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, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act on UK producers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a long-term deal on steel tariffs with the EU.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 steps his Department is taking to mitigate the potential impact of future European Union tariffs on UK steel exports.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 its red lines for negotiations with the EU on protecting critical industries from the imposition of tariffs.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
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 he has made of the number of business insolvencies in the UK road haulage sector in each of the past 20 years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Number of companies entering insolvency in the Freight Transport by Road industry, United Kingdom, 2006 to 2025 | |
Calendar Year | Companies Entering Insolvency (SIC 2007 Code 49410 – Freight Transport by Road and SIC 2003 Code 6024 - Freight Transport by Road) |
2006 | 361 |
2007 | 308 |
2008 | 412 |
2009 | 442 |
2010 | 331 |
2011 | 351 |
2012 | 303 |
2013 | 265 |
2014 | 202 |
2015 | 160 |
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 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 |