Written questions by Stone.

What assessment he has made of i) the levels of the ammonia production in the UK ii) the security of supply of imported ammonia and iii) the rising costs of fertilisers as a result of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

The UK does not manufacture ammonia in significant volumes. CF Fertilisers made the commercial decision to switch to an import model of ammonia in 2022. Whilst there has been a significant increase in ammonia costs due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, there has been no assertion yet that supply is not secure.Recent market volatility has seen an increase in fertiliser prices, reflecting global conditions rather than any immediate supply disruption to the UK. The government is in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply and pricing in the UK.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of flexible and hybrid working arrangements on workforce participation, productivity, and retention, particularly for parents, carers, disabled workers, and employees facing long commutes or high transport costs.

The Government recognises that flexible working helps people achieve a better work life balance, which can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees. Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working, can be particularly valuable for those with health conditions, caring responsibilities or significant travel-to-work requirements.The post-implementation review of the 2014 flexible working reforms, which can be found on Gov.uk website, considers how access to flexibility has supported labour market participation among groups who face barriers to entering and staying in work. The Government will continue to monitor the impacts of recent and upcoming reforms to the flexible working framework.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help SMEs adopt digital technology.

To support more small businesses’ digitisation efforts, we announced at Budget 2024 that we would extend the work of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of industry experts and focuses on addressing the challenge of how to support SMEs to adopt and implement productivity-enhancing technologies, such as customer relationship management, accountancy, and resource planning software. We intend to publish a summary of the Taskforce’s draft recommendations soon and their full report will be published later this year.We will be announcing further measures shortly.