Department for Business and Trade

The Post Office is responsible for the day-to-day operation of its network, including decisions related to individual branches. As a result, the Government is unable to provide specific details on the reopening of Reddish post office.

The Post Office has apologised for the inconvenience caused by the closure and will provide updates to customers and stakeholders as soon as further information becomes available. In the meantime, Post Office report that customers can access services at nearby branches, including Broomfield Post Office.

The Government seeks to drive up economic growth by extending UK exports. Our export control system seeks to enable responsible and legitimate international trade in military equipment and technology, and in dual-use items. We aim to conclude 70% of standard individual export licence applications within 20 working days and 99% within 60 working days.

In some cases, however, we have to balance the desire for speed with the need for careful and thorough consideration of the application. Some decisions can therefore take longer, especially for destinations or end uses which involve more complex or finely balanced assessments.

The Government seeks to drive up economic growth by extending UK exports. Our export control system seeks to enable responsible and legitimate international trade in military equipment and technology, and in dual-use items. We aim to conclude 70% of standard individual export licence applications within 20 working days and 99% within 60 working days.

In some cases, however, we have to balance the desire for speed with the need for careful and thorough consideration of the application. Some decisions can therefore take longer, especially for destinations or end uses which involve more complex or finely balanced assessments.

Where businesses believe that they are being injured by dumped imports, they should engage with the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA). The TRA was established as the UK’s independent body responsible for conducting trade remedies investigations to tackle injury caused by practices such as dumping, and make appropriate recommendations to the Secretary of State on whether a duty should be applied to level the playing field. My department and I regularly engage with a wide range of sectors on the challenges posed by unfair trading practices.

The UK currently applies 45 trade remedy measures, 28 of which are on goods from China. All live trade remedy cases can be viewed on their public file, online, including those investigations on goods of Chinese-origin. I am not aware of any plans from the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), or representations from the ironing board sector, to recommend changes to the current duties in place on imports of ironing boards.

Unfair international trading practices can have a deleterious effect on domestic producers, which is why the TRA was established as the UK’s independent body responsible for conducting trade remedies investigations, to tackle injury caused by practices such as dumping or subsidisation. The remit of the TRA also includes assessing applications from industry for new investigations, doing so in line with domestic legislation and WTO rules. I would consider any recommendation to impose further trade remedy measures if the TRA were to make one, in accordance with the legislation.

The UK currently applies 45 trade remedy measures, 28 of which are on goods from China. All live trade remedy cases can be viewed on their public file, online, including those investigations on goods of Chinese-origin. I am not aware of any plans from the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), or representations from the ironing board sector, to recommend changes to the current duties in place on imports of ironing boards.

Unfair international trading practices can have a deleterious effect on domestic producers, which is why the TRA was established as the UK’s independent body responsible for conducting trade remedies investigations, to tackle injury caused by practices such as dumping or subsidisation. The remit of the TRA also includes assessing applications from industry for new investigations, doing so in line with domestic legislation and WTO rules. I would consider any recommendation to impose further trade remedy measures if the TRA were to make one, in accordance with the legislation.

The UK currently applies 45 trade remedy measures, 28 of which are on goods from China. All live trade remedy cases can be viewed on their public file, online, including those investigations on goods of Chinese-origin. I am not aware of any plans from the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), or representations from the ironing board sector, to recommend changes to the current duties in place on imports of ironing boards.

Unfair international trading practices can have a deleterious effect on domestic producers, which is why the TRA was established as the UK’s independent body responsible for conducting trade remedies investigations, to tackle injury caused by practices such as dumping or subsidisation. The remit of the TRA also includes assessing applications from industry for new investigations, doing so in line with domestic legislation and WTO rules. I would consider any recommendation to impose further trade remedy measures if the TRA were to make one, in accordance with the legislation.

It would not be appropriate to comment on a live police investigation.

Through the Employment Rights Act, we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right from 6 April this year. This will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement.

However, we recognise that more can be done. That is why we launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review on 1 July 2025, which will consider all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay. When considering calls to increase entitlements for parents, the Government will balance the needs of parents, the impact on employers, and affordability for taxpayers.

The Government is committed to consulting on employment status as soon as possible. The consultation will seek to address issues with the framework which can enable worker exploitation and leave vulnerable workers without core employment protections.

