Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Insolvency Service is taking to (a) identify and (b) respond to cases in which (i) statutory demands and (ii) bankruptcy petitions are used as an instrument of economic abuse or coercive control against a victim of domestic abuse.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Bankruptcy is generally considered a last resort due to its serious financial and legal consequences, but can also provide a route out of problem debt for vulnerable debtors. Creditors presenting a bankruptcy petition to the courts must meet strict requirements, including a hearing before a judge who will assess the fairness of making the order.
Persons At Risk of Violence orders provide a way to protect abuse survivors where disclosing an individual’s address could lead to violence.
A review of the Personal Insolvency regime is underway, with a forthcoming consultation to gather stakeholder views.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the safeguards in the Insolvency Rules 2016 against the misuse of insolvency proceedings as an instrument of economic abuse or coercive control against a victim of domestic abuse.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Insolvency proceedings are a regulated process designed to protect both debtors and creditors.
An individual can only be declared bankrupt by a court order following the presentation of a bankruptcy petition. The process is overseen by the court through the appointment of an Official Receiver or an Insolvency Practitioner (IP) acting as trustee.
Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) are supervised by licensed IPs, while applications for Debt Relief Orders (DROs) can only be submitted through an authorised debt adviser.
A review of the Insolvency Rules is currently underway, and we will be gathering stakeholder views across a range of areas.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government is taking steps to protect the interests of retail shareholders in situations where a majority shareholder exercises its voting rights in relation to a competing takeover offer.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Takeover Code, which has a statutory basis under the Companies Act 2006, sets out a clear and orderly framework for takeovers, including measures to ensure fairness to all shareholders. The Code is issued and administered by the independent Panel on Takeovers and Mergers. The Panel has enforcement powers for breaches of the Code. Changes to the Code itself would be a matter for the Panel.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered increasing the size of the Steel Fund, in the context of funding allocated to the running of British Steel under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are committed to providing up to £2.5bn for steel which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund.
At the Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed that we will invest in the long-term future of Scunthorpe. We have been clear that private investment to modernise British Steel will also be required and work continues at pace to develop the optimal approach. Over £100m of funding has been provided to British Steel to ensure continued operation of the blast furnaces.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to replace the import safeguard quotas for steel when they expire in June 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Steel is a top priority for this Government and we recognise the continuing challenges facing the UK steel industry – driven by persistent overcapacity and unfair trading practices.
We will ensure there is a plan in place for the UK steel industry following the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year. That is why we launched a Call for Evidence on Steel Trade Measures on the 26th of June to inform the design of any potential trade measures, including appropriate tariff rates and quota levels.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has set a cap on the amount of funding he will allocate to the running of British Steel in the next three financial years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Funding is provided to British Steel under the provisions of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act. This funding is intended to ensure the safe and continued operation of the blast furnaces. The intervention is a temporary measure and work is continuing to determine the best long-term sustainable future for the site.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he next plans to conduct a national security assessment of (a) British Steel and (b) the wider UK steel industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is conducting a range of assessments and analysis to inform future options for British Steel and our strategy for the steel industry. Matters relating to national security are under constant review. We do not comment on the timing or content of any assessments.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to include measures to help protect steelmakers from subsidised steel imports from (a) China and (b) the wider Far East in the forthcoming trade strategy.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Steel is a top priority for this government. The UK applies 10 anti-dumping measures and two anti-subsidy measures on steel imports from China, and a safeguard measure on global imports for 14 steel categories. This measure was adjusted on 30 June to provide more effective protection for domestic producers.
On 26 June the government published its Trade Strategy, announcing we will sharpen our trade defence toolkit to better protect critical sectors, such as steel, from harm. Alongside this we launched the Steel Trade Measures Call for Evidence to prepare us for the expiry of the steel safeguard in June 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support mechanisms he is considering for the UK steel industry should the criteria for removing export tariffs on shipments to the US not be met.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s priority remains the swift implementation of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal to enable UK businesses to export steel and aluminium to the United States without incurring Section 232 tariffs. We are engaged in active and constructive discussions with our US counterparts to this end.
The Government has also taken major action on areas crucial for the sector, including slashing electricity costs, changing procurement rules to ensure UK-made-steel is considered for all public projects and opening a Call for Evidence on future trade measures. More detailed information on support for the sector can be found in a press release published on 03 July.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to provide funding for legal advice for Sub-Postmasters pursuing compensation claims.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The Department for Business and Trade meets the reasonable legal costs of postmasters in applying to its Horizon redress schemes, and encourages claimants to take up this offer. Legal cost frameworks and tariffs for each scheme delivered by the Department have been agreed and published following discussions with claimants’ legal representatives. Post Office provides funding for reasonable legal fees to help claimants on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme to consider offers made by the independent panel, with further legal support available should they choose to dispute or appeal their offer.