Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to hold an African Investment Summit.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish information held by the Disclosure and Barring Service on DBS checks issued in the most recent year by (a) sector, (b) occupation and (c) Standard Industrial Classification.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent and therefore responsible for the information it publishes.

The organisation currently publishes performance against its targets at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, the DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK.

It does not publish information about the sector, occupation, or Standard Industrial Classification in relation to its checks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of DBS checks are requested for roles not involving regulated activity.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

DBS received 7,434,323 applications across all levels of checks between 01/03/2025 and 28/02/2026. Of those, 3,580,685 (48%) applications were for roles not involved in regulated activity.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure the Employment Rights Act 2025 does not negatively impact employment levels.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Our analysis demonstrates that the Act is more likely to help more people into work than reduce employment. Making work more attractive and accessible to a wider range of people, such as those with caring responsibilities or health conditions, can help more people enter or return to the workforce.

Changes will be introduced gradually over a two-year period, giving businesses time to prepare. We have launched a dedicated website offering practical guidance and support for businesses and workers, alongside wider communication, engagement and educational activity to raise awareness. We will keep consulting with businesses, trade unions and civil society to make sure we get the detail right.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Act 2025 on the number of entry-level and flexible jobs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights act and this is available here: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Our analysis, supported by independent modelling and international evidence, demonstrates pro-employment effects are more likely and deems the overall risk to employment to be low.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department were responded to (a) within the statutory 20 working day deadline, (b) between 21 and 40 working days, (c) between 41 and 60 working days, and (d) after 60 working days, in each of the last three calendar years.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Cabinet Office publishes official Freedom of Information (FOI) statistics for all monitored central government bodies, including the Department for Business and Trade, as part of its regular Government FOI Statistics series. These statistics are available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

FOI statistics for 2023 and 2024 are currently available online through this collection. The 2025 FOI statistics are scheduled to be published in April 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications were submitted for change of use into Class E for each of the last three years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not hold the information requested.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many free allowances were granted to businesses under the Emissions Trading Scheme in each of the last three years.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The total number of free allowances distributed under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) in each of the last three years was as follows:

2024: 30,823,937

2025: 25,451,671

2026: 24,107,382

This information is publicly available on GOV.UK at UK ETS Allocation Table for operators of installations - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many businesses received free allowances under the Emissions Trading Scheme in each of the last three years.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The number of businesses that received free allowances under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) in each of the last three years was as follows:

2024: 284

2025: 273

2026: 265

Note that the Allocation Table lists the company that operated each site at the time the table was last updated, rather than when the free allowances for a given year were distributed, so the figures above should be treated as approximate for 2024 and 2025.

This information is publicly available on GOV.UK at UK ETS Allocation Table for operators of installations - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to HCWS1501, what estimate her Department has made of the total cost to the public purse of operating the Ensus UK Limited plant for the initial three-month period.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The costs associated with this intervention have been independently verified and are commercially sensitive. The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts will record the expenditure incurred with Ensus and disclosures surrounding the expenditure incurred will reflect the materiality of the arrangement to the Department’s accounts, as is required by International Financial Reporting Standards.

Government uses legal powers under the Industrial Development Act 1982 to provide financial support to Ensus. A key condition of this support requires Ensus to keep the facility on standby and restart operations when required to provide resilience for critical sectors.

Ministers were first advised of risks to CO2 supply chains arising from the Middle East conflict on 9 March.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 April 2026 (HCWS1501), what statutory or prerogative powers were relied upon to direct Ensus UK Limited to restart production.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The costs associated with this intervention have been independently verified and are commercially sensitive. The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts will record the expenditure incurred with Ensus and disclosures surrounding the expenditure incurred will reflect the materiality of the arrangement to the Department’s accounts, as is required by International Financial Reporting Standards.

Government uses legal powers under the Industrial Development Act 1982 to provide financial support to Ensus. A key condition of this support requires Ensus to keep the facility on standby and restart operations when required to provide resilience for critical sectors.

Ministers were first advised of risks to CO2 supply chains arising from the Middle East conflict on 9 March.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on what date Ministers first became aware of risks to UK CO₂ supply chains arising from the conflict in the Middle East.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The costs associated with this intervention have been independently verified and are commercially sensitive. The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts will record the expenditure incurred with Ensus and disclosures surrounding the expenditure incurred will reflect the materiality of the arrangement to the Department’s accounts, as is required by International Financial Reporting Standards.

Government uses legal powers under the Industrial Development Act 1982 to provide financial support to Ensus. A key condition of this support requires Ensus to keep the facility on standby and restart operations when required to provide resilience for critical sectors.

Ministers were first advised of risks to CO2 supply chains arising from the Middle East conflict on 9 March.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of purchasing Emissions Trading Scheme permits in the secondary market on the cost to businesses.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market. A market-determined price of carbon is the most efficient way to decarbonise the traded sector.

The UK ETS Authority sets the scheme’s cap, which sets a limit on the volume of greenhouse gases participants captured by the scheme can emit.

In 2024 the UK ETS cap was aligned to net zero. This ensures the covered sectors will reduce their emissions in line with the UK’s climate target and establishes a long-term investment signal. An impact assessment was conducted, including costs to businesses.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to HCWS1501, what level of detail will be provided in DBT’s 2025-26 and 2026-27 annual reports on expenditure associated with the Ensus UK Limited restart.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The costs associated with this intervention have been independently verified and are commercially sensitive. The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts will record the expenditure incurred with Ensus and disclosures surrounding the expenditure incurred will reflect the materiality of the arrangement to the Department’s accounts, as is required by International Financial Reporting Standards.

Government uses legal powers under the Industrial Development Act 1982 to provide financial support to Ensus. A key condition of this support requires Ensus to keep the facility on standby and restart operations when required to provide resilience for critical sectors.

Ministers were first advised of risks to CO2 supply chains arising from the Middle East conflict on 9 March.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she expects to publish the consultation on guaranteed hours under the Employment Rights Act 2025; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the consultation on (a) business confidence, (b) employment levels, (c) levels of flexible work and (d) business viability, particularly for (i) recruitment agencies and (ii) seasonal sectors such as (A) hospitality and (B) agriculture.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government will consult on the right to guaranteed hours in due course, to be sure to get the detail of the regulations right for both workers and employers across all sectors. We appreciate that employers will need clarity and time before regulations come into effect to familiarise themselves with these new rights and adapt their practices. We will ensure that employers have sufficient time and appropriate guidance to comply with the new legislation.