Written questions by Baldwin.

What discussions he has had with businesses on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Act on (a) the number of entry level jobs, (b) the number of part time roles and (c) the overall workforce headcount.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of guaranteed hours provisions on (a) access to entry level employment and (b) labour market flexibility.

Awaiting answer.

How much funding will be available to support students undertaking study placements in Canada under mobility schemes in the (a) 2026–27 and (b) 2027–28 academic year.

Awaiting answer.

How much funding will be available to support students undertaking study placements in Australia under mobility schemes in the (a) 2026–27 and (b) 2027–28 academic year.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate she has made of the total funding that will be available to support UK students undertaking study placements in New Zealand under Government-backed mobility schemes in the academic years (a) 2024–25 and (b) 2025–26.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate she has made of the number of income tax payers in tax year ending April 2026 with taxable income of a) between £90,000 and £99,999 b) £100,000-£109,999 and c) £110,000 to £119,999.

HMRC publish the distribution of total income before tax in Table 3.3 of the Personal Incomes Statistics, linked below. Personal Incomes Statistics for the tax year 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK

What estimate her Department has made of the number of additional teachers funded in Worcestershire with the proceeds from VAT on school fees.

Reforms to VAT and business rates will raise around £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30, helping to deliver the government’s commitments relating to education and young people. This measure will raise essential revenue that will be invested in our public services, including the £1.7 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2026/27, taking total funding to £67 billion. This increase will support schools to recruit the staff they need, including in Worcestershire.The department is investing further to deliver on our pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers and ensure sufficient high-quality teachers in all schools. These include teacher training bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free and a targeted retention incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 for early career teachers in disadvantaged areas. 19 schools in the Worcestershire local authority area are eligible for the TRI.We are making good progress with the workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. In Worcestershire local authority area, the number of secondary and special school teachers has grown to 4,797, the highest on record for this area.

What estimate she has made of the number of additional teachers employed in state schools in Worcestershire since the addition of VAT on independent school fees was enacted.

Reforms to VAT and business rates will raise around £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30, helping to deliver the government’s commitments relating to education and young people. This measure will raise essential revenue that will be invested in our public services, including the £1.7 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2026/27, taking total funding to £67 billion. This increase will support schools to recruit the staff they need, including in Worcestershire.The department is investing further to deliver on our pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers and ensure sufficient high-quality teachers in all schools. These include teacher training bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free and a targeted retention incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 for early career teachers in disadvantaged areas. 19 schools in the Worcestershire local authority area are eligible for the TRI.We are making good progress with the workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. In Worcestershire local authority area, the number of secondary and special school teachers has grown to 4,797, the highest on record for this area.

What his planned upper limit is for (a) overall contributions and (b) annual contributions from the public purse for support for the UK steel industry.

The government is committed to providing up to £2.5 billion to support the UK steel industry, which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund 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. The £3 billion is intended for initiatives such as electric arc furnaces and other improvements to UK capabilities. The annual allocation of these funds will depend on ministerial decisions and on companies meeting delivery milestones.

Whether his Department has determined a (a) budget, (b) repayment schedule and (c) end date for its intervention in British Steel.

Budgets for British Steel are subject to the usual government approvals processes and ministerial decisions. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets, with no additional borrowing required. Funding provided to British Steel Limited is recoverable as a debt owed to the Crown. Recoverability of this debt will be further assessed at year-end, and the resulting treatment will be reflected and published in the Department for Business and Trade’s accounts for 2025-26. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of BSL.

Whether he plans to publish an Impact Assessment for the UK Steel Strategy.

We continue to engage with industry and other stakeholders as we move into the delivery phase of the steel strategy, following its publication on the 19 March. This includes work to implement the new trade defence measure ahead of the 1 July. The publication of any further information will be considered as this progresses. The steel strategy reaffirms the government’s commitment to spend up to £2.5 billion on the steel sector. Building on the direct support provided so far, the National Wealth Fund will be the main mechanism for providing finance for investment in the steel sector. It is actively seeking engagement with steel firms for strong, investible projects. Allocations are subject to the usual government approvals processes and ministerial decisions. All support for the steel sector has been drawn from existing government budgets, with no additional borrowing or trade-offs required.

Whether other departmental budget lines are being reduced to fund the UK Steel Strategy.

