Written questions by Griffith.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to parental leave entitlements on small and medium-sized enterprises, as part of the ongoing review.

The Parental Leave and Pay Review launched on 1 July fulfilling our manifesto commitment. It will explore how the system can better support working families while still balancing the needs of businesses.As part of this, the review will consider opportunities to make the process surrounding parental leave simpler for both businesses and parents.The Department has not made an assessment at this stage of any impacts. We will be engaging with groups representing small and medium businesses throughout the review. Any reforms proposed following the conclusion of the review will consider the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises.

What assessment he has made of the lifespan of the blast furnaces at British Steel in Scunthorpe.

British Steel’s remaining blast furnaces were built in 1938 and 1954 respectively and are approaching the end of their operational life.An independent assessment was undertaken in late 2024 to help inform decision-making on their future use.

Whether the parental leave review will examine options for reducing administrative burdens on employers in managing statutory parental leave and pay.

The Parental Leave and Pay Review launched on 1 July fulfilling our manifesto commitment. It will explore how the system can better support working families while still balancing the needs of businesses.As part of this, the review will consider opportunities to make the process surrounding parental leave simpler for both businesses and parents.The Department has not made an assessment at this stage of any impacts. We will be engaging with groups representing small and medium businesses throughout the review. Any reforms proposed following the conclusion of the review will consider the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises.

What private businesses she has consulted on the business rates system.

The Government published a Discussion Paper at Autumn Budget 2024 setting out priority areas for business rates reform. This paper invited industry to help co-design a fairer business rates system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century. The Treasury received over 160 written responses to that Discussion Paper and met with over 250 stakeholders from a range of different sectors. On 17 February, the Government published a ‘forward look’ of the expected timeline for reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024, and how stakeholders should engage with the Government on business rates reform going forwards. In the summer, the Government will publish an interim report that sets out a clear direction of travel for the business rates system, with further policy detail to follow at Budget 2025.

Whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the ONS's classification of British Steel as part of the public non-financial corporations subsector.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade meets with the Chancellor regularly on a range of issues, including steel. Following the passing of emergency legislation in the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 on 12 April, the ONS informed my departmental officials that it would undertake a classification assessment of British Steel Limited. British Steel Limited has been classified to the public non-financial corporations subsector. Further information on this decision can be obtained directly from ONS’s website.

Pursuant to the answer of 23 June to Question 61021 on Taxation: Domicil, how many P85 forms have been submitted in each month in the last five years.

The table below shows the number of P85 forms submitted to HMRC electronically each month between May 2020 and May 2025. P85 forms are submitted by taxpayers who are not intending to submit a self-assessment tax return. Individuals who file through Self-Assessment (e.g. those with other sources of income such as self-employment or those claiming non-domiciled status) do not need to submit a P85 form. Counts of submitted P85 forms in March 2024 and September 2024 are labelled as [x] due to incomplete data. MonthP85 iFormsMay 20202,900Jun 20202,800Jul 20203,200Aug 20204,100Sep 20205,300Oct 20204,400Nov 20204,600Dec 20204,100Jan 20214,000Feb 20212,800Mar 20213,200Apr 20213,000May 20212,500Jun 20212,300Jul 20212,600Aug 20212,800Sep 20213,300Oct 20213,300Nov 20212,900Dec 20212,400Jan 20223,200Feb 20222,300Mar 20222,500Apr 20222,200May 20222,000Jun 20221,900Jul 20222,200Aug 20222,700Sep 20222,900Oct 20223,000Nov 20222,800Dec 20222,300Jan 20233,700Feb 20232,800Mar 20233,200Apr 20233,100May 20232,900Jun 20232,800Jul 20233,400Aug 20233,400Sep 20233,800Oct 20234,100Nov 20233,700Dec 20233,200Jan 20244,500Feb 20243,400Mar 2024[x]Apr 20244,100May 20243,400Jun 20243,400Jul 20243,900Aug 20244,300Sep 2024[x]Oct 20245,800Nov 20243,400Dec 20245,000Jan 20256,400Feb 20254,900Mar 20255,500Apr 20255,300May 20254,500 Individuals can either use the online system to submit a P85 iForm or fill in a paper form and submit it by post. Postal form data for the last five years is not available. The data provided in the table above contains only customers who have submitted iForms.

What estimate she has made of the number of (a) higher rate and (b) additional rate taxpayers that have left the United Kingdom in the period from 4 July 2024 to 31 May 2025.

Taxpayers are not always required to inform HM Revenue and Customs when they leave the UK. Some taxpayers outside of Self Assessment might file a P85 form after leaving the UK, but only where they are seeking to claim a repayment of income tax. Taxpayers in Self Assessment can indicate that they have become non-resident after leaving the UK, but tax returns for the 2024 to 2025 and the 2025 to 2026 tax years are not due to be received by HMRC until 31 January of 2026 and 2027 respectively.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to further the UK's strategic interest in low earth orbit satellite constellations.

Low Earth Orbit is significant for many space use-cases, including Earth Observation, In-orbit Servicing Assembly and Manufacture, and Communications. There are a range of programmes and initiatives underway across Government to support UK objectives in these. For example, the UK Space Agency's Active Debris Removal mission seeks to develop the technologies needed to rendezvous, approach, hold and manoeuvre objects in orbit which are critical for many other In-Orbit use-cases such as servicing satellites.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support the Government's shareholding in Eutelsat OneWeb.

