Written questions by Chadwick.

What assessment has been made of the role that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could play alongside electric vehicles in achieving net zero transport, particularly in light of vehicle weight, raw material availability and grid capacity constraints.

The Government is technology neutral in its approach to road decarbonisation. Road transport accounts for 90% of domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions, making the transition to zero emission vehicles essential to achieving our climate obligations.The market will decide which zero emission technologies are ultimately successful, and it is likely that battery electric vehicles will be the most cost effective and practical in the majority of applications. Battery electric vehicles with vehicle to grid capability are likely to play an important role in managing grid capacity, providing grid flexibility. However, hydrogen technology may be adopted in some cases where it makes sense to do so.

What assessment has been made of the opportunity for the UK to develop domestic hydrogen fuel cell supply chains.

Hydrogen is an Industrial Strategy frontier industry, assessed as one of the sectors with the greatest growth potential over the next decade. As we set out in the Clean Industries Sector Plan, the hydrogen industry will create investment and jobs across the UK’s industrial heartlands, and the UK is well placed to be a global leader in hydrogen supply chains, including for fuel cells. We are working closely with UK companies to highlight the UK’s strengths, attract investment, support scale‑up, and boost domestic hydrogen production, helping grow fuel cell supply chains both in the UK and overseas.

Whether his Department plans to expand the Energy Supercharger package to include a larger proportion of the steel industry and related sectors including scrap.

The Department for Business and Trade will conduct its review of the British Industry Supercharger this year, which will include a review of eligibility criteria. Any changes to eligibility criteria, or other parts of the policy, are subject to public consultation and ministerial approval. I encourage all stakeholders, including those in the steel and scrap sectors, to engage with this review when the opportunity arises and present all relevant evidence.

If he will consider bringing the Contracts for Difference Scheme under the remit of the Procurement Policy Note for Steel, and the national security clauses of the Procurement Act 2023.

As set out in the recent UK Steel Strategy, the Clean Industry Bonus element of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme rewards offshore wind developers if they use UK steel in their projects. There are currently no plans to bring the CfD scheme under the remit of the Procurement policy note for steel, and the National clauses of the Procurement Act 2023. The department is committed to working closely across Government and industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative and secure.

What steps his Department is taking to strengthen domestic supply chains for steel, following the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy.

This Government is committed to creating the right conditions in the UK for a competitive and sustainable steel industry. The sector provides vital support to the UK’s defence capabilities, including specialist cast and forged steel components for a range of defence programmes. The department publishes its future pipeline for steel requirements, enabling UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for upcoming contracts. The National Security Strategy, Strategic Defence Review, and Defence Industrial Strategy set out how a strong industrial base is critical for maintaining our national security infrastructure. While steel used in our major Defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, MOD procurement activity will continue to apply PPN 022, a policy aimed at increasing the use of British-produced steel in public contracts. The MOD also supports the recently published UK Steel Strategy which sets out a long-term plan to revitalise the UK steel sector and restore domestic production to sustainable levels.

If she will consider expanding of the use of further equipment in MOT tests to accurately assess the noise level of motorcycles and their silencers.

Exhaust noise is currently tested subjectively during the MOT test. The tester must consider if exhaust noise from the vehicle is unreasonably above the noise level you’d expect from a similar vehicle with a standard silencer in average condition. If they believe it is unreasonably above the expected decibel level the vehicle should be failed. In 2023 the Department published a call for evidence about potential updates to the MOT test including the use of a decibel meter to measure exhaust noise. Although there was some support for introducing such a test a number of issues were also raised. These included the cost of additional testing machines, identifying the appropriate noise level for each vehicle, and the difficulty of testing consistently in a noisy garage.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that British steel is not undercut by high-emission imports.

As set out in the steel strategy, the government is committed to creating a fair and competitive market for UK steel by addressing carbon leakage. The Government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) from January 2027. The UK CBAM is an environmental measure designed to tackle the risk of carbon leakage by ensuring that some of the most emissions intensive industrial goods imported to the UK face a comparable carbon price to what is paid domestically. UK CBAM is led by HM Treasury, and the Department for Business and Trade are engaging with them on this measure.

Whether his Department plans to take further steps to reduce UK electricity prices compared with those in France and Germany.

The Government is actively working to lower electricity prices by addressing the root causes of high costs. We are reversing years of underinvestment and implementing the largest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades, reducing constraint costs and making greater use of affordable renewable energy. Through our Clean Power mission, we are accelerating renewable deployment to lessen the frequency with which gas determines electricity prices. Additionally, Reformed National Pricing will reshape investment decisions and improve system operations. Altogether, these initiatives aim to create a fair, affordable, secure and efficient electricity system, ultimately driving down bills for good.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the volume of diverted high-emission steel imports into the UK.

Charges under the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for relevant goods entering the EU Single Market have applied since January 2026. This includes EU imports of steel goods within scope of EU CBAM. We are monitoring the EU CBAM and continue to engage with businesses. The EU CBAM may influence trade flows by changing relative costs between markets, with impacts remaining uncertain and dependent on commercial and policy factors. The UK Government will introduce its own CBAM from January 2027 to protect against carbon leakage.

What assessment his Department has made of the comparative level of the steel power price gap with competitor nations, following the recent increase in network compensation charging.

As set out in the recently published steel strategy, UK steel producers that benefit from British Industry Supercharger support and the current Network Charging Compensation scheme paid industrial electricity prices of £93 per MWh in 2025 (a 60% relief). The increase in compensation for network charges from 60% to 90%, which was announced in the Industrial Strategy and implemented from 1 April 2026, will reduce electricity prices for steel producers by a further £7 to £10 per MWh approximately.The equivalent cost faced by industrial electricity users in France and Germany is £69/MWh and £60/MWh respectively. Using average electricity intensity factors for electric arc furnace-based steel production, the difference to UK producers equates to approximately £8-£13 per tonne of crude steel.

