This is not a matter for BEIS.

The Coronation is a historic event which will be watched and celebrated by millions across the world. Plans are being considered carefully and we will update in due course.

Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

The latest published data covers April to June 2022, further data will be published in due course. In line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals.

Details of meetings held by officials are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Expenditure on taxi cabs was as shown in the following table. Taxi expenditure between Ministers and civil servants is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not consider the outcomes of previous Employment Tribunals in relation to the recruitment of prospective candidates. Personal data in relation to candidates is anonymised for selection panels in the early stages of selection.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on 18th October 2022 to Question 61307.

The Government responded to the flexible working elements of the “Good Work Plan: Proposals to support families” consultation in September 2021. This document “Making Flexible Working the Default” consulted on a range or proposals to make flexible working more accessible. The government will publish its response in due course.

In each of the last five years the Insolvency Service has obtained the following number of director disqualifications.

18/19 - 1246

19/20 - 1285

20/21 - 981

21/22 - 803

22/23 - 441

Directors may be disqualified for a range of corporate misconduct which can include fraudulent activity. Fraudulent activity is not recorded separately and therefore the data requested is not available. However, the full details of misconduct are published by The Insolvency Service on the Directors Disqualification register at https://www.gov.uk/search-the-register-of-disqualified-company-directors.

The Rating and Director Disqualifications Act came into force on 15^th December 2021 and gave the Insolvency Service, on behalf of the Secretary of State, the power to seek, where appropriate, disqualification and compensation orders against directors of dissolved companies.

As at 20^th October 2022, the Insolvency Service has authorised disqualification and compensation order proceedings against 16 directors which are yet to be determined.

The Insolvency Service has not to date obtained a compensation order or undertaking pursuant to the aforementioned statutory power.

In each of the last five years the Insolvency Service has obtained the following number of Compensation Orders or Undertakings under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 and recovered the following sums:

The data provided is Insolvency Service management information and not from official statistics.

Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP). This data provides a broad indication of take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid paternity leave.

Table 1: Individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, 2015/16 to 2021/22 (the latest year for which full year data is available)

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures are based on the total number of individuals in a given year, irrespective of when the payment first started. Some individuals will be counted across two years.

In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming the parental leave and pay system, including making changes to Paternity Leave. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a financially sustainable, accessible and affordable universal postal service. The Government has no current plans to change the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service which are set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.

Under the Postal Services Act 2011 Ofcom regulates the provision of the UK’s universal postal service, ensuring it meets the needs of users, while also considering Royal Mail’s financial sustainability and efficiency. Ofcom will publish its annual monitoring update on the postal market later this year. This report will cover market developments, consumers’ experiences of postal services, and Royal Mail’s performance in delivering the universal postal service. Ofcom will continue to monitor Royal Mail’s ability to deliver its statutory commitments.

Current legislation is clear that an individual’s entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether they are a “worker” for minimum wage purposes. Most internships are already highly likely to constitute work and entitle the individual to be paid at least the minimum wage from the first day of employment.

It is the responsibility of all employers to ensure they are paying their staff correctly and we will continue to take robust enforcement action against employers who fail to pay the minimum wage. Since 2015 we have ordered employers to repay £100 million of unpaid wages to 1 million workers.

The Government provides a range of support that all small businesses can access. These include information on starting up and running a business on GOV.UK, one to one advice via our free Business Support Helpline and through 38 Growth Hubs across England,

Small businesses will also benefit from the £15 billion of targeted government support to help with the rising cost of living.

The Government has also acted to reverse the National Insurance rise, which will save small businesses £4,200 on average and brought in the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will protect small businesses from high energy bills over the winter.

In addition, during Covid, the Government provided nearly £27 billion to local authorities across England through a package of business support including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business rates relief, grants and loans. The London Borough of Havering received £92m of business grant support and reported making over 16,000 payments worth nearly £80m to their businesses.

The Start Up Loans Company, part of the Government-owned British Business Bank, provides support to new entrepreneurs. Since the Start Up Loans programme was launched in 2012, it has provided 355 loans to businesses in Havering, totalling £3,200,447.

The Government recently concluded a call for views on Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and published a summary of responses and next steps [accessible here] on 5^th August 2022. The call for views explored whether the ecosystem around SEPs functions effectively and strikes the right balance for all entities involved, including SMEs. Views were specifically sought on competition and market functioning.

Given the breadth of issues raised and divergent views received, the Government requires a further period to assess the issues in respect of SEPs. As part of this further assessment the Government will continue to engage businesses of all sizes.

There are approximately 77 FTE staff within BEIS working on Retained EU Law. The Department does not centrally hold the total headcount of all staff working on such legislation.

HM Land Registry Price Paid Data available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/price-paid-data-downloads contains information on property sales, broken down by local authority. The last three years’ data is provided with this answer in a separate spreadsheet. In summary, the breakdown is as set out in the table below.

We will place a detailed breakdown between UK and overseas companies, and individuals providing UK and non-UK correspondence addresses as soon as possible in the Libraries of the House.

Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP). This data provides a broad indication of take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid paternity leave.

Table 1: Individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, 2015/16 to 2021/22 (the latest year for which full year data is available)

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures are based on the total number of individuals in a given year, irrespective of when the payment first started. Some individuals will be counted across two years.

In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming the parental leave and pay system, including making changes to Paternity Leave. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

The UK has one of the best workers’ rights records in the world. Our high standards were never dependent on our membership of the EU and this Government has raised domestic standards in recent years, while also retaining important flexibilities for employers which benefit the economy and wider labour market.

The Government is committed to supporting SMEs through exemption of new regulations where possible. This exemption was recently extended to businesses with up to 500 employees, potentially reducing red tape and bureaucracy for up to 40,000 more businesses.

The British Business Bank is supporting over £12.2bn of finance to over 96,000 SMEs. Schemes include Start-Up Loans and the Recovery Loan Scheme.

The Government has also acted to reverse the National Insurance rise, which will save small businesses £4,200 on average.