Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) was added to the GB Mandatory Classification List (GB MCL) under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation in February 2025. As per the requirements of Article 15 of the UK Cosmetic Regulation, Government is taking steps to prohibit the use of TPO in cosmetic products in Great Britain. Full details of the amendments to the Cosmetic Regulation, including any transitional provisions, will be prepared in due course. The first stage will be to ensure no new cosmetic products containing TPO are placed on the market from August 2026.

Responsibility for reviewing the Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 lies with the CMA, which keeps markets remedies under review. While the CMA has not initiated a review of this Order at this time, it welcomes submissions from relevant parties where existing remedies may no longer be fit for purpose. If the CMA reviews the Order and deems there to be a change of circumstance such that the Order is no longer appropriate, it can vary or revoke the Order. However, it cannot introduce a new Order – this would require a new market investigation.

Artificial hair braiding products are regulated by The General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR). The GPSR provides a baseline of safety, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be sold.

To further safeguard consumer safety, Government is in the process of strengthening product safety regulation through the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. That will provide new powers to allow us to reflect modern supply chains and create a proportionate regulatory framework to ensure UK consumers are protected from risk, regardless of product origin or where the product where the product was purchased.

Costs limits in Aarhus Convention claims are regulated by Part 46 of the Civil Procedure Rules. An ‘Aarhus Convention claim’ is defined in rule 46.24. The interpretation of rule 46.24 is the subject of an ongoing appeal before the Court of Appeal. Therefore, the Government is unable to comment on this matter at this time.

The UK Government assessed the economic and environmental impacts of the UK-Australia FTA within the independently scrutinised impact assessment published in December 2021 when the FTA was signed. The UK-Australia FTA contains an ambitious environment chapter which affirms our shared commitment to the Paris Agreement and to strengthen cooperation on a range of environmental issues.

This Government will continually assess the impacts of our free trade agreements, including those negotiated under the previous government, as they are being implemented. We will look to maximise their benefit for businesses, support economic growth and also to understand their impacts more broadly.

The Government does not currently have plans to convene a cross-departmental unit on business and human rights. The Department for Business and Trade works closely with teams in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Home Office and other departments to prevent and address corporate human rights abuses, including through the Modern Slavery Act, supporting the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, and through operating the UK National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct.

The Government is clear on the need to prevent environmental harms and human and labour rights abuses in both private and public sector supply chains and will take an evidence-based approach as we assess the best ways to achieve this. The Department for Business and Trade regularly engages with stakeholders in business and civil society on these issues, as do other Government departments. We will consult with stakeholders as we consider any further action.

The Government has noted the EU’s adoption of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and has been in regular contact with the European Commission on this issue through the Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field. The Directive will apply to UK companies with a turnover generated in the EU of more than €450 million.

The Government will assess the best ways to prevent environmental harms, modern slavery and human and labour rights abuses in both private and public sector supply chains including effective due diligence rules.

Minerals are classed as ‘critical’ if they are both vitally important to the economy and experiencing major risks to their security of supply. We recognise the importance of copper in the energy transition and continue to assess the UK’s needs for the evolving electrical grid and associated technologies.

An assessment of water supply formed part of the review of Sizewell C’s DCO application. Development consent was granted by the Secretary of State in June 2022. The company is working with water companies and other stakeholders to ensure a resilient supply of water during construction, both for the project and for local consumers.

Water use and environmental impacts at Sizewell B will remain regulated through the relevant environmental permitting regime; the ONR would not permit Sizewell B to continue operating beyond its current planned life unless it was satisfied that the station could continue to operate safely, including in relation to water supply.

The UK is fully committed to accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels domestically and internationally and will decide on attendance at the Conference in Tuvalu in due course.

The Government is committed to improving Global South access to climate finance. As co-chair of the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance, it supports practical solutions to unlock predictable finance. And through the Global Clean Power Alliance and Just Energy Transition Partnerships, the Government supports Global South partners to adopt clean, renewable power.

The UK is committed to extending the Paris Agreement to all eligible Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories (CDOTs) that wish to join, bringing them into scope of the UK’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Requests for extension are made at each CDOT’s discretion.

The UK has extended its ratification of the Paris Agreement to the Overseas Territory of Gibraltar (2022) and to the Crown Dependencies of the Bailiwick of Jersey (2022), the Isle of Man (2023), and Guernsey (2023). We welcome interest from other OTs on the extension of the Paris Agreement.

We engage regularly with CDOTs at official and ministerial level on climate-related matters, including through the UK–Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council.

The Inventory Agency produces the Falkland Islands’ annual greenhouse gas inventory on behalf of the UK Government and engages with the Falkland Islands Government on emissions data.

We support the ‘Improving Falkland Peatland GHG Data’ Project which seeks to improve knowledge of carbon storage and emissions from Falkland peatland habitats and assess the feasibility of future carbon offsetting to finance peatland restoration.

We support the right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources. This is an integral part of their right of self-determination.

The UNFCCC Secretariat, its Presiding officers, and the annually nominated COP Presidency are jointly responsible for upholding the standards that govern participation at COP meetings, relating to impartiality and transparency.

