Department for Business and Trade

Yes. In each of these years, the British Business Bank has invested in, capitalised, and supported through guarantees or co-investment several funds, schemes and portfolio companies with the specified characteristics.

This includes direct co-investment, investment in venture and growth capital funds, and lending delivered through the Bank’s programmes including Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme.

A pilot Green Growth Guarantee Scheme is underway, whose goal is to increase the supply of affordable finance for businesses investing in green technologies.

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

The universal service obligation is a statutory requirement placed on the designated universal service provider and applies irrespective of the company’s ownership structure.

Royal Mail has been a fully independent business since its privatisation was completed in 2015.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine whether regulatory or enforcement action is required to ensure the effective delivery of the universal service.

Ministers have regular discussions with Ofcom. The government does not have a role in Ofcom’s individual regulatory decisions.

I met Ofcom on 11 March. They confirmed that they are monitoring Quality of Service data closely and will take regulatory action, if required, to hold Royal Mail to account for improving Quality of Service standards once agreement has been reached between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union on implementation of Universal Service Obligation reforms.

The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities, including Somerset council. We have launched the Final Local Government Finance Settlement through which the government have updated the way we fund local authorities. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26.

This month this Department have also announced that Leonardo UK within Yeovil constituency has secured a £1 billion contract sustaining thousands of skilled British Jobs and I look forward to seeing how DBT can continue to work closely with rural communities.

The Government is committed to reducing regulatory compliance costs for SMEs and announced in March a commitment to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament.

We are putting in place the policies and services needed to drive growth. This includes tackling late payments, boosting access to finance, and removing red tape to enable small businesses, including those in Yeovil constituency, to grow and thrive. SMEs can also access a wealth of business and export support via business.gov.uk.

The government’s plan is to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, with a culture that supports entrepreneurship in every community and high street.

There is a range of support offers available to businesses and entrepreneurs including the new Business Growth Service, a network of Growth Hubs across England including the West Yorkshire Business Growth Hub and the Business Support Service, all providing free, impartial advice, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, including statutory rights and obligations for business owners.

The government agreed to back Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) with a loan guarantee, to unlock up to £1.5 billion in commercial financing. The loan covered by the guarantee will be re-paid over 5 years. JLR supports 154,000 UK jobs and is an important customer for the automotive supply chain.

JLR is in the best position to be able to identify and understand the needs of its supply chain, and to ensure that its suppliers receive timely payments.

Eligible exporters are able to apply to UKEF for support. In this case, the UKEF Export Development Guarantee supports a specific commercial loan to JLR.

The government agreed to back Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) with a loan guarantee, to unlock up to £1.5 billion in commercial financing. The loan covered by the guarantee will be re-paid over 5 years. JLR supports 154,000 UK jobs and is an important customer for the automotive supply chain.

JLR is in the best position to be able to identify and understand the needs of its supply chain, and to ensure that its suppliers receive timely payments.

Eligible exporters are able to apply to UKEF for support. In this case, the UKEF Export Development Guarantee supports a specific commercial loan to JLR.

The government agreed to back Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) with a loan guarantee, to unlock up to £1.5 billion in commercial financing. The loan covered by the guarantee will be re-paid over 5 years. JLR supports 154,000 UK jobs and is an important customer for the automotive supply chain.

JLR is in the best position to be able to identify and understand the needs of its supply chain, and to ensure that its suppliers receive timely payments.

Eligible exporters are able to apply to UKEF for support. In this case, the UKEF Export Development Guarantee supports a specific commercial loan to JLR.

We are finalising underpinning details and will share more information when we can.

Any disclosure of specific meetings relating to defence is restricted to protect the principle of collective responsibility, allowing officials to debate policies freely in private.

Various teams across the Department for Business and Trade contribute towards ongoing conversations in relation to the Home Defence Programme. The responsibility for this policy area is shared across several teams and does not fall to one singular official or directorate.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We have agreed tariff free trade with the EU under the TCA, and we expect the EU to honour these obligations. The new steel tariff measures announced by the EU therefore present significant concern. We are engaging intensively with the European Commission to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

Our Trade Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and Small Business Plan drive export-led growth — giving small and medium-sized businesses across the UK the policies, support, and services they need to compete globally.

For the first time, DBT has integrated its support for SMEs in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally. From tailored market advice and free Business Academy training to UK Export Finance, DBT is making it easier for businesses to navigate global markets, seize opportunities, and build resilience.

The UK is committed to working with Commonwealth partners and institutions to further strengthen trade and investment. Through engagement at Commonwealth meetings, the UK has worked with partners to promote sustainable growth, resilience, and a strong, rules‑based international trading system.

The UK already has a strong trading relationship with Australia, New Zealand and India through FTAs that businesses and communities in the UK and the Commonwealth benefit from.

