Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which (a) Department and (b) Minister have lead responsibility for the implementation of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal; and what (i) cross-government structures and (ii) processes are in place to coordinate its delivery.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has lead responsibility for implementation of the General Terms of the UK‑US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), which sits within my Trade Policy portfolio, with overall oversight from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Delivery of the EPD draws on expertise from across government. Coordination is led by the Department for Business and Trade, using established official and ministerial channels, supported by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) support and (b) provide funding to the Pax Silica programme of the US Department of State.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK signed the Pax Silica Declaration in December 2025. The initiative is in its early stages, and no financial contribution has been made.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the increase in UK GDP will be from the upgraded UK-Republic of Korea agreement.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The upgraded UK-Republic of Korea (RoK) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) guarantees permanent tariff-free access to 98% of RoK’s lines, ensuring £2 billion of UK goods exports at risk of additional duties can continue to benefit from reduced tariffs. New services provisions could also help increase UK services exports by £400 million annually in the long term.
Once the upgraded agreement is signed we will publish detailed analytical information, including trade impacts. As this is an upgraded FTA, we intend to use a New Quantitative Trade Model (NQTM) which will provide a more accurate overview of the upgraded FTA’s economic impact.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Employment Savings Trust pilot scheme of autoenrollment savings accounts.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Payroll savings schemes allow employees to save directly from their salary and are a proven way of helping people start and maintain a savings habit. Research from the National Employment Savings Trust demonstrates that payroll savings can effectively help people to save, particularly where behavioural support is put in place.
As part of the recently published Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government has worked with partners to provide the clarity employers need to offer payroll savings options to their workforce. The Government also announced an ambitious National Coalition of Employers, which will further encourage uptake of payroll savings schemes among employers.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to my letter of the 4th of December 2025, reference LB46770,on the Birmingham pub bombings.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Security Minister will reply in due course.