Written questions by Pochin.

What assessment has been made of whether public procurement policy adequately supports domestically produced construction materials.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the impact of cumulative regulatory and reporting requirements on investment in UK cement manufacturing.

No specific assessment has been made on the impact of cumulative regulatory and reporting requirements on investment in the UK cement industry, however, the Government routinely considers impacts on business when developing new regulations and reporting r...

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of existing (a) tax, (b) regulatory and (c) carbon-related costs on long-term capital investment in energy-intensive manufacturing.

No specific assessment on the impact of existing tax, regulatory or carbon-related costs on long-term capital investment in energy-intensive manufacturing has been conducted. However, the Government routinely considers the impact of existing and new polic...

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of current (a) tax, (b) carbon and (c) regulatory requirements on retention of heavy industry in the UK.

While no specific assessment on the impact of existing tax, regulatory or carbon-related costs on retention of UK heavy industry has been conducted, the Government regularly engages with relevant heavy industry trade associations and businesses to conside...

Why the cement manufacturing sector is not eligible for the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme and whether cement could be included.

I recognise the importance of the cement sector to the UK economy; which will play an essential role in delivering this Government’s commitment to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliamentary term. At the last eligibility review for the En...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to commission an updated assessment of the employment impacts of extended producer responsibility for packaging on the UK glass manufacturing sector.

The Department is monitoring implementation and impacts through the wider Collection and Packaging Reforms evaluation programme. We will continue to consider evidence from scheme delivery and from engagement with industry stakeholders, including the glass...

Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for publishing (a) the circular economy strategy and (b) call for evidence on reusable containers.

Defra intend to publish the Circular Economy Growth Plan and launch a call for evidence on reusable packaging soon. The department continues to drive circularity through a range of activities. This includes the recent publication of guidance to support En...

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the glass sector on extended producer responsibility.

I, together with my officials, together with PackUK, have engaged regularly with the glass sector on Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, including with British Glass. This engagement has included issues such as the development of the fee metho...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of packaging Extended Producer Responsibility on employment in the packaging manufacturing sector

The Government published an updated assessment in October 2024 of the impact of introducing packaging Extended Producer Responsibility. The impact assessment for pEPR provided high level estimates of the total costs to business. The Department has not pub...

What assessment his Department has made of trends in cement imports over the last ten years.

The Department for Business and Trade routinely considers import volumes of cement. We also maintain close contact with the Mineral Products Association, the sector’s main trade association, and individual businesses to consider issues facing the sector.T...

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of extended producer responsibility on levels of plastic packaging.

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging is part of the Government’s broader Collection and Packaging Reforms, including Simpler Recycling and the Deposit Return Scheme. From 2026/27 (Year 2) onwards, pEPR fees will be modulated to ensure that packa...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on (a) net employment, (b) (i) job displacement and (ii) employ

The Government published an updated assessment in October 2024 of the impact of introducing packaging Extended Producer Responsibility. The impact assessment for pEPR provided high level estimates of the total costs to business. The Department has not pub...

Food and Rural Affairs, what modelling and analysis her Department holds on the number of jobs estimated to be created as a result of packaging Extended Producer Responsibility.

The Government published an updated assessment in October 2024 of the impact of introducing packaging Extended Producer Responsibility. The impact assessment for pEPR provided high level estimates of the total costs to business. The Department has not pub...

Whether his Department has plans for contingency arrangements in the event of disruption to payroll services under the Synergy programme.

Synergy will make go-live decisions based on the proven stability of the new platform and will run a number of parallel payroll runs, to ensure successful transition and continuity of service. The programme has contractual agreements in place with the inc...

If subsidising carbon capture of certain industrial assets and not others is anti-competitive and risks creating a low carbon monopoly.

Government support for Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) has been designed to be compliant with the UK’s subsidy control regime. Support is awarded through transparent and competitive processes, with clear eligibility and assessment criteria, and d...

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of UK industrial electricity prices on the international competitiveness of UK-based energy-intensive manufacturing sectors.

The Government recognises the pressure high energy costs place on businesses. Through the British Industry Supercharger, the Government is increasing network charge discounts from 60% to 90% since April 2026 for energy‑intensive industries. In addition, t...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Synergy shared services programme on data security.

Synergy places the utmost importance on data security and has contractual conditions with suppliers to specify its data remains in the control of the UK Government. The Synergy team works closely with the data protection and security experts in the Synerg...

How contractor performance under the Synergy programme will be monitored and enforced.

The Synergy programme is working with its partners actively to monitor effectiveness, and has a strong governance framework in place to monitor delivery, risk and overall performance. In addition, like all Government contracts, the BPS contract has backst...

What steps the Government is taking to reduce the cumulative impact of network charges, policy levies and regulatory costs on industrial electricity bills.

The British Industry Supercharger provides relief on renewable energy levies and network charging costs for eligible energy intensive industrial businesses. On 1 April 2026, the Network Charging Compensation Scheme discount, a component of the British Ind...

What assessment has been made of how many UK manufacturing jobs are at risk if industrial energy prices are not brought into line with international competitors.

The Government recognises that high industrial electricity prices are a significant pressure on UK manufacturers. While we do not publish a single estimate of jobs at risk from international energy price differentials, we are taking action to reduce costs...