Department for Business and Trade

Confidentiality Agreements (CAs) enable engagement with businesses on sensitive areas of live trade negotiations and broader policy development. The department does not require CAs for all external engagements; sensitivities and risks are assessed on a case-by-case basis. The department holds CAs with a range of businesses, civil society organisations and academia, supporting engagement across all sectors. These CAs last up to seven years and at the date of termination, stakeholders can decide whether to re-sign. The department's view is that CAs serve a clear purpose in supporting stakeholder engagement and protecting UK interests.

Confidentiality Agreements (CAs) enable engagement with businesses on sensitive areas of live trade negotiations and broader policy development. The department does not require CAs for all external engagements; sensitivities and risks are assessed on a case-by-case basis. The department holds CAs with a range of businesses, civil society organisations and academia, supporting engagement across all sectors. These CAs last up to seven years and at the date of termination, stakeholders can decide whether to re-sign. The department's view is that CAs serve a clear purpose in supporting stakeholder engagement and protecting UK interests.

Confidentiality Agreements (CAs) enable engagement with businesses on sensitive areas of live trade negotiations and broader policy development. The department does not require CAs for all external engagements; sensitivities and risks are assessed on a case-by-case basis. The department holds CAs with a range of businesses, civil society organisations and academia, supporting engagement across all sectors. These CAs last up to seven years and at the date of termination, stakeholders can decide whether to re-sign. The department's view is that CAs serve a clear purpose in supporting stakeholder engagement and protecting UK interests.

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on operational aspects of the new statutory access framework, including steps the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) must consider reasonable for employers to take to facilitate access.

Officials are currently reviewing responses, and the government will publish a response before finalising these details in secondary legislation.

We will also consult on a draft Code of Practice in due course which will provide detail on how statutory access should operate in different types of workplaces.

The Government has reviewed the role of the Scunthorpe steelworks in contributing to the UK's national security including critical national infrastructure. The Government maintains that securing the continued operation of British Steel's assets is a necessary investment in our national interests and wider economic resilience.

Funding for British Steel is subject to the usual government approval processes and ministerial decisions and the need for HMG support is kept under review. All efforts are being made to secure a viable future for the company. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets.

British Steel remains in the ownership of Jingye and estimated costs should the blast furnaces need to be decommissioned is commercially sensitive information. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.

The £104 million detailed for other operational expenses will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26. The accounts will be prepared on a basis consistent with government financial reporting standards.

British Steel are responsible for ensuring all tax liabilities and obligations pursuant to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are met. Under the Companies Act 2006, the responsibility to produce accounts belongs to company directors.

The Government has reviewed the role of the Scunthorpe steelworks in contributing to the UK's national security including critical national infrastructure. The Government maintains that securing the continued operation of British Steel's assets is a necessary investment in our national interests and wider economic resilience.

Funding for British Steel is subject to the usual government approval processes and ministerial decisions and the need for HMG support is kept under review. All efforts are being made to secure a viable future for the company. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets.

British Steel remains in the ownership of Jingye and estimated costs should the blast furnaces need to be decommissioned is commercially sensitive information. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.

The £104 million detailed for other operational expenses will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26. The accounts will be prepared on a basis consistent with government financial reporting standards.

British Steel are responsible for ensuring all tax liabilities and obligations pursuant to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are met. Under the Companies Act 2006, the responsibility to produce accounts belongs to company directors.

The Government has reviewed the role of the Scunthorpe steelworks in contributing to the UK's national security including critical national infrastructure. The Government maintains that securing the continued operation of British Steel's assets is a necessary investment in our national interests and wider economic resilience.

Funding for British Steel is subject to the usual government approval processes and ministerial decisions and the need for HMG support is kept under review. All efforts are being made to secure a viable future for the company. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets.

British Steel remains in the ownership of Jingye and estimated costs should the blast furnaces need to be decommissioned is commercially sensitive information. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.

The £104 million detailed for other operational expenses will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26. The accounts will be prepared on a basis consistent with government financial reporting standards.

British Steel are responsible for ensuring all tax liabilities and obligations pursuant to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are met. Under the Companies Act 2006, the responsibility to produce accounts belongs to company directors.

The Government has reviewed the role of the Scunthorpe steelworks in contributing to the UK's national security including critical national infrastructure. The Government maintains that securing the continued operation of British Steel's assets is a necessary investment in our national interests and wider economic resilience.

Funding for British Steel is subject to the usual government approval processes and ministerial decisions and the need for HMG support is kept under review. All efforts are being made to secure a viable future for the company. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets.

British Steel remains in the ownership of Jingye and estimated costs should the blast furnaces need to be decommissioned is commercially sensitive information. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.

The £104 million detailed for other operational expenses will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26. The accounts will be prepared on a basis consistent with government financial reporting standards.