If he will make it his policy to extend the trade protection measures for steelmakers to their customers in the steel intensive manufacturing supply chain.

This Government recognises the distinct value of downstream users, including in the manufacturing supply chain, alongside the importance of maintaining a resilient domestic steel sector. The steel trade measure has been designed to addresses the serious threat posed by global steel overcapacity, which undermines the viability of UK steelmaking and, in turn, our critical national infrastructure and defence.We have carefully balanced the needs of producers and downstream industry, and the product scope of the measure reflects this. There are no current plans to extend this scope, but we will continue to engage with downstream industry as the measure is implemented.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential biosecurity risk of illegal meat seized in the first four months of 2025; and whether any of this meat tested positive for (a) African Swine Fever and (b) other notifiable diseases.

Protecting UK biosecurity remains paramount, and this Government will do whatever it takes to protect farmers. Defra does not require port health authorities to routinely test or analyse samples of illegally imported meat seized at the UK border for notifiable animal diseases, including African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease. Negative results would not guarantee the absence of risk. That is why illegal meat imports, intercepted by Border Force and local authorities are all safely disposed in accordance with animal by-products rules. The Animal and Plant Health Agency publishes assessments of the potential risk of animal disease incursions via animals and animal products, including illegal meat imports on gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on ensuring adequate veterinary staffing at ports.

The Home Office is not responsible for veterinary staffing at ports and therefore the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on this. Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force, the Food Standards Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Dover Port Health Authority to improve the interception of illegal meat entering England, this includes considering capacity and capabilities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement measures have been implemented at Dover since September 2024.

Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force, the Food Standards Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Dover Port Health Authority (PHA) to improve the interception of illegal products of animal origin entering England via the port of Dover. Enforcement measures implemented at Dover since September 2024 have included seizure and destruction, and these are implemented by Border Force and Dover PHA. To enable this operational activity by Dover PHA, Defra has provided over £14.4m provided since October 2022.

What assessment (a) his Department and (b) GB Energy has made of the capability and capacity of the UK steel industry to provide products for the UK’s renewable energy transition.

Government commissioned a report on the UK steel demand forecast to 2050, to inform the UK steel strategy. The strategy highlights the importance of steel in the clean energy transition. Great British Energy (GBE) is committed to growing the UK’s manufacturing base and delivering enduring, sovereign capabilities in the clean energy technologies of the future. The Energy, Engineered in the UK (EEUK) programme is designed to unlock industrial opportunities from the energy transition and support GBE’s overall ambition to support at least 10,000 jobs through projects funded by 2030. As part of delivering EEUK, GBE are working closely with Make UK and their membership to assess opportunities for UK steel within the energy transition and are actively engaging with the sector. This has included presenting on the EEUK programme to the UK steel committee in March. More information about future funding opportunities will be available to the market in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to implement effective oversight of biosecurity border controls.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department does not oversee import controls for biosecurity, but Border Force is responsible for identifying and seizing illegally imported illegal animals, illegal animal products, illegal plants and plant products in some scenarios. Defra and the Home Office are in active dialogue around practical improvements, including at a recent ministerial bilateral meeting and at meetings of the Goods Border Small Ministerial Group.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure Wales benefits equitably from green hydrogen funding.

The UK Government remains firmly committed to establishing a thriving hydrogen sector across the UK, including in Wales. The Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs) are a flagship government funding mechanism to support low carbon hydrogen across the UK. Under Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 (HAR1), two out of the eleven successful projects were awarded in Wales. These include the HyBont project in Bridgend and the West Wales Hydrogen project in Milford Haven. I was pleased to recently host an event with Minister Shanks to mark the West Wales Hydrogen Project reaching its Final Investment Decision. As part of Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2), three Welsh projects were shortlisted in April 2025, located in Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Magor. I will continue to work with colleagues across government to ensure that Wales is positioned at the forefront of the UK’s clean energy mission to secure the maximum economic benefits and high-quality jobs.

Whether he plans to reform Ofgem’s network investment appraisal processes to better reflect regional economic development and decarbonisation potential.

The Government supports Ofgem in ensuring through its regulation that grid investment benefits communities across Great Britain. In the next electricity distribution price control, ED3 (2028–2033), Ofgem is requiring distribution network operators to develop long term, integrated network development plans informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs). This will help ensure network investment appraisal better reflects regional economic development and decarbonisation potential, while continuing to protect consumers’ interests.

What steps his Department is taking to help unlock private investment in hydrogen infrastructure in Wales.

Wales plays a key role in the development of the UK's hydrogen economy, and I welcome the Milford Haven HAR1 project reaching FID in March this year, with three further shortlisted HAR2 projects in Wales.The Industrial Strategy set out our public finance offer to crowd private investment into clean energy industries, such as hydrogen, across the UK including in Wales. This includes £500m support for hydrogen infrastructure to establish the UK's first regional hydrogen network from 2031, connecting producers with end users. The Government also aims to launch the first hydrogen transport and storage allocation rounds this year.

What discussions he has had with Ofgem on the decision not to fund the HyLine Cymru project; and whether he plans to revisit that decision.

HyLine Cymru applied for development expenditure funding under Ofgem's RIIO2 reopener mechanism. Government subsequently discussed the strategic value of this project with Ofgem who decided not to fund Hyline Cymru due to its lack of large-scale geological storage, which will be needed for the development of a regional hydrogen network. Decisions regarding funding provided under RIIO2 sit with Ofgem and therefore Government does not intend to revisit this decision.