Department for Business and Trade

The Department has not purchased any carbon credits since its inception in February 2023.

We recognise the importance of celebrating the respective saints’ days across the UK. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2bn. The Government fully considers the effects of any additional bank holidays, which is why we rarely create them.

The Government has no plans to change the well-established and accepted arrangements for bank holidays.

The figures show when the most recent liquidation process began for distinct entities. These figures include liquidations notified to the Registrar of Companies up to 31 December 2023.

These figures are being provided as management information and are unaudited and are subject to change. They should only be used for indicative purposes.

Further information about companies in liquidation is available in the statistical tables published by Companies House on a quarterly basis.

The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry continues to gather evidence about the Horizon scandal. The Government will consider any lessons learned in respect of audit and other matters once the Inquiry has reported.

We have regular discussions with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) regarding its regulation of statutory audit, while recognising its role as an independent regulator. The FRC is monitoring developments in relation to the Post Office.

At 2022/23 the British Business Bank was supporting £12.4bn of finance to 90,201 small businesses across the UK through the Bank’s 220 delivery partners. Finance supported by the Bank is intended for small and medium businesses, as defined in the Companies Act.

The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry continues to gather evidence about the Horizon scandal. The Metropolitan Police are a core participant in the Inquiry; it will be for them and the Crown Prosecution Service to consider any prosecutions. The Government does not fund private prosecutions.

This information is not held centrally. This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and we will ask the company to write to the Hon. Member.

Following insurgency incidents in Cabo Delagdo in March 2021, TotalEnergies declared force majeure, suspending work on the Mozambique Liquefied Natural Gas project. That declaration remains in place. UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors regarding the latest status of the project.

There are no plans at present to appoint a Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Caribbean.

The UK-Ukraine TechBridge was formally launched in January 2024. We estimate over 200 companies have attended a UK-Ukraine TechBridge event so far this year. DBT plans to hold further TechBridge events later this year, including innovation workshops, online and in-person training and trade webinars. We welcome businesses with expertise in sectors such as agritech, health tech, AI, and demining and others to join these events and deepen their collaboration with Ukrainian counterparts.

In February this year the Government agreed to extend tariff liberalisation with Ukraine for an additional five years on the vast majority of goods; the most generous tariff concessions offered by any country. In March 2023, the Government signed a Digital Trade Agreement to underpin Ukraine's transition to a digitally-led economy, and supported this with the launch in January of the UK-Ukraine TechBridge. The Government's work to remove market access barriers continues in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and public procurement. To support more businesses to engage with Ukraine, particularly on reconstruction, the Government host regular business engagement events, nationally and internationally, and published a Guide to Doing Business with Ukraine.

The selection of companies for the recent trade mission to Ukraine was carefully considered based on several key criteria. These included companies with advanced operational capabilities in the field, those with an established business presence in Ukraine or already in contract with the Government of Ukraine, and those specifically matching Ukrainian demand as outlined by the Ukrainian government.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for the provision of a universal postal service. Its regulatory framework requires Royal Mail to ensure that, for the UK as a whole, the premises of not less than 98% of users of postal services are within half a mile of a post box and, in all postcode areas, the premises of 95% of users of postal services are within 3 miles of an access point (such as a post box, a Post Office or a Customer Service Point within a Delivery Office).

As part of its 2022 review of postal regulation, Ofcom considered accessibility of the service, including for rural users, and decided to maintain the existing regulations.

The UK-Ukraine Infrastructure Taskforce meets to drive forward UK support for Ukraine’s reconstruction priorities. The Taskforce has met once this year, on the 8th April in Kyiv, where Minister Hands co-chaired the Taskforce, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, with Minister Mak joining virtually following his recent appointment. We plan to hold further Taskforce meetings later in 2024.

The UK-Ukraine TechBridge initiative was announced by the Prime Minister at the London hosted Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2023 with a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Ukraine signed in November.

Since its formal launch in January 2024,15 tech-focussed events have been held. Innovation workshops on AI, agritech and healthtech were held at the end of March to assess the most significant barriers to innovation in these sectors in Ukraine. New innovation workshops will commence from May targeting new thematic areas, including cyber security, fintech, and demining.

Yes.

In preparation for our recent trade mission to Ukraine, the Government engaged in extensive discussions with all participating businesses. Notably, during the mission, BAE Systems successfully negotiated a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to maintain and repair L119 Light Guns directly in Ukraine. This arrangement not only speeds up the return of these crucial assets to the frontline but also significantly bolsters Ukraine’s defence capabilities. Moreover, the department facilitated numerous discussions to help businesses align the capabilities they offer with the urgent demands of Ukraine's defence efforts, ensuring their contributions are both timely and impactful.

29 companies attended the trade mission to Kyiv.

For reasons of commercial sensitivity and protecting the security interests of the companies that accompanied the minister on the trade mission, the department will not disclose the businesses that attended.

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

We centrally hold some of the information requested.

In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for The Department for Business and Trade, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty.”

HM Government does not comment on ongoing commercial discussions.

UKDSE did not support any defence companies to attend this event.

On average the following number of businesses attended a meet the buyer event that was organised by UKDSE each year.

2019

Data not available.

2020

0 (no Meet the Buyer sessions ran due to COVID).

2021

Data not available.

2022

21

2023

67

2024 (to date)

38

The Export Faculty was created in September 2021. The number of sessions as requested was:

(a) export licencing – 1 session 2022

(b) doing business with prime contractors – 1 session 2023

(c) working with the media – No session held to date

(d) preparing for events – 1 session 2023

(e) finance for export – 1 session 2023

(f) support from other government departments and bodies – No session held to date

(g) developing export strategies – No session held to date

(h) global market focus – No session held to date

(i) business culture and know how across the world – No session held to date

(j) pitching for international contracts sessions – 1 session 2022

The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible, and affordable universal postal service. It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service.

Ofcom recently published a discussion document setting out potential options to reform the service, to ensure it remains affordable and sustainable in the future as well as meeting consumers’ needs. The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the obligations on postal deliveries.

The UK Defence and Security Exports Export Faculty was designed to operate in parallel with the departmental Export Academy, but is specifically focussed on the defence, security and cyber security sectors. The Faculty and the Academy are both operating successfully.

UKDSE directly supported 11 defence companies at World Defense Show 2024, either through participation on the UKDSE stand or through the Soldier on Stand service.

UKDSE does not have a service offer by this name.

The current cost for participating on a UKDSE stand through the pod offer is £4,250 + VAT.

UK Defence and Security Exports does not collect data specifically on SME user rates with respect to the Export Faculty

a) Sea Air Space
0 – UKDSE did not support any defence companies to attend this event.

b) Space Symposium
0 – UKDSE did not support any defence companies to attend this event.

UKDSE did not support any defence companies to attend this event.

Since the UKDSE Exports Faculty began, the following number of companies have registered:

2021 – 197 firms
2022 – 681 firms
2023 – 471 firms
2024 to date – 184 firms

UK Defence and Security Exports have 24 members of staff working in the regional team that covers (a) Europe, (b) Middle East, (c) Central Asia.

3 members of staff work on d) South Asia which is now in a different team