Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 expiry of the UK steel safeguard in June 2026 on the UK steel industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Steel remains a Government priority, with plans being developed for the UK steel industry in light of the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year.
The steel safeguard is a temporary measure and is set to expire in June 2026 in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and cannot be extended further.
We held a Call for Evidence throughout July to gather stakeholder views on future policy options. We are currently reviewing all options and potential impacts carefully. Our long-term approach will be robust, evidence-based, and aligned with domestic and international obligations.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will renew the steel safeguarding measures due to expire in June 2026.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Steel remains a Government priority, with plans being developed for the UK steel industry in light of the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year.
The steel safeguard is a temporary measure and is set to expire in June 2026 in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and cannot be extended further.
We held a Call for Evidence throughout July to gather stakeholder views on future policy options. We are currently reviewing all options and potential impacts carefully. Our long-term approach will be robust, evidence-based, and aligned with domestic and international obligations.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether any trade unions have not provided full accounts to the Certification Officer in the last three years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Certification Officer provides high-level information about compliance with the requirement to submit an annual return in his Annual Report to the Secretary of State each year. This report is laid before both Houses of Parliament by the Secretary of State and published on the Certification Officer's website. The Certification Officer’s report for 2024/25 was published on 7 July 2025 and is available online.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 21 October 2025, HCWS973, on Regulation Action Plan Update and Modernisation of Corporate Reporting, if he will increase the definition of SME firms from 250 to 500 employees.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department introduced legislation earlier this year that raised the monetary thresholds for micro, small, medium, and large companies by approximately 50%, thereby reducing reporting obligations for 133,000 companies moving into a smaller size category. Saving companies £240 million per year. As part of the announced modernisation of corporate reporting review, we will publish a broad, holistic consultation in 2026 which will set out our vision for corporate reporting including who should be required to report.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 18 of her Department's policy paper entitled Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps, updated in October 2025, whether the commitment to reduce the burden of regulation will apply to (a) the voluntary sector and (b) political parties.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have committed to reduce the administrative burden of regulation on businesses by 25% by the end of the Parliament. For the purposes of this target, businesses count as all organisations defined as being in the private sector by the Office for National Statistics when compiling the National Accounts. This therefore includes other services activities, such as activities of the voluntary sector and political parties.
We will focus our efforts on those sectors of the economy with the highest growth potential, and which face the highest administrative burden of regulation, so they can spend more time growing their businesses.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 18 of her Department's policy paper entitled Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps, updated in October 2025, whether the new Key Performance Indicators for regulators will apply to (a) the Information Commission and the (b) the Electoral Commission.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The March Regulation Action Plan committed government to ask that regulators review and publish their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This was focused on the top 16 regulators that drive economic growth. This group includes the Information Commissioner’s Office but does not include the Electoral Commission. In October, the Regulation Action Plan update published a dashboard which collates the performance of the 16 regulators against key performance indicators in one place.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered (a) banning vaping in pubs, (b) banning 16 and 17 year olds from buying zero alcohol drinks in pubs and (c) raising the drink drive limit to support the economic viability of pubs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade is not responsible for bans on vaping in pubs, restrictions on zero-alcohol drinks for 16–17-year-olds, or changes to drink-drive limits. These matters fall under the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Transport
DHSC advises that while vapes are less harmful than smoking, they are not risk-free and plans to consult on making most indoor settings vape-free. Many pubs already prohibit vaping voluntarily. In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to explore prohibiting sales of no- and low-alcohol drinks to under-18s including prohibiting sales to individuals under the age of 18 years old. This policy is being pursued as these alcohol substitute drinks are intended for consumption by adults. DHSC Officials are scoping details and will update stakeholders in due course.
This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. In 2023 there were 1,624 people killed on GB roads. There were an estimated 260 people killed in collisions involving drink driving, accounting for 16% of total fatalities in 2023. Given the significant casualties caused by drink driving, we have no plans to increase the drink drive limit.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Certification Officer has received (a) representations and (b) complaints on the elections of the Unite trade union.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Certification Officer does not comment on whether any complaints are under consideration.
The Certification Officer lists all forthcoming hearings and publishes all decisions on their website.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of meetings between Jeffrey Epstein and Ministers in the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills between 2009 and 2010.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many post offices there are in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area by (i) location, (ii) rurality and (iii) type of post office.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Post Office Limited publishes monthly data on the number of branches trading across the UK, including their locations and rurality. The latest dataset, covering September 2025, is available on the Post Office Limited’s website at: 2025-september-network-numbers-online-list-v2.xlsx
Post Office Limited’s most recent annual Network Report includes data on branch types. You can access it here: network-report-2024-final-5.pdf.
Parliamentarians can find data on branch locations by constituency in the House of Commons Library.