Get Involved

📍 UK/EU
📆 3 April 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
➡️ Find out more

Summary

The DBT are seeking views on certain aspects of the UK Internal Market Act 2020. This includes issues relating to:

• The trade in goods across the UK under Part 1 of the Act
• The provision of services across the UK under Part 2 of the Act
• The processes for making exclusions for goods and services from Parts 1 and 2 of the Act
• The recognition of professional qualifications under Part 3 of the Act
• The role of the Office for the Internal Market in providing independent monitoring and advice under Part 4 of the Act.

The consultation is related to a review process contemplated by Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the Act.

They would like to hear from anyone affected by or with an interest in the operation of the Act’s provisions, including but not limited to:

• Businesses and their representative organisations
• Specialist interest groups
• Academia
• The devolved governments.

📍 UK
📆 8 May 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

This call for evidence seeks views, evidence and experiences of applying for and accessing debt finance in the UK. It sets out our interpretation of the evidence and our understanding of the debt finance landscape for small businesses.

It covers all aspects of:

• The lending market
• The demand for finance
• The application and approval process
• Alternative models of finance
• Under-served customers.
  
  

We are seeking your views and evidence to help us:

• Assess how far our existing policies meet the needs of business and the lending sector in overcoming barriers to finance
• Understand where we may be able to go further to create growth through our support for small businesses and the lending sector.

We need the input of market participants to shape our understanding of the evidence on the main barriers to accessing debt finance.

We are looking for the experiences of:

• Small businesses
• Bank and non-bank lenders
• Industry experts.

Summary

Unfortunately, there was no mention in the budget regarding Full Expensing. On 29 August the CEA, HAE, and CPA submitted a joint letter to the new Chancellor of the Exchequer affirming that increasing full expensing allowance for short-term rented plant in construction brings a net benefit to the Exchequer of £26 million, while increasing capacity for both the national infrastructure pipeline and housebuilding.  This letter was originally sent in January 2024.  The challenge remains around 'when fiscal rules allow' and we continue to work on this area. Read the full letter.

Summary

A meeting is being scheduled with several trade associations to agree on how to approach assisting the Government on drafting secondary legislation when the time comes.

Summary

The Government has unveiled new measures to support small businesses and the self-employed by tackling the scourge of late payments. We have been liaising with the Department for Business and Trade to advise how the Government can assist businesses with this matter.

Summary

Through the National Manufacturing Skills Taskforce, the CEA and our members were represented at a two-hour meeting on 25 November with Skills England looking at the skills agenda. The meeting was made up of trade bodies, training providers, and employers. It was good to see so much collaboration, and a resounding call for a more joined-up approach to align the skills agenda both with the industrial strategy and also across borders concerned devolved governments. We will keep members updated on future developments.

Summary

The committee within the International Standards Organisation (ISO) that is responsible for the development of standards covering test methods relating to safety and machine performance of earth-moving machinery met on 17 March in Hamburg, Germany. The session was led by the CEA’s Senior Technical Consultant, Dale Camsell, and the Chair of the CEA’s General Technical Committee, Jason Ong (Komatsu).

Over 60 delegates from around the world, including Australia, Brazil, China, various European countries, India, Japan, South Korea and USA contributed to the meeting, where standardisation matters on topics such as visibility, energy use, determining functional aspects of wheeled loaders, and potential future work of the committee were discussed. The outcome of the meeting was very positive and the committee will next convene in Q3 2026.

📍 UK/EU
📆 30 March 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

The DBT seeks views from stakeholders to inform the development of the steel strategy - The Plan for Steel. The Government will publish a steel strategy in spring 2025. This consultation seeks views on the challenges and opportunities presented to the sector, to inform the development of the steel strategy.

📍 UK
📆 17 January 2024
✅ CEA consultation

Summary

The Department for Business and Trade is developing a Trade Strategy, currently expected to be published in Spring 2025. The Trade Strategy will seek to address:

• How to facilitate trade for businesses and provide practical support tools.
• How to build the right partnerships internationally.
• How the UK should operate in the international context.

As this is an informal process, it is not being published on gov.uk. 

 

 

📍 UK
📆 4 December 2024
✅ Members to respond directly

Summary

This consultation forms part of the Government’s commitment to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay, as part of the plan to Make Work Pay, an ambitious agenda to ensure workplace rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and deliver economic growth.