The UK continues to champion a transparent, inclusive, and effective UNFCCC process that supports enhanced ambition and strengthened implementation of the Paris Agreement and COP outcomes.

This Government is hugely ambitious about the role that local energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

Officials read the report with interest and thank the Poverty and Environment Trust for their work on it.

Alongside delivering the 2025/26 Great British Energy Community Fund, Great British Energy is expected to work closely with Community Energy Groups, providing commercial, technical and project-planning assistance to increase their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas, in addition to feasibility funding support.

We recognise the requests to take steps to better enable local energy markets and trading to lower bills, support renewables and increase the resilience of the electricity networks. The Department is currently investigating barriers to local supply, and is working with Ofgem, Great British Energy and relevant stakeholders to find solutions that work in the best interests of local generators and consumers.

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is a cap-and-trade scheme, setting a limit on emissions from power, industry and aviation. Participants must buy and surrender allowances annually to cover their emissions.

The scheme, launched in 2021, is a key part of the Government’s approach to meeting our climate targets. Revenues from the UK ETS are used to support Government priorities including decarbonisation. The UK ETS Authority, made up of the UK Government and Devolved Governments, continues to develop the scheme to ensure it is achieving its aims, supported by thorough public consultation and assessment of its climate, economic and social impacts.

The changing climate is the greatest long-term global challenge our country faces. The UNFCCC remains the most effective global forum for tackling this crisis.

The UK continues to champion a transparent, inclusive, and effective UNFCCC process that supports enhanced ambition and strengthened implementation of the Paris Agreement and COP outcomes, including the Global Stocktake agreement and the new climate finance goal agreed at COP29.

It is the joint responsibility of the UNFCCC Secretariat, their Presiding officers, and the annually nominated Presidency to uphold the rigorous standards which govern each meeting of the Conference of Parties, reflecting the importance of impartiality.

The changing climate is the greatest long-term global challenge our country faces, and the UNFCCC remains the most effective global forum for tackling climate change. We have seen its successes: the Glasgow Climate Pact, COP28’s Global Stocktake agreement to transitioning away from fossil fuels, the historic climate finance goal agreed at COP29. The UK continues to champion a transparent, inclusive, and effective COP process and is engaged in discussions within the UNFCCC on arrangements for COPs, where we advocate for increased efficiency within the process in a way that supports enhanced ambition and strengthened implementation in line with the science.

The Government will comply with the Court Order and lay before Parliament a report on its carbon budget strategy by the Court Order deadline.

In Spring 2025, we will deliver an updated Carbon Budget Delivery plan out to the end of CB6 in 2037. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 on a pathway to net zero. Appropriate environmental assessments will be carried out on relevant policies to deliver this plan in the usual way, as well as project-level Environmental Impact Assessments to support applications for new energy infrastructure as part of the normal planning processes under planning and environmental legislation.

UK Research and Innovation, via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), funds a diverse portfolio of pioneering research projects that explore the frontiers of chemistry which underpin sustainable and innovative chemical processes. This includes exploring new methodologies such as mechanochemistry.

Current live projects, totalling £1.7 million, that include a substantive mechanochemistry method development include:

• a novel mechanochemical method for hydrogen isotope separation;
• a mechano-enzymatic synthesis of key pharmaceutical building blocks;
• an automated reaction screening and optimisation protocol using mechanochemical platforms.

The Government is aware of the claim made in Computer Says No by the New Britain Project that Britons lose 1.52 billion hours annually to personal administration. This figure is derived by extrapolating an average minutes per week per adult across the UK adult population.

The Government recognises the importance of reducing the 'time tax' on individuals. As outlined in A blueprint for modern digital government (CP 1252, January 2025), the Government is developing a new methodology to measure this burden and is committed to reducing it as part of its digital reform programme, to support productivity and improve service delivery.

The government recognises that AI is having a transformative impact on science, and the UK is positioned to be a world leader in this emerging field.

This will also present novel risks. The UK Metascience Unit is investing £4m to explore AI’s impact on research and improve our understanding of these risks. Insights from this will be used to inform the government’s R&D policy.

We are dedicated to maintaining research integrity amid AI adoption. The UK Committee on Research Integrity (UKCORI) is examining the intersection of AI and research integrity, with recommendations expected this year. Investments in Responsible AI UK and skills training are driving more responsible AI use in science.

All UK organisations processing personal data must comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018. This applies to all technologies, including AI-based life recorders. The UK GDPR and the DPA, are risk-based and technology neutral, ensuring organisations process data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. On data security, the UK has strong safeguards, regulatory oversight, and enforcement to ensure responsible data handling. We continuously assess evolving threats to UK data and will take further action if necessary to protect national security.

Engineering Biology is a critical technology for the UK. This Government is committed to capitalising on growing opportunities as well as ensuring that innovation is responsible and secure. DSIT works with academics, businesses and funders, including through the Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel, to assess the opportunities and risks around novel engineering biology capabilities. DSIT will continue to work with these stakeholders, including UKRI, to capitalise on opportunities and appropriately manage risk.

UKRI is the main public funder of research and innovation. It has not funded research directly intending to develop mirror life. However, HMG recognises the importance of funding blue skies research including on stereoisomers