Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the trade agreement with the EU of 19 May 2025, what (a) tariffs and (b) rules will apply to steel exports to the EU.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The EU applies a safeguard measure on imports of 26 categories of steel in the form of tariff-rate quotas that allow certain volumes of imports per category to enter duty-free. A 25% duty is charged on volumes that exceed quotas.
Following a recent amendment by the EU, the UK’s duty-free access to category 17 (steel sections) was restricted to below traditional volumes.
As part of the new agreement, the EU committed to correcting this in line with traditional trade flows, which will allow UK industry to double the amount of tariff-free steel sections they can export to the EU.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 50961 on Trade Agreements: USA, whether he requested that the United States reduce the applied tariff of 41% for the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We have concluded a landmark economic deal with the US on 8 May, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal.
The US has confirmed, as part of the deal, that it will consider UK requests to reduce the applied tariff for a UK territory such as the Falkland Islands on a preferential basis. Talks between the UK and the US are ongoing.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sale of illegal electric conversion kits for bicycles.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under UK product safety laws, businesses must ensure any electric conversion kits they place on the UK market are safe.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards and Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to tackle the supply of unsafe or non-compliant consumer products, including electric bike conversion kits, and to remove them from the market. The enforcement of converted bicycles that travel above legal speed limits is a matter for the police.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the 41% tariffs imposed by the United States on the Falkland Islands were discussed as part of the negotiations for the US-UK trade deal announced on 8 May 2025.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We have concluded a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to get an agreement with President Trump. We are continuing talks on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal. In this agreement, as in all international agreements, the UK will consider the interests of those UK territories for whose international relations it is responsible.
In addition, the US has confirmed, as part of the deal, that it will consider UK requests to reduce the applied tariff for a UK territory such as the Falkland Islands on a preferential basis
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 feasibility of introducing a Guest Beer Agreement scheme in England and Wales.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Hospitality businesses, including pubs and independent breweries, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.
The government wishes to see small brewers retain and expand their access to UK pubs, maximising drinkers’ choice and supporting local economies. The government is currently conducting a wide-ranging review of the beer market to assess whether there are any market barriers that should be addressed, we will report back with findings this summer.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
193 mobile phones and 29 laptops were reported lost in financial year 2024/25 including up to 14th April 2025. There were no other electronic devices reported lost.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 Post Office's ability to adhere to its Access Criteria.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. My Department has assessed the Post Office network meets Government-set access criteria at a national level. The Post Office publishes its annual network report which sets out their performance publicly each year and it can be found here.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 impact of US tariffs on the UK car industry.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We're disappointed by the decision to impose global tariffs of 25% on auto imports and know this will be extremely concerning for our automotive sector. We will always support our automotive industry, and in the first instance we will continue to pursue a deal that works for both us and the US. We will also use our Industrial Strategy to strengthen UK automotive competitiveness and have backed the auto sector with £2 billion to support the transition of domestic manufacturing and £300 million announced in the Budget to drive uptake of electric vehicles.
This government is clear that we will always do everything necessary to defend the UK's national interest. This is why the government has launched a request for input from businesses to help shape our response to US tariffs.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 impact of (a) employers national insurance contributions and (b) national minimum wage increases on the hair salon industry.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
For national insurance contributions, increasing the employment Allowance to £10,500 will mean that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all and more than half of employers see no change or gain overall from this package, including many businesses in the hair and beauty industries.
On minimum wage, approximately 40,000 workers in the hair and beauty sector, representing around half of the sector's workforce, are expected to benefit from a direct pay rise due to the increases in the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in April 2025.
The Government is also creating a fairer business rates system, which will further benefit the hair salon industry.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 impact of the trends in the level of cash only barber shops on high streets.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are no official statistics on trends in the level of cash only barber shops. Cash continues to be used by many people and is a legitimate means of paying for goods and services.
Businesses that primarily accept cash must ensure they meet their legal obligations, and the Government is working with the hair industry to ensure good tax compliance.
HMRC will investigate evidence suggesting businesses have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. Money laundering through cash-based high street businesses is also a known issue, and Government collaborates closely with law enforcement to monitor criminal behaviour.