Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what funding his Department allocated for the development of its planned Net Zero strategy and action plan, including staffing and consultancy costs in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Separate funding for the department's corporate sustainability activity, including net zero strategy and action planning, is not allocated. The associated work is dispersed across several functions and it is not possible to identify the cost of this. No consultancy costs have been funded or incurred in the 2025/26 financial year to date.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department's steel strategy will be published.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is developing a Steel Strategy to be published in early 2026 that will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there.
The strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to UK Export Finance was in 2024–25 of policies, programme changes, due-diligence requirements or staffing linked to net zero, climate or sustainability objectives.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Full details of the activities undertaken by UK Export Finance (UKEF) relating to net zero, climate or sustainability objectives can be found in the UK Export Finance Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the Competition and Markets Authority was in 2024–25 of work related to net zero, sustainability or climate policy, including staff time, research, guidance and enforcement activity.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The data recorded by the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) enables it to track costs across the projects it undertakes and the functions it performs. However, it is not able from this data to accurately estimate the costs incurred in relation to thematic areas such as net zero, sustainability or climate policy.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost was of his Department's initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions in 2024–25, including behavioural programmes, reporting systems and policy compliance activity.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Records are not held that identify the cost of the Department's initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions including behavioural programmes, reporting systems and policy compliance activity.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the total cost to the British Business Bank was in 2024–25 of policies, programmes and staffing related to net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability or the green economy, broken down by a) programme expenditure, b) staffing costs and c) consultancy and professional services.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The British Business Bank does not record or allocate its costs based on thematic categories such as net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability or the green economy. Its programme expenditure, staffing costs, and consultancy and professional services are managed and reported with reference to the programme or business line to which they relate, rather than by policy objective.
For this reason, the Bank is not in a position to provide a breakdown of costs for the year 2024–25 in the format requested.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the Insolvency Service was of Net Zero, sustainability or climate-related policies in 2024–25, including changes to operational practice, reporting and staff roles.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
During 2024–25, the costs associated with supporting the Government’s Net Zero, sustainability and climate related policies were £196,065.88. These were primarily related to staff time delivering mandatory disclosures and requirements including Greening Government Commitments and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. This figure comprises of staff salary costs and other costs associated with the online legal register, professional memberships and sustainability training. No direct expenditure was incurred on sustainability initiatives.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what additional costs were incurred by his Department as a result of Net Zero or sustainability requirements applied to procurement contracts over £10,000 in 2024-25.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department did not incur any additional costs as a result of Net Zero or sustainability requirements applied to procurement contracts over £10,000 in 2024-25.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department spent on measuring, reporting or validating greenhouse gas emissions across its estate in 2024-25.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for collecting and providing all greenhouse gas emissions data for the estate occupied by the department.
The Department for Business and Trade did not incur any third-party costs in 2024–25 for measuring, reporting, or validating greenhouse gas emissions across its estate. The department does not separately record the staff time spent analysing or processing this data.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department spent in 2024-25 on external consultants, advisers or delivery partners in relation to Net Zero, sustainability, decarbonisation and green economy programmes; and which firms were contracted.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department is committed to supporting Net Zero goals and advancing Clean Energy initiatives. In 2024, the UK signed a Government-to-Government Arrangement with the Dominican Republic to help deliver infrastructure projects that promote mutual economic growth. This project provided recommendations to prioritise renewable energy projects aligned with national targets and opportunities for UK supply chain involvement.