Department for Business and Trade

We are monitoring the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). As UK steel is covered by a domestic carbon price under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the sector is expected to face lower CBAM liabilities compared with goods from jurisdictions which do not incur a domestic carbon price.

The sector may still face costs of providing emissions data to EU importers to support compliance. We are engaging with the European Commission on ETS linking, to facilitate a mutual UK-EU CBAM exemption in due course.

The Government will introduce its own CBAM from January 2027 to protect against carbon leakage.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions (such as online retailers that misrepresent themselves as UK-based), that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision.

The CMA and Trading Standards are responsible for investigating any breaches of misrepresentation (along with HMRC if any breaches of customs rules and duties are indicated).

DBT and its staff networks support a range of learning and development opportunities including a mentoring / reverse mentoring offer which is taken up on a voluntary basis. Feedback is encouraged from matched mentor/mentee pairs. Due to small numbers taking up reverse mentoring, there is no robust evaluation of effectiveness.

We are changing how we deliver export support in line with the Trade Strategy, and in response to the asks of businesses and our stakeholders. We aim to make this more accessible and easier to navigate and to use technology to deliver more cost-effective and impactful support.

This change process is ongoing, so we are unable to confirm final job roles at this stage.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has been publishing the number of reported market access barriers as official statistics since 2021. These annual statistics are also regularly published in the DBT annual report and accounts as indicators on departmental performance. These barriers are recorded on DBT’s internal database called Digital Market Access Service (DMAS). During the last three financial years, 394 market access barriers were reported in the financial year ending (FYE) 2025, 287 were reported in the FYE 2024 and 311 market access barriers were reported in the FYE 2023. These statistics could be found here.

Since the UK-Morocco Association Agreement entered into force in 2021, bilateral trade has been rising and reached £4.6 billion in the 12 months to the end of June 2025, an increase of 18.8% or £730 million in current prices, from the previous 12 months. The Agreement underpins bilateral political, economic and social cooperation and facilitates bilateral trade. The UK held the third Association Council meeting on 12 November, reaffirming commitments to deepen trade, investment, and collaboration on education, renewable energy, and security, in line with the step-change in relations following June’s bilateral strategic dialogue.

As set out in the Trade and Industrial strategies, this Government remains committed to strengthening UK-African trade and investment ties. According to the latest UNCTAD data, the UK had the second highest level of FDI stock in Africa at the end of 2023, after the Netherlands, and this strong position reflects our determination to deepen partnerships that deliver sustainable growth and create opportunities for UK and African businesses.

We have no such specific plans, but will continue to work closely with business leaders to unlock investment potential and will announce details of future engagements once decisions have been finalised.

It is still ongoing and will conclude when an agreement can be reached that benefits both the UK and Morocco.

This Government is strengthening trade with Jamaica through multiple initiatives. UK Export Finance has signed a Framework for Cooperation with the Jamaican government enabling us to support a range of critical infrastructure projects with substantial UK content, including the replacement of bridges across the country. My department also recently funded the first inward mission from the Caribbean life sciences sector, which included senior Jamaican delegates, to deepen collaboration and tackle barriers to trade. We are also cooperating on digital trade, with Jamaican firms forging partnerships with UK businesses through the UK Trade Partnerships Programme.

As the Honourable Member would expect, we do not direct the effects of individual Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) towards specific organisations within specific constituencies, nor do we monitor the way they are exploited in such granular detail. However, FTAs have an important role to play in delivering economic growth in all constituencies and all sectors. Through FTAs, businesses can benefit from tariff reductions, improved market access, and enhanced protections in investment and digital trade. The Department is working hand-in-hand with UK businesses to ensure firms have the tools and knowledge they need to seize these opportunities. If the Honourable Member knows of specific businesses that need assistance in exploiting our FTAs, he should approach the department and we will be happy to assist.

Last year we concluded trade negotiations with India and the Republic of Korea. Our assessments suggest these deals will have significant benefits across the UK economy and key industrial strategy sectors.

