Written questions by Hanna.

Whether he will provide guidance to businesses who sell to consumers in (a) the EU and (b) Northern Ireland prior to the EU Product Directive 2024/2853 coming into effect.

Awaiting answer.

If he will publish the UK-US pharmaceutical deal.

In December 2025 we agreed a landmark deal with the US that results in 0% tariffs on pharmaceutical exports to the US for 3 years – the lowest rate offered to any country. As you’d expect, there will now be further work to finalise underpinning details. Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the spending review period are expected to be around £1bn. The final costs will depend on which medicines NICE decides to approve and the actual uptake of these.

What discussions his Department has had with the National Council for the Training of Journalists on establishing a mutual recognition of professional qualifications agreement with the Republic of Ireland.

The UK government encourages regulators and industry bodies to engage with their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland to ensure professionals are able to practise in both jurisdictions. Independent UK regulators and industry bodies are responsible for agreeing recognition agreements with their overseas counterparts.The Department for Business and Trade has not held discussions with the National Council for the Training of Journalists on establishing a mutual recognition of professional qualifications agreement with the Republic of Ireland.

What steps his Department has taken to monitor the application of the General Product Safety Regulations in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

The updated GPSR largely formalises the reality of how many businesses are already operating and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. However, we understand that for some businesses, the regulation will require changes, and we take any concerns extremely seriously. We have issued guidance, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely within the UK and with the EU. We have regular discussions with businesses and consumer representatives from across the UK to hear their concerns.

What steps the Government plans to take to monitor the impact of General Product Safety regulations on SME's and sole traders sending goods to Northern Ireland.

The Government is supporting SMEs to comply with the new General Product Safety Regulation. We have published guidance and have been engaging with businesses directly. We will keep the guidance under review and will continue to engage with businesses directly to monitor the situation and to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.

What his timetable is for the publication of guidance to Great Britain based businesses trading in Northern Ireland on the General Product Safety Regulations 2025 .

The updated General Product Safety Regulation largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be already adapting in order to continue trading with the EU. We will provide more guidance in this area shortly, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.