Department for Business and Trade

When a company enters administration, independent Insolvency Practitioners take control of its business and property. Administrators are responsible for securing and reviewing company records to understand the company’s affairs and carry out the administration. Within three months, administrators must submit a directors’ conduct report to the Insolvency Service. If an investigation is warranted, the Insolvency Service will obtain records from the administrators.

The Government recognises the importance of responsible and fair practices for debt recovery and understands the negative impact that aggressive or wrongful pursuit of debt can have on individuals. Firms which collect on consumer credit agreements or mortgages must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which expects firms to treat customers fairly and has a range of supervisory and enforcement tools to address breaches of its rules. The FCA also requires that firms consider customer vulnerability, including health conditions, to ensure staff have the right skills and capability to respond.

The Government also has a number of measures in place to help people to avoid repossession, as well as providing protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

The comprehensive sanctions put in place by HMG under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine mean that UK companies have been banned from exporting military or dual-use goods to Russia since February 2022. Any companies doing so would be subject to criminal penalties unless the goods are expressly exempted under Part 7 of the Regulations. Any representations from the Government of Ukraine, or NATO allies are the province of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

The government has committed to review the functioning of section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 in its entirety. As part of this review, we will engage with relevant and interested stakeholders and publish our findings in Parliament. The review will start shortly and the government will write to interested parties in due course.

Under the 2020 Procurement Policy Note (since updated) departments must explicitly evaluate Social Value (SV) in most procurements above the relevant financial threshold, where it is related and proportionate to the contract, to ensure that public spending delivers wider economic, social and environmental benefits alongside the goods or services being purchased. The policy note also mandates an appropriate KPI.

The Government’s SV Model provided a menu of outcomes aligned to government priorities. The outcome selected was tackling inequality in the supplier’s workforce which included focus on women in shortlists for recruitment and promotions, with the chosen KPI aligning to that.

The Department for Business and Trade is supporting the creation of jobs and opportunities across the UK, including in the Surrey Heath constituency. We are doing this by supporting small and medium sized businesses to export, including developing a new Business Growth Service to simplify finding the advice and support they need. We are also supporting high streets by delivering long overdue reforms to rebalance the business rates system. We have also developed the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and are investing in growth sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies.

The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for decisions on whether to commence the Easter Act 1928.

The Department keeps this matter under review and – as part of this – considers whether the Christian churches agree on moving Easter to a fixed date.

The Government does not currently have any plans to commence the Easter Act 1928.

The government has been clear that Royal Mail’s service has not been good enough.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for assessing Royal Mail’s compliance with Universal Service Obligation delivery targets. Following investigations into Royal Mail’s performance, Ofcom has taken enforcement action, including issuing financial penalties, where it found that service levels were not met without sufficient justification. It issued a fine of £5.6m for 2022/23, a fine of £10.5m for 2023/24 and a fine of £21m for 2024/25.

Since 4 July 2024 the Aerospace Growth Partnership Board has met 12 times. Through our Industrial Strategy, government has committed to supporting the sector to increase its share of the global market from 10% to 15% and secure at least £35billion of additional private investment to industrialise technologies by 2050. The Aerospace Growth Partnership is a unique forum that helps bring together all parts of the UK's aerospace ecosystem with a common goal of delivering growth in the UK.

I refer the member for Arundel and South Downs to the answer I gave to UIN 101498 on 8 January.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for setting and enforcing Royal Mail’s service standards. I met senior officials from Ofcom on 11 March.

I met Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, on 3 February to press him on making demonstrable improvements to service levels as a matter of urgency. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.

Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has a statutory duty to secure the provision of a universal service that meets the reasonable needs of users and to consider the impacts of any changes to the Universal Service Obligation. Ofcom conducted extensive research and public consultation ahead of the decision to change the requirements and has stated that it will continue to monitor quality of service closely and hold Royal Mail to account for improving reliability as reforms are implemented.

Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.

Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, monitors and assesses Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service. It can investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

I met Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, on 3 February to press him on the action Royal Mail is taking to make demonstrable improvements to service levels as a matter of urgency. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.

Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.

The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has not incurred expenditure on (a) consultants, (b) research and (c) external contracts in support of the Sustainability Taskforce.

Since its establishment, the expenditure for the Sustainability Taskforce is as follows:

Non-staff costs cover other programme expenditure such as travel and subsistence.

The steel strategy reaffirms the government’s intention to spend up to £2.5 billion on the steel sector. This is in addition to the £500 million for Port Talbot.

Building on the direct financial support the government has provided to the sector so far, the National Wealth Fund will be the UK government’s main mechanism for providing financing for investment in the steel sector. Investment decisions are made by the National Wealth Fund on a case-by-case basis and it supports promising projects across the United Kingdom

Specifically for Wales, the Secretary of State for Wales will convene the National Wealth Fund and the private sector in a new initiative to help attract investment to Welsh steel projects, to support communities across Wales that rely on the industry.

The Government is fully committed to implementing the Grenfell Inquiry recommendation that principal contractors working on higher-risk buildings should be licenced through a scheme managed by the Building Safety Regulator. We have accepted this recommendation as an important step in enhancing building safety standards.

We continue to engage with stakeholders as to whether a wider licencing scheme would improve standards of consumer protection. This work is progressing alongside our broader initiatives to enhance competency across the construction sector through the Industry Competence Committee, ensuring a comprehensive approach to raising standards throughout the industry.

The Government is aware of concerns about the impact of Chinese Electric Vehicles as well as other vehicle imports and is closely monitoring this issue. China's growing role in the global automotive industry brings competitive challenges for the UK automotive sector, which brings risks, but also opportunities. The Government is closely analysing how these challenges impact the UK's economy and industry. Any action that it takes needs to be the right one for the UK automotive industry. More broadly, the Government continues to support the UK automotive sector through investment in innovation, Research & Development, and skills to ensure its growth and competitiveness.

The Government is supporting domestic manufacturing through long-term investment in innovation, skills, and EV battery production. As set out in the Trade Strategy, we promote international trade that is free and fair, including strengthening rules against harmful trading practices that distort competition.

We have taken steps to update our trade remedies framework to provide Ministers with greater flexibility to protect industry, and bring us in line with international peers. Businesses that believe imports dumped or subsidised are causing injury may apply to the Trade Remedies Authority for an investigation.

Industries may apply to the independent Trade Remedies Authority, who conduct trade remedy investigations, and where appropriate, recommend measures to protect UK industries, in line with domestic legislation and WTO rules. The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) initiates investigations when there is sufficient evidence of harm caused by unfair trade practices. At present, no investigation has been initiated by the TRA. We act when necessary, using trade remedies transparently and in line with WTO rules.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK’s independent competition authority and is responsible for operating the digital markets regime. It has designated Google with strategic market status in general search and search advertising services. Developments in generative AI were considered during the designation investigation. The CMA is now considering imposing conduct requirements to increase competition.

The Government has carefully designed the new steel trade measure to secure the future of domestic capability while maintaining secure and resilient supply. This measure seeks to address the existential threat to UK steelmaking from overcapacity, while taking into account downstream impacts, including in the construction sector. Insights from across the steel supply chain via our Call for Evidence informed both the scope and design of the measure.

We continue to engage with industry and other stakeholders as we move into the delivery phase of the Steel Strategy, including implementation of the new trade measure ahead of 1 July.

We have engaged a broad range of stakeholders in development of the steel strategy, including through the Steel Council, policy specific roundtables and bilateral meetings.

These have included representatives from steel producers, wider companies in the supply chain (such as fabricators, manufacturers and scrap processors), academia, civil society, devolved and local governments and trade unions.

