Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions (a) he, (b) his predecessor and (c) his Department have had with the Government of the People’s Republic of China on British Steel Limited.

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

In recent months, Ministers and officials have had short, factual discussions with the Government of the People’s Republic of China regarding British Steel Limited, most recently during the Business & Trade Secretary’s visit to China on 10-11 September.

We continue to engage directly with British Steel’s owner to find the best solution for the Scunthorpe site.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his visit to China between 10 and 11 September 2025, whether he had discussions on British Steel Limited.

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

In recent months, Ministers and officials have had short, factual discussions with the Government of the People’s Republic of China regarding British Steel Limited, most recently during the Business & Trade Secretary’s visit to China on 10-11 September.

We continue to engage directly with British Steel’s owner to find the best solution for the Scunthorpe site.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group will be operational.

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

Agreement to establish a UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group was an outcome of the Industrial Cooperation Dialogue between the Department of Business and Trade and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which took place on Wednesday 10 September 2025.

Discussions on scheduling the first meeting of the group are ongoing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many officials from his Department were on site at British Steel Limited locations in each week since 12 April 2025.

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

There has been a consistent senior civil servant presence on British Steel's Scunthorpe site since 12 April, supporting British Steel's management team and providing oversight of public funds. The senior civil servants are supported on site by a range of staff from the Department for Business and Trade and UK Government Investments.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the (a) membership and (b) appointment process will be for the UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group.

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

The UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group will comprise officials from the Department for Business and Trade and China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the full terms of reference will be for the UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group.

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

The UK-China Industrial Decarbonisation Working Group will focus on accelerating decarbonisation of UK and Chinese industry, and identifying opportunities for commercial collaboration in relevant subsectors linked to industrial decarbonisation, such as CCUS.

Further discussion on areas of focus will take place at the first meeting.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will list the responsibilities of each of his Department's Ministers.

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

Departmental Ministerial portfolios can be found at Department for Business and Trade - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of limiting worker's companions in (a) disciplinary and (b) grievance hearings on non-trade union member workers.

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

Existing legislation aims to keep disciplinary and grievance procedures internal to the workplace. Expanding the right to be accompanied to professional bodies, including legal professionals, may reduce the prospects of amicable resolution, potentially increasing employment tribunals and therefore legal costs for all parties.

The law already provides that workers are entitled to bring a companion who is either a colleague, an official employed by a trade union, or a workplace trade union representative. Employers can allow workers to be accompanied by a companion outside of this scope and some workers may already have a contractual right to do so.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the cost to employers of disciplinary and grievance hearings taking place (a) with a worker's companion and (b) without a worker's companion.

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

Under existing legislation, we would not expect to see a difference in cost to the employer between a disciplinary or grievance hearing where the worker has a companion or does not have a companion. If the worker were to be accompanied by a trade union representative, the worker would pay for this through their trade union membership.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timetable is for agreeing a UK-Gulf Cooperation Council trade deal.

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

The UK has been negotiating a modern and ambitious free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council to boost economic growth, raise wages, and increase investment since June 2022. Negotiations have now reached an advanced stage, with both sides working hard and at pace to resolve the remaining issues. As the Honorable Member should know, timetables can be counter-productive when seeking to agree a trade deal and can lead to perverse outcomes. We are focused on securing the right deal that delivers growth and offers real benefits to British businesses and investors, rather than getting it done by a specific date.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department's financial support for Jaguar Land Rover was made available.

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

The UK Government acted quickly to prioritise rapid support for Jaguar Land Rover’s operations, with a partial guarantee for a commercial loan, through UK Export Finance (UKEF)’s Export Development Guarantee.

We are not able to comment on the detail of current transactions for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

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 EU’s plans to reduce its tariff free steel import quota on the UK steel industry.

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

We are in active dialogue with the European Commission to fully understand the details of their proposal and next steps.

The government is also working closely with UK industry, including through a roundtable with industry held on the 9 October, to understand potential impacts and solutions, and to assess how best to secure the UK’s supply chains in light of these developments.

As ever, this government will always put the UK’s national interest first, and is committed to defending our critical steel industry, protecting skilled jobs and supporting economic growth as part of our Plan for Change. We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to formally present the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement to Parliament.

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

We will do so as soon as possible once the Trade and Agriculture Commission have provided advice on the agreement, which will enable us to produce the necessary Section 42 report, and trigger the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act process thereafter.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when negotiations on the double contribution convention with India will conclude.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

In a side letter to the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), agreed in July 2025, the UK and India committed to concluding the negotiations to allow for the Double Contributions Convention to enter into force at the same time as the CETA.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of agricultural businesses that have been affected by the suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in (a) West Sussex, (b) East Sussex and (c) Brighton and Hove.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Following the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Scheme, the Rural Payments Agency re-opened the SFI 2024 offer to eligible farmers who had started but not submitted an application as at 11 March 2025, and those who were eligible under one of three exception groups.

Attendance of the Attorney General at the Bar of the House on the Chinese espionage case