Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the quality and consistency of sorted scrap metal to meet future demand for electric arc furnace steelmaking in the UK.

Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government recognises that the UK steel industry's shift towards electric arc furnaces will significantly elevate the importance of high-quality scrap as a material for UK steelmaking. Consequently, the Government is committed to securing an ample supply of high-quality scrap, while also ensuring the market remains fair and beneficial for all stakeholders. We are actively listening to the perspectives of all involved parties and will be exploring various options to address this issue.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to increase the speed with which businesses reduce their use of plastic packaging and eliminate unnecessary waste.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives.

Alongside the delivery of the Collection and Packaging Reforms, this Government is currently considering further actions that can be taken to address the challenges associated with plastic packaging. As we develop our Circular Economy Strategy for England, we will consider the evidence for action from right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed.

The Government also funds the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), who run the UK Plastics Pact. Pact members cover the entire plastics value chain and are responsible for the majority of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets, and approximately two thirds of the total plastic packaging placed on the UK market. Since 2018, members of the Pact have increased the average recycled content in their packaging from 8.5% to 26%.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that waste collected for recycling is recycled rather than exported.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming months.

The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country.

Waste collected from households and workplaces must be collected separately from other waste for recycling or composting.

This policy will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and that the UK recycling industry will grow.

Where the UK cannot currently recycle materials economically, exports can help ensure those materials are recycled. The export of waste is subject to strict controls and exporters are required to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner. Any UK operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to procure UK-made steel for alterations and additions to (1) Royal Air Force bases, (2) Royal Navy bases, and (3) Army installations.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK steel sector provides vital support to the UK's defence capabilities, including specialist cast and forged steel components for a range of UK defence programmes such as submarines, surface vessels and artillery barrels. Steel used in our major Defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers. This Government is committed to creating the right conditions in the UK for a competitive and sustainable steel industry.

The National Security Strategy, Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy set out how a strong industrial base is critical for maintaining our national security infrastructure.

The Ministry of Defence is also involved in the development of a Government steel strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable industry and outline the actions needed to get there. The strategy will articulate what is needed to secure UK steel supply chains and create a competitive business environment in the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen domestic supply chains for steel following the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy on 8 September (CP 1388).

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK steel sector provides vital support to the UK's defence capabilities, including specialist cast and forged steel components for a range of UK defence programmes such as submarines, surface vessels and artillery barrels. Steel used in our major Defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers. This Government is committed to creating the right conditions in the UK for a competitive and sustainable steel industry.

The National Security Strategy, Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy set out how a strong industrial base is critical for maintaining our national security infrastructure.

The Ministry of Defence is also involved in the development of a Government steel strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable industry and outline the actions needed to get there. The strategy will articulate what is needed to secure UK steel supply chains and create a competitive business environment in the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a two-way contract for difference to provide competitive wholesale electricity prices to the steel industry.

Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We recognise the importance of competitive electricity prices in enabling the UK steel sector to thrive.

We are developing a comprehensive steel strategy, to be published this year, which will set out the conditions needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK. This strategy aims to attract new private investment and expand UK steelmaking capability in alignment with our Net Zero goals. As part of this, we launched the Plan for Steel Consultation in March to examine long-term challenges facing the industry, including how domestic producers can meet more UK demand.

To support decarbonisation and growth, the Government will renew the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, providing long-term confidence for industry to invest in low-carbon technologies. We remain committed to our manifesto pledge to invest up to £2.5 billion in steel through the National Wealth Fund and other routes.

The UK steel industry has a long-term future under this Government. We are determined to work towards a bright future for steel—protecting jobs, driving growth, and ensuring our industrial heartlands remain at the forefront of a competitive, low-carbon economy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a national freight crime strategy, including proposals for criminal law measures, and on what timeframe.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime has on businesses and drivers and we are aware of worrying increases in its frequency.

Whilst there are no plans to introduce a national freight crime strategy, we will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it.

There are strong links between freight crime and serious, organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.

This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms, and we are continuing to work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.

The DfT also hosts the Freight Council; this group regularly discusses crime against freight companies, and the Home Office works closely with DfT to engage with the sector on this issue through the Freight Council.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the opportunities to strengthen public procurement policy to incentivise and increase the use of UK-made steel in publicly funded projects.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK steel sector plays a crucial role in our economic security. The public sector is an important buyer of steel, procuring it both directly and indirectly, to build critical infrastructure such as our railways, roads, buildings, defence equipment, schools and hospitals.

Public procurement data published by the Department for Business and Trade shows that where steel procured in FY 2023/24 could be made in the UK, around 97% was actually UK-made.

This Government is developing a steel strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable industry. The strategy will articulate what is needed to secure UK steel supply chains and create a competitive business environment in the UK.

The Cabinet Office has recently published new procurement policy measures to require central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to consult UK Steel’s Digital Catalogue prior to design and procurement decisions being made; and to apply the national security exemption to relevant steel procurements.

This Government is also considering further options to ensure public procurement supports critical UK industry and can boost jobs and growth.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what new measures they are considering (1) to reduce the time for hiring and vetting, and (2) to attract and develop more applicants with STEM skills, in order to improve socio-economic diversity in recruitment to the Civil Service fast stream summer internship programme.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Initiatives are under way to improve time to hire across the Civil Service, which include establishing and benchmarking standardised recruitment metrics and using ‘test and learns’ to find new ways to attract and recruit talent.

UK Security Vetting (UKSV) has made significant progress in improving overall times to process applications for National Security Vetting. Performance continues to track at an all time high and UKSV remains committed to continuous improvement.

Our Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme will be for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. The annual recruitment exercise aligns to the academic year, with vetting and recruitment conducted in time for the students summer start dates.

The Fast Stream, for which the Summer Internship is a feeder route, continues to focus on its 2022 ambition that 50% of hires to the Fast Stream will have a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) qualification. This was exceeded in 2023 and 2024.