Al Pinkerton

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question’s of 13th May is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question’s of 13th May is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question’s of 13th May is attached.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office regularly speaks to his EU counterparts to discuss UK-EU relations on both a formal and informal basis.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 27th January is attached.

Advice for the general public on how to prepare for emergencies is published at GOV.UK/Prepare. The website provides simple and effective steps that individuals, households and communities can take to be more prepared for a range of emergencies.

Specific risk and preparedness advice aimed at Surrey residents can be found on the ‘Surrey Prepared’ pages of Surrey County Council’s website.

The government continues to work with our local and national partners, including organisations from the voluntary, community and faith sectors, to highlight the importance of preparing for emergencies.

We have made a choice to align in some areas where it makes sense to do so in our national interest. For example, to unlock the SPS and carbon pricing agreements, which will add up to £9 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040. Where we agree to dynamically align, we will have decision-shaping rights, as well technical adaptations and phasing in to make this deal work for the UK. The details of these are subject to negotiation.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th of December is attached.

We have not made an assessment as we have been clear there will be no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement. We are focused on strengthening our relationship with the EU to make trade easier, help British businesses and support economic growth. At the first UK-EU Summit, the Prime Minister announced a deal with the EU which will deliver on what the British public voted for and which was welcomed by businesses.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 5th of December is attached.

I and my department speak to EU counterparts on a regular basis, including on the Sanitary and Phytosanitary and Emissions Trading Systems linking agreements. I will not be providing a running commentary on negotiations.

I and my department speak to EU counterparts on a regular basis, including on the Sanitary and Phytosanitary and Emissions Trading Systems linking agreements. I will not be providing a running commentary on negotiations.

HMG officials and Ministers regularly engage EU counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The EU is developing the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), their pre-travel authorisation system for third-country nationals. This will apply to those who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area. The European Commission has confirmed that ETIAS will apply to British citizens, when it is introduced. The UKs electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme is fully implemented for non-visa national visitors to the UK, this includes EU nationals.

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU at the UK-EU Summit. The exact parameters are subject to ongoing negotiations. Since the Summit we have held a number of rounds of negotiations with the European Commission regarding outcomes of the Common Understanding, including a youth experience scheme, as well as other areas including a food and drink deal (SPS) and linking our carbon markets (ETS) that started this week.

The Government is committed to building a Civil Service that is representative of all communities across the UK and several graduate and internship programmes exist across the Civil Service. The Civil Service Fast Stream is open to graduates from any background and we consistently monitor recruitment data to ensure we remain an inclusive and accessible employer. For this reason, in August we announced our Summer Internship Programme will open exclusively to undergraduates from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds. The aim of this change is to increase representation in the Fast Stream.

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped as well as time-limited. We have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters are subject to discussion. We cannot give a running commentary of ongoing negotiations.

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped as well as time-limited. We have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters are subject to discussion. We cannot give a running commentary of ongoing negotiations.

All children should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are, where they’re from, or how much their parents earn. The Opportunity Mission will give the next generation the best start in life, help them achieve and thrive in excellent schools, and build skills for opportunity and growth. The mission has taken a number of steps to help ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. These include expanding government-funded childcare, allocating £1.4bn to rebuild our schools, launching the curriculum review, announcing the creation of Foundation Apprenticeships and launching the first round of funding for 300 school-based nurseries. The government has also set-up a Ministerial Taskforce on Child Poverty, bringing in academia, local government and other sectors to develop a joint strategy on child poverty. There has been no specific assessment by the Cabinet Office of establishing a UK-wide Future Generations Commissioner.

Ahead of the UK-EU Summit in May 2025 we explored several proposals with the EU on manufactured goods. To inform these discussions, the government assessed the potential economic benefits of a range of measures, including the potential impact of mutual recognition agreements for conformity assessment on GDP, manufacturers, and business cost. This assessment indicated such agreements would be mutually beneficial for both the UK and the EU. To protect negotiation-sensitive information the Department will not be publishing this assessment nor its analytical methodology.

The Department for Business and Trade is supporting the creation of jobs and opportunities across the UK, including in the Surrey Heath constituency. We are doing this by supporting small and medium sized businesses to export, including developing a new Business Growth Service to simplify finding the advice and support they need. We are also supporting high streets by delivering long overdue reforms to rebalance the business rates system. We have also developed the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and are investing in growth sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies.

While the Department does not produce constituency-level assessments of business confidence, government closely monitors business confidence across the hospitality sector.

We have introduced targeted support measures to strengthen the sector’s resilience. These include permanently reduced business rates for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, a substantial enhancement of the Hospitality Support Fund, initiatives to streamline regulatory requirements, and progress on licensing reform toward a new National Licensing Policy Framework. This framework is designed to offer greater flexibility for pubs and hospitality venues, enabling them to prosper.

The government’s response to the call for evidence on UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) was published on 26^th March 2026.

In the UK’s Trade Strategy, the government recognised the potential merits and impacts of UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) and committed to engaging business further. The government ran a five-week call for evidence from November to December last year to understand the potential impacts of accession on businesses. The Government will publish the findings in due course.

