David Chadwick

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th March is attached.

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 now available in the House Library.

The Government is actively assessing the potential impact of this proposal, and we are in active dialogue with the European Commission on the details of their proposal and next steps.

We will continue to take a cool-headed approach to any possible tariffs and remain prepared to defend the UK’s national interest where it is right to do so.

Tata Steel UK has made an operational decision to extend existing Christmas maintenance periods at three of their sites, Port Talbot Hot Rolled Products, Trostre, and Llanwern Pickle line. We know this will be a worrying time for Tata’s staff and for their local supply-chain businesses and we remain in close contact with Tata to monitor the situation and assess any potential impacts.

Steel is a top priority for this Government and we recognise the continuing challenges facing the UK steel industry – driven by persistent global overcapacity and with a changing landscape on international trade.

We will ensure there is a plan in place for the UK steel industry in light of the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year. That is why we launched a Call for Evidence on Steel Trade Measures on the 26^th of June to inform the design of any potential trade measures, including appropriate tariff rates and quota levels.

We are in active dialogue with the European Commission on this issue. The Secretary of State spoke about it with Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, on 20 October.

We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships to protect steel jobs and defend our steel industry.

The Government is actively assessing the potential impact of this proposal and we are in active dialogue with the European Commission on the details of their proposal and next steps.

We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships to protect steel jobs and defend our steel industry.

We recognise the strategic importance of a secure and resilient steel supply, and the domestic steel sector has an important role to play in supporting our national infrastructure, defence capability and broader national resilience.

This government will continue to support security of supply that protects our national resilience. These factors, among many others, will inform part of our wider approach to the sector ahead of the publication of the steel strategy later this year, and, as announced in the industrial strategy, steel will be a component of ongoing analysis conducted by the new Supply Chain Centre.

The Government recognises the importance of resilient, home-grown clean energy supply chains to support and secure growth as we decarbonise our economy. We have a number of levers to support our supply chains, including support via the National Wealth Fund, and our upcoming Industrial Strategy.

My officials in the UK and overseas are working closely with UK based supply chain companies to highlight and develop opportunities for UK supply chain across the hydrogen value chain both in the UK and abroad.

The UK is well placed to support a thriving hydrogen economy, with a robust and growing pipeline of production projects in development in the coming decade, providing an opportunity for domestic and international investors. My department has been working closely with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to showcase the opportunities for investment in the UK hydrogen sector.

We recently announced 27 shortlisted green hydrogen projects across the UK for the second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2), marking a key milestone and reaffirming the Government’s commitment to the sector. Our upcoming industrial strategy will provide support for global investors.

Steel is a top priority for this Government. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) does not include any text related to the implementation of the UK’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The FTA includes liberalised Most Favoured Nation tariffs on steel, but the UK’s trade remedies, including a global safeguard measure on certain steel products, continue to apply. Also, as part of our agreement, we included a ‘bilateral safeguard mechanism’ which allows us to temporarily increase tariffs or suspend tariff concessions if an industry is suffering or is at threat of serious injury as a result of reduced duties.

Steel is a top priority for this Government. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) does not include any text related to the implementation of the UK’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The FTA includes liberalised Most Favoured Nation tariffs on steel, but the UK’s trade remedies, including a global safeguard measure on certain steel products, continue to apply. Also, as part of our agreement, we included a ‘bilateral safeguard mechanism’ which allows us to temporarily increase tariffs or suspend tariff concessions if an industry is suffering or is at threat of serious injury as a result of reduced duties.

Steel is a top priority for this Government. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) does not include any text related to the implementation of the UK’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The FTA includes liberalised Most Favoured Nation tariffs on steel, but the UK’s trade remedies, including a global safeguard measure on certain steel products, continue to apply. Also, as part of our agreement, we included a ‘bilateral safeguard mechanism’ which allows us to temporarily increase tariffs or suspend tariff concessions if an industry is suffering or is at threat of serious injury as a result of reduced duties.

