Written questions by Chadwick.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Business Secretary fortifies UK steel industry, published on 16 February 2026, how much of the £2.5 billion fund has been (a) allocated and (b) released.

The government is committed to providing up to £2.5 billon to support the UK steel industry, which is being delivered in part through the NWF and in part through direct support for companies. This is in addition to the £500 million investment for Tata Steel in Port Talbot, bringing the total investment in the steel industry to up to £3 billion.Funding for the sector is already being released through direct support for companies. This includes the grant to Tata Steel at Port Talbot, support for the Official Receiver’s sale process for Speciality Steels UK sites including Rotherham and Stocksbridge, and in securing the capabilities of British Steel at Scunthorpe. To date, funding of approximately £370 million has been provided to British Steel.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for Access to Work award decisions and reimbursements payments on access to jobs for disabled people, including people living with multiple sclerosis.

We recognise the importance of clearing the backlog, which is why last year we increased the number of staff working in this area by 27% and we have continued to streamline delivery practices. To protect employment opportunities, case managers prioritise Access to Work applications where the customer is due to start a job within four weeks, or cases that are up for renewal. In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are considering all aspects of the scheme as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.

Whether he plans to take steps in response to the CMA Road Fuel Monitoring Annual report 2025.

The Government notes the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) annual road fuel monitoring report, which found that competition hasn’t strengthened since the CMA’s Market Study published in July 2023, and that fuel margins remain consistently high and are not explained by operating costs. The Government has implemented the recommendations made by the CMA, including the launch of Fuel Finder, which now requires all petrol stations in the UK to report their prices within 30 minutes of a change. This scheme aims to increase price transparency and help drivers to compare prices easily and make more informed decisions on where to buy their fuel.

What assessment he has made of the powers given to the Competitions and Marketing Authority on the adequacy of competition in the fuel market sector for rural communities consumer.

The Government provided statutory powers to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to monitor the road fuel market and assess whether competition is working effectively for consumers, including those in rural communities. The CMA’s recent annual report found that fuel margins remain high and are not explained by operating costs. In line with the CMA’s recommendations, the Government has implemented the statutory Fuel Finder scheme, which requires all petrol stations in the UK to report their fuel prices within 30 minutes of a change, and is intended to improve price transparency, increase competition and lower prices across the UK including for rural consumers.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many lorries of perishable goods have been refused entry into Europe at the French border under the sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements in the last year.

Data on UK consignments refused entry at French Border Control Posts is generated and owned by the competent authorities in France, who are responsible for any publication or wider disclosure. We recognise that some GB exporters have seen an increase in rejections over the past year, reflecting the EU’s decision to reinforce sanitary and phytosanitary controls on commodities entering the EU. Our priority is to ensure that UK goods exported to the EU meet all relevant EU SPS requirements, and we continue to support businesses in doing so. The UK has begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement to make agrifood trade cheaper and easier for producers and retailers.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the Child Maintenance Service policy in establishing the Paying Parent, in the context of changes in societal norms and the increase in co-parenting and shared parenting arrangements.

The person providing primary care of the child and with whom the child lives is entitled to make an application for child maintenance. This is known as the receiving parent. The receiving parent is determined by which parent looks after the child most of the time. For example, with whom the child has their home and who usually provides day to day care for the child. The Child Maintenance Calculation can be amended to reflect co-parenting and shared parenting arrangements. A paying parent’s maintenance liability can be reduced where they have overnight care of a child for whom they pay maintenance. This reduction is intended to broadly reflect the cost associated with any overnight care given. The paying parent must have overnight care of any qualifying children for at least 52 nights a year, equivalent to 1 night per week. The amount payable is reduced to a maximum of 50 per cent within bands based on the number of days overnight care is provided over a 12-month period. The CMS uses bands based on the number of days overnight care is provided, to ensure a fair, consistent, and administratively efficient method of accounting for the costs borne by each parent. If the CMS is satisfied that both parents have equal day-to-day care for the child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance. There is no statutory definition of day-to-day care, our definition is broadly aligned with that of Child Benefit, where an ‘overall care test’ is used. This provides consistency across government and receipt of Child Benefit is regarded as a good indicator of who is entitled to child maintenance payments.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposals for the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the competitiveness and decarbonisation of the UK steel sector.

We are monitoring the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). As UK steel is covered by a domestic carbon price under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the sector is expected to face lower CBAM liabilities compared with goods from jurisdictions which do not incur a domestic carbon price.The sector may still face costs of providing emissions data to EU importers to support compliance. We are engaging with the European Commission on ETS linking, to facilitate a mutual UK-EU CBAM exemption in due course.The Government will introduce its own CBAM from January 2027 to protect against carbon leakage.

What estimate she has made of the number of Plan 2 student loan borrowers residing in Wales who will repay at the higher interest threshold as a result of the freeze to the Plan 2 repayment threshold.

Education is a devolved matter. It is for the Welsh government to confirm threshold levels in Wales.