We continue to engage with industry and other stakeholders as we move into the delivery phase of the steel strategy, following its publication on the 19 March. This includes work to implement the new trade defence measure ahead of the 1 July. The publication of any further information will be considered as this progresses. The steel strategy reaffirms the government’s commitment to spend up to £2.5 billion on the steel sector. Building on the direct support provided so far, the National Wealth Fund will be the main mechanism for providing finance for investment in the steel sector. It is actively seeking engagement with steel firms for strong, investible projects. Allocations are subject to the usual government approvals processes and ministerial decisions. All support for the steel sector has been drawn from existing government budgets, with no additional borrowing or trade-offs required.

Whether he has made provisional allocations for the £2.5 billion assigned to the UK Steel Strategy.

We continue to engage with industry and other stakeholders as we move into the delivery phase of the steel strategy, following its publication on the 19 March. This includes work to implement the new trade defence measure ahead of the 1 July. The publication of any further information will be considered as this progresses. The steel strategy reaffirms the government’s commitment to spend up to £2.5 billion on the steel sector. Building on the direct support provided so far, the National Wealth Fund will be the main mechanism for providing finance for investment in the steel sector. It is actively seeking engagement with steel firms for strong, investible projects. Allocations are subject to the usual government approvals processes and ministerial decisions. All support for the steel sector has been drawn from existing government budgets, with no additional borrowing or trade-offs required.

How long he plans to keep a blast furnace at Scunthorpe.

There are approximately 3,000 workers at British Steel’s Scunthorpe site. British Steel remains owned by Jingye and HM Government’s powers to intervene under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 are designed to maintain steelmaking and avoid a disorderly closure of the blast furnaces.We are in discussions with the owner, which remain confidential, to find a pragmatic and realistic solution.

How many jobs at Scunthorpe are supported by the blast furnace.

There are approximately 3,000 workers at British Steel’s Scunthorpe site. British Steel remains owned by Jingye and HM Government’s powers to intervene under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 are designed to maintain steelmaking and avoid a disorderly closure of the blast furnaces.We are in discussions with the owner, which remain confidential, to find a pragmatic and realistic solution.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of steel tariffs on inflation.

The UK’s steel industry is fundamental to UK manufacturing, the UK’s critical national infrastructure and defence. Steel overcapacity is distorting markets, artificially driving down prices and threatening the viability of our already fragile domestic steelmaking sector – which has more than halved in the last decade.Our aim is to strike the right balance: while the measure aims to ensure continued viability of UK steel production, we have considered the impact of supply for downstream sectors in the design of this measure.

What estimate he has made of tariff revenue from steel imports.

From 1 July 2026, steel import quotas will be reduced by 60% compared with the steel safeguard, with a 50% tariff on imports exceeding these levels.The purpose of the trade measure is not to raise tariff revenue, and therefore we have not made any estimates. Instead, it aims to protect UK steel-making, which is essential for our critical national infrastructure and defence. The Steel Strategy aims to restore us to a balanced approach between UK demand being met through imports and through domestic production.

What recent progress his Department has made in its negotiations with Jingye over British Steel.

There are approximately 3,000 workers at British Steel’s Scunthorpe site. British Steel remains owned by Jingye and HM Government’s powers to intervene under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 are designed to maintain steelmaking and avoid a disorderly closure of the blast furnaces.We are in discussions with the owner, which remain confidential, to find a pragmatic and realistic solution.

What estimate he has made of the value of British Steel.

There are approximately 3,000 workers at British Steel’s Scunthorpe site. British Steel remains owned by Jingye and HM Government’s powers to intervene under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 are designed to maintain steelmaking and avoid a disorderly closure of the blast furnaces.We are in discussions with the owner, which remain confidential, to find a pragmatic and realistic solution.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of steel tariffs on the number of jobs in UK manufacturing sectors.

Steel is essential for a modern economy such as the UK, underpinning key industries from construction to advanced manufacturing and defence. The trade measure introduced on 19 March aims to address critical global steel overcapacity challenges that threaten the viability of UK steelmaking, which supports approximately 40,000 direct jobs and 61,000 upstream supply chain jobs. From 1 July 2026, reduced import quotas with 50% tariffs on imports once quotas are exceeded will protect domestic production capacity, helping secure these high-quality UK steelmaking jobs that pay on average 32% above local wages.