In the UK’s Trade Strategy, the government recognised the potential merits and impacts of UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) and committed to engaging business further. The government ran a five-week call for evidence from November to December last year to understand the potential impacts of accession on businesses. The Government will publish the findings in due course.

We have continued to enhance our cooperation with the EU on a range of economic security issues of mutual concern since the UK-EU Summit in 2025. The EU remains our most important trading partner, our economies are deeply interconnected and face many of the same challenges and threats, and we share a commitment to upholding the rules-based order. In February 2026, DBT Secretary of State (along with Chancellor for the Exchequer) met EU Commissioners Sefcovic and Dombrovksis to discuss trade and economic issues, including economic security.

The UK and EU will hold a second Summit in 2026, where we will seek to further strengthen our partnership on economic security.

This Government notes the publication of the proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) and the wider Made in Europe agenda. In general, the proposal suggests that UK content would be considered equivalent to “Union origin” by default for public procurement and public support schemes (e.g. subsidies). However, some of the specific automotive provisions are very concerning and we are in close touch with industry on this. The proposal remains at the Commission stage and is subject to legislative processes. We will continue to monitor its progress and press the EU to avoid any detrimental impact on the UK and EU’s automotive sectors and on our uniquely integrated UK-EU supply chains.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We are engaging intensively on steel tariffs with the European Commission and are working to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

In parallel, we are also prioritising the development of a robust measure of our own in light of the UK steel safeguard expiring in June to protect our domestic sector, making sure we maintain secure and resilient supply chains.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We are engaging intensively on steel tariffs with the European Commission and are working to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

In parallel, we are also prioritising the development of a robust measure of our own in light of the UK steel safeguard expiring in June to protect our domestic sector, making sure we maintain secure and resilient supply chains.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We have agreed tariff free trade with the EU under the TCA, and we expect the EU to honour these obligations. The new steel tariff measures announced by the EU therefore present significant concern. We are engaging intensively with the European Commission to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

There has been a change to industry classifications during this time period, but the statistics are broadly comparable. Estimated numbers of companies in the relevant Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes that entered insolvency in the UK between 2006 and 2025 are presented below.

Note 1: Numbers exclude bulk insolvencies, which occurred between April 2016 and early 2019 following changes to the IR35 rules and changes in VAT flat rate. If included, the number for 2017 would be 326 and the number for 2018 would be 256. For more details, see the Glossary in Company insolvencies, December 2025 - GOV.UK

The UK Government recognises the important role of the testing and accreditation sector in ensuring products are safe and comply with relevant regulation. The sector supports UK businesses to sell products in the UK and export to other countries, alongside supporting innovation.

The UK Government continues to seek opportunities for the sector through Free Trade Agreements and Mutual Recognition Agreements, in line with the Trade Strategy. The UK Government continues to monitor the capacity of the testing and accreditation sector.

The UK Government continues to support British businesses through free trade and mutual recognition agreements, in line with the Trade Strategy. These agreements typically include provisions that support the accreditation and conformity assessment sectors, providing British businesses with enhanced access to foreign markets. For instance, UK conformity assessment bodies can now apply for accreditation and approval in Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) countries, allowing British businesses to test products in the UK against CPTPP country requirements.

The UK Government routinely carries out and publishes economic assessments for trade agreements and legislation, which consider how agreements can reduce non-tariff barriers for British businesses.

There has been a change to industry classifications between these two periods, but the statistics are broadly comparable. Estimated numbers of companies with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003 code 49410 (Freight transport by road) and SIC 2007 code 6024 (Freight transport by road) that entered insolvency in the UK in calendar years 2008 to 2011 and 2022 to 2025 are presented in the tables below.

Estimated numbers of companies with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 49410 (Freight transport by road) that entered insolvency in the UK in each calendar year between 2016 and 2025 are presented in the table below.

Note 1: Numbers exclude bulk insolvencies, which occurred between April 2016 and early 2019 following changes to the IR35 rules and changes in VAT flat rate. If included, the number for 2017 would be 326 and the number for 2018 would be 256. For more details, see the Glossary in Company insolvencies, December 2025 - GOV.UK.

The government remains committed to tackling barriers to trade, including through implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), to bring benefits to businesses and achieve economic growth. DBT holds regular engagement with the EU, including through the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Technical barriers to Trade (TBT). This joint forum ensures the proper functioning of the TCA’s TBT chapter, and provides the opportunity to hold technical discussions and exchange information on topics such as regulatory developments, conformity assessment and product safety. The most recent committee was held on the 22 October 2025 and minutes of the meeting will be published shortly.

The Department for Business and Trade has not undertaken an assessment of the administrative costs incurred by UK haulage operators. However, we continue to engage with businesses to understand and resolve the barriers they face in trading with the EU. We are also making strong progress on last year’s historic agreement with the EU that is good for bills, jobs, and our borders.

HMRC provides data on customs administrative burdens: Estimating the customs administrative burden of 2022 declarations - GOV.UK.