Barbering and hairdressing

That this House notes with concern the challenges facing the barbering and hairdressing sector with a 23% employment decline in 2025; further notes the damage done to future employment in the sector, with the number of young people starting apprenticeships in hairdressers or barbers falling from 13,180 in 2015 to 4,160 in 2023; celebrates within that context the tireless work done by Mike Taylor and the Great British Barbering Academy to provide training opportunities and welcomes the work he and others are doing to support men's mental health and support for neurodiverse customers through their holistic approach to barbering; acknowledges that one in two salon owners now say they are considering closure before the end of the year, yet highlights that more than 750 new barbers opened in 2024 alone; shares the view of industry experts and the National Crime Agency that some new barbershops are illegitimate businesses with practices that are unsafe for customers; highlights that 13 barbershops were listed as having received illegal working civil penalties across the UK between 1 January and 31 March 2026; urges the Government to support the work of industry organisations such as the Hair and Barber Council to ensure the security and future of the sector; and calls for mandatory registration for barbershops and hairdressers in England to guarantee a level playing field for all hairdressers and barbers, to support the provision of clear pathways for hairdressing and barbering careers and to enable the effective targeting of enforcement activity where necessary.