Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of international collaboration on hydrogen‑based steel production.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK steel strategy sets out a clear vision for a less carbon intensive steel sector and a continued move towards the use of Electric Arc Furnaces for steel production.
An independent review on primary steelmaking, published alongside the steel strategy, concluded that short-term domestic demand for iron can be met through established imports of pig iron or Direct Reduced Iron (DRI). In the longer-term, to achieve net zero and remain competitive in global green steel markets, primary iron should come from DRI plants powered by natural gas, with a planned transition to hydrogen. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/materials-processing-institute-uk-primary-steelmaking-review-2025.
Officials have engaged with companies both in the UK and abroad who are looking to build hydrogen-based steel plants to learn more about their proposed operations and the opportunities.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2025 to Question 94271 on Royal Mail: Takeovers, what discussions he has held with the EP Group since December 2025 on meeting the terms of Royal Mail’s agreements with the Communication Workers Union on workforce pay and conditions, in particular workforce pay and conditions for new entrants.
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 Secretary of State has been in regular contact with Dave Ward, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, including chairing three trilateral meetings since December 2025 to encourage both sides to reach an agreement.
The Government is pleased to note that the CWU and Royal Mail have reached an agreement on the implementation of Universal Service Obligation reforms and on new entrant terms and conditions.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent and sustained increases in energy prices on energy-intensive manufacturers in the ceramics sector, including companies such as Denby Pottery; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that viable, export-focused ceramics manufacturers are able to remain competitive and avoid closure as a result of energy cost pressures.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is aware of the pressure on ceramics businesses created by high energy prices, and that the gas-intensive nature of the majority of ceramics businesses means they do not currently qualify for the Government’s electricity price support schemes, the British Industry Supercharger and Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme. I encourage the ceramics sector to engage with the reviews of these schemes when the opportunities arise. Officials are aware of the challenges faced by individual ceramics manufacturers, including Denby Pottery, and continue to monitor developments closely through regular engagement with the sector’s main trade association, Ceramics UK.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the Made Smarter Adoption Programme on energy cost reductions for SMEs.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Made Smarter Adoption Programme is primarily designed to boost SME productivity, but digital adoption can also deliver energy‑cost savings. The 2024 Institute for Manufacturing’s government‑commissioned report on the programme found a third of the firms surveyed reported positive impacts on carbon emissions. The main changes that have had positive impacts included: fewer product defects, more efficient use of logistics and lower energy use. In December 2025 the Government announced an additional £2 million of Made Smarter funding to specifically fund SME investment in energy‑efficient technologies, digital energy‑management systems and on‑site renewables.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the impact of payment structures under the extended producer responsibility scheme on the cash flow of small producers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade continues to have regular discussions with all Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will issue guidance on the interaction between his Department's proposed probationary period and employees’ rights to claim unfair dismissal under the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government’s Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap, published in July 2025, reiterated our commitment to producing guidance to ensure that employers and employees understand the Plan to Make Work Pay’s changes to employment law, including unfair dismissal day one rights and the statutory probation period.
The Government will work alongside Acas and other partners to ensure the development of practical guidance. We will ensure there is time for employers to prepare and familiarise themselves with the requirements of these changes before they are implemented in 2027.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) Employment Rights Bill and (b) changes to employers' National Insurance Contributions on small and medium-sized businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
My department has published a robust set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments These include assessments on the impacts to micro, small and medium businesses in line with the Better Regulation Framework.
The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 Employment Rights Bill on levels of hiring confidence among small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
My department has published a robust set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
This analysis includes consideration of increases in labour costs for businesses and the subsequent effects, as well as assessments on the impacts to micro, small and medium businesses in line with the Better Regulation Framework.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that new regulations on zero-hours contracts reflect (a) seasonal and (b) fluctuating work patterns in the (i) hospitality, (ii) agriculture and (iii) other seasonal sectors.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
We appreciate that work can fluctuate seasonally for certain sectors. The Employment Rights Bill provides powers for the zero-hours measures to cater for seasonal work through regulations. We will consult employers, trade unions, and other stakeholders to inform these regulations.
The Bill already allows businesses flexibility while abiding by the legislation. For example, businesses will still be able to use contracts which offer variable numbers of hours of work at different times of the year. It also allows guaranteed hours offers to take the form of limited-term contracts, where reasonable.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions his Department has had with local Chambers of Commerce on the implementation of the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development of Make Work Pay policy and implementation. This will continue throughout and beyond the passage of the Employment Rights Bill. We have engaged directly with over 250 stakeholders across 254 meetings since August 2024. We have engaged directly with 138 businesses of which 75 are Small and Medium Enterprises. Department officials meet routinely with the British Chambers of Commerce, as one of the key business stakeholders.
We will continue to work closely with businesses and business organisations.