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 net zero targets for their Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued to those bodies on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008, is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual departments or arms-length bodies.
Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.
Defra are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with government priorities.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 96697 on Motor Vehicles: China, whether Ministers or officials in his Department have had discussions since 4 July 2024 with UK manufacturers or trade bodies that trade with or sell products in China about engagement with the Trade Remedies Authority.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials regularly engage UK manufacturers and industry bodies on a wide range of trade issues. However, I am not aware of any specific such discussions.
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, if he will publish a list of the countries from which electric vehicles are currently (a) eligible for a zero per cent import tariff and (b) not eligible for a zero per cent import tariff when entering the United Kingdom market.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Such a list is already available as the list of electric vehicle tariffs by country can be found on the Government’s Online Tariff Tool here (https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/find_commodity), which provides the most up-to-date details on import tariffs for every country.
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, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2025 to WPQ 92058, whether he has had discussions with manufacturers who also sell products in China on reluctance to engage with the Trade Remedies Authority because of the possibility of retaliatory action by that country.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No, neither the Secretary of State nor I have had any such discussions.
However, the Government and the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) regularly engage with UK manufacturers to understand their concerns, and they may always submit applications anonymously to the TRA.
Trade remedy investigations should be undertaken on the basis of evidence, pursuant to the WTO agreements, and available to all WTO members. My Department will always challenge actions taken outside this framework.
The UK and China are deepening its dialogue on trade remedy matters through the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission.
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, if he will take steps to reduce the rate of pub closures.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant pressures facing pubs and we are providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.
We've introduced permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit.
The Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.
We're also investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.
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 estimate his Department has made of a) the average energy cost faced by UK steel producers in the most recent year, b) the equivalent cost faced by producers in France and Germany, and c) the potential impact of this cost gap on the competitiveness of UK steelmaking.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to delivering a steel strategy setting out a long-term vision for the UK steel industry articulating what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK and the actions required to get there.
UK steel producers that benefit from British Industry Supercharger support and the current Network Charging Compensation scheme paid industrial electricity prices of £93 per MWh in 2025 (a 60% relief). The increase in compensation for network charges from 60% to 90%, which was announced in the Industrial Strategy and will be delivered from 1 April 2026, will reduce electricity prices for steel producers by a further £7 to £10 per MWh approximately.
The equivalent cost faced by industrial electricity users in France and Germany is £69/MWh and £60/MWh respectively. Using average electricity intensity factors for electric arc furnace-based steel production, the difference to UK producers equates to approximately £8-£13 per tonne of crude steel.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 87864 on Department for Transport: Electric Vehicles, whether he has had discussions with car manufacturers on the potential impact of the entry of electric vehicles from China into the UK market on the cost of new electric and petrol cars.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
China plays a significant global role across the automotive sector, and this brings challenges and opportunities for the UK. We closely monitor how changes to trade flows and other issues impact UK manufacturers. While DBT Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, engage regularly with UK car manufacturers on a range of relevant issues, including on the entry of electric vehicles from China into the UK market, decisions on the cost of new vehicles are a commercial matter for individual companies.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of Chinese market dumping of (a) electric vehicles and (b) internal combustion engine vehicles on UK automotive sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including dumping.
I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by dumped goods.
While the Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices, and regularly engages with the automotive sector, I am not aware any application to the TRA at this time.
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, which UK automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers Ministers and officials have met to discuss the provisions of the Employment Rights Bill since 1 July 2024; on what dates those meetings took place; and what sector-specific concerns were raised.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.
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 formal consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) UK automotive manufacturers and (b) their UK-based supply-chain firms on the Employment Rights Bill; what representations his Department has received from those businesses; and how the Government has responded to those representations.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to engaging closely with employers throughout the development and implementation of Make Work Pay. Officials meet regularly with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the Employment Rights Bill, as well as other bodies representing automotive manufacturers and suppliers, such as Make UK, the largest representative of UK manufacturers. There is also regular engagement through the Auto Council’s Skills Working Group.