The Government is committed to consulting on employment status as soon as possible. The consultation will seek to address issues with the framework which can enable worker exploitation and leave vulnerable workers without core employment protections.

I am in regular contact with Minister Sidhu as we seek ways to grow bilateral trade – worth £31bn in the 12 months to September 2025 and up 17% on the previous 12 months .

Last year, the UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group identified a number of priority bilateral workstreams for 2026 to further grow trade and drive cooperation, including the review of the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement’s Rules of Origin to make the agreement easier to use by businesses on both sides.

My Department is also committed to the UK trading with Canada under CPTPP terms. Canada has commenced its legislative process for the UK’s ratification, with Entry into Force expected later this year.

No, my decision to extend the existing anti-dumping measure on ironing boards from China was not raised during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Beijing.

Our Small Business Plan sets out how government will tackle high street decline, retail crime and anti-social behaviour; update our licensing regime; and improve partnership working on the High Street.

High street business will benefit from improved access to finance, strong measures to address late payments and a range of support through the Business Growth Service. Later this year we will publish a new High Streets Strategy, expanding on our £5bn Pride in Place Programme to renew our neighbourhoods and high streets.

Spalding, South Holland, is among 75 places receiving up to £20 million annually for a decade, providing long-term planning certainty.

The UK’s Critical Mineral Strategy sets out ambitious success features to build domestic resilience and diversify global supply chains. These include meeting 10% of UK demand from domestic production, 20% from recycling and no more than 60% of any critical mineral from a single country. Our Memorandum of Understanding with the US will seek to deliver against these success features, with outcomes monitored by the Department for Business and Trade.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. We continue to support UK businesses and have many avenues through which businesses of all sizes can explore opportunities to grow internationally. We will continue to review how we can support businesses moving forward.

The MoU will help unlock more high‑quality potential investment into UK mining, processing and recycling. Our bilateral coordination will align with priorities set out in UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy with a view to boosting local growth and developing UK capabilities.

As part of the Responsible Business Conduct Review, the Government has engaged a number of international trading partners, including countries that have implemented human rights and environmental due diligence legislation. We shall update the House when the Review is complete.

Our Small Business Plan sets out how government will support high street businesses in the everyday economy. Later this year, MHCLG will publish a new High Streets Strategy setting out how we can support high streets to thrive.

This will build upon MHCLG's £5 billion Pride in Place Programme to renew our neighbourhoods and high streets. Kirkby-in-Ashfield was announced in the first 75 places to receive up to £20 million over the next decade as part of the Pride in Place programme and Ashfield will be in receipt of £1.5 million as part of the Pride in Place Impact Fund.

This government has committed up to £2.5 billion to the sector, in addition to the £500m for Port Talbot and a £400 million increase to the investment at Sheffield Forgemasters, as well as cutting electricity costs, changing procurement rules and working to protect our industry from unfair competition.

The steel strategy, to be published in early 2026, will set out a vision for a competitive sector with increased UK based production.

These measures benefit producers across the steel supply chain, although in many cases production of crude, semi-finished and finished steel will exist within the same company and site.

There have been no recent discussion with online platforms on this specific matter. However, the department regularly engages with stakeholders on issues affecting consumers.

Online platforms must comply with The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The Act clarifies that online platforms must exercise professional diligence in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms. The legislation carries criminal penalties and is enforced by Trading Standards officers and the CMA.

The Government encourages consumers to use providers that operate under a regulated trusted trader scheme, such as the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), which has a Police Crime Prevention-approved licensing scheme in place to ensure approved locksmiths are appropriately vetted, inspected and qualified.

My department keeps the consumer protection framework under review to ensure that it is effective in protecting consumers. Locksmiths must comply with consumer legislation.

Where traders do not comply with the law, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has strengthened enforcement powers, including by giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new administrative powers, and empowering the CMA and courts to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover. The CMA recently used the fining powers for the first time.

The Government encourages consumers to use providers that operate under a regulated trusted trader scheme, such as the Master Locksmiths Association, which has a Police Crime Prevention-approved licensing scheme in place to ensure approved locksmiths are appropriately vetted, inspected and qualified.

