Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report: Government response to recommendations, HCWS937, what steps he has taken to (a) assess and (b) compensate for non-financial losses including (i) psychological trauma and (ii) reputational damage.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Redress is available for both financial and non-financial losses. Across the compensation schemes, cases are assessed individually on their facts and in accordance with established legal principles. The losses compensated may include impacts on mental or physical health, as well as reputational damage.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 October 2025 entitled Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report: Government response to recommendations, HCWS937, whether his Department plans to publish anonymised (a) case studies and (b) data to demonstrate how full and fair redress is being interpreted in practice.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department currently has no plans to publish anonymised case studies but may explore this in future. We do, however, publish monthly updates on redress delivery, which provide detailed insights into the number of claims received, offers made, and settlements completed.

As highlighted in the statement on full and fair redress, published on the 9 October, fairness is assessed on a case-by-case basis, with a range of factors considered in the round and judged on their own merits. At the same time, the redress schemes aim for broad consistency in awards where claimants have experienced similar harm.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 October 2025 entitled Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report: Government response to recommendations, HCWS937, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that postmasters receive the benefit of the doubt in cases where evidence has been (a) lost and (b) destroyed.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises the challenges some postmasters face in providing evidence, particularly where significant time has passed or records have been lost or destroyed. The independent panel assessing each case takes these difficulties into account when making its recommendations.

As outlined in the joint statement made with the Post Office on 9 October, fairness requires acknowledging the absence of retained evidence, especially where it was wrongly withheld or destroyed. In such cases, and where it is fair to do so based on individual circumstances, postmasters should rightly receive the benefit of the doubt.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what contingency plans his Department has in place to mitigate disruption to UK-EU steel trade arising from changes to EU safeguard measures.

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

The Government is engaging with the EU on how their proposed trade measure will be applied to the UK, in a way which honours our Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Windsor Framework and minimises disruption; we are reserving the right to take any action in response to changes to our trading relationships.

We are developing UK steel trade measure proposals, taking into account UK interests in light of the rapidly changing global situation; and we are developing our steel strategy, to be published later this year, to create a more competitive business landscape.

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 European Union’s revised steel safeguard measures on UK steel exports.

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

We are in active dialogue with the European Commission to fully understand the details of their proposal and next steps.

The government is also working closely with UK industry to understand potential impacts and solutions, and to assess how best to secure the UK’s supply chains in light of these developments. I held a roundtable with industry, including trade unions, on the 9 October.

This government will always put the UK’s national interest first, and is committed to defending our critical steel industry, protecting skilled jobs and supporting economic growth as part of our Plan for Change.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Deprived communities to get new flood defences faster further to the announcement, published on 14 October 2025, how much funding her Department will allocate under the (a) new and (b) previous approach to (i) England (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) Worcestershire in 2025-26.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 14 October, following consultation, the government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy. These changes will be used for the next flood programme starting in April 2026.

The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.

The specific projects to receive funding in each year will continue to be decided through the Environment Agency's annual refresh process, which will be consented by Regional Flood and Coastal Committees.

For 25/26 our programme of investment was published here: Programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) schemes - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish the UK Steel Strategy.

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

The Government is developing a Steel Strategy to be published in 2025 that will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there.

The strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on which dates the Steel Council has met since its formation in January 2025.

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

Since the relaunch of the Steel Council in January 2025, it has convened on three occasions. The meetings took place on 7 January, 8 April, and 14 July. The next meeting of the Steel Council is scheduled for 4 November 2025.

The Steel Council is assisting in the development the upcoming Steel Strategy and brings the expertise of industry, workers and innovative thinkers to the heart of the Department’s policy making.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on the Green Paper: Future of the Post Office, which closed on 6 October 2025.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We received over 2,500 responses to the Government’s Green Paper on the future of the Post Office, from a wide range of individuals, postmasters, businesses and organisations. We are currently analysing all the responses received and will include further details and an exact number in the Government’s response.

Government plans to publish a response to the Green Paper consultation in early 2026.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many responses his Department has received to the his Department's consultation on the Green Paper: Future of the Post Office, which closed on 6 October 2025.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We received over 2,500 responses to the Government’s Green Paper on the future of the Post Office, from a wide range of individuals, postmasters, businesses and organisations. We are currently analysing all the responses received and will include further details and an exact number in the Government’s response.

Government plans to publish a response to the Green Paper consultation in early 2026.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what procurement process his Department intends to use for selecting a replacement service for the Horizon system.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Post Office Limited (as the contracting entity) is using the competitive flexible process (pursuant to the Procurement Act 2023) in order to select suppliers to take over the current Horizon system and transform it into a replacement solution. The Tender for Lots 1 and 2 is live here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050009-2025?origin=Dashboard.

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

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

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

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; John