British Steel are responsible for ensuring all tax liabilities and obligations pursuant to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are met. Under the Companies Act 2006, the responsibility to produce accounts belongs to company directors.

The Government has reviewed the role of the Scunthorpe steelworks in contributing to the UK's national security including critical national infrastructure. The Government maintains that securing the continued operation of British Steel's assets is a necessary investment in our national interests and wider economic resilience.

Funding for British Steel is subject to the usual government approval processes and ministerial decisions and the need for HMG support is kept under review. All efforts are being made to secure a viable future for the company. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets.

British Steel remains in the ownership of Jingye and estimated costs should the blast furnaces need to be decommissioned is commercially sensitive information. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.

The £104 million detailed for other operational expenses will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26. The accounts will be prepared on a basis consistent with government financial reporting standards.

British Steel are responsible for ensuring all tax liabilities and obligations pursuant to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are met. Under the Companies Act 2006, the responsibility to produce accounts belongs to company directors.

The Government has reviewed the role of the Scunthorpe steelworks in contributing to the UK's national security including critical national infrastructure. The Government maintains that securing the continued operation of British Steel's assets is a necessary investment in our national interests and wider economic resilience.

Funding for British Steel is subject to the usual government approval processes and ministerial decisions and the need for HMG support is kept under review. All efforts are being made to secure a viable future for the company. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets.

British Steel remains in the ownership of Jingye and estimated costs should the blast furnaces need to be decommissioned is commercially sensitive information. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.

The £104 million detailed for other operational expenses will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26. The accounts will be prepared on a basis consistent with government financial reporting standards.

British Steel are responsible for ensuring all tax liabilities and obligations pursuant to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are met. Under the Companies Act 2006, the responsibility to produce accounts belongs to company directors.

The Secretary of State met Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, on 16 February and again on 19 March 2026, to understand the progress on continued discussions on the CWU Agreement.

The undertakings agreed between the Secretary of State and EP Group include provisions that require an independently assessed review of EP Group’s compliance with the Deed of Undertaking.

The cross-government group referenced is considering options for a common physical front-end for government services to ensure there is a ‘go to’ place for a range of government services, expanded assisted digital support, an enhanced role in identity verification and exploring new propositions such as prescription collection. Further updates on government services in post offices will be provided in due course.

The Fair Work Agency brings together in one place the work of the existing employment rights enforcement bodies. To ensure there is no disruption to front line operational activity there are no immediate plans to changes to existing, nationwide, locations of staff.

The British Business Bank does not centrally classify funds, schemes or portfolio companies under the categories of net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability, climate transition or the green economy in the form requested.

The Bank’s approach is to embed support for the transition to net zero and sustainable growth across its full range of programmes, rather than through standalone business lines. As such, these objectives are reflected across its activities, including through direct co-investment, investment in venture and growth capital funds, and lending delivered through programmes such as Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme.

As set out in the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 120045, the Bank has in both 2024-25 and 2025-26 invested in, capitalised, and supported through guarantees or co-investment a number of funds, schemes and portfolio companies with these characteristics.

As these activities are embedded across programmes, a comprehensive breakdown of total monetary value by category, programme or scheme, type of support, and number of recipient businesses and funds is not held in a single reportable format.

Budgets for British Steel are subject to the usual government approvals processes and ministerial decisions. All support for British Steel has been drawn from existing HMG budgets, with no additional borrowing required. Funding provided to British Steel Limited is recoverable as a debt owed to the Crown. Recoverability of this debt will be further assessed at year-end, and the resulting treatment will be reflected and published in the Department for Business and Trade’s accounts for 2025-26. We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of BSL.

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on several elements of the new statutory access framework, including steps the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) must consider reasonable for employers to take to facilitate access, as well as the details on the enforcement mechanism. These will apply to the warehousing and logistics sector.

Officials are currently reviewing all responses, and the government will publish a response before finalising these details in secondary legislation.

The government is committed to providing up to £2.5 billion to support the UK steel industry, which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund and in part through direct support for companies. This is in addition to the £500 million investment for Tata Steel in Port Talbot, bringing the total investment in the steel industry to up to £3 billion. The £3 billion is intended for initiatives such as electric arc furnaces and other improvements to UK capabilities. The annual allocation of these funds will depend on ministerial decisions and on companies meeting delivery milestones.

We do not set country specific annual targets for bilateral trade, but bilateral trade between the UK and Morocco has been rising and reached £4.8 billion in the 12 months to September 2025, an increase of £0.9 billion in current prices on the previous 12 months. In June 2025, during the Strategic Dialogue, the UK and Morocco entered into an Enhanced Strategic Partnership, where we announced a series of arrangements to deepen collaboration, build business ties and drive further trade growth. The UK and Morocco have an agreed focus on shared priorities areas with a goal of increasing UK-Morocco bilateral trade, including on priority infrastructure projects ahead of Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

I am aware of the ongoing issues relating to businesses at the Saltend Chemicals Park, who are currently not receiving exemptions under the British Industry Supercharger that they are eligible for. My officials are liaising with Ofgem and the Low Carbon Contracts Company, as they understand the impacts that high industrial electricity costs and unique energy meter configurations are creating for these businesses. My officials are working to resolve this situation promptly and will keep Saltend Chemicals Park Limited, who own the business park, updated on progress.