This government recognises the significant public value delivered by the UK’s charitable sector.

We have consulted on the implementation of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The consultation received over 70 responses, including 15 from charitable organisations. The government is reflecting on their responses and engaging closely with the sector to understand the impacts on both consumers and these bodies.

We will provide guidance to support implementation of regulations ahead of commencement.

This government recognises the significant public value delivered by the UK’s charitable sector.

We have consulted on the implementation of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The consultation received over 70 responses, including 15 from charitable organisations. The government is reflecting on their responses and engaging closely with the sector to understand the impacts on both consumers and these bodies.

We will provide guidance to support implementation of regulations ahead of commencement.

The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities for the CMA and the wider policy objectives to which it should have regard. Information about the CMA's enforcement activities is available on its website.

The Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and they and the courts are able to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover. The CMA recently used the fining powers for the first time against a trader that failed to comply with a legal information notice.

Under the DMCCA, trader recommendation platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure consumer reviews on their sites are genuine. The CMA has published separate guidance for businesses that publish reviews to help meet their legal obligations.

The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities for the CMA and the wider policy objectives to which it should have regard. Information about the CMA's enforcement activities is available on its website.

The Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and they and the courts are able to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover. The CMA recently used the fining powers for the first time against a trader that failed to comply with a legal information notice.

Under the DMCCA, trader recommendation platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure consumer reviews on their sites are genuine. The CMA has published separate guidance for businesses that publish reviews to help meet their legal obligations.

Although the Government works closely with the Government of Ukraine to share knowledge and insight around the use of drones, neither I nor the Secretary of State for Business and Trade have had discussions on the import of drones from Ukraine with our counterparts.

We have had extensive and regular discussions with representatives of the Scotch Whisky industry throughout our negotiations with the US, as we do in relation to many other markets around the world. This engagement has helped us secure significant tariffs cuts in our other trade deals like with India.

The UK is clear that Israel's illegal settlements, and decisions designed to further them, are a flagrant violation of international law. We will take concrete steps, in accordance with international law, to counter settlement expansion, and to challenge policies and threats of forcible displacement and annexation. As previously stated, where there are doubts about the declared origin of goods, HMRC undertakes checks to verify the origin and ensure fiscal compliance.

The trade of illicit gold linked to conflict undermines the rule of law and has no place in UK supply chains and our global economy. The Government engages with the gold industry, in particular the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and the World Gold Council, as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to support responsible sourcing and rigorous due diligence standards.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into responsible business conduct. The review is still progressing and considering the effectiveness of the UK's current regime and the merits of alternative measures to support responsible business practices. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

The Government will implement in April the power in the Employment Rights Act that enables Ministers to issue secondary legislation to vary the 10% recognition application threshold, within parameters of 10% to 2% membership of the bargaining unit.

We intend to consult on varying the threshold later this year.

The consultation on the draft Code of Practice on electronic and workplace balloting for statutory union ballots recently closed on 28 January. Officials are in the process of reviewing the responses, and we will publish a formal response in due course.

A final draft of the Code of Practice will be laid in Parliament alongside the statutory instrument to enable these new voting methods to take effect in August 2026.

The government will introduce electronic and workplace balloting through a statutory instrument under Section 54 of the Employment Relations Act 2004. Section 54 contains strict requirements that must be met in relation to ensuring that those entitled to vote have the opportunity to do so, the risk of malpractice is minimised, and ensuring that votes are cast in secret. This means the statutory instrument is complex and must be sufficiently detailed in order to meet these requirements. Therefore, to ensure we get the detail right and to minimise the risk of unintended consequences, there will be a short delay and these measures will now take effect in August 2026.

The Fair Work Agency will be established in phases. Initially, in April 2026, we will focus on bringing together the current enforcement bodies, delivering a single set of enforcement and investigatory powers, establishing the Advisory Board and ensuring there are clear routes for workers and businesses to get in touch.

Once established, the Agency will expand its enforcement role and we will consider any additional functions, such as whether it should become a prescribed body for whistleblowing disclosures.

The UK Endorsement Board widely consulted with UK stakeholders, including investors and companies, throughout the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) development of the illustrative examples. Feedback, on whether they would support companies in reporting the effects of climate-related, and other, uncertainties in their financial statements, was shared with the IASB and incorporated before finalisation.

