The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to the Women and Equalities Committee’s (WEC) Sixth Report of Session 2024–26 on the UK’s parental leave system, accepting many of the WEC’s recommendations and recognising the need for reform. The response highlights measures already taken, including the introduction of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay in April 2025 and the forthcoming Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave, and notes that the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave available as ‘day one’ rights from April 2026. The ERB is also expected to introduce provisions, effective from 2027, making it more likely that flexible working requests will be accepted. In addition, DBT also launched a review of the parental leave and pay on 1 July 2025, to examine how the system can better support working families and reflect modern childcare realities while balancing business and Exchequer needs.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to the consultation on the draft Code of Practice for electronic and workplace balloting for statutory trade union ballots and published a revised draft code. The government has confirmed that it will introduce electronic, hybrid and workplace voting methods for certain statutory trade union ballots alongside existing postal voting arrangements.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published the response to its November 2024 consultation on proposed refinements to the UK subsidy control regime. Following stakeholder feedback, the DBT intends to implement several changes, including amending the Subsidy Control (Subsidies and Scheme of Interest or Particular Interest) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/1246, to increase the non-sensitive mandatory referral threshold from £10m to £25m. It also intends to amend the Subsidy Control (Subsidy Database Information Requirements) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/1153 to eliminate duplicate information uploads. The DBT also aims to establish new streamlined routes for arts and culture subsidies and community regeneration subsidies.

The Department for Business and Trade has published a response to the consultation on a draft statutory code of practice on dismissal and re-engagement. The consultation lasted from 24 January 2023 to 18 April 2023 and considered the action to be taken by employers when considering whether to dismiss and re-engage employees. As a result of the consultation, the government has made a number of changes to the draft code.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to its September 2023 consultation on reforming the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2999, confirming that it will take forward a limited package of targeted amendments rather than the broader reforms originally proposed.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published the response to its May 2024 consultation on proposals aimed at simplifying corporate reporting. Most respondents supported increasing the medium-sized threshold from 250 to 500 employees and exempting medium-sized companies from producing a strategic report. However, the DBT clarified that these proposals will not be implemented at present but will be considered as part of the government’s broader review of non-financial reporting (NFR). In addition, the DBT published research reports examining the benefits and value of NFR information for investors.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published the response to its consultation on improving price transparency and product information for consumers. In light of the submissions received, the government has proposed to amend the Prime Marking Order 2004 (the Order), SI 2004/102, and associated guidance with respect to the use of consistent measure for unit pricing products, clear legibility criteria for in-store price labels, defining which type of promotional or loyalty scheme offers should be included in the scope of the Order, and making provisions for the Deposit Return Scheme in order to make sure the cost of the deposit is displayed separately on price labels. In addition, the government proposes to prohibit commercial practices related to fake reviews by making these subject to civil liability, clarifying the law on drip pricing by introducing new requirements in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (the Bill) on drip pricing that require unavoidable fees to be included in the headline price or indicated at the start of the purchase process, and extend the power to make applications to the court for online interface and interim online orders to all public designated enforcers as listed in Part 3 of the Bill.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to the consultation on tackling poor payment practices, confirming that it plans to introduce legislation to address late payments, which are estimated to cost the UK economy £11bn each year. The proposed legislation includes expanding the powers of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) to investigate, adjudicate disputes and impose financial penalties on habitual late payers. A maximum payment term of 60 days is to be introduced (subject to limited exemptions). In addition, the legislation proposes the introduction of mandatory statutory interest at a rate of 8% above the Bank of England base rate, along with requirements for board-level scrutiny for large companies with poor payment performance. The DBT also proposes to prohibit retention payments in construction contracts, subject to further consultation on its implementation.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to a consultation on proposed amendments to the 2018 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations. The consultation examined reforms including exempting domestic UK holidays without booked travel elements from the regulations, reforming or removing linked travel arrangements definitions, setting time limits for third-party redress to organisers, and technical changes to scope and insolvency protection measures. The proposals aim to make the regulations better suited to UK travellers and organisers, particularly for domestic holidays, while delivering economic growth. The consultation ran from 7 April 2025 to 30 June 2025.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published the government's response to the Task and Finish Group’s report on industry resilience for critical minerals. The report provides insights on critical raw material (CRM) supply risks, notably a high reliance on imports, a high concentration of mining and refining capacity in one country, and high reliance on countries with weak governance or political instability. Seven recommendations were made to the government, each of which the DBT responds to in turn.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to the consultation on developing an oversight regime for assurance of sustainability-related financial disclosures. The government has accepted the proposal to create a voluntary oversight regime and register for entities offering third-party assurance services for sustainability-related disclosures, to be operated under the Companies Act. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) will be responsible for implementation and has been tasked with establishing an interim regime and register by mid-2026. The government will legislate to formalise arrangements when Parliamentary time allows. The consultation received 99 responses, with over 80% of respondents supporting the core proposition of a voluntary regime. The regime aims to drive trust in the UK sustainability assurance market and support companies in identifying appropriately qualified sustainability assurance providers. The consultation ran from 25 June 2025 to 17 September 2025.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published a summary of responses and a policy paper following its consultation on a new approach to fire safety regulations for domestic upholstered furniture. The consultation, which closed in October 2023, sought views on proposals including revised product scope, new essential safety requirements, measures to reduce chemical flame retardants, and changes to testing methods. The summary outlines feedback received across six key themes, including stakeholder concerns about implementation timelines, testing costs, and impacts on small businesses and the second-hand market.