There are no official data sources that provide readily available estimates of the number of contracted hours across the whole labour market. The Office for National Statistics regularly publishes estimates of the number of people on zero hours contracts, where all hours worked are additional to contracted hours: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/emp17peopleinemploymentonzerohourscontracts.

The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments. We will publish further analysis in due course as we implement those measures.

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on several elements of the new statutory access framework, including on the way that the policy is enforced.

Officials are carefully reviewing all responses, and the government will publish a response in due course. This will include next steps on the enforcement model.

The Secretary of State met Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, on 16 February and again on 19 March.

The terms and working conditions of Royal Mail employees are the subject of ongoing negotiations between Royal Mail’s management and the Communication Workers’ Union as part of an agreed dispute resolution process. The government is taking a close interest in these negotiations and receives regular updates.

However, the implementation of operational models and terms and conditions of employment, are for Royal Mail, as an independent business, to manage in collaboration with its workforce and their representatives.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK collaborates with Government, automotive industry, and academia to produce quarterly forecasts. The latest insights show, based on nameplate capacity, European cell production is projected to surpass demand in 2027.

While EU trade remains vital to the sector, it is critical for UK economic resilience and competitiveness that we build domestic battery production capacity and diverse supply chains.

This Government is supporting our domestic battery ecosystem through Industrial Strategy commitments, where we announced the UK's largest single commitment to battery R&D in the Battery Innovation Programme, and significant capital support through DRIVE35 funding.

My Department does not publish an official estimate and for benchmarking we reference internationally trusted, independent sources.

Battery technology is becoming increasingly important for our national resilience. Global demand for batteries is surging, the battery value chain from raw material extraction to cell production is very concentrated.

We work closely with international partners to improve security of supply, and the Industrial Strategy published last year clearly shows the importance of building a competitive domestic battery supply in delivering economic resilience and growth for the UK.

For the last decade, Government has provided compensation to a small number of businesses in the most electricity intensive sectors, including steel, to lower their electricity bills and help keep them viable in the UK. In the 2024/25 financial year, approximately 140 of the most electricity intensive and trade exposed companies received support worth £142 million. The Department does not publish the details of individual awards given to companies through compensation schemes due to commercial sensitivities.

The Government is committed to supporting manufacturing in Lincolnshire and the wider East Midlands. We are backing the sector through targeted investment, skills programmes and support for innovation. The East Midlands Freeport – England’s only inland freeport – is creating new manufacturing opportunities, attracting investment and generating high‑skilled jobs. Through the Local Growth Fund, we are helping local authorities and businesses strengthen supply chains and adopt new technologies. Manufacturers across Lincolnshire and the East Midlands also benefit from wider UK measures, outlined in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.

The sector plan sets out how the Industrial Strategy will be delivered for the sector by reforming the business environment to build resilience, removing supply side barriers, developing a digitally literate and highly skilled workforce through the Upskilling and Reskilling programme, and unlocking the economic potential of advanced manufacturing clusters.

The UK does not manufacture ammonia in significant volumes. CF Fertilisers made the commercial decision to switch to an import model of ammonia in 2022. Whilst there has been a significant increase in ammonia costs due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, there has been no assertion yet that supply is not secure.

Recent market volatility has seen an increase in fertiliser prices, reflecting global conditions rather than any immediate supply disruption to the UK. The government is in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply and pricing in the UK.

The Department supported businesses to deliver export wins worth £16.9bn in 2020/21, £17.3bn in 2021/22, and £19.6bn in 2022/23. In 2023/24 over £36bn and almost £24bn in 2024/25 export wins were delivered.

The Department does not provide country-specific wins due to the risk of disclosing commercially sensitive deals.

Announced at the 2025 Strategic Dialogue in June, the UK and Morocco entered into an Enhanced Strategic Partnership, reaffirming a commitment to expand economic ties and deepen collaboration in priority areas, including infrastructure, public procurement, agriculture and unlocking investment opportunities in both the UK and Morocco. The third UK‑Morocco Association Council met in London on 12 November 2025, where both countries agreed to build on the Strategic Dialogue and focus on delivering progress against shared priority areas to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment.

In the UK’s Trade Strategy, the government recognised the potential merits and impacts of UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) and committed to engaging business further. The government ran a five-week call for evidence from November to December last year to understand the potential impacts of accession on businesses. The Government will publish the findings in due course.

