Gareth Snell

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.

The new Procurement Act creates a simpler and more transparent system that will support British small businesses bidding for work.

The Act also allows contracting authorities to set standards that recognise the quality and standard of UK businesses and products.

Alongside this, our new National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider this government’s industrial strategies and the sectors vital to our economic growth.

The Prime Minister announced at party conference that the duty of candour Bill will be introduced to Parliament before the next anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in April 2025. The details of this Bill will be announced first to this House. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) serves to protect workers from suffering any detriment as a result of making a protected disclosure.

The Department for Business and Trade has a close and productive relationship with the UK ceramics sector, particularly its leading Trade Association Ceramics UK who meet regularly with officials and Ministers.

As part of our ongoing dialogue, we will continue to engage with ceramics business on the challenges they face now and in the future.

Sectors have been assessed against their electricity and trade intensity. As part of our review of eligibility in 2026, we will assess whether these data sets and the thresholds we have previously used remain the best approach to judging eligibility for the Supercharger.

The Department for Business and Trade has a close and productive relationship with the UK ceramics sector, particularly its leading Trade Association, Ceramics UK, who meet regularly with officials and Ministers.

As part of our ongoing dialogue, we will continue to engage with ceramics business on the challenges they face now and in the future.

I will continue to work to ensure that long-term viability of the UK ceramics sector.

Eligibility for relief through the British Energy Supercharger scheme is based on an assessment of the electricity and trade intensity of an individual sector and how exposed it is to the risk of carbon leakage.

The list of eligible sectors is set out in legislation, meaning we are unable to add to it without a full public consultation. The Government plans to review eligibility of sectors in 2026 and my officials will keep interested stakeholders updated on developments.

The business level test was introduced to focus support under the British Industry Supercharger at those individual businesses most at risk of carbon leakage and to balance the cost of the scheme to other electricity users with the benefits to Energy Intensive Industries. There are currently no plans to amend that business level test and any proposed amendments to the scheme criteria would be subject to consultation.

I refer my hon Friend to the answer given in the House on 1 May which focussed on the ceramics sector. The Government recognises that we need to support a range of energy intensive industries, including ceramics, that are essential to our economy and our missions. For example, to build the 1.5 million homes and the clean energy infrastructure projects that this Government is already investing in.

The Ceramics UK report mentioned describes a role for: energy efficiency improvements; addressing grid decarbonisation and self -generation; fuel switching to electrification, hydrogen and biomass; product and material adaptation; and addressing process emissions through a combination of Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) and addressing residual emissions. While the exact balance will vary between firms and between subsectors of industry, we expect a role for each of these measures, and are taking action to support and provide signals to the market on each of these. Government will bring forward a renewed industrial decarbonisation strategy in due course to address energy and decarbonisation issues across industries in a holistic way, and is committed to working closely with the ceramics sector as we develop that approach.

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme, whose coverage includes energy intensive industries such as those in the ceramics sector, allows installations who meet certain criteria to apply to be exempted from the main scheme by obtaining ‘small emitter’ classification.

Over half of sites in the ceramics sector are already exempted from the UK ETS via achieving Small Emitter status. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme as an essential part of our approach to cutting emissions and driving green investment. UK ETS participants, including those in the ceramics sector, are provided with free allocations, to incentivise emissions reduction and protect energy intensive, trade exposed industries from the risk of carbon leakage. We have guaranteed current free allocation levels until 2027 and are currently reviewing how we calculate free allocations to better support sectors most at risk of carbon leakage.

We will always work in the best interest of industry.

The Government has no plans to introduce a non-domestic price cap. Businesses have different needs to households. Non-domestic demand varies in scale, flexibility and seasonality. From high demand from large industrial users to intermittent demand from some microbusinesses. Accordingly, there are a range of suppliers and energy products that are available to efficiently meet these needs.

However, the Government is committed to championing businesses and improving non-domestic consumer protections. Since 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. Last year, the Government also launched a consultation on introducing regulation of Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs), such as energy brokers. This is aimed at enhancing consumer protections, particularly for non-domestic consumers.

The consultation has now closed, and a Government response will follow in due course once all feedback has been reviewed.

Making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the five missions of this Government — delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating to net zero. British industries, such as those in the ceramics sector, have been held back by high electricity costs, which has often made investing here uncompetitive. The Government’s clean energy mission will drive down costs, making British businesses internationally competitive while our National Wealth Fund supports the most energy intensive sectors to decarbonise.

A recent report from Ceramics UK, Decarbonising UK Ceramic Manufacturing, outlines potential solutions for decarbonising the ceramics sector.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.

The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy with less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. We are working relentlessly in this Parliament on how we reduce wholesale energy costs, and we want to make sure this follows through onto domestic and non-domestic bills.