The UK also strengthens its trading relationship with the Commonwealth’s Small Island Developing States’ small businesses, increasing investment opportunities through the Commonwealth Investment Network – of which the UK is the sole funder.

In line with the Trade Strategy, the UK continues to work with trading partners multilaterally, at the OECD and the UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice, such as promoting transparency in ISDS proceedings. The proposals being discussed at the UN Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the OECD can be found on their respective websites.

In line with the Trade Strategy, the UK continues to work with trading partners multilaterally, at the OECD and the UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice, such as promoting transparency in ISDS proceedings. The proposals being discussed at the UN Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the OECD can be found on their respective websites.

The Business and Trade Secretary is responsible for licensing the export of military goods. In his decisions he draws on advice from the Foreign Secretary, including with regard to compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Under the UK’s robust export licensing criteria, the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. We review all new licence applications on this basis. We also keep all our extant licences (which typically last for two years) under continual review.

Should licences be found to no longer be consistent with the criteria, the Government can amend, suspend or revoke them.

Bogus or false self-employment is unacceptable and we are committed to robustly tackling it. HMRC will investigate evidence that suggests companies may have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. Employers can also be taken to an employment tribunal if they seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid their own legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when they are not.

The Government is ensuring the UK remains a top destination for foreign investment through policy stability, improving planning and championing competitive sectors. We are creating investable opportunities that drive productivity, highquality jobs and sustainable growth. The 2025 Trade Strategy builds on improvements to the Office for Investment to ensure our trade and international agreements strengthen FDI.

The Industrial Strategy supports electronic firms through commitments to supply chains for advanced manufacturing including power electronics, clean energy technologies and digital. Priorities include automotive, batteries, aerospace, space and advanced materials, while semiconductors are identified as a key technology with its own semiconductor programme.

The Government has published a comprehensive assessment on the impact of the Act. It cites academic evidence linking stronger employment protections to improved productivity and highlights that better job security, wellbeing, and reduced undercutting of good employers may lead to a more productive workforce.

The OBR have not yet made an assessment of the Act as policy development is still ongoing. The OBR has stated that it plans to include the Act in its forecasts once details are sufficiently confirmed, and we will support them in preparing for any forecast in future.

This Government is committed to strengthening rights for working parents. From April, Paternity Leave will become a day‑one right, removing qualifying periods that currently prevent 32,000 fathers a year from accessing it.

We also know that more can be done to support working parents. The ongoing Parental Leave and Pay Review is examining all parental leave entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay.

The Department for Business and Trade is leading the Government’s response to the Humble Address on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as Special Representative on Trade and Investment and has set up a small, Director-led team to co-ordinate work to identify relevant records, assist Ministers to meet their obligations to the House, and support the ongoing police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct in office. The team is also working to support the Government’s response to the Humble Address on Peter Mandelson. The team is drawing extensively on support from officials across the Department, particularly staff with expertise on historical records management. The team is also working closely with other Whitehall Departments, particularly teams in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Cabinet Office.

The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025.

This analysis includes consideration of increases in labour costs and effects on flexibility for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, and identifies the sectors most likely to be affected by the measures.

The British Business Bank has no plans to accept deposits and is not authorised to do so. This would require an application to the Prudential Regulation Authority, which regulates deposit-taking institutions.

Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play a vital role in providing affordable credit to underserved consumers and businesses. While it is the case that CDFIs are less prevalent in some areas, they have the potential to serve every part of the UK. The government and British Business Bank are collaborating with Responsible Finance and others on the UK Community Finance Partnership Taskforce, an initiative to grow the CDFI sector substantially over the next 5-10 years.

The UK-Kazakhstan Memorandum of Understanding on Critical Minerals Cooperation has not been published and there are no plans to do so. However, it is referenced in UK's Critical Minerals Strategy published in November 2025.

The Government remains committed to supporting the UK steel sector. A robust position on trade is critical for steel, underpinning our approach to defending against unfair practices and global overcapacity. The Government will ensure there is a plan in place following the expiry of the Safeguard in June. We are prioritising developing a robust trade measure to protect our domestic sector and will announce our proposals as soon as we can.

We are mindful of giving industry notice for their commercial decision making. This Government is clear that we must secure our domestic steelmaking.

The policy paper 'The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture', published on 22 January 2025, set out that the Government is committed to delivering reforms to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 that maintain a high level of fire safety while also facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants (CFRs).

Since publication, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken targeted engagement to inform next steps, including a roundtable in July 2025 that considered issues such as CFR labelling and open-flame testing. The Government will provide an update on this in due course.

The policy paper 'The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture', published on 22 January 2025, set out that the Government is committed to delivering reforms to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 that maintain a high level of fire safety while also facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants (CFRs).