What estimate she has made of the number of Plan 2 student loan borrowers residing in Wales who will begin making repayments as a result of the freeze to the Plan 2 repayment threshold.

Education is a devolved matter. It is for the Welsh government to confirm threshold levels in Wales.

What estimate she has made of the number of Plan 2 student loan borrowers who will begin making repayments as a result of the freeze to the Plan 2 repayment threshold.

The department currently forecasts around 240,000 additional English Plan 2 loans (4.8% of all English Plan 2 loans for which borrowers are eligible to make repayments) will see a repayment in financial year 2030/31 given the announced threshold freeze when compared to a scenario with inflationary increases to thresholds. These are current estimates and are subject to change given updates to economic forecasts and other key forecast inputs. The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on the number of borrowers forecast to make obligatory repayments, alongside other borrower impacts.

What estimate she has made of the number of Plan 2 student loan borrowers who will repay at the higher interest threshold as a result of the freeze to the Plan 2 repayment threshold.

Freezing the Plan 2 repayment and interest rate thresholds for English borrowers means the upper threshold, used for calculating the variable portion of Plan 2 interest rates, will be lower than previously projected. This means more borrowers will be charged the highest rate of interest but only where their income increases.The department does not break down estimates of loan borrower numbers by the rate of interest paid.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a fuel duty rebate linked to emissions reductions to encourage the use of low carbon fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is a relatively new fuel and has limited availability in the UK. When used for domestic heating, HVO benefits from the rebated duty rate of 10.18p per litre, in contrast to the full duty rate of 52.95p per litre. The Government currently encourages the use of HVO through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), which incentivises the use of low carbon fuels and reduces emissions from fuel supplied for use in transport and non-road mobile machinery. The RTFO has been very successful in supporting a market for renewable fuel since its introduction in 2008. Renewable fuels supplied under the RTFO currently contribute a third of the savings required for the UK’s transport carbon budget.

With reference to analysis cited in the Road Haulage Association’s 2025 Autumn Budget Submission, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in fuel duty on household living standards.

At Budget 2025, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to early 2022 levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the government uprating fuel duty rates by RPI from April 2027. This will save the average car driver £49 next year compared to previous plans. The Government has set out estimated impacts on household incomes from tax, welfare and public service spending decisions taken at Budget 2025, including eVED. These impacts are available at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69269c6222424e25e6bc31bb/Impact_on_households.pdf

What steps her department is taking to harmonise customs processes between the UK and EU.

The Government and HMRC continue to speak to the European Commission, including on topics such as customs processes to ensure that those processes are operating smoothly and to identify opportunities for future collaboration.

What steps his Department is taking to increase domestic processing capacity for steel scrap.

The Government recognises that the UK steel industry's shift towards electric arc furnaces will elevate the importance of high-quality scrap as a material for UK steelmaking. The Government is committed to working with the supply chain to generate the conditions for growth and we are actively listening to the perspectives of all involved parties. Companies can also approach the National Wealth Fund, which has a remit to invest in the steel supply chain, in line with its investment principles.

Whether her Department is taking steps with the French authorities on the development of an app for remote registration at the Short Straits crossing following the rollout of the EU Entry Exit System.

We continue to engage Member States, including France, on the use of technology for remote EES registration. Ultimately, this is a matter for the European Commission and Member States.

Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the planned further engagement and call for evidence on the rationale for the payment on the commission on park homes.

The government recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

Whether she plans to ensure that UK steel producers are not subject to additional decarbonisation-related charges that could impact their competitiveness relative to overseas producers.

The government is committed to supporting the UK steel sector and we will publish our strategy for the sector in 2026. This will articulate what is needed to create a competitive environment and to secure UK steelmaking capability.

What steps his Department is taking ahead of the 2026 review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to reduce non-tariff barriers affecting UK–EU goods movements.

We are committed to making trade with our largest and most important partner easier by removing unnecessary barriers to trade. We are negotiating with the EU on a number of issues that will slash red tape for businesses, including an SPS agreement to sweep away the majority of regulatory barriers for agrifood products, and tackle wider barriers to trade in organic products and key agri-food marketing standards. This agreement could increase the volume of UK exports of major agricultural commodities to the EU by 16%. We continue to engage the EU through established channels, including relevant UK-EU Trade Specialised Committees.

What representations has he made to BP over the use of British steel in the Net Zero Teesside project.

The department regularly engages with key CCUS stakeholders, including BP, to understand progress towards the industry-led, voluntary 50% local content target. The department has emphasised in discussions with industry partners the importance of supporting the UK steel sector and maximising opportunities for British businesses within the UK’s transition to net zero. There has already been extensive investment in the CCUS supply chain, with £1 bn in UK-based subcontracts already being awarded across the Net Zero Teesside project and its associated CO2 Transport and Storage Company, the Northern Endurance Partnership, both of which are BP led. This demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting domestic industry and jobs. The department will continue to explore further opportunities to maximise the role of the UK supply chain and we look forward to working closely with BP and other developers to achieve this.