In the UK’s Trade Strategy, the government recognised the potential merits and impacts of UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) and committed to engaging business further. The government ran a five-week call for evidence from November to December last year to understand the potential impacts of accession on businesses. The Government will publish the findings in due course.

It is to the benefit of all parties involved in litigation that disputes are managed efficiently. The government, therefore, supports the use, where appropriate, of mediation as a means to resolve disputes without the expense of litigation.

The government is conducting a review of the opt-out collective actions regime for competitive claims before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The review considers all aspects of the regime, including the role of alternative dispute resolution, and a consultation on proposals for change will be published in due course.

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Home Secretary on this issue.

There is government guidance on GOV.UK on summary dismissal for reasons relating to gross misconduct. Acas has issued both a statutory Code of Practice and non-statutory guidance covering gross misconduct. These do not specifically mention dismissal for lying or deception during the recruitment process. Misconduct involving dishonesty may meet the threshold for gross misconduct if it fundamentally undermines trust and confidence.

The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.

In addition to considering all current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.

The Government is also supporting kinship carers through other mechanisms and has recently launched a kinship pilot to support up to 5,000 children by paying eligible carers an allowance equivalent to the Fostering National Minimum Allowance.

We continue to work across government to make the dispute resolution system more resilient, so that that the measures in the Employment Rights Act can be effectively enforced. We recognise the benefits of mediation in resolving disputes swiftly.

A joint DBT/MoJ Taskforce—working with Acas and representatives from business, unions, and other experts —is considering reforms to strengthen dispute resolution.

This includes considering how to maximise use of informal options including meditation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

• This answer is provided at a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East region more generally, is facing material challenges given the ongoing regional conflict.
• Given that the press release names specific companies, it is for those companies to update as to the current situation and would be commercially sensitive and inappropriate for us to do so.
• The two main job-creating Saudi companies mentioned, Alfanar and International Investment Gate, are however well-known to the British Embassy in Riyadh and the Office for Investment. Their UK ambitions are in line with our Modern Industrial Strategy and, I understand, are progressing well.

The government is committed to supporting start-up businesses through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium sized businesses in a generation.

This includes the most significant legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in finance to support start-ups; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets and boosting Digital and AI Adoption among small businesses.

The Business Growth Service helps start-ups access tailored support at every stage of their growth journey. Business Surrey offers free accessible business advice and support at all stages of a business journey.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) has not supported any environmental credit investments to date.

UKEF supports clean growth exports and has included a clean growth and transition objective in its Business Plan for 2024-2029, which will seek to position UK exporters and suppliers at the heart of the global low‑carbon transition. In support of this, UKEF aims to provide £10 billion of clean growth finance to accelerate the UK’s green export sector by 2029.

The UK-Brazil Joint Agricultural Committee, led by Defra, engages in discussions relating to sustainable agriculture. Recent discussions have covered topics including green fertiliser partnerships and collaboration on agricultural technologies. The UK and Brazil also have a number of bilateral initiatives on green finance, some of which sit under the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme.

Unfortunately, these commercial tracking numbers do not enable us to identify the relevant export or the relevant border.

On the general point, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) informs exporters when their items are stopped at the border. If required, HMRC seeks advice from the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) about the licensing requirements and, to minimise costs and delays to exporters, ECJU prioritises such cases.

Helping our world-class fashion industry grow remains a government priority. The FTA will expand consumer choice, reduce costs for UK businesses, and strengthen their competitiveness in India’s fast-growing market.

DBT’s impact assessment, published at signature, noted a small decrease in output growth in clothing and textiles, but the UK and Indian sectors are largely complementary; clothing retailers will benefit from cheaper imports and luxury UK garments like Harris tweed will se tariffs removed. There is a bilateral safeguard mechanism to protect any sector facing injury.

We will continue working closely with industry to monitor and maximise the FTA’s benefits.

The government is supporting British made electronic devices and appliances by backing domestic manufacturers, promoting innovation, and strengthening product standards. We work closely with industry bodies such as AMDEA (Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances), who lead consumer information campaigns helping shoppers identify high quality UK made products. We also continue to uphold strong safety standards through the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Through this partnership approach, we aim to boost the visibility, competitiveness and consumer confidence in British made electronics and appliances.

We have continued to enhance our cooperation with the EU on a range of economic security issues of mutual concern since the UK-EU Summit in 2025. The EU remains our most important trading partner, our economies are deeply interconnected and face many of the same challenges and threats, and we share a commitment to upholding the rules-based order. In February 2026, DBT Secretary of State (along with Chancellor for the Exchequer) met EU Commissioners Sefcovic and Dombrovksis to discuss trade and economic issues, including economic security.

The UK and EU will hold a second Summit in 2026, where we will seek to further strengthen our partnership on economic security.