Written questions by Shastri-Hurst.

How many FTE civil servants primarily focus on China policy; and their grades.

As of 15 April 2026, there are 34.5 FTE civil servants in DBT and based in the UK who work in the China Team or have a role that includes China as the primary focus. However, these individuals may also perform duties unrelated to China policy. There are additional staff members who contribute to China policy, although it may not be their primary responsibility.” GradeFTEEO0.5HEO6SEO9Fast Streamer1Grade 713Grade 64SCS 11Total34.5

What his planned timetable is for (a) completing negotiations on and (b) implementing the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal announced on 8 May 2025.

Talks with the US are ongoing, and the Secretary of State met with his counterpart Jamieson Greer at the OECD on 3 June to progress implementation of the General Terms of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal and ensure businesses feel the benefits as soon as possible.The government continues to engage intensively with the US to complete negotiations on the Economic Prosperity Deal at pace and will update on progress in due course.

What steps he is taking to ensure that UK businesses trading with China are not complicit in the use of forced labour.

No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chains. The UK recognises the importance of ensuring UK businesses are not complicit in forced labour, in line with the UN Guiding Principle on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial businesses operating in the UK with a turnover of £36m or more must report annually on their steps to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. The Home Office has published new statutory guidance, providing more practical and comprehensive advice for businesses to enhance their fight against modern slavery.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of strategic dependencies on Chinese supply chains for (a) semiconductors, (b) pharmaceuticals, (c) rare earth elements and (d) other critical sectors on (i) national security and (ii) UK-China policy.

This government recognises the importance of strong and resilient supply chains to the UK's growth and economic security. While it would be counterproductive to 'de-couple' the UK economy from China or any other trading partner, we agree with many of our international counterparts that we must reduce our risk of dependency in critical industries.The Department for Business and Trade is strengthening the UK's resilience both through sector programmes and the upcoming Trade, Industrial and Critical Minerals Strategies. These Strategies will outline more on our plans for resilience-building, including in the foundational sectors targeted by the Industrial Strategy.

What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the coordination of (a) trade and (b) investment policies relating to the People’s Republic of China.

The UK regularly engages with international partners regarding trade and investment policies, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora such as the World Trade Organisation.With regards to China specifically, the UK's overall approach is to cooperate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must. During my visit to China in April, I held frank and honest discussions with my counterparts on the opportunities and challenges in the bilateral trade relationship, including improving overall reciprocity in market access, raising UK concerns on level playing field issues and market distorting practices and discussing economic security issues.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to provide advice on Standard Individual Export Licence applications for dual-use goods to Ukraine on (a) UK defence technology exports and (b) Ukraine's non-military resilience; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those applications are processed in a timely manner.

All export licence applications to Ukraine are treated with the highest priority by the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU). As with all export licence applications, assessments are made on a case-by-case basis according to the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. Assessments for Ukraine, given the situation within the country and the nature of the goods often being exported, mean these cases are some of the most complex for ECJU to process. In the most recent period covered by our official statistics in development i.e. July to September 2024, we processed 79% of SIELs for Ukraine within 20 working days, exceeding our public target of 70%.