Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many secondary legislation (a) laid and (b) planned under the Employment Rights Act 2025 have been submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee.

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

The Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) does not review secondary legislation. Where applicable under Better Regulation guidance, the RPC produces opinions of Option Assessments and Impact Assessments to help Government ensure that the evidence and analysis in them is sufficiently robust. As is best practice, my department will adhere to the Better Regulation Framework on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assumptions his Department uses regarding cost pass-through to consumers when assessing the impact of new trade-related regulatory requirements on businesses, and whether those assumptions have been revised since the publication of the Department’s 2024 Green Book-aligned appraisal guidance.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Addressing regulatory barriers to trade can help reduce costs for UK businesses trading internationally and support economic growth. Cost pass‑through to consumers is subject to uncertainty and may differ significantly depending on market conditions, products and supply chains in scope. Reflecting the Green Book’s principles‑based approach to appraisal, which emphasises judgement and proportionality where impacts are uncertain, cost pass-through impacts are considered on a case‑by‑case basis where evidence indicates that they can be assessed.

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 regulatory divergence from the EU on UK exporters since July 2024, broken down by sector and by firm size.

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

No, we will not be making such a precise assessment, but the EU is our closest partner and biggest trading market and we are committed to making trade easier by removing unnecessary barriers to trade. To date, many UK regulations continue to align in the main with EU regulations. We are aware that EU divergence is an important issue for many UK exporters to the EU. We continue to monitor potential instances of divergence and undertake assessments on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the (a) gross and (b) net revenue raised for her Department from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme in the 2024-25 financial year, broken down by auction receipts, administrative costs, and any revenue recycling and hypothecation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Receipts from auctioning of UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) allowances accrue to the exchequer. The Economic and Fiscal Outlook (November 2025) published by the OBR confirms the ETS outturn for 2024-25.

The administrative cost of the UK ETS can be found in the National Audit Office’s report on the UK ETS.

The UK does not hypothecate revenue from the UK ETS, which is subject to a floating carbon price which changes frequently. All receipts from the UK ETS accrue to the consolidated fund, and go to funding government priorities, which includes decarbonisation support for ETS participants.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the European Union’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act on the integration of UK-based manufacturers in European supply chains.

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

The proposed Industrial Accelerator Act has not yet been published by the European Commission, but we share and understand concerns expressed by industry in this country and within the European Union about the potential impact of an overly restrictive ‘made in Europe’ policy. We continue to engage with our counterparts in the EU and to advocate for the interests of UK manufacturers, many of whose operations are closely integrated with other businesses in the EU.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 19 December and (b) 20 January from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

A response to your correspondence of 19 December and 20 January was issued on 5 February. I apologise for the delay, and the Department is taking steps to improve the timeliness of its correspondence handling. If the Honourable Member requires any further clarification, we will be happy to assist.