Written questions by Baldwin.

With reference to the document entitled Implementing the Employment Rights Bill: Roadmap, published on 1 July 2025, whether his Department plans to publish a cost-benefit analysis of the phased implementation approach outlined in that document.

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessmentsThis represents the best estimate for the likely impacts, given the current stage of policy development. We already intend to publish further analysis, both in the form of an Enactment Impact Assessment when the Bill secures Royal Assent and further assessments when we consult on proposed regulations, to meet our Better Regulation requirements

What assessment his Department has made on the potential impact of the accelerated Trade Strategy timetable on business planning.

The Government published its Trade Strategy on 26 June which was positively received by business. The Government will work closely with stakeholders on the implementation of the strategy, to ensure that resources are prioritised to deliver on key commitments such as opening new export and market opportunities and strengthening our trade defence capabilities.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the UK Export Finance expansion reaches small businesses.

Recognising the impact of the support it offers, the government recently increased UK Export Finance’s maximum commitment limit to £80 billion, enabling it to expand its finance support for UK businesses of all sizes.In 2023 to 2024, 88% of the businesses UKEF directly supported were SMEs. Its most popular product was the General Export Facility, which helped businesses to access around £576 million in working capital support.UKEF has an ambition to support over 1,000 SMEs by 2029 and will continue to innovate and launch new products, working with a wider range of banks and non-bank financial institutions to tailor the financing support that the UK’s SME exporters need.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade of 1 July 2025 in the debate on Hospitality Sector, Official Report, column 81WH, if he will publish reports produced by the licencing taskforce.

The taskforce was co-chaired by Nick Mackenzie, Chair of the British Beer & Pub Association and CEO of Greene King, one of the UK’s leading pub retailers and brewers, and I as Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports. Other members include industry representatives and experts, police and local authority representatives. It concluded on 23 March 2025 and provided Government with ten key licensing recommendations to consider. Government is currently in the process of reviewing these recommendations and will respond in due course.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade of 1 July 2025 in the debate on Hospitality Sector, Official Report, column 81WH, when he plans to make an announcement on his Department’s response to the licensing taskforce's recent report.

The Department for Business and Trade is working across Government to review the recommendations put forward in the licensing taskforce report. This review is currently being finalised, we plan to publish the report alongside the Government’s response this summer.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade of 1 July 2025 in the debate on Hospitality Sector, Official Report, column 81WH, what the membership of the licensing taskforce is.

The Taskforce Terms of Reference and membership is published: Terms of Reference and taskforce member list - GOV.UK

How much funding has been allocated to the Post Office in each year of the 2025 Spending Review period.

The settlement following the Spending Review provides investment of over £500 million over the Parliament to modernise the Post Office, including £86 million from the Transformation Fund. This will allow the Post Office to implement its Strategic Transformation Plan, including the replacement of the legacy Horizon computer system, and will put the Post Office and the crucial services its network provides on a more sustainable footing. The Spending Review settlement also ensures the Department will have maximum capacity and flexibility to provide full redress to the victims of the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal as quickly as possible. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government set aside £1.8 billion of funding for redress payments from 2024-25 in addition to around £200 million that had already been distributed.

Whether conditions were attached to the funding provided to British Steel to ensure (a) value for money and (b) long term sustainability.

Funding is provided to British Steel under the provisions of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act. This funding is supported by wider powers under the Act to ensure it results in the safe and continued operation of steelmaking. All funding released to British Steel is reviewed and approved in advance, and is subject to the usual value-for-money considerations. The intervention is a temporary measure and work is continuing to determine the best long-term sustainable future for the site.

With reference to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 and the £94 million announced to save the Scunthorpe plant and British Steel, how much further funding has been provided to British Steel since this announcement; and whether that funding was in the form of (a) grants, (b) loans or (c) guarantees.

Funding of approximately £130m in total has been provided to British Steel to ensure continued operation of the blast furnaces.

What steps he is taking to help protect (a) jobs and (b) supply chains which are dependent on British Steel.

Steel is a priority for this Government. As shown with the passing of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act on 12 April, this Government will not hesitate to take unprecedented steps to safeguard the future of steelmaking in the UK, protecting jobs, national security and supply chains.Since the legislation was passed on 12 April, we have acted round the clock to secure the raw materials needed to keep the blast furnaces operating safely at Scunthorpe. British Steel, the UK’s only manufacturer of rail, has secured a new £500 million long-term supply contract with Network Rail, and the statutory redundancy consultation initiated by British Steel’s owners, Jingye, has been cancelled, removing the immediate risk to 2,700 jobs.