Financial relief to support energy intensive industries with electricity costs is worth £470 million per year through a mixture of spending and bill discounts.

Additionally, 300 energy intensive businesses across the UK will benefit from the British Industry Supercharger, which has targeted measures to ensure the energy costs for key UK industries are in line with other major economies around the world.

Civil society and community organisations are instrumental in delivering media literacy programmes to adults, leveraging their expertise to support diverse and vulnerable groups. Libraries and community centres provide accessible locations where adults of all ages can get guidance and advice.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps toward delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK, including supporting local and community initiatives to increase digital participation.

Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs.

The government understands the importance of building audience resilience to mis- and disinformation, noting that improved media literacy is essential for helping people to recognise this content. The Online Safety Act updates Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy by adding targeted duties to develop internet users’ understanding of the nature and impact of mis- and disinformation.

The Act also requires platforms to tackle health mis- and disinformation that is illegal or harmful to children. Additionally, where it is prohibited in Category 1 platforms’ terms of service, they must remove it and enforce this consistently.

Government is adopting a holistic approach to digital inclusion integrating related policy on digital skills and media literacy. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion for everyone in the UK, including supporting community initiatives for boosting digital skills and media literacy. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology coordinates activity across policy areas, aiming to embed media literacy across cross-cutting government strategies.

Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs to offer media literacy.

According to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, media literacy-related skills, including understanding online risks, are essential for work. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has worked with FutureDotNow to analyse the benefits of essential digital skills for earnings and employability, with findings being published shortly.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is also considering how young people will acquire the digital skills needed for future life, with the interim report highlighting the need for a renewed focus on media literacy.

According to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, media literacy-related skills, including understanding online risks, are essential for work. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has worked with FutureDotNow to analyse the benefits of essential digital skills for earnings and employability, with findings being published shortly.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is also considering how young people will acquire the digital skills needed for future life, with the interim report highlighting the need for a renewed focus on media literacy.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. Although there is no legal requirement for local authorities to publish their plans, the guidance encourages local authorities to publish their assessment of local needs for youth services as well as the rationale for their actions and decisions. The department does not hold this information centrally and has no plans for a publication on needs assessments

Local authorities hold the statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people. Local Authorities fund youth services from their Local Government Settlement in line with local need, and this was increased to more than £69 billion in 2025/26 - a 6.8% increase in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Additionally, we will be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support local authorities to build back capability to improve local youth offers. We will share more information in due course.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to success and opportunity. Too many children and young people today do not have access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers, suffer from poor mental health, and, in some cases, end up being drawn into crime rather than achieving their full potential.

While services already exist to provide support for this group, many still go unsupported, because they are unable to access the services they need, when and where they need them. Young Futures Hubs will bring together the support services that tackle these underlying needs and make them more accessible to those that need them. In doing so, the hubs will promote children and young people’s development, improve their mental health and wellbeing, and prevent them from being drawn into crime. They will be staffed with professionals including youth workers, mental health support workers and career advisors. The new Young Futures Hubs will support the delivery of the government’s safer streets, health and opportunity missions.

The number of hubs, their specific locations, and their reach are still being determined, and long term funding for these will be determined through the Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

The department will engage with national and local partners, local communities, and children and young people to work together on design and delivery, including considering relevant reports.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential.

Next financial year, in 2025/26, we are increasing the total funding for other DCMS youth programmes. We will also be funding new work in partnership with local authorities to start the journey of building back lost capacity in local areas and of ensuring young people’s voices are heard in their local services.

We are also allocating over £85m of funding in 2025/26 to create fit-for-purpose, welcoming spaces for young people, including launching the new Better Youth Spaces fund, which will allocate at least £26m for youth clubs to buy new equipment and do renovations. This will also include completing the Youth Investment Fund projects.

In addition, this government has committed to the co-production of an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, which will allow us to put young people back in charge of their own destiny and provide them with meaningful choices and chances. As part of the Strategy, we will be engaging closely with young people and the youth sector from across the country over the coming months to fully understand their needs and the issues they consider to be most crucial in addressing. This will allow us to better target funding and services where they are most needed.

The Strategy will be published next year.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential.

We are also committed to improving the evidence base for the youth sector and making impactful improvements. Confirmation of decisions regarding any funding for improvements on shared measures will be shared in due course.

In November this government launched the ambitious new National Youth Strategy, which will be co-produced together with young people and the youth sector. This Strategy will allow us to put young people back in charge of their own destiny and provide them with meaningful choices and chances.

We are commissioning research that will inform the development and direction of the National Youth Strategy by exploring young people's challenges and experiences, and their proposed solutions. The research will consist of an evidence review as well as youth engagement.

The Strategy will be published next year.