Lord Beamish

Details of the meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade and its predecessor the Department for International trade are available on transparency pages of gov.uk and are released as part of the Government’s transparency agenda.

Department for Business and Trade officials have met with Fujitsu three times since the General Election to discuss Fujitsu’s contribution to the cost of the Horizon scandal.

The Government welcomes the fact that Fujitsu has acknowledged their moral obligation to make a contribution to the cost of redress. Once Sir Wyn Williams has delivered his report following the conclusion of the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the Department will consider his findings and take appropriate action.

Post Office have a contract with Fujitsu until March 2025 for the Horizon IT system, and are in negotiations with Fujitsu regarding an extension to that contract. Officials at the Department have met with Fujitsu to discuss the importance of a contract extension, which would allow continuity of service in post office branches while Post Office develops a replacement to the Horizon system.

The Government welcomes the fact that Fujitsu has acknowledged their moral obligation to make a contribution to the cost of redress. At the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry the UK head of Fujitsu stated that he is willing and ready to engage with Government on the size of the contribution. Once the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry has reviewed all the evidence and the Chair, Sir Wyn Williams, has delivered his report, the Department will consider his findings and take appropriate action.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not collect information specifically on new jobs associated with battery energy storage systems and therefore has not made that specific projection; details on the government's plans for clean energy jobs in general are published in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan. A copy is attached.

The Government recognises that Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications present major opportunities for the UK. International regulations governing LEO satellites directly impact our strategic communications capabilities and the resilience of critical national infrastructure.

Ofcom represents the UK at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and DSIT is working closely with departments and Ofcom to shape the UK’s position ahead of the 2027 ITU World Radio Conference, ensuring regulations reflect national policy objectives and strategic priorities.

As outlined in the Industrial Strategy, the Government aims to work with international partners to ensure evolving regulations continue to support UK strategic goals and the deployment of advanced connectivity technologies.

Ofcom represents the UK at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Government works closely with Ofcom to ensure international satellite regulations align with UK technology and policy goals, and that strategic priorities are reflected in international negotiations.

In the proposed Statement of Strategic Priorities, the Government expects Ofcom to lead in shaping the international spectrum framework to support UK space services.

As reflected in the Space Regulatory Review, officials are working to embed national security and interest considerations proportionately across all licensable space activities, including space spectrum.

The Resilience Action Plan sets out the Government’s strategic vision for a stronger, more resilient nation. It recognises that resilience across all sectors, including telecoms, is vital to withstanding and recovering from an increasingly wide range of risks.

Low Earth-orbit satellite technology has an increasing role in telecoms resilience. For example, in instances where terrestrial networks might fail, Low Earth Orbit satellite connections can be rapidly deployed to provide broadband coverage.

No formal assessment has been made but the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) recently published its annual report for 2024-25 here. A copy is attached to this answer.

Since 2020, the JUWC has worked with over 130 partner organisations and led or attended over 300 multi-agency days of action resulting in over 170 associated arrests. In recent years, the JUWC has made significant progress aligning its approach to other criminal justice agencies to target organised crime groups. The work of the JUWC has received cross government support and the model is respected internationally.

We have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) total budget for 2025-26, including the amount available to tackle waste crime. This will enable the EA to increase its frontline criminal enforcement resource in the JUWC and area environmental crime teams by 43 full time staff. This resource will be targeted at activities identified as waste crime priorities using enforcement activity data and criminal intelligence.

This data is not held centrally by the Government.  The cross-agency nature of Joint Unit for Waste Crime’s (JUWC) operations means that interventions and activities will be carried out for a range of different offences. Outcomes, including prosecutions, will be pursued by different agencies (including police) to different end-results.  Alongside operations that lead to arrests, a major focus of the JUWC's work is the prevention and disruption of waste crime through other methods.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 2 June 2026 to Questions HL357 and HL358. The Trinity House vessel procurement remains live, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 2 June 2026 to Questions HL357 and HL358. The Trinity House vessel procurement remains live, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

The procurement is being led by Trinity House, with oversight from the Department for Transport. HM Treasury’s involvement is in line with its usual role in relation to public expenditure.

The Trinity House vessel procurement required bidders to state social value and UK content commitments as part of their bids, which accounted for ten per cent and five per cent respectively of the overall evaluation.

