25 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedHow many consultations his Department plans to hold on the Employment Rights Bill prior to its implementation.
ReplyTwenty-six consultations are currently planned to deliver the Employment Rights Bill and commitments made in the Implementing the Employment Rights Bill publication, across relevant Government departments. Five have already concluded and six are currently live.
21 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedHow many safety incidents were reported at the British Steel Limited site in Scunthorpe in each quarter of the last year.
ReplyUnder the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, British Steel Limited reported 11 cases in Q1 2025, 15 in Q2, 7 in Q3 and 7 to date in Q4, across all of their sites, including Scunthorpe. In the year to date there have been 30 Lost-Time Injuries, and 44 high-potential near misses. Since the 12 April, to ensure the continued safe operation of the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025, the UK Government has made health and safety a priority, with £8.1 million spent on essential improvements, including structural inspections, safety-critical equipment, and protective workwear. British Steel appointed a new Health, Safety & Environment Director and additional resources have strengthened oversight, supported by external specialists delivering hazard awareness and cultural change programmes. I emphasised the continued importance of health and safety in discussions with British Steel's executive team during my visit to the Scunthorpe site on 6 November.
20 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat assessment he has made of the potential impact of a secondary live event ticket sales price cap on levels of tourism.
ReplyThe government has announced that it will introduce new measures to end the scourge of ticket touting and put fans back at the heart of live events, including a resale price cap.Our consultation revealed widespread support for a price cap from fans, industry and consumer groups. After thorough consultation, we intend to draw on all the evidence we have gathered – including insights on international comparisons – to prepare legislation that is targeted and effective.We will legislate when Parliamentary time allows, and an impact assessment, including an assessment of economic impacts, will be published when legislation is introduced to Parliament.
20 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWith reference to the Government response to the consultation on the resale of live events ticket of 19 November 2025, what is his target date for the introduction of legislation to implement the proposals set out in the response.
ReplyThe government has announced that it will introduce new measures to end the scourge of ticket touting and put fans back at the heart of live events, including a resale price cap.Our consultation revealed widespread support for a price cap from fans, industry and consumer groups. After thorough consultation, we intend to draw on all the evidence we have gathered – including insights on international comparisons – to prepare legislation that is targeted and effective.We will legislate when Parliamentary time allows, and an impact assessment, including an assessment of economic impacts, will be published when legislation is introduced to Parliament.
20 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedIf he will publish an impact assessment for the plan for a secondary live event ticket sales price cap.
ReplyThe government has announced that it will introduce new measures to end the scourge of ticket touting and put fans back at the heart of live events, including a resale price cap.Our consultation revealed widespread support for a price cap from fans, industry and consumer groups. After thorough consultation, we intend to draw on all the evidence we have gathered – including insights on international comparisons – to prepare legislation that is targeted and effective.We will legislate when Parliamentary time allows, and an impact assessment, including an assessment of economic impacts, will be published when legislation is introduced to Parliament.
20 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedIf he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the effectiveness of secondary live event ticket sales price caps in other countries.
ReplyThe government has announced that it will introduce new measures to end the scourge of ticket touting and put fans back at the heart of live events, including a resale price cap.Our consultation revealed widespread support for a price cap from fans, industry and consumer groups. After thorough consultation, we intend to draw on all the evidence we have gathered – including insights on international comparisons – to prepare legislation that is targeted and effective.We will legislate when Parliamentary time allows, and an impact assessment, including an assessment of economic impacts, will be published when legislation is introduced to Parliament.
11 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWith reference to Written Ministerial Statement of 11 November on British Steel, HCWS1030, when he plans to submit the impact assessment to the Regulatory Policy Committee for scrutiny.
ReplyTo date, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has provided British Steel with £274m for working capital, covering approximately 33% of raw material purchases, payroll costs and other operating expenditure. British Steel revenues have funded the remaining 67% of costs. It is anticipated that the Government will need to make a similar contribution for the remainder of fiscal year. However actual sums are susceptible to wider macroeconomic factors and the ratio of British Steel revenue to DBT funding is therefore subject to change.Officials in my department, led by my Chief Strategic Business Advisor, have been in close contact with Jingye and were last in correspondence with them on 21 October. All parties continue to work at pace to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.An impact assessment relating to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 was submitted on 3 November. It will be published in due course following Regulatory Policy Committee scrutiny.
11 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWith reference to Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1030 of 11 November on British Steel, what meetings (a) he and (b) his ministers have had with Jingye since 14 October 2025.
ReplyTo date, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has provided British Steel with £274m for working capital, covering approximately 33% of raw material purchases, payroll costs and other operating expenditure. British Steel revenues have funded the remaining 67% of costs. It is anticipated that the Government will need to make a similar contribution for the remainder of fiscal year. However actual sums are susceptible to wider macroeconomic factors and the ratio of British Steel revenue to DBT funding is therefore subject to change.Officials in my department, led by my Chief Strategic Business Advisor, have been in close contact with Jingye and were last in correspondence with them on 21 October. All parties continue to work at pace to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.An impact assessment relating to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 was submitted on 3 November. It will be published in due course following Regulatory Policy Committee scrutiny.
11 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWith reference to Written Ministerial Statement of 11 November on British Steel, HCWS1030, what proportion of the working capital provided to British Steel Limited to date he expects to be offset by revenues collected (a) to date and (b) by the end of this fiscal year.
