Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107769, what estimate he has made to the Insolvency Service of compliance with Net Zero, sustainability and climate-related disclosure requirements.

I have made no such assessment, however the Insolvency Service’s total emissions have been reported in the Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts since 2012/13. Progress on wider sustainability requirements is reported quarterly to the Department for Business and Trade through the Agency’s Greening Government Commitment (GGC) returns. The Agency adheres to the Greening Government Commitments and the Taskforce on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) guidance.

Whether his Department issues guidance to teams on the proportion of staff time or budget that should be allocated to net zero strategy or corporate sustainability activity.

The department does not issue guidance to teams on the proportion of staff time or budget that should be allocated to net zero strategy or corporate sustainability activity.

What the Competition and Markets Authority’s total expenditure was in 2024–25, broken down by project and function.

The Competition and Markets Authority’s published Annual Report and Accounts contains details of its expenditure, including a breakdown of total gross expenditure by operating segment. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025.

How many Memorandums of Understanding the UK has signed since 5 July 2025, broken down by (a) the countries with which countries they were signed and (b) the policy areas covered by each agreement.

This Department has signed a range of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) since 5 July 2025 to help drive economic growth. However, these are not routinely published or notified to Parliament in line with HMG policy on non-legally binding instruments and in some cases to respect the confidentiality requirements of partner countries. It is, therefore, not possible to provide a full list of MoUs by country and subject area as requested.

What the cost to UK Export Finance was in 2024–25 of expanding its climate stress testing models and scenarios using Network for Greening the Financial System scenarios; what the estimated cost of this work was to the public purse; and whether an estimate has been made of the resulting compliance or financing costs on UK exporters and suppliers.

The work to update UKEF’s climate stress testing models in 2024-25 is in line with industry good practice on financial risk management and uses tools at no extra cost. This work is part of our ongoing responsibilities to meet government risk management requirements and was carried out by UKEF staff within existing resources. As this is an internal risk management exercise, it does not create compliance obligations or financing costs for UK exporters or suppliers.

What staffing or system costs are associated with monitoring, reporting and compliance activity relating to official travel emissions in his Department.

We can confirm that the Department for Business and Trade does not hold any information associated with monitoring, reporting and compliance activity relating to official travel emissions in his Department.

What the cost to UK Export Finance was in 2024–25 of policies, programme changes, due-diligence requirements or staffing linked to net zero, climate or sustainability objectives.

Full details of the activities undertaken by UK Export Finance (UKEF) relating to net zero, climate or sustainability objectives can be found in the UK Export Finance Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

What the cost to the Competition and Markets Authority was in 2024–25 of work related to net zero, sustainability or climate policy, including staff time, research, guidance and enforcement activity.

The data recorded by the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) enables it to track costs across the projects it undertakes and the functions it performs. However, it is not able from this data to accurately estimate the costs incurred in relation to thematic areas such as net zero, sustainability or climate policy.

What the cost was of his Department's initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions in 2024–25, including behavioural programmes, reporting systems and policy compliance activity.

Records are not held that identify the cost of the Department's initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions including behavioural programmes, reporting systems and policy compliance activity.

What the total cost to the British Business Bank was in 2024–25 of policies, programmes and staffing related to net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability or the green economy, broken down by a) programme expenditure, b) staffing costs and c) consultancy and professional services.

The British Business Bank does not record or allocate its costs based on thematic categories such as net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability or the green economy. Its programme expenditure, staffing costs, and consultancy and professional services are managed and reported with reference to the programme or business line to which they relate, rather than by policy objective. For this reason, the Bank is not in a position to provide a breakdown of costs for the year 2024–25 in the format requested.

How much his Department spent on measuring, reporting or validating greenhouse gas emissions across its estate in 2024-25.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for collecting and providing all greenhouse gas emissions data for the estate occupied by the department. The Department for Business and Trade did not incur any third-party costs in 2024–25 for measuring, reporting, or validating greenhouse gas emissions across its estate. The department does not separately record the staff time spent analysing or processing this data.

What additional costs were incurred by his Department as a result of Net Zero or sustainability requirements applied to procurement contracts over £10,000 in 2024-25.

My department did not incur any additional costs as a result of Net Zero or sustainability requirements applied to procurement contracts over £10,000 in 2024-25.

When his Department's steel strategy will be published.

The Government is developing a Steel Strategy to be published in early 2026 that will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there. The strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals.

What funding his Department allocated for the development of its planned Net Zero strategy and action plan, including staffing and consultancy costs in the 2025-26 financial year.

Separate funding for the department's corporate sustainability activity, including net zero strategy and action planning, is not allocated. The associated work is dispersed across several functions and it is not possible to identify the cost of this. No consultancy costs have been funded or incurred in the 2025/26 financial year to date.

What the cost to the Insolvency Service was of Net Zero, sustainability or climate-related policies in 2024–25, including changes to operational practice, reporting and staff roles.

During 2024–25, the costs associated with supporting the Government’s Net Zero, sustainability and climate related policies were £196,065.88. These were primarily related to staff time delivering mandatory disclosures and requirements including Greening Government Commitments and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. This figure comprises of staff salary costs and other costs associated with the online legal register, professional memberships and sustainability training. No direct expenditure was incurred on sustainability initiatives.

What his Department's spend was on sustainability and Net Zero-related estate activity managed via the Government Property Agency in 2024–25 , including a) energy efficiency measures, b) climate adaptation work and c) reporting and monitoring systems.

The department has not incurred any expenditure on energy efficiency measures, climate adaptation work and reporting and monitoring systems associated with estate activity managed via the Government Property Agency in 2024–25.

What the cost to Post Office Limited was in 2024–25 of Net Zero, sustainability and decarbonisation initiatives; and how much of that cost was met through direct government support.

Post Office Limited laid its FY 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts in Parliament in December 2025. The Annual Report details the company’s policy on net zero, and is available here: post-office-limited_2025-ara-signed.pdfThe Department does not directly fund Post Office’s net zero initiatives.

How much his Department spent in 2024-25 on external consultants, advisers or delivery partners in relation to Net Zero, sustainability, decarbonisation and green economy programmes; and which firms were contracted.

My department is committed to supporting Net Zero goals and advancing Clean Energy initiatives. In 2024, the UK signed a Government-to-Government Arrangement with the Dominican Republic to help deliver infrastructure projects that promote mutual economic growth. This project provided recommendations to prioritise renewable energy projects aligned with national targets and opportunities for UK supply chain involvement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 95965, what assessment his Department has made of whether the £8 to £13 per tonne electricity cost differential faced by UK steel producers reflects any difference in the quality or specification of steel produced, expressed as a percentage where possible.

The energy intensity factor used only relates to the production of crude or liquid steel, which is not further treated or rolled into specific products. The electricity cost differential per tonne of steel between specific plants will depend on various factors including electrical conversion efficiency, material inputs, and further quality and specification of the final steel product produced.

What the net zero targets for their Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued to those bodies on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008, is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual departments or arms-length bodies.Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.Defra are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with government priorities.