What the value was of his Department's activities which (a) lapsed and (b)were cancelled as a result of the 2025 zero-based budget review.

DBT conducted a comprehensive zero-based review as part of SR25 to identify a range of savings and efficiencies, including agreeing bespoke technical efficiency targets and delivery plans for day-today budgets with the Office for Value or Money. Through this work, DBT has committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiencies target.The department is now setting multi-year budgets, through which final decisions will be made on any activities which will be cancelled, or allowed to lapse.

What programmes in his Department were not (a) renewed and (b) cancelled as a result of the zero-based budget review.

DBT conducted a comprehensive zero-based review as part of SR25 to identify a range of savings and efficiencies, including agreeing bespoke technical efficiency targets and delivery plans for day-today budgets with the Office for Value or Money. Through this work, DBT has committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiencies target.The department is now setting multi-year budgets, through which final decisions will be made on any activities which will be cancelled, or allowed to lapse.

Which businesses have used the Office for Investment since October 2024.

The Office for Investment (OfI) facilitates high-value, strategically important inward investment into the UK. As a dedicated concierge service, it provides a seamless journey for investors, unlocking high-impact opportunities and accelerating delivery of the government’s growth priorities.Recently expanded to enhance its capabilities, the OfI played a pivotal role in securing the £63 billion announced at the International Investment Summit in October 2024. Since then, it has helped attract billions more across key Industrial Strategy sectors, including from Universal, Vishay, Vantage, Knauf, Rheinmetall, and Lendlease.A full list of companies cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivities.

What the conversion success rate for inward investment deals managed by the Office for Investment is since October 2024.

The Office for Investment (OfI) facilitates high-value, strategically important inward investment into the UK. As a dedicated concierge service, it provides a seamless journey for investors, unlocking high-impact opportunities and accelerating delivery of the government’s growth priorities.Recently expanded to enhance its capabilities, the OfI played a pivotal role in securing the £63 billion announced at the International Investment Summit in October 2024. Since then, it has helped attract billions more across key Industrial Strategy sectors, including from Universal, Vishay, Vantage, Knauf, Rheinmetall, and Lendlease.A full list of companies cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivities.

What the value was of inward investment deals for the Office of Investment in (a) October 2024 and (b) June 2025.

The Office for Investment (OfI) facilitates high-value, strategically important inward investment into the UK. As a dedicated concierge service, it provides a seamless journey for investors, unlocking high-impact opportunities and accelerating delivery of the government’s growth priorities.Recently expanded to enhance its capabilities, the OfI played a pivotal role in securing the £63 billion announced at the International Investment Summit in October 2024. Since then, it has helped attract billions more across key Industrial Strategy sectors, including from Universal, Vishay, Vantage, Knauf, Rheinmetall, and Lendlease.A full list of companies cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivities.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the UK-US trade deal on the energy sector.

On 16 June, we announced concrete progress towards the implementation of the UK-US trade deal as agreed on 8 May. We continue to work closely with the energy sector to understand the impacts of the UK-US trade deal.The government is committed to supporting the UK’s energy sector, including through our Industrial Strategy in which Clean Energy Industries is one of the eight growth sectors.

Whether his Department plans to issue embargoed copies of the industrial strategy.

The Industrial Strategy will be published shortly, and the department is currently finalising plans for publication.

What budget was allocated to the Office for Investment in the spending review 2025.

£3.8 billion was allocated to The Department for Business and Trade as part of the Spending Review, which includes funding for the Office for Investment (OfI). As set out previously, (9th June), the OfI's budget for FY 2025/6 is £24,671,291.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the research published by IoD entitled IoD research finds employment law reforms will damage UK economic growth, published on 6 June 2025.

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis includes con-sideration of impacts on economic growth. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessmentsThis represents the best estimate for the likely impacts, including on economic growth, given the current stage of policy development. We are refining our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.The department regularly meets with the Institute of Directors to discuss a range of policies included in the Employment Rights Bill and, as with all stakeholders, we value the insight they provide.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Record-breaking International Investment Summit secures £63 billion and nearly 38,000 jobs for the UK, published on 14 October 2024, what the regional breakdown is of those jobs.

The figures released as part of the International Investment Summit last autumn are aggregate values of investment plans from several multi-national enterprises. The Office for Investment does not hold information from companies on the regional breakdown of their job proposals in their investment plans.