Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which policies his Department has introduced since July 5th 2024 have been implemented without a published impact assessment.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade does not maintain a centrally held list of policies introduced that have been implemented without a published impact assessment.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs on the operation of steel tariff quotas since 1 July 2026.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Officials work closely with HMRC, who are responsible for administrating the steel trade measures, but neither I nor any other Minister in this department has had direct discussions with HMRC on this.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of labour inspectors required to enforce new employment rights measures in each of the next three years.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

This government has significantly increased funding for employment rights compliance. The Fair Work Agency's budget in 2026/27 is £60.1m, a significant increase on the budgets of its predecessor organisations.

Bringing together state enforcement means less duplication and better use of public money. The government is committed to ensuring the Fair Work Agency has the resources it needs to do its job, both in terms of funding and capability.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many post-implementation reviews undertaken by his Department since 5 July 2024 found that policy costs exceeded those estimated in the original impact assessment.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Post implementation reviews (PIRs) and impact assessments (IAs) are published documents and are therefore publicly available. Guidance on PIRs, together with DBT’s past reviews and impact assessments, can be accessed via www.legislation.gov.uk.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has received representations from businesses on delays at UK ports following the introduction of the steel trade measure on 1 July 2026.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

This Government engages closely with businesses across the steel supply chain and will actively monitor implementation of the steel trade measure to ensure it operates as intended and remains responsible to emerging evidence and stakeholder feedback. To date, the department has not been informed that any delays at UK ports are attributed to the introduction of this measure.

We will continue engaging regularly across the supply chain, while working closely with HMRC to ensure effective the implementation and enforcement of the measure.

The Government has committed to reviewing the measure after 12 months to ensure it remains effective and proportionate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of importing steel products on operational continuity, since the implementation of the steel trade measure on 1 July 2026.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

This steel trade measure has been carefully designed to take account of UK industry needs, and to ensure continued supply of necessary imports to meet these aims.

An Explanatory Memorandum accompanying the relevant legislation was published on 30 June, setting out the expected impacts of this measure on different types of businesses.

We have engaged with downstream industries and will continue to do so as the measure is implemented. We will continue to monitor the measure and review it after 12 months.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what modelling he undertook of the likelihood of tariff-rate quotas being exhausted before the end of the applicable quota periods prior to implementation of the steel trade measure.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

We have designed the measure to strike the right balance for UK industry, strengthening protection for domestic producers while allowing a necessary volume of imports into the UK.

We have set quota levels to reflect the specific needs of the UK steel sector, calibrated against the UK’s production capability, capacity and demand levels and reflecting market conditions.

We will continue to monitor the measure, including the quota utilisation rates, and review it after 12 months.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how he decided on the 36 categories of growth-driving inputs where the UK needs a secure supply.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Supply Chain Centre identified a wide range of goods considered vital for the manufacturing Industrial Strategy sectors and foundational sectors that underpin them. The inputs were identified through an extensive programme of analysis, engagement with sector experts from across government, and further verification through engagement with industry and academia.

Grouping names were informed by and (where possible) aligned to the Harmonized System (2 digit) Chapter definitions. For readability or brevity some grouping names were shortened.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which of the 36 broad categories of growth-driving inputs identified by the Supply Chain Centre are produced or could be produced in the UK.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The growth driving inputs within the 36 categories include raw materials, manufactured parts and finished products. The supply chains for these goods are often complex, and each business will have a unique combination of dependencies across domestic and global supply.

The Supply Chain Centre will continue to support UK businesses to review their supply chains, identify potential UK producers of goods critical to their own growth strategies, and to identify routes to diversification to improve resilience.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what budget and resources are being allocated to the Supply Chain Centre he announced in June 2026.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Supply Chain Centre has been allocated a budget of £2,908,272 in 2026/27. This covers staffing and non-pay. Budgets for future years will be allocated in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how he will measure the success of the Supply Chain Centre in achieving its mission and if he will make a Statement.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Supply Chain Centre will work with sector teams and other parts of government, in collaboration with businesses, to monitor supply chain vulnerabilities and help improve readiness to handle supply chain disruptions.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what tariffs apply to the 36 broad categories of growth-driving inputs and if he plans to review these.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The list of tariffs for each of these goods can be found on the Government’s Online Tariff Tool here, which provides the most up-to-date details on the tariffs applied to imports from every country. The Government continues to monitor and review its tariff policy on an ongoing basis to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent further escalation of conflict in El Obeid, Sudan, and to support the protection of civilians and the delivery of safe, rapid, unhindered and sustained humanitarian assistance to El Obeid and other conflict-affected areas of Sudan.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 July in response to Question HL1347.

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 implications for his Department's policies of the costs of decarbonisation requirements for any steel undertaking transferred under the Steel Nationalisation Bill.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

If the powers contained in the SIN bill to transfer ownership of a steel undertaking were used, a full assessment of the costs of doing so and the relevance to the public interest would be undertaken. This would include any costs arising from environmental policies pursued by the Government.

Furthermore, if a steel undertaking is nationalised, the Department has committed to publish a quarterly written ministerial statement, which may consider the impact of decarbonisation policies, where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of future operating subsidy requirements for publicly owned steel assets.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Generally, any financial assistance to public owned steel assets would, among other things, be time-limited, targeted and proportionate to the Government's objectives, and meet our responsibilities under subsidy control rules. The finances of Forgemasters, which is publicly owned, are a matter of public record through its annual report. The Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill is completing its passage through Parliament and so no transfers to public ownership have been made under the powers proposed in that bill.

Memorial plaque for Ann Widdecombe

Found: Current membership Dame Meg Hillier (Labour; Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Chair) Dame Harriett Baldwin

Found: Dame Harriett Baldwin: Was it? Okay.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Bobby Dean; John

Found: Current membership Dame Meg Hillier (Labour; Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Chair) Dame Harriett Baldwin

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Bobby Dean; Jim

Found: Current membership Dame Meg Hillier (Labour; Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Chair) Dame Harriett Baldwin