The upcoming reporting cycle will clarify whether the guidance has influenced company reporting on such matters.

The UK Endorsement Board widely consulted with UK stakeholders, including investors and companies, throughout the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) development of the illustrative examples. Feedback, on whether they would support companies in reporting the effects of climate-related, and other, uncertainties in their financial statements, was shared with the IASB and incorporated before finalisation.

The upcoming reporting cycle will clarify whether the guidance has influenced company reporting on such matters.

The illustrative examples provide guidance to help preparers meet the mandatory requirements within IFRS Accounting Standards, which are adopted in the UK as UK-adopted international accounting standards. However, application of this guidance does not form part of mandatory requirements and it is ultimately for companies and auditors to decide whether to use the examples. Any FRC engagement with companies and their auditors will be through either reviews of annual reports, or reviews of audits, undertaken as part of its Supervision work.

The illustrative examples provide guidance to help preparers meet the mandatory requirements within IFRS Accounting Standards, which are adopted in the UK as UK-adopted international accounting standards. However, application of this guidance does not form part of mandatory requirements and it is ultimately for companies and auditors to decide whether to use the examples. Any FRC engagement with companies and their auditors will be through either reviews of annual reports, or reviews of audits, undertaken as part of its Supervision work.

This government reconvened the Steel Council in January 2025 to assist us in the development of the steel strategy. The Council has met five times and members include senior leaders from our main steel producers, trade associations, trade unions, academia and representatives from Devolved Governments.

Wider steel stakeholders, including downstream processors and stockholders, have been able to contribute to the steel strategy through a series of three Ministerial Roundtables that took place in March and April 2025, and through our public consultation, which was open from February - March 2025. My officials continue to engage extensively with individual stakeholders on specific policy areas under the strategy.

From 12 April 2025, the date HMG passed the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, to 24 February 2026, DBT has provided approximately £370 million to BSL, to ensure sufficient working capital is maintained for the safe and effective operation of the Scunthorpe site. Of the £370 million working capital allocated to BSL, £57 million (15%) was used for payroll costs, £104 million (28%) for other operational expenses, and £209 million (57%) for raw material purchases.

The Government expects all UK businesses to respect human rights and the environment throughout their supply chains in line with the OECD Guidelines and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Section 54 of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to publish modern slavery statements.

The Office for Responsible Business Conduct promotes the OECD Guidelines and provides a non-judicial grievance mechanism for complaints of non-observance by UK businesses.

The Government also launched a review in the Trade Strategy, into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

HMG regularly engages British Steel and wider industry to understand the impact of the EU CBAM. UK businesses may face administrative costs providing emissions data to EU importers to support their compliance with the EU CBAM. The cost of certificates for the carbon price liability of embedded emissions is borne by EU importers.

To support business readiness, the Department for Business and Trade has compiled a comprehensive package, including webinars and an explainer on business.gov.uk. The Government is also engaging with the European Commission on emissions trading scheme linking, which is expected to facilitate a mutual UK-EU CBAM exemption in due course.

As part of the forthcoming Steel Strategy, we have commissioned an analysis of future UK steel demand and domestic production capabilities over the next 25 years. This analysis will form part of the evidence base for the Steel Strategy and will be published soon.

Furthermore, the 2025 Defence Industrial Strategy and associated Strategic Defence Review committed Government to introducing Defence Readiness legislation this Parliament. This legislation aims to provide the Government with more robust powers to strengthen supply chain resilience, protect critical national infrastructure (including nuclear), and support the rapid mobilisation of defence industry. The role of domestic steel production in the context of a conflict scenario, alongside other parts of the industrial base, will be assessed as this legislation develops.

Module 10, the final module of the Covid Inquiry, will consider impact on mental health and wellbeing. There was however a wide range of support available to businesses during Covid delivered by the Devolved Administrations in their areas. The Covid-19 Business Support Grant Schemes which the Department for Business and Trade was responsible for, were delivered via Local Authorities across England, included discretionary allocations which allowed each authority to consider applications from those businesses which did not fit the eligibility criteria for the mainstream schemes. The Scottish Government were responsible for Covid Business Support in Scotland.