➡️ Find out more

 

📍 UK
📆 2 December 2024
✅ Members to respond directly

Summary

The Department for Business and Trade have launched a number of consultations in relation to reforms in the Employment Rights Bill. This sets out the Government's commitment to a partnership approach of co-operation and engagement that sees employers and trade unions working with government to tackle the challenges affecting our economy. 

➡️ Find out more

 

📍 UK
📆 2 December 2024
✅ Members to respond directly

Summary

The Government is seeking views on the application of measures to tackle one-sided flexibility in zero hours contracts to agency workers.

The Government is introducing measures to tackle one-sided flexibility in zero hours contracts through a right to guaranteed hours with a contract that reflects the number of hours regularly worked, and a right to reasonable notice of shifts with payment for shifts cancelled or curtailed at short notice.

This consultation seeks views specifically on the application of these two measures to agency workers so responses from stakeholders can help to inform the Government’s approach to legislation on this point.

➡️ Find out more

 

📍 UK
📆 2 December 2024
✅ Members to respond directly

Summary

The Government is seeking views on strengthening remedies against abuse of rules on collective redundancy and fire and rehire.

The Government is seeking views on measures to strengthen the collective redundancy framework and protections for employees against fire and rehire practices.

For the collective redundancy framework, the Government is seeking views on the proposal to increase the maximum period of the protective award that a tribunal can award.

The Government is considering two options:

• Increase the protective award that a tribunal can award from 90 to 180 days
• Remove the cap on the protective award entirely

The Government is also seeking views on whether interim relief should be available to employees who bring claims for the protective award.

For fire and rehire practices, the Government is seeking views on whether interim relief should be available to employees who are bringing an unfair dismissal claim under the new right which will be introduced by the Employment Rights Bill (subject to Parliament’s approval).

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📍 UK
📆 26 November 2024
✅ Members to respond directly

Summary

Stakeholders have raised that advanced manufacturing scale-ups often struggle to find the investment that they need to take them from technological development to commercial success.

This call for evidence seeks information about the investment landscape in the advanced manufacturing sector. It will inform the Industrial Strategy and sector plans for the growth-driving sectors, which will be published in spring 2025.

The call for evidence will be of particular interest to industry, investors, and academics.

The Government are looking for views and evidence on:

• The number of UK advanced manufacturing scale-ups operating across different subsectors
• Potential barriers to the provision and accessibility of long-term growth capital
• The effectiveness of existing government support.

➡️ Find out more

 

📍 UK
📆 24 November 2024
✅ CEA co-ordinated response

View CEA co-ordinated response

The CEA will be contacting members with a draft set of answers to comment on and will submit a co-ordinated response. 

Summary

The Government’s Industrial Strategy proposes a modern and ambitious vision for the UK business landscape, one that seeks to place private business, entrepreneurship, and innovation at its heart. 

To drive the UK Government’s growth mission, the strategy engages on complex issues, including skills, competition and technology adoption.

It seeks views on how challenges in these areas might be addressed.  

We are asking for your views on our approach, including evidence, analysis, and policy ideas.

➡️ Find out more

 

📍 UK/EU
📆 11 November 2024
✅ CEA co-ordinated response

The CEA will be contacting members with a draft set of answers to comment on and will submit a co-ordinated response.

Summary

On 22 May 2025, the European Union is amending Directive 2000/14/EC on noise emissions by outdoor equipment to bring its measuring methods in line with recent technological progress. The Government is considering whether to introduce the same measures across the UK. The Government are seeking views on the potential costs and benefits, and the issues and practicalities of amending the UK noise from outdoor equipment regulations.

The Government are looking to hear from all interested parties, including:

• Manufacturers
• Authorised representatives
• Trade associations
• Conformity assessment bodies
• Consumers
• Workers
• Market surveillance and enforcement authorities.

➡️ Find out more

📍 UK/EU
📆 31 October 2024
✅ Members to respond directly

Summary

We have recently been contacted by CECE concerning the EU Commission's survey on the potential extension of EU CBAM to downstream products. This would potentially have a large impact on UK exporters and those importing parts and fabrications under the EU CBAM scope.