Government engages with OneWeb through government’s non-executive directors and with Eutelsat Group through UK Government Investments officials who are accountable to the Secretary of State and advise the department on commercial matters. Government works with OneWeb to facilitate its commercial rollout, such as supporting international engagement with key sovereign customers. Substantial Government R&D grant schemes will help UK businesses compete for large-scale contracts, including from OneWeb. We also collaborate with OneWeb to see how its services could deliver for citizens. For example, OneWeb equipment is employed in trials for high speed broadband in very hard to reach locations in the UK.

If he will provide indemnities to automotive companies for the period following the announcement of the UK-US trade deal but prior to the implementation of lower tariff rates.

The deal agreed on 8 May will protect jobs in the automotive and steel industries. Talks with the US are ongoing to progress implementation of the General Terms of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal and ensure that UK businesses feel the benefits as soon as possible. The US has committed to removing Section 232 tariffs on steel. In addition, it has pledged to reduce tariffs on automotives faced by UK exporters by developing a quota system – which will save thousands of jobs in the UK. We remain committed to working in close partnership with industry to support their needs and ensure that the interests of British businesses are at the forefront of our engagement with the US.

If he will provide indemnities to steel companies for the period following the announcement of the UK-US trade deal but prior to the implementation of lower tariff rates.

The deal agreed on 8 May will protect jobs in the automotive and steel industries. Talks with the US are ongoing to progress implementation of the General Terms of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal and ensure that UK businesses feel the benefits as soon as possible. The US has committed to removing Section 232 tariffs on steel. In addition, it has pledged to reduce tariffs on automotives faced by UK exporters by developing a quota system – which will save thousands of jobs in the UK. We remain committed to working in close partnership with industry to support their needs and ensure that the interests of British businesses are at the forefront of our engagement with the US.

With reference to the UK-US trade agreement, what steps he plans to take to manage the allocation of the 100,000 vehicle quota.

UK imports to the US will now face a lower tariff of 10% for a quota of 100,000 vehicles. The UK exports around 100,000 cars a year to the US - so this quota will ensure most cars entering the US will do so at the preferential rate.We continue to work closely with both UK manufacturers and the US administration as we work through the implementation of tariff relief. Both DBT Secretary of State and Minister Jones have met with industry representatives to discuss development of the quota system. We will provide further detail in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter of 18 March 2025 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.

A reply to the hon. Member was sent on 24 June 2025.

What representations her Department has made to the Office for National Statistics on the economic classification assessment of British Steel.

HM Treasury officials work with the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) to discuss their forward workplan for economic statistics classifications and the priorities for HM Treasury within that workplan (as set out in the ONS’ website). These discussions have included the review of the classification of British Steel, which the ONS' forward work plan notes they expect to complete in Quarter 2 (April-June) of 2025.

What representations his Department has made to the Office for National Statistics on the economic classification assessment of British Steel.

My department is currently working closely with both ONS and HMT to determine the classification of BSL. My department's current expectation is for BSL to be classified as a public corporation and that the situation will remain under review by ONS.

Whether the potential use of eGates set out in the UK-EU Common Understanding will include an exemption from the upcoming EU Entry Exit system requirements for fingerprinting.

UK national travellers will be required to register in the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). Exemptions will be in place for UK nationals who are Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries or otherwise long-term resident in the EU. Implementation of the EES is a matter for the EU and its Member States, and subject to ongoing EU legislative processes.

What representations the Minister for Investment has received on the decision to end the remittance basis of taxation.

The Minister for Investment has not had any specific meetings on the topic of changes to the remittance basis of taxation.

What the aggregate market value of UK-quoted equities held by non-resident investors was in each quarter of the last five years for which data is available.

As part of their Balance of Payments release, the Office for National Statistics produce statistics on cross-border transactions and positions. This includes information on the aggregate market value of UK quoted equities held by non-resident investors, net inflows of portfolio and other investment from non-resident investors, as well as the total stock of UK corporate bonds held by non-resident investors. The ONS published their most recent Balance of Payments release on 28 March 2025, which is available on their website at Balance of Payments, UK - Office for National Statistics. The statistics on inflows and stocks/market values can be found in Table J and in Table K respectively.

What the net inflow of (a) portfolio and (b) other investment from non-resident investors to the UK was in each quarter since Q1 2019 for which data is available.

As part of their Balance of Payments release, the Office for National Statistics produce statistics on cross-border transactions and positions. This includes information on the aggregate market value of UK quoted equities held by non-resident investors, net inflows of portfolio and other investment from non-resident investors, as well as the total stock of UK corporate bonds held by non-resident investors. The ONS published their most recent Balance of Payments release on 28 March 2025, which is available on their website at Balance of Payments, UK - Office for National Statistics. The statistics on inflows and stocks/market values can be found in Table J and in Table K respectively.

How many notifications under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 involving foreign acquirers have been (a) received and (b) cleared unconditionally in each month since the Act came into force.

The Government publishes an annual report with details of activities under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act each financial year. This includes the number of notifications received by month, number of final notifications (acquisitions which are called in for detailed review and then cleared), and notifications received by origin of investment. Annual reports can be viewed on GOV.UK.