We are aware of the impact of this transition on the local economy and community, and we have taken steps to assist and support those affected. Under the leadership of the Secretary of State for Wales, the Port Talbot Tata Steel Transition Board moved from discussion to delivery from last July. Since then, more than £50 million has been announced to support steel communities, from the £80 million available from UK Government. The latest release of funding, to support mental health, was announced just last month.

Tata Steel decided to close the blast furnaces at Port Talbot in January 2024, under the previous government.

However, we negotiated an improved deal with Tata regarding the transformation of Port Talbot after just 10 weeks in office, with better terms for workers, future investment opportunities for the area and the highest voluntary redundancy package Tata has ever offered for workers. Work is proceeding on the development of the Electric Arc Furnace which will enable steelmaking to continue at the site and form a key part of our future steel sector.

The UK-US relationship is already very strong, with trade of around £300 billion, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023. The Prime Minister and President Trump met on 27 February and agreed to deepen this relationship and to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has also been engaging with the US Administration including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to make the case for stronger UK-US trade that benefits both our countries, and will continue to make every effort to support British business.

The UK Government continually assesses the implementation of free trade agreements to maximise their benefit and to support economic growth. The Department is working to ensure the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreements continue to work well for business.

The UK Government assessed the environmental impacts of the UK-Australia FTA and the UK-New Zealand FTA within the independently scrutinised impact assessments which were published in December 2021 and February 2022 respectively when the FTAs were signed. These covered both the economic and environmental impacts.

In addition, the independent Trade Agriculture Commission gave both the UK-Australia FTA and the UK-New Zealand FTA a clean bill of health, concluding both FTAs are consistent with the maintenance of UK statutory protections in relation to animal or plant life or health, animal welfare and environmental protection.

For new free trade agreements (FTAs), the Government publishes impact assessments to support the parliamentary scrutiny process of FTAs. The analysis will include an assessment on the UK's regions and nations as well as UK growth and trade.

Working with industry, the government will continue focusing on markets offering the best export opportunities, and with whom stronger defence, digital and technology relationships support delivery of UK defence objectives, including across Europe. Domestically, the Cabinet Office's recent National Procurement Policy Statement sets out how public procurement can be used to kickstart economic growth, including by encouraging innovation and new technologies in line with the Industrial Strategy.

As part of a defence innovation drive, the government will also look to enhance investment in defence start-ups and scale-up technology and capability, including through the National Security Strategic Investment Fund.

More broadly, the government recognises the defence, digital and technology sector's importance to our economic growth mission which is why they were identified as two of the eight growth-driving sectors in our forthcoming Industrial Strategy, which will be published in spring 2025.

The Government aims to respond to any job losses from company distress cases swiftly and coherently, to reduce the local impact and support people back to work.

Through the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS), part of the Insolvency Service, employers can access funding for redundancies, if required. For employers who are considering making 20 or more employees redundant at any one site, the RPS also notify the appropriate government departments and agencies, in confidence. This includes Jobcentre Plus and other service providers in their local area who will reach out with offers of assistance during the notification/consultation period.

The Department for Work and Pensions locally deploy the Rapid Response Service to provide support to people affected by redundancy, regardless of whether they are receiving benefits. The aim is to help people into new employment as quickly as possible. The service supports people during their notice period and up to 13 weeks after they leave work.

Additionally, the Welsh Government directly delivers services supporting redundant workers. ReAct Plus is a grant programme, offering tailored support to those trying to re-enter the labour market by removing barriers and providing grant support for vocational training, travel costs and care (including childcare) related to training.

Since 2013 the Groceries Code Adjudicator has not imposed a fine on a retailer for non-compliance.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) has a number of levers to deal with non-compliance and resolve disputes. Following an investigation into a regulated retailer which has breached the Code, the Adjudicator can issue recommendations against a retailer, require retailers to publish details of a breach or fine retailers up to 1% of their annual turnover.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) is funded by a levy on the fourteen regulated retailers covered by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. It does not employ its own staff but may make arrangements for staff to be seconded from any other public authority. There are currently five employees from the Department for Business and Trade and four employees from other Departments that are seconded to the GCA.

