Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to expand the Energy Supercharger package to include a larger proportion of the steel industry and related sectors including scrap.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade will conduct its review of the British Industry Supercharger this year, which will include a review of eligibility criteria. Any changes to eligibility criteria, or other parts of the policy, are subject to public consultation and ministerial approval. I encourage all stakeholders, including those in the steel and scrap sectors, to engage with this review when the opportunity arises and present all relevant evidence.

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 comparative level of the steel power price gap with competitor nations, following the recent increase in network compensation charging.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As set out in the recently published steel strategy, UK steel producers that benefit from British Industry Supercharger support and the current Network Charging Compensation scheme paid industrial electricity prices of £93 per MWh in 2025 (a 60% relief). The increase in compensation for network charges from 60% to 90%, which was announced in the Industrial Strategy and implemented from 1 April 2026, will reduce electricity prices for steel producers by a further £7 to £10 per MWh approximately.

The equivalent cost faced by industrial electricity users in France and Germany is £69/MWh and £60/MWh respectively. Using average electricity intensity factors for electric arc furnace-based steel production, the difference to UK producers equates to approximately £8-£13 per tonne of crude steel.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to extend the trade protection measures for steelmakers to their customers in the steel intensive manufacturing supply chain.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This Government recognises the distinct value of downstream users, including in the manufacturing supply chain, alongside the importance of maintaining a resilient domestic steel sector. The steel trade measure has been designed to addresses the serious threat posed by global steel overcapacity, which undermines the viability of UK steelmaking and, in turn, our critical national infrastructure and defence.

We have carefully balanced the needs of producers and downstream industry, and the product scope of the measure reflects this. There are no current plans to extend this scope, but we will continue to engage with downstream industry as the measure is implemented.

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 EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the volume of diverted high-emission steel imports into the UK.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Charges under the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for relevant goods entering the EU Single Market have applied since January 2026. This includes EU imports of steel goods within scope of EU CBAM.

We are monitoring the EU CBAM and continue to engage with businesses. The EU CBAM may influence trade flows by changing relative costs between markets, with impacts remaining uncertain and dependent on commercial and policy factors.

The UK Government will introduce its own CBAM from January 2027 to protect against carbon leakage.

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 help ensure that British steel is not undercut by high-emission imports.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As set out in the steel strategy, the government is committed to creating a fair and competitive market for UK steel by addressing carbon leakage.

The Government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) from January 2027. The UK CBAM is an environmental measure designed to tackle the risk of carbon leakage by ensuring that some of the most emissions intensive industrial goods imported to the UK face a comparable carbon price to what is paid domestically.

UK CBAM is led by HM Treasury, and the Department for Business and Trade are engaging with them on this measure.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to implement effective oversight of biosecurity border controls.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State for the Home Department does not oversee import controls for biosecurity, but Border Force is responsible for identifying and seizing illegally imported illegal animals, illegal animal products, illegal plants and plant products in some scenarios.

Defra and the Home Office are in active dialogue around practical improvements, including at a recent ministerial bilateral meeting and at meetings of the Goods Border Small Ministerial Group.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement measures have been implemented at Dover since September 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force, the Food Standards Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Dover Port Health Authority (PHA) to improve the interception of illegal products of animal origin entering England via the port of Dover. Enforcement measures implemented at Dover since September 2024 have included seizure and destruction, and these are implemented by Border Force and Dover PHA. To enable this operational activity by Dover PHA, Defra has provided over £14.4m provided since October 2022.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on ensuring adequate veterinary staffing at ports.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Home Office is not responsible for veterinary staffing at ports and therefore the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on this. Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force, the Food Standards Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Dover Port Health Authority to improve the interception of illegal meat entering England, this includes considering capacity and capabilities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential biosecurity risk of illegal meat seized in the first four months of 2025; and whether any of this meat tested positive for (a) African Swine Fever and (b) other notifiable diseases.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Protecting UK biosecurity remains paramount, and this Government will do whatever it takes to protect farmers.

Defra does not require port health authorities to routinely test or analyse samples of illegally imported meat seized at the UK border for notifiable animal diseases, including African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease. Negative results would not guarantee the absence of risk. That is why illegal meat imports, intercepted by Border Force and local authorities are all safely disposed in accordance with animal by-products rules.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency publishes assessments of the potential risk of animal disease incursions via animals and animal products, including illegal meat imports on gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.

Food Bill

Mountain rescue in Cumbria

Introduction of reforms to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Social care

GP access

Support for hospitality businesses

Impact of the Iran war on transport costs

Supporting UK hauliers and reducing border friction through UK–EU cooperation

NHS funding for mental health services

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank

West Bank

Found: be expected to wait much longer for their surgery than their England based counterparts. 8.3 David Chadwick