We also conducted a full consultation on the steel strategy and a call for evidence on the new trade measure it contains. The wide range of feedback received has been accounted for and referenced within the steel strategy itself.

The steel strategy reaffirms the government’s intention to spend up to £2.5 billion on the steel sector. This is in addition to the £500 million for Port Talbot.

Building on the direct financial support the government has provided to the sector so far, the National Wealth Fund will be the UK government’s main mechanism for providing financing for investment in the steel sector. Investment decisions are made by the National Wealth Fund on a case-by-case basis and it supports promising projects across the United Kingdom

Specifically for Wales, the Secretary of State for Wales will convene the National Wealth Fund and the private sector in a new initiative to help attract investment to Welsh steel projects, to support communities across Wales that rely on the industry.

From 1 July 2026, steel import quotas will be reduced by 60% compared to the steel safeguard, with a 50% tariff on imports exceeding these levels. The measure will apply to imports of steel products that can be made in the UK. To reinforce this, we will in parallel raise our maximum allowed tariff level on steel at the WTO to protect domestic industry in the long-run from the impacts of global overcapacity.

This measure is not targeted at any one country, it is a response to a global problem of steel overcapacity and the threat it poses to our national security. We remain committed to continuing open dialogue with China and to working together where possible to address global challenges, including overcapacity. The UK will also continue to apply 10 anti-dumping measures and 2 countervailing measures against imports of Chinese steel.

The Department for Business and Trade holds regular meetings to discuss critical minerals policy with other departments, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of critical mineral supply chains. Chris McDonald MP as Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) holds responsibility for critical minerals and regularly engages other Ministers on critical minerals policy.

The Department for Business and Trade engages regularly with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Critical Minerals as part of its wider parliamentary and stakeholder outreach. Officials have participated in APPG meetings, including those focused on international alignment and partnerships, where they have provided updates on UK engagement with key partners and multilateral forums. This forms part of the Government's broader programme of international cooperation set out in the UK Critical Minerals Strategy, which includes collaboration through strategic partnerships and global initiatives.

His Majesty's Government recognises the strategic importance of strengthening the UK's critical minerals security. The Critical Minerals Strategy, published on 22 November 2025, sets out a cross-government approach involving the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Ministry of Defence and other partners. Ministers and officials already work closely together through established governance structures to ensure policy alignment and effective coordination. We continually review whether these arrangements remain proportionate and effective. At present, we believe the existing cross government ministerial oversight provides the appropriate mechanism for coordinating critical mineral security policy.

Chris McDonald MP was appointed Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) on 11 September 2025. As Minister for Industry, his responsibilities cover critical minerals, including their security of supply.

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital to the UK’s economic growth and security, industrial strategy and clean energy transition. The 2025 UK Critical Minerals Strategy supports innovation and R&D in the UK to secure our critical minerals supply, through domestic production and international collaboration that is responsible and sustainable.

Following Spending Review 2025, new funding of up to £50 million will be made available by DBT to support critical mineral projects, to expand research and innovation as well as supporting commercialisation. Further details will be announced later this year.

The Steel Strategy, announced on 19 March 2026, sets out the creation of a cross-government group consisting of DBT, DEFRA, DESNZ, other departments and devolved governments. The group will evaluate proposals and engage representatives from industry, unions, academia, and other stakeholders across the market, to ensure a sustainable supply of high-quality scrap for the domestic steel sector.

The Group will take into account that the UK demand for scrap could grow to 6.7m tonnes, whilst UK supply is around 10-11m tonnes a year.

The fashion industry is increasingly using AI to improve demand forecasting, reduce unsold stock and increase supply chain efficiency, thereby supporting productivity and sustainability. Businesses can access support to adopt AI through programmes such as Made Smarter and Innovate UK, alongside wider productivity, digital adoption and skills initiatives, helping businesses invest in technologies that improve efficiency while reducing waste and environmental impact.

