Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timetable is for free trade discussions with Canada.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.
As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada have established a new Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This includes seeking to address existing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements.
The working group will begin meeting in the months ahead and report back to both Prime Ministers in December.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether repatriations by non-residents using the Temporary Repatriation Facility will be subject to the (a) general anti-abuse rule, (b) transfer of assets abroad rule and (c) transfer of income streams rule.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Non-UK residents cannot use the Temporary Repatriation Facility, it is only available to individuals that have both previously benefitted from the remittance basis and are tax resident in the UK in the year in which they make the election. Tax residence is determined by the Statutory Residence Test.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Mansion House speech on 15 July 2025, what deregulatory steps her Department has taken as part of the commitment to roll back regulations that have gone too far since 15 July 2025.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is not aiming to deregulate, but to upgrade the UK regulatory system so that it does not unduly hold back economic growth.
The UK will remain a global leader in promoting high industry standards that deliver for businesses and consumers across the UK, but the Chancellor’s speech recognised that there is a need for a rebalancing of our system – retaining important protections whilst pushing for growth and investment.
The Leeds Reforms, announced alongside the Chancellor’s Mansion House speech on 15 July, included:
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) corporate and (b) personal insolvencies were recorded by the Insolvency Service in each of the last twelve months.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Insolvency Service collates and publishes insolvency statistics from across the UK. Tables 1 and 2 below present the numbers of companies and individuals entering insolvency in England & Wales, Scotland (companies only) and Northern Ireland in each of the 12 months to June 2025.
Table 1: Company insolvencies, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025
Month | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
July 2024 | 2,085 | 117 | 20 |
August 2024 | 1,921 | 102 | 11 |
September 2024 | 1,947 | 73 | 28 |
October 2024 | 1,731 | 115 | 31 |
November 2024 | 1,971 | 114 | 16 |
December 2024 | 1,865 | 82 | 23 |
January 2025 | 1,988 | 75 | 28 |
February 2025 | 2,021 | 103 | 21 |
March 2025 | 2,016 | 118 | 29 |
April 2025 | 2,062 | 101 | 30 |
May 2025 | 2,230 | 133 | 53 |
June 2025 | 2,043 | 105 | 25 |
Table 2: Individual insolvencies, England & Wales, Northern Ireland, 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025
Month | England & Wales | Northern Ireland |
July 2024 | 10,564 | 152 |
August 2024 | 9,972 | 90 |
September 2024 | 10,513 | 155 |
October 2024 | 9,125 | 155 |
November 2024 | 10,010 | 144 |
December 2024 | 10,044 | 101 |
January 2025 | 9,578 | 141 |
February 2025 | 9,948 | 126 |
March 2025 | 9,329 | 134 |
April 2025 | 10,102 | 123 |
May 2025 | 10,113 | 102 |
June 2025 | 10,279 | 167 |
Scottish individual insolvency numbers are published quarterly. Numbers of individuals in Scotland entering insolvency in each of the last 4 quarters to June 2025 are presented in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Individual insolvencies, Scotland, 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025
Quarter | Individual Insolvencies |
July to September 2024 | 1,893 |
October to December 2024 | 1,785 |
January to March 2025 | 1,671 |
April to June 2025 | 1,935 |
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish the (a) final Impact Assessment and (b) data tables for the UK–India trade deal.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The final Impact Assessment and accompanying data tables for the UK–India trade deal were published on 24 July.
The analysis outlines the long-term economic benefits of the deal, including an estimated £4.8 billion boost to UK GDP and £2.2 billion increase in wages annually.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department plans to make a decision on the Trade Remedies Authority’s recommendation on anti‑dumping duty on bicycles and parts from China; and if he will publish the underlying evidence before a decision is made.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
On the 23 August 2024 the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) initiated a transition review of the existing anti-dumping trade remedy measures on bicycles and bike parts originating from China. The TRA published their draft recommendation on their public file on 31 July 2025, on which interested parties were invited to provide comment. However, as the review remains ongoing, I cannot comment further. The TRA will publish relevant information and evidence on the public file as the review progresses.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 potential impact of the Trade Remedies Authority’s proposal to maintain anti‑dumping measures on ceramic tableware and kitchenware from China until July 2029 on (a) retailers and (b) consumers.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
On the 15 May 2024 the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) initiated a transition review of the existing anti-dumping trade remedy measures on ceramic tableware and kitchenware originating from China. As the review remains ongoing, I cannot comment further. The TRA will publish relevant information on the public file as the review progresses.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish (a) the steel strategy and (b) the Government's response to the Plan for Steel consultation which closed on 31 March 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is developing a Steel Strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable industry 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. We intend to publish the Steel Strategy later in the year and will incorporate our response to the Plan for Steel consultation.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish the responses to the call for evidence on steel trade measures, which closed on 7 August 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is currently considering the responses from the Call for Evidence to shape future trade measures on steel following the expiry of the steel Safeguard in June 2026.
The future of the steel sector is of great importance to this Government as well as the UK's prosperity and security. This Call for Evidence reflects the UK Government's longstanding commitment to ensuring sufficient measures are in place to address the impact of global steel overcapacity and to strengthen the security of the UK's critical supply chains.
We will announce next steps in due course.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on reducing trade tariffs with that country.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement – which keeps almost 99% of tariffs at 0 - worth around £28 billion in 2024.
The Business and Trade Secretary had a warm introductory conversation with his Canadian counterpart Minister Sidhu at the G7, where they agreed to work together on deepening and growing the bilateral trading relationship further.
Furthermore, as agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada have established a new Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This will include exploring reducing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements.