Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 proposed steel trade measures on the number of people employed in the UK steel processing and manufacturing industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government held extensive engagement with producers and downstream users of steel to inform development of the new steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025, and will continue to engage regularly with companies across the supply chain. Our aim with the new steel trade measure is to strike the right balance: securing the future of domestic capability while maintaining secure supply chains to make the UK economy more resilient in the long term.
The Government will monitor implementation of the measure and conduct a review after twelve months to ensure it remains effective and that the balance is right for both producers and downstream users.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 proposed steel trade measures on the manufacturing and construction sectors in Shropshire.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the importance of downstream users, including manufacturing and construction, alongside a resilient steel sector.
The measure balances support for steelmaking with the need for secure supply chains and has been shaped through extensive engagement
To ease impacts, goods contracted before 14 March 2026 and imported between 1 July and 30 September will be exempt under a transitional arrangement.
The Steel Strategy aims to create a more competitive landscape for UK production, to enable companies to use more domestic content.
We will keep the measure under review, including a review after twelve months to ensure its effectiveness.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to provide self-employed workers who choose to adopt with the same support as employees who are entitled to statutory adoption pay.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is aware of concerns raised about the adequacy of support for self-employed workers who choose to adopt.
Local Authorities can already make discretionary payments equivalent to Maternity Allowance to self-employed adopters who do not qualify for Statutory Adoption Pay, where eligible.
However, we recognise the system needs improvement, which is why we are undertaking a review of the parental leave and pay system. As part of this, we are considering the adequacy of parental leave entitlements for all groups, including self‑employed parents. The Review is expected to conclude in early 2027.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 adequacy of the provision of parental allowance for self-employed workers who choose to adopt.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is aware of concerns raised about the adequacy of support for self-employed workers who choose to adopt.
Local Authorities can already make discretionary payments equivalent to Maternity Allowance to self-employed adopters who do not qualify for Statutory Adoption Pay, where eligible.
However, we recognise the system needs improvement, which is why we are undertaking a review of the parental leave and pay system. As part of this, we are considering the adequacy of parental leave entitlements for all groups, including self‑employed parents. The Review is expected to conclude in early 2027.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish proposals for increased product safety requirements under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The powers in the Act enable the UK to maintain high product standards, supporting businesses and economic growth, by allowing the UK Parliament the power to update relevant laws. As stated in the budget announcement we plan to consult in early 2026 on major reforms to modernise and simplify the UK’s product safety framework, including to rebalance the playing field between online and physical retailers, improve consumer safety and streamline processes for enforcement.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many times he has met Royal Mail leaders in the past 12 months; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In November last year, I met with Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, and with Martin Seidenberg, the CEO of Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS).
In July last year, my predecessor, Justin Madders MP, met with Mr Cochrane, then Royal Mail’s interim CEO.
In May last year, the then Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP, met with Daniel Křetínský, the CEO of EP Group, which owns IDS.
Ministers and officials continue to have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. However, minutes of these meetings are not routinely published.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 adequacy of the consistency of postal deliveries in rural areas.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to an efficient universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards. The regulator sets Royal Mail enforceable targets to deliver a certain proportion of 1st and 2nd class post on time each year. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help improve postal delivery times in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have discussed Royal Mail’s performance with the chief executive of Royal Mail and its parent company, and they recognise the need to do more to meet service delivery targets.
In October, Ofcom, the independent regulator of postal services, fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the mean average length of time from submission to payment for (a) the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (b) the Group Litigation Order Scheme and (c) the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government has greatly accelerated redress. The total amount paid to victims has increased fivefold since July 2024. We have begun payments of a £75,000 fixed offer for those postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) who want to accept it.
For HSS, the average time from claim submission to final settlement payment is 183 working days, inclusive of fixed sum and full assessed claims.
For GLO, the average time from full claim submission to final settlement payment is 64 working days, inclusive of fixed sum and full assessed claims.
For HCRS, it has taken on average 7 working days from claimants submitting their claim to receiving payment, with all settled claims to date being fixed sum settlements.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 59418 on Business: Imports, whether his Department has made (a) financial and (b) logistical support schemes available to high street businesses facing increased shipping costs due to extended import routes from Asia.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
Globalised supply chains and the associated logistics costs remain a critical factor for the success of UK businesses and those on High Street.
The Supply Chain Centre will work in tandem with businesses to identify risks to critical supply chains and recommend actions to reduce their impact on business operations.
Businesses are also able to access a wide range of support offers by the Department, including the Business Growth Service which brings together a range of existing core services as well as new and improved elements of the business support offer. Further details will be released in the SME Strategy later this summer.