The United Kingdom is one of the best places to start a business, boasting one of the highest business start-up rates in the OECD – 18.6 start-ups per 1,000 people in 2022. This compares to an average of 4.5 start-ups per 1,000 people across OECD members.

The British Business Bank supports UK startups through its Start Up Loans scheme, offering fixed interest loans up to £25,000 per business owner.

The British Business bank has published guidance which outlines the typical costs that a UK startup may face. This is available at https://www.startuploans.co.uk/support-and-guidance/business-guidance/finance/what-does-it-cost-to-start-a-business-in-the-uk

The government is committed to an efficient universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards. The regulator sets Royal Mail enforceable targets to deliver a certain proportion of 1^st and 2^nd class post on time each year. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.

Last year, I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and its parent company and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

In October last year, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.

Bank of England data describes lending to different types of businesses, broken down by business size and sector. It does not provide regional breakdowns, which precludes comparing lending across rural and other businesses.

The British Business Bank (BBB) administers access to finance schemes which support businesses across the UK, including rural businesses.

• In 2024/25, 84% of the businesses supported by the BBB were based outside of London.
• In 2025, the BBB agreed an ENABLE Guarantee with agricultural lender, Rural Asset Finance, supporting a portfolio of up to £120m to smaller rural businesses across the agricultural sector in the UK.

The Small Business Plan outlines how we are supporting SMEs across the UK through the most significant package of legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlock billions of pounds in finance and remove unnecessary red tape.

We have also committed to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament. We have already announced measures to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs, including efforts to modernise corporate reporting requirements, exempting tens of thousands of companies from producing Strategic and Directors' Reports, helping deliver annual savings of around £230 million.

The Department does not now intend to publish a draft Audit and Corporate Governance Reform Bill in this session of Parliament. Both houses of Parliament were informed of this in July 2025. Priority is being given to measures that reduce administrative costs for business, including through the Department’s work on modernising corporate reporting.

Post Office’s performance against the Government’s Access Criteria is assessed at a national level rather than by individual constituencies. Information on how the Post Office measures network performance against these criteria is published annually in its Network Report, which is available on the Post Office’s website.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold data on franchise numbers.

Sudan is at the heart of our diplomatic efforts. We are doing everything possible to end the horrific violence that is taking place, to protect civilians, deliver aid, and secure a lasting ceasefire.

There is a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of the country and we are not aware of any UK weapons or ammunition being used in Sudan.

We rigorously assess export licences to prevent diversion or misuse, including via third countries. Where credible concerns arise we will take action, including refusing, suspending, or revoking licences. The risk of diversion is the single biggest reason export licences are refused. Breaches of our export controls are subject to criminal sanction.

Sudan is at the heart of our diplomatic efforts. We are doing everything possible to end the horrific violence that is taking place, to protect civilians, deliver aid, and secure a lasting ceasefire.

There is a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of the country and we are not aware of any UK weapons or ammunition being used in Sudan.

We rigorously assess export licences to prevent diversion or misuse, including via third countries. Where credible concerns arise we will take action, including refusing, suspending, or revoking licences. The risk of diversion is the single biggest reason export licences are refused. Breaches of our export controls are subject to criminal sanction.

As part of this negotiation the UK and the Republic of Korea have agreed a range of improvements to the existing agreement. These cover goods and services trade, in addition to underpinning broader cooperation between the UK and Republic of Korea on a variety of topics. A summary of the key changes is included in the “UK-Republic of Korea trade deal: conclusion summary” published on Gov.uk at conclusion. We will publish further documentation and the full legal text, alongside a full assessment of the economic impact of the UK-Korea FTA, when the agreement is formally signed.

In 2024/25, the Department for Business and Trade supported businesses to deliver over 2,700 Export Wins with a combined value of almost £24 billion. These successes were achieved through close collaboration across government and within the Department, including the work of International (not 'Independent') Trade Advisors.