All bids are assessed against these criteria as part of a fair and open competition. Given that this procurement remains live at this stage it would be inappropriate for me to comment further before this process concludes.

The Trinity House vessel procurement required bidders to state social value and UK content commitments as part of their bids, which accounted for ten per cent and five per cent respectively of the overall evaluation.

All bids are assessed against these criteria as part of a fair and open competition. Given that this procurement remains live at this stage it would be inappropriate for me to comment further before this process concludes.

The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.

In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.

The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.

Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.

The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.

In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.

The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.

Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.

The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.

In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.

The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.

Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.

The Government is committed to taking action to address concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.

The Government is committed to taking action to address concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.

His Majesty's Ambassador to Tokyo has not held discussions with Fujitsu concerning the financial redress scheme related to the Post Office Horizon IT system. The scheme is led by the Department for Business and Trade and the Post Office. Department for Business and Trade officials have met with Fujitsu three times since the General Election to discuss their contribution to the cost of the Horizon scandal.

The Government has been clear that those responsible for the Horizon scandal must be held accountable. This will be determined by the public inquiry, which is ongoing.

Illegally salvaged artefacts from HMS Prince of Wales seized by Malaysian authorities are part of an ongoing Malaysian criminal investigation. The UK Ministry of Defence and the British High Commission continue to work closely with the relevant authorities in the region to afford these sites suitable protection. As investigations into the illegal salvage are still ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further until these investigations have concluded.

We are engaging with the market on the basis of a UK-led build, using the Defence and Security provisions within the Procurement Act 2023, under which the majority of the construction, fabrication, assembly, outfitting and commissioning, and support of the vessels is undertaken in the UK or British Overseas Territory / Crown Dependency.

A dynamic UK shipbuilding sector has potential to play a key role in creating and sustaining jobs and in ensuring shared prosperity around the country. The Maritime Capabilities Replacement Programme procurement will require all bidders to deliver social value, with fair work and resilient supply chains identified as key priorities.

We are continuing to engage suppliers on the basis of a UK-led build, using the Defence and Security provisions within the Procurement Act 2023 where appropriate. This approach is consistent with the government's commitment to back British businesses and a sustainable and successful shipbuilding and maritime technology sector and to ensure value for money and deliverability. My officials are working closely with the National Shipbuilding Office.

We are continuing to engage suppliers on the basis of a UK-led build, using the Defence and Security provisions within the Procurement Act 2023 where appropriate. This approach is consistent with the government's commitment to back British businesses and a sustainable and successful shipbuilding and maritime technology sector and to ensure value for money and deliverability. My officials are working closely with the National Shipbuilding Office.

The Home Office has awarded two contracts with Fujitsu during the period in question, in both cases to renew existing services provided by the company where it was considered essential for law enforcement purposes to do so. Details of both contracts are published on Contract Finder:

Law Enforcement (LECN) Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) continuity

ES Hosting Hardware

Programme Euston will be one of the most significant and sustained Government investments in Scotland over the coming decades. Employment and training in the local area will rise and the investment will drive regional economic skills and social/environmental benefits further afield.

The commercial approach for the delivery of the dock and shoreside elements of Programme Euston will be finalised as part of the investment decision to be outlined following the publication of the Defence Investment Plan. The actual number of UK-based jobs and apprenticeships that will be created as a result of the Programme can only be assessed following completion of the procurement process.

There are currently 11 staff employed in the parliamentary branch of the Ministry of Defence.

There are currently four civil servants working in the Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords private office: one Grade 7, two Senior Executive Officers and one Higher Executive Officer.

The number of Special Advisers and their employment costs are published online and can be accessed via GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-july-2025/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-july-2025-html

As of 10 June 2026 four special advisors were employed by the Ministry of Defence, with costs up to £84,999 per special advisor.

Programme Euston will be one of the most significant and sustained Government investments in Scotland over the coming decades. Employment and training in the local area will rise and the investment will drive regional economic skills and social/environmental benefits further afield.

The commercial approach for the delivery of the dock and shoreside elements of Programme Euston will be finalised as part of the investment decision to be outlined following the publication of the Defence Investment Plan. The actual number of UK-based jobs and apprenticeships that will be created as a result of the Programme can only be assessed following completion of the procurement process.