Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his timeline is for the disbursement of agreed funds to the Jingye Group.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the Member to the answer I gave on 2 March 2026 to question 115644.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the total value is of the financial support package being negotiated with the Jingye Group in relation to British Steel's operations in Scunthorpe.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the Member to the answer I gave on 2 March 2026 to question 115644.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Statistical bulletin - Civil Service Statistics: 2025, updated on 29 October 2025 and the Statistical bulletin - Civil Service Statistics: 2024, updated on 20 August 2024, for what reason the number of policy staff in his Department has increased by 90% in one year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Cabinet Office revised the classification of professions in early March 2025. We have been instructed to substitute the International Trade profession with the Policy profession in our reporting. Accordingly, all staff previously classified under the International Trade profession in 2024 have now been reassigned to the Policy profession. The reported percentage increase is attributable to this change.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the value is of the financial support package being negotiated with the Jingye Group in relation to British Steel's operations in Scunthorpe.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic and realistic solution for the future of British Steel. Upon the end of Government intervention under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, a compensation scheme will be available to Jingye, which would provide for an independent assessment to determine what amount of compensation, if any, is appropriate.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings his Department has had with Jingye on compensation for British Steel.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic and realistic solution for the future of British Steel. Upon the end of Government intervention under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, a compensation scheme will be available to Jingye, which would provide for an independent assessment to determine what amount of compensation, if any, is appropriate.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what methodology will be used to determine the level of compensation available to Jingye following Royal Assent of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic and realistic solution for the future of British Steel. Upon the end of Government intervention under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, a compensation scheme will be available to Jingye, which would provide for an independent assessment to determine what amount of compensation, if any, is appropriate.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
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 impact of the European Union’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act on the integration of UK-based manufacturers in European supply chains.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The proposed Industrial Accelerator Act has not yet been published by the European Commission, but we share and understand concerns expressed by industry in this country and within the European Union about the potential impact of an overly restrictive ‘made in Europe’ policy. We continue to engage with our counterparts in the EU and to advocate for the interests of UK manufacturers, many of whose operations are closely integrated with other businesses in the EU.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many secondary legislation (a) laid and (b) planned under the Employment Rights Act 2025 have been submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) does not review secondary legislation. Where applicable under Better Regulation guidance, the RPC produces opinions of Option Assessments and Impact Assessments to help Government ensure that the evidence and analysis in them is sufficiently robust. As is best practice, my department will adhere to the Better Regulation Framework on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assumptions his Department uses regarding cost pass-through to consumers when assessing the impact of new trade-related regulatory requirements on businesses, and whether those assumptions have been revised since the publication of the Department’s 2024 Green Book-aligned appraisal guidance.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Addressing regulatory barriers to trade can help reduce costs for UK businesses trading internationally and support economic growth. Cost pass‑through to consumers is subject to uncertainty and may differ significantly depending on market conditions, products and supply chains in scope. Reflecting the Green Book’s principles‑based approach to appraisal, which emphasises judgement and proportionality where impacts are uncertain, cost pass-through impacts are considered on a case‑by‑case basis where evidence indicates that they can be assessed.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of regulatory divergence from the EU on UK exporters since July 2024, broken down by sector and by firm size.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No, we will not be making such a precise assessment, but the EU is our closest partner and biggest trading market and we are committed to making trade easier by removing unnecessary barriers to trade. To date, many UK regulations continue to align in the main with EU regulations. We are aware that EU divergence is an important issue for many UK exporters to the EU. We continue to monitor potential instances of divergence and undertake assessments on a case-by-case basis.