The government supports responsible and ethical AI adoption across our world leading creative industries, enabling organisations and freelancers to improve productivity, reach new audiences and develop new products and services.

Decisions regarding an individual's professional recognition are made and recorded by independent regulators. Data related to the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to due to regulatory or accreditation barriers is therefore not collected by the Department.

As we said in the industrial and trade strategies, the department is currently working with regulators to prioritise the recognition of professional qualifications with international partners to support the UK's economic growth and labour market.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is independent of Government and decisions on the timing and conduct of Strategic Market Status investigations are a matter for the CMA’s Board.

The Department for Business and Trade has no current plans to consult on a proposal to close all large shops on Remembrance Sunday.

The Government recognises the significance of Remembrance Sunday and supports national and local commemorations, including the National Service of Remembrance held at the Cenotaph.

Since the Houthi began attacks on international shipping in October 2023, global maritime trade via the Bab el Mandeb Strait (including ships coming to or leaving from the UK) has reduced very significantly. While precise trade figures for 2025 and onwards have yet to be released, global shipping continues to favour safer trade routes by largely avoiding the Suez / Bab el Mandeb Strait route. The Department continues to assess the vulnerability of the UK’s critical inputs caused by the numerous risks to maritime supply routes.

The Government has not made a formal assessment of this case; however, the UK continues to be regarded internationally as a strong and attractive destination for investment, underpinned by a robust rule of law, transparent insolvency processes, and a longstanding pro business environment. These fundamentals provide investors with confidence that commercial disputes are handled fairly and predictably.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 5 February 2026 to Question 109565. Since then, the UK has sanctioned a further 6 targets in Russia’s Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) industry including ships, traders and Russia’s Portovaya and Vysotsk terminals responsible for exporting Russian LNG, as part of our most recent sanctions package announced on 24 February 2026.

The government’s response to the call for evidence on UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) was published on 26^th March 2026.

Wales plays a key role in the development of the UK's hydrogen economy, and I welcome the Milford Haven HAR1 project reaching FID in March this year, with three further shortlisted HAR2 projects in Wales.

The Industrial Strategy set out our public finance offer to crowd private investment into clean energy industries, such as hydrogen, across the UK including in Wales. This includes £500m support for hydrogen infrastructure to establish the UK's first regional hydrogen network from 2031, connecting producers with end users. The Government also aims to launch the first hydrogen transport and storage allocation rounds this year.

The Department has not paid for followers on the social media platforms it uses.

The government is committed to ensuring a healthy and plural local media for the benefit of communities and citizens across the UK. We have launched a Local Media Action Plan to help local newsrooms across the country innovate and adapt their business models for the online world, while incentivising and encouraging the production of high quality, trustworthy news.

We have consulted on how the subscriptions regime will be implemented and Ministers and officials have engaged with representatives from the news media sector. We are working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to reflect on the issues raised and a Government Response will be published in due course.

The impact assessment for the subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together, the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net direct cost to businesses is £171m per year.

Sector-specific analysis has not been conducted.

The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) holds internal management information on the resource and costs associated with its Sustainability Taskforce since its establishment:

Non-staff costs cover other programme expenditure such as travel and subsistence. The CMA is not able to provide an estimated annual cost for the Sustainability Taskforce for 2025/26 before its accounts for the financial year are finalised.

This government is committed to protecting consumers who enter subscription contracts. We have consulted on the implementation of the new subscriptions regime (Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK) which included meeting with interested stakeholders. After carefully analysing responses a full Government Response is to be published in due course.

We have engaged with consumer advocacy groups, enforcers and business representatives from across the economy and will continue to do so in advance of the regime’s commencement.

The government has consulted on the implementation of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The consultation received over 70 responses including 15 from charitable organisations, and the government has engaged closely with the sector to understand the impacts on both consumers and these bodies.

The requirement for an initial 14 day cooling off period is an existing requirement under the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 for distance and off-premises contracts.