Although the Department of Business and Trade does not directly regulate these sectors, Companies House and the Insolvency Service supply data on UK registered companies to assist law enforcement targeting online fraud and other economic crimes. Furthermore, through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we raise awareness about how to spot, avoid and report scams.

Across Government, the Home Office works with Ofcom to prevent phone number ‘spoofing’, which is the practice of scammers impersonating UK phone numbers to trick people into thinking they are speaking to legitimate businesses.

Floating Offshore Wind presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Wales and is a major economic opportunity for the Neath Port Talbot area. It will create high-quality jobs to support the local economy.

We are in ongoing discussion with relevant parties in relation to the Port Talbot project.

Gwynt Glas and Equinor have now entered into Agreements for Lease with The Crown Estate to develop two 1.5GW Floating Offshore Wind farms in the Celtic Sea through the Leasing Round 5 process. Both projects have stated publicly that the Port Talbot is their preferred port for integration and assembly activities.

Floating Offshore Wind presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Wales and is a major economic opportunity for the Neath Port Talbot area. It will create high-quality jobs to support the local economy.

We are in ongoing discussion with relevant parties in relation to the Port Talbot project.

Gwynt Glas and Equinor have now entered into Agreements for Lease with The Crown Estate to develop two 1.5GW Floating Offshore Wind farms in the Celtic Sea through the Leasing Round 5 process. Both projects have stated publicly that the Port Talbot is their preferred port for integration and assembly activities.

The wholesale price of electricity in power markets is set by the last (i.e. most expensive) technology needed to meet overall demand – known as the marginal plant. In the UK, the marginal plant is currently gas power stations. Gas is an internationally traded commodity, and the UK is a large importer of gas, so electricity prices in Britain are much more exposed to changes in the international gas market.

This exposure strengthens the Government’s belief that the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy.

From 19 December 2024 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees can now access free support to resolve issues with their energy supplier through the Energy Ombudsman. This means that 99% of British businesses can now access this service with outcomes ranging up to £20,000 in financial awards. We also understand that some UK industries are struggling with the cost of energy. As such, as part of our Clean Energy Industries Plan, we have announced that from 2027 a new Industrial Strategy Energy Support Scheme will reduce electricity costs by £35-40/MWh up to 2030. Over 8,000 businesses will see their electricity costs drop by around 20-25% under a new exemption scheme, bringing their costs more closely in line with European competitors.

The Crown Estate has announced that Equinor and Gwynt Glas have now entered into agreements for lease to develop two new 1.5GW floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea, which could be operational by the mid-2030s.

The Crown Estate has estimated that full delivery of the Round could support over 5,000 new jobs and deliver a £1.4bn boost to the UK economy.

While timing and allocation of contracts for manufacturing, construction and maintenance of the windfarms are commercial decisions for the companies involved, the Government is engaging with ports and public finance institutions to support development of supply chain and infrastructure needed for these projects and future floating wind development.

The Crown Estate has announced that Equinor and Gwynt Glas have now entered into agreements for lease to develop two new 1.5GW floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea, which could be operational by the mid-2030s.

The Crown Estate has estimated that full delivery of the Round could support over 5,000 new jobs and deliver a £1.4bn boost to the UK economy.

While timing and allocation of contracts for manufacturing, construction and maintenance of the windfarms are commercial decisions for the companies involved, the Government is engaging with ports and public finance institutions to support development of supply chain and infrastructure needed for these projects and future floating wind development.

Consumers considering home retrofit work are encouraged to engage with installers who take a ‘whole house’ approach considering the needs of the individual property, including where repairs may need to be made.

The Government’s Warm Homes Plan will outline the policy proposals it will bring forward to improve up to 5 million homes. We will publish more details soon.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

On 19 June the Government announced that we will consult on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their consumer. This consultation will also look at introducing automatic referrals to the Ombudsman instead of consumers having to do this themselves, and also to explore the reduction of referral waiting times from 8 weeks to 4 weeks.