secures Post Office’s important role in providing free-to-access cash and banking services until December 2030. As set out in the Government response to the Green Paper, there was a constructive joint discussion between government, the Post Office and the banking sector in January 2026, where several areas of mutual interest were discussed including additional banking services.
With reference to the Written Statement of 20 June 2025 on Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, HCWS1360, which government services the cross-government group referenced in the Statement is considering improving through the Post Office network; what his planned timetable is for the development of those proposals; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this change on Post Office footfall and revenue.
The cross-government group referenced is considering options for a common physical front-end for government services to ensure there is a ‘go to’ place for a range of government services, expanded assisted digital support, an enhanced role in identity verification and exploring new propositions such as prescription collection. Further updates on government services in post offices will be provided in due course.
In reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what assessment his Department has made of whether the existing Access Criteria remain sufficient to ensure equitable access to Post Office services in rural, coastal and deprived urban areas; whether changes to those criteria are under consideration; and how the Government will monitor compliance with those requirements at a regional and local level.
The Government’s Green Paper consultation confirmed that the public, especially rural communities and small businesses, rely on their local Post Office for essential services. We are therefore committed to retaining the 11,500‑branch minimum network and existing access criteria to ensure nationwide access to essential services. In the Green Paper consultation response, the Government explicitly confirms that all six Access Criteria will remain in place, and performance will be monitored by the Government through regular reporting and Post Office’s published annual Network Report.
With reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what proportion of the Post Office network consists of full-time, full-service branches; how many branches will be (a) upgraded and (b) reclassified to meet the 50% requirement; what estimate his Department has made of the cost of achieving that requirement; and what guidance has been issued to the Post Office on the implementation of that target.
As set out in the Government’s response to the Post Office Green Paper, at least half of the Post Office’s network must be full‑time, full‑service branches. This new requirement provides flexibility for the Post Office to expand lighter-touch formats, such as parcel shops, where there is demand, while guaranteeing the core majority of the network is full time and full-service. The network must also continue to comply with the pre-existing 11,500 minimum branch requirement and Access Critieria, which mean, for example, that 99% of the total UK population must be within three miles of their nearest Post Office branch.As set out in Government’s Green Paper response, as of April 2025, 79% of branches already meet the ‘full-time, full-service' definition. Consequently, no branches require upgrade or reclassification to achieve the 50% threshold at this stage and there are accordingly no additional associated costs or further guidance required.
What steps she is taking to reduce regulatory burdens on small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Small Business Plan outlines how we are supporting SMEs across the UK through the most significant package of legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlock billions of pounds in finance and remove unnecessary red tape.We have also committed to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament. We have already announced measures to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs, including efforts to modernise corporate reporting requirements, exempting tens of thousands of companies from producing Strategic and Directors' Reports, helping deliver annual savings of around £230 million.
What steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands facing increases in energy and regulatory costs.
The Government is committed to lowering operating costs for all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in the West Midlands.Government is helping support businesses to lower their energy costs through energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Recent research from the Willow Review highlights that SMEs adopting sustainability initiatives are reaping the financial rewards.The Government is also committed to ensuring the allocation of energy costs is fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way. DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on the fiscal position of the UK.
Since publication, over £250 billion of investment commitments have been made into the IS-8, boosting our frontier industries. These commitments will enhance their rate of growth and in turn bring in higher tax revenues.Fiscal policy is a matter for the Treasury, and the Chancellor has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility to produce an economic and fiscal forecast to be published alongside the Budget on 26 November.
What steps his Department is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of regulatory changes on compliance costs for SMEs.
The Government is committed to reducing regulatory compliance costs for SMEs and announced in March a commitment to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament. We have already announced a number of specific measures to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs, including our efforts to modernise corporate reporting requirements. This will include exempting tens of thousands of companies from producing Strategic and Directors' Reports, helping to deliver annual savings of around £230 million.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on trends in the level of private sector investment.
The Government published its first Industrial Strategy Quarterly Update on 7th October 2025 on GOV.UK, which contains information on the £250bn worth of investment commitments since the Industrial Strategy launched, and trends for business investment, gross value added, employment and productivity.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on trends in the level of private sector investment in the West Midlands.
The Government will use the Office for National Statistics dataset (Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Volume Index Capital Service) to analyse investment trends. This dataset releases regional level data annually; Government will analyse sector-level trends once the data is released. Information on specific investment commitments in regions can be found in the Industrial Strategy Quarterly Report excel tables on GOV.UK (published on 7th October 2025), such as the Boeing contract from US Air Force that will create 150 high-skilled jobs in Birmingham.
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government support for the (a) supply chain and (b) SMEs, in the context of the cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover.
We recognise that many automotive suppliers, particularly SMEs, are under pressure following the recent cyber incident at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The phased restart of production at JLR is now underway and is positive news, however the picture is still developing.The Department for Business and Trade is continuing to monitor the situation and is working closely with JLR and industry bodies such as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to assess how the recent measures being taken and support being provided is helping suppliers, including SMEs.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of UK energy policy on the competitiveness of the UK manufacturing sector.
This government recognises the importance of reducing energy costs to boost UK manufacturing competitiveness. Under the Modern Industrial Strategy, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40/MWh for over 7000 manufacturing businesses. We will also increase support for our most energy-intensive industries under the British Industry Supercharger, uplifting the Network Charging Compensation scheme from 60% to 90%.These measures are supported by the Connections Accelerator Service (to reduce grid connection waiting times for strategically important projects), continued support for the Energy-Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme and support to develop the UK Corporate Power Purchase Agreement market.
What discussions he has had with the Mayor of the West Midlands on the resilience of supply chains in the West Midlands.
In recent interactions the Secretary of State discussed with the West Midlands Mayor the importance of improving the resilience of supply chains in the region and our goal to do so through the Industrial Strategy. A Supply Chain Centre, based in DBT, will lead the government's work to build the resilience of critical supply chains and our £2.5bn DRIVE35 programme will support Zero Emission Vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain.DBT's Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan also sets out to strengthen UK capabilities and secure more diverse import resources, ensuring better connected and agile supply chains.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 Oct 2025 to Question 83835, if he will publish a list of (a) businesses and (b) sectors in Walsall Borough with whom they consulted.
The government consulted a wide range of businesses from across the UK during the development of the Industrial Strategy, through roundtables, workshops, and direct conversations with businesses, business representation organisations, and networks. This included the Invest 2035 public consultation which sought feedback on 36 questions to inform the Industrial Strategy. The consultation received over 27,000 online answers to individual questions from a wide range of businesses and organisations, including more than 250 business associations representing hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK. We cannot publish a list of businesses and sectors in Walsall Borough with whom we consulted, as no data was systematically collected on respondents’ geographic location. Additionally, to maintain respondents’ confidentiality we cannot share the names of individual respondents or the details of individual responses to the consultation.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 68454 on Manufacturing Industries: West Midlands, which SME sectors in the West Midlands were consulted during the development of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025.
As part of Invest 2035 the Department issued a public consultation asking for feedback on 36 questions to inform the Industrial Strategy. The consultation received over 27,000 online answers to individual questions from a wide range of businesses and organisations, including more than 250 business associations representing hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK. In the West Midlands input was sought from businesses across a wide range of sectors, including all eight growth driving sectors. We engaged with organisations representing business interests across sectors, including the Combined Authority, Midlands Engine Partnership, local business representation organisations, and regional networks such as the export champions. Additionally, we met directly with representatives from businesses in the growth driving sectors in the region to give them an opportunity to feed into the development of the strategy.