Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Union on reducing barriers related to product testing and certification.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of the average administrative cost per cross-border haulage journey arising from (a) certification and (b) documentation requirements into the European Union.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment has been made of the economic costs arising from paper-based certification requirements for UK haulage operators trading with the European Union.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate has been made of the number of business insolvencies in the UK road haulage sector in each of the past 10 years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Calendar Year | 49410 – Freight transport by road |
2016 | 146 |
2017 [note 1] | 195 |
2018 [note 1] | 247 |
2019 | 285 |
2020 | 195 |
2021 | 265 |
2022 | 411 |
2023 | 503 |
2024 | 471 |
2025 | 401 |
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.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of how recent levels of insolvencies in the UK road haulage sector compare with those during the 2008 financial crisis.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Calendar Year | Companies Entering Insolvency (SIC 2003 Code 49410 – Freight Transport by Road and SIC 2007 Code 6024 - Freight Transport by Road) |
2008 | 412 |
2009 | 442 |
2010 | 331 |
2011 | 351 |
Calendar Year | Companies Entering Insolvency (SIC 2007 Code 6024 - Freight Transport by Road) |
2022 | 411 |
2023 | 503 |
2024 | 471 |
2025 | 401 |
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the long-term sustainability of the testing and accreditation sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of Government support for accreditation and conformity assessment on businesses’ access to international markets.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 implications for his policies on trends in the level of employment costs for businesses in Surrey.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has published 29 Impact Assessments representing a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Act: Employment Rights Act 2025: impact assessments - GOV.UK. This includes an assessment of regional impacts. An impact assessment on the 2026 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates will be published shortly, including an assessment of regional impacts.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of free trade agreements on family businesses in Surrey.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We do not assess the direct effects of individual Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on specific types of businesses within specific counties, nor do we monitor the way they are utilised in such granular detail.
However, we do publish assessments of the potential economic, sectoral, distributional and environmental impacts of our FTAs on GOV.UK. As these set out, FTAs have an important role to play in delivering economic growth in all sectors and all regions. Through FTAs, businesses can benefit from tariff reductions, improved market access, and enhanced protections in investment and digital trade.
The department is working hand-in-hand with UK businesses to ensure firms have the tools and knowledge they need to seize these opportunities.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic merits of mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and the EU.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 93339 on 27 November 2025: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.