As in PQ16188, the Member seems to be confusing his terminology as we do not employ any ‘Independent Trade Advisers’ but do employ 140 International Trade Advisers. We are undergoing a strategic organisational redesign to ensure we are best positioned to support UK businesses to grow and export and attract investment. This process is ongoing so it is not possible to determine numbers of staff in particular types of roles in September 2026.

Assuming that the Member has asked about ‘Independent Trade Advisers’ in error when he means ‘International Trade Advisers’, as of September 2025, the Department for Business and Trade employs 140 International Trade Advisers (ITAs). The table below presents the corresponding figures for the preceding three years. Prior to this period, ITAs were engaged through delivery partners and were therefore not employed by the Department.

Our impact assessments, published on gov.uk, set out the potential long-run impacts of new FTAs on the United Kingdom’s GDP. It would not make sense to agglomerate the estimates published in individual impact assessments for these deals as the analyses are not directly comparable due to differences in model structure, data, and scenarios.

Our assessments of trade agreements with India and South Korea suggest the deals are expected to have significant benefits for the UK economy. Negotiations with the US are ongoing, and we will publish our analysis of that as soon as practicable after signature.

The Government launched a review in the Trade Strategy, into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review is still progressing and is considering the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and standards, and the merits of alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

As set out in our Trade and Industrial Strategies, following the Spending Review, we are reshaping the DBT overseas network led by our HM Trade Commissioners so that it is as focused as possible on the markets, sectors and opportunities that will drive economic growth for the UK. We are also restructuring the network to maximise our impact globally while becoming a smaller, more agile, and more tech enabled Department. We are working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on implementing these changes. By March 2027 we expect to have DBT funded staff in approximately 80 global markets with a regional support offer for all other markets.

The last complete performance year for SCS ran between 1^st April 2024 and 31^st March 2025. The proportion of ratings against each performance rating (Exceeding, High Performing, Achieving and Partially Met) are detailed below.

The loss of a loved one is one of the hardest things a person can experience. This is why we have introduced a new right to bereavement leave in the Employment Rights Act which will be available to those grieving the loss of a loved one, including pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.

The Act deals with the introduction of leave only, and we are consulting further on the detail of the entitlement to ensure it supports employees while remaining proportionate for employers. It will remain at employers' discretion to offer pay, as many already do.

The upgraded FTA secures several provisions to reduce administrative burden and costs for UK businesses.

It streamlines clearance processes for the release of perishable goods like Salmon and ensures Scottish salmon raised from imported seedstock qualify for tariff-free access to the Republic of Korea, commitments welcomed by the Scottish salmon industry.

The FTA also locks in our Geographical Indication protection for Scotch Whisky, preventing the sale of fake Whisky in Republic of Korea. New rules of origin provisions will make it easier to export via distribution hubs without being charged tariffs, a key facilitation welcomed by the industry.

Ministers and officials regularly engage UK manufacturers and industry bodies on a wide range of trade issues. However, I am not aware of any specific such discussions.

The UK applies a steel safeguard measure to protect domestic producers against injury caused by unforeseen surges in imports. The decision in June 2025 to vary the steel safeguard, including category 13 (rebar), was made to ensure the measure continues to effectively protect domestic producers whilst balancing the need for security of supply for the UK market.

Steel is a top priority for this Government and is essential for a modern and secure economy, underpinning many sectors which are critical for secure economic growth. The Government is determined to reverse the years of decline and neglect in the steel industry, caused in large part by global excess capacity and market distortions. We will publish our Steel Strategy in early 2026 which will set out an ambitious vision for the sector and a more competitive business landscape.

The Department received advice on decommissioning and land remediation costs ahead of making a generous offer of support in March 2025 to British Steel's current owner. The Government continues to consider all options in relation to the site at Scunthorpe.

The Department received advice on decommissioning and land remediation costs ahead of making a generous offer of support in March 2025 to British Steel's current owner. The Government continues to consider all options in relation to the site at Scunthorpe.