ReplyTo date, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has provided British Steel with £274m for working capital, covering approximately 33% of raw material purchases, payroll costs and other operating expenditure. British Steel revenues have funded the remaining 67% of costs. It is anticipated that the Government will need to make a similar contribution for the remainder of fiscal year. However actual sums are susceptible to wider macroeconomic factors and the ratio of British Steel revenue to DBT funding is therefore subject to change.Officials in my department, led by my Chief Strategic Business Advisor, have been in close contact with Jingye and were last in correspondence with them on 21 October. All parties continue to work at pace to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.An impact assessment relating to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 was submitted on 3 November. It will be published in due course following Regulatory Policy Committee scrutiny.
11 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWith reference to the comments by the Minister for Industry to BBC News on 6 November 2025, how opportunities to provide support to the steel industry will be chosen.
ReplyThis government remains committed to delivering up to £2.5bn for steel which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund (NWF). This is in addition to £500m for the Tata Steel transformation project in Port Talbot.The NWF has £5.8bn of capital to allocate across five clean energy and advanced manufacturing sectors, including steel. The NWF operates independently and is open to steel companies across the UK, offering a transparent and strategic route for investment that supports the government’s growth mission. We encourage any steel companies interested in seeking support to contact the NWF directly.
13 Oct 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhen his Department's financial support for Jaguar Land Rover was made available.
ReplyThe UK Government acted quickly to prioritise rapid support for Jaguar Land Rover’s operations, with a partial guarantee for a commercial loan, through UK Export Finance (UKEF)’s Export Development Guarantee.We are not able to comment on the detail of current transactions for reasons of commercial sensitivity.
13 Oct 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat his planned timetable is for agreeing a UK-Gulf Cooperation Council trade deal.
ReplyThe UK has been negotiating a modern and ambitious free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council to boost economic growth, raise wages, and increase investment since June 2022. Negotiations have now reached an advanced stage, with both sides working hard and at pace to resolve the remaining issues. As the Honorable Member should know, timetables can be counter-productive when seeking to agree a trade deal and can lead to perverse outcomes. We are focused on securing the right deal that delivers growth and offers real benefits to British businesses and investors, rather than getting it done by a specific date.
13 Oct 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhen he plans to formally present the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement to Parliament.
ReplyWe will do so as soon as possible once the Trade and Agriculture Commission have provided advice on the agreement, which will enable us to produce the necessary Section 42 report, and trigger the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act process thereafter.
13 Oct 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat assessment he has made of the potential impact of the EU’s plans to reduce its tariff free steel import quota on the UK steel industry.
ReplyWe are in active dialogue with the European Commission to fully understand the details of their proposal and next steps.The government is also working closely with UK industry, including through a roundtable with industry held on the 9 October, to understand potential impacts and solutions, and to assess how best to secure the UK’s supply chains in light of these developments.As ever, this government will always put the UK’s national interest first, and is committed to defending our critical steel industry, protecting skilled jobs and supporting economic growth as part of our Plan for Change. We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships.
16 Sept 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat the full terms of reference will be for the UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group.
ReplyThe UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group will focus on accelerating decarbonisation of UK and Chinese industry, and identifying opportunities for commercial collaboration in relevant subsectors linked to industrial decarbonisation, such as CCUS.Further discussion on areas of focus will take place at the first meeting.
16 Sept 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat estimate he has made of the cost to employers of disciplinary and grievance hearings taking place (a) with a worker's companion and (b) without a worker's companion.
ReplyUnder existing legislation, we would not expect to see a difference in cost to the employer between a disciplinary or grievance hearing where the worker has a companion or does not have a companion. If the worker were to be accompanied by a trade union representative, the worker would pay for this through their trade union membership.
16 Sept 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedHow many officials from his Department were on site at British Steel Limited locations in each week since 12 April 2025.
ReplyThere has been a consistent senior civil servant presence on British Steel's Scunthorpe site since 12 April, supporting British Steel's management team and providing oversight of public funds. The senior civil servants are supported on site by a range of staff from the Department for Business and Trade and UK Government Investments.
16 Sept 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhen the UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group will be operational.
ReplyAgreement to establish a UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group was an outcome of the Industrial Cooperation Dialogue between the Department of Business and Trade and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which took place on Wednesday 10 September 2025.Discussions on scheduling the first meeting of the group are ongoing.
16 Sept 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedIf he will make an assessment of the potential impact of limiting worker's companions in (a) disciplinary and (b) grievance hearings on non-trade union member workers.
ReplyExisting legislation aims to keep disciplinary and grievance procedures internal to the workplace. Expanding the right to be accompanied to professional bodies, including legal professionals, may reduce the prospects of amicable resolution, potentially increasing employment tribunals and therefore legal costs for all parties.The law already provides that workers are entitled to bring a companion who is either a colleague, an official employed by a trade union, or a workplace trade union representative. Employers can allow workers to be accompanied by a companion outside of this scope and some workers may already have a contractual right to do so.
16 Sept 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat discussions (a) he, (b) his predecessor and (c) his Department have had with the Government of the People’s Republic of China on British Steel Limited.
ReplyIn recent months, Ministers and officials have had short, factual discussions with the Government of the People’s Republic of China regarding British Steel Limited, most recently during the Business & Trade Secretary’s visit to China on 10-11 September.We continue to engage directly with British Steel’s owner to find the best solution for the Scunthorpe site.