Since publication, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken targeted engagement to inform next steps, including a roundtable in July 2025 that considered issues such as CFR labelling and open-flame testing. The Government will provide an update on this in due course.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) continues to consider the recommendations from the Low Pay Commission (LPC)'s report on the accommodation offset, including the recommendation about its application to seafarers. As part of this work we are engaging with the Department for Transport. We anticipate responding to the LPC's recommendations regarding the accommodation offset in due course.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) continues to consider the recommendations from the Low Pay Commission (LPC)'s report on the accommodation offset, including the recommendation about its application to seafarers. As part of this work we are engaging with the Department for Transport. We anticipate responding to the LPC's recommendations regarding the accommodation offset in due course.

The UK steel industry faces challenging global conditions due to overcapacity and trade deflection, which threatens the long‑term viability of domestic production. That is why last year the government amended the steel safeguard to ensure the overall effectiveness of the measure.

The safeguard is due to expire in June 2025, and we are developing a new, robust trade measure to support resilient and secure supply chains. Officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector, including trade associations representing SMEs, and we are assessing a full range of supply chain interests in designing the measure.

Creating the Fair Work Agency is a significant step forward in strengthening the enforcement of employment rights. All transfers of staff into the organisation will be carried out in line with the principles set out in the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice regarding such matters.

The Consultation on trade union right of access received a total of 1612 responses. Policy officials are in the process of reviewing the responses to the consultation, and the government will publish a formal response in due course detailing our analysis.

The number of full-time equivalent (“FTE”) staff assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce was 3.9 FTE in 2024-25 and 3.5 FTE in 2025-26. Data is not yet available for financial year 2026-27.

Product safety laws require consumer products containing lithium-ion batteries, and batteries themselves, to be safe when they are placed on the market. Businesses have obligations to ensure the safety of products they manufacturer or import, and regulators have powers to act when products do not comply. In 2024, my department published statutory guidelines covering the safety of lithium-ion e-bike batteries. In 2025 the Office for Product Safety and Standards published research by Warwick Manufacturing Group into e-bike battery safety, which provides new insight into how lithium-ion batteries fail in real-world scenarios, and best practices for safer battery design.

Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

The Department for Business and Trade does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.

In light of the expiry of the steel safeguard in June 2025, we are currently developing a new, robust trade measure to support resilient and secure supply chains.

Officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector, and we are assessing a full range of supply chain interests in designing the measure, including for developing nations. This also includes consideration of UK demand patterns and import shares. Our approach will remain firmly evidence based and fully consistent with the UK’s international and domestic legal obligations.

In light of the expiry of the steel safeguard in June 2025, we are currently developing a new, robust trade measure to support resilient and secure supply chains.

Officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector, and we are assessing a full range of supply chain interests in designing the measure, including for developing nations. This also includes consideration of UK demand patterns and import shares. Our approach will remain firmly evidence based and fully consistent with the UK’s international and domestic legal obligations.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We are engaging intensively on steel tariffs with the European Commission and are working to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

In parallel, we are also prioritising the development of a robust measure of our own in light of the UK steel safeguard expiring in June to protect our domestic sector, making sure we maintain secure and resilient supply chains.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We are engaging intensively on steel tariffs with the European Commission and are working to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

In parallel, we are also prioritising the development of a robust measure of our own in light of the UK steel safeguard expiring in June to protect our domestic sector, making sure we maintain secure and resilient supply chains.

This Government notes the publication of the proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) and the wider Made in Europe agenda. In general, the proposal suggests that UK content would be considered equivalent to “Union origin” by default for public procurement and public support schemes (e.g. subsidies). However, some of the specific automotive provisions are very concerning and we are in close touch with industry on this. The proposal remains at the Commission stage and is subject to legislative processes. We will continue to monitor its progress and press the EU to avoid any detrimental impact on the UK and EU’s automotive sectors and on our uniquely integrated UK-EU supply chains.

The Government recently closed a consultation on eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) where businesses were invited to share their views on the proposed methodology and an indicative list of eligible sectors. Decisions on eligibility will now be taken to ensure the scheme is properly geared towards boosting growth in the economy; through attracting investment in Industrial Strategy frontier manufacturing sectors and foundational manufacturing industries that supply key inputs to the Industrial Strategy frontier sectors.

The Industrial Strategy frontier and foundational sectors were selected following the Government’s consultation of the Modern Industrial Strategy in the autumn of 2024.

The UK will not make financial contributions to the European Union as a consequence of the provisions on competition cooperation. The UK‑EU Competition Cooperation Agreement signed on 25 February 2026 facilitates enhanced dialogue and operational cooperation between the Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission and the National Competition Authorities of EU Member States. The agreement will be laid before Parliament under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG) in due course.