On 30 June 2025, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade took the decision to vary the steel safeguard quotas for the final year of the steel safeguard. As recommended by the independent Trade Remedies Authority, this included preventing any unused quarterly quotas from being made available in the following quarter.

This decision was taken to ensure the overall effectiveness of the UK’s steel safeguard measure for domestic producers whilst balancing the need for security of supply for the UK market. I am not considering restoring the quota rollover as part of the steel safeguard.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for monitoring Royal Mail’s performance and ensuring that Royal Mail complies with its legal obligations.  Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.

In October, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality-of-service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. Trading Standards inspections are the responsibility of individual Local Authorities.

As a frontier Industrial Strategy sector, the government has committed to targeted support to boost exports of hydrogen sector goods and services by showcasing UK capabilities through our global network, providing greater access to international supply chains and — as outlined in the Trade Strategy — by expanding clean energy sector agreements, like the UK-Germany Hydrogen Partnership.

To support these opportunities, the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance aims to deliver £10bn in clean growth financing by 2029, alongside options to support overseas sales, including loan guarantees for foreign buyers, and working capital, insurance and bond support products to assist UK suppliers.

The government recognises the importance of timely delivery of NHS letters. Royal Mail has introduced an NHS barcode to assist NHS units that continue to rely on post to communicate with patients. In addition, NHS England and NHS Providers have produced guidance for NHS organisations, including a case study, to increase awareness and uptake of the variety of Royal Mail services for the timely delivery of letters.

The government does not collect or hold this information. Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has a duty to secure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service. It monitors Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service and has powers to investigate and take enforcement action if Royal Mail fails to achieve its performance targets as appropriate, taking account of all relevant factors.

I have recently met with Ofcom to discuss a range of issues. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the seller is responsible for the delivery of goods bought online until they are in the consumer's physical possession and is thus responsible if anything goes wrong with the consumer's parcel, including goods delivered damaged or lost in transit.

Ofcom requires that all operators have a straightforward, accessible, and affordable complaints process.

The Government is committed to supporting businesses of all sizes in the transition to net zero. We are helping SMEs countrywide access sustainability benefits through initiatives such as the new Business Growth Service, the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) for decarbonisation advice, and the rollout of smart meters

Following the Willow Review, £200,000 has been allocated to enhance UKBCH and integrate it with the Business Growth Service. Additionally, £150,000 extra funding has been allocated to the North East Made Smarter Adoption programme this year, to provide Energy Efficiency grants for manufacturing SMEs. The network of local Growth Hubs, including North East Growth Hub, offer tailored support at any stage of a business's journey and can signpost to these new and improved offers.

The Government is committed to supporting businesses of all sizes in the transition to net zero. We are helping SMEs countrywide access sustainability benefits through initiatives such as the new Business Growth Service, the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) for decarbonisation advice, and the rollout of smart meters

Following the Willow Review, £200,000 has been allocated to enhance UKBCH and integrate it with the Business Growth Service. Additionally, £150,000 extra funding has been allocated to the North East Made Smarter Adoption programme this year, to provide Energy Efficiency grants for manufacturing SMEs. The network of local Growth Hubs, including North East Growth Hub, offer tailored support at any stage of a business's journey and can signpost to these new and improved offers.

The Government is committed to supporting businesses of all sizes in the transition to net zero. We are helping SMEs countrywide access sustainability benefits through initiatives such as the new Business Growth Service, the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) for decarbonisation advice, and the rollout of smart meters

Following the Willow Review, £200,000 has been allocated to enhance UKBCH and integrate it with the Business Growth Service. Additionally, £150,000 extra funding has been allocated to the North East Made Smarter Adoption programme this year, to provide Energy Efficiency grants for manufacturing SMEs. The network of local Growth Hubs, including North East Growth Hub, offer tailored support at any stage of a business's journey and can signpost to these new and improved offers.