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 flexible and hybrid working arrangements on workforce participation, productivity, and retention, particularly for parents, carers, disabled workers, and employees facing long commutes or high transport costs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that flexible working helps people achieve a better work life balance, which can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees. Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working, can be particularly valuable for those with health conditions, caring responsibilities or significant travel-to-work requirements.

The post-implementation review of the 2014 flexible working reforms, which can be found on Gov.uk website, considers how access to flexibility has supported labour market participation among groups who face barriers to entering and staying in work. The Government will continue to monitor the impacts of recent and upcoming reforms to the flexible working framework.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of i) the levels of the ammonia production in the UK ii) the security of supply of imported ammonia and iii) the rising costs of fertilisers as a result of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

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

The UK does not manufacture ammonia in significant volumes. CF Fertilisers made the commercial decision to switch to an import model of ammonia in 2022. Whilst there has been a significant increase in ammonia costs due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, there has been no assertion yet that supply is not secure.

Recent market volatility has seen an increase in fertiliser prices, reflecting global conditions rather than any immediate supply disruption to the UK. The government is in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply and pricing in the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her department is taking to ensure the Environment Agency has the necessary direction and resource to develop permitting guidance for novel low-carbon ammonia projects, to support their transition from R&D to commercial applications and accelerate decarbonisation.

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

Defra officials are closely engaging with the Environment Agency (EA) about the regulation of novel low-carbon ammonia technologies. EA colleagues are reviewing areas where further work is required to support permitting of these technologies and have been engaging with UK environmental regulators, expert groups and trade associations. Defra will continue to ensure EA work is appropriately resourced to develop guidance to give operators regulatory clarity while ensuring the environment and health are protected.

Defra's recent consultation on modernising environmental permitting for industry also included a number of proposals aimed at supporting innovation and which would enable R&D in this sector. The Government response for this consultation will be published at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 20 May 2024, whether any ongoing access to (a) patient notes, (b) tissue samples and (c) post‑mortem material is being carried out under (i) public health legislation and (ii) other regulatory powers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Given the long-running nature of the infected blood scandal, not all medical records will still be available, and eligibility for compensation will be determined based on the balance of probabilities.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) will try to get as much information, including medical records and information about an applicant’s condition, from organisations who already have this information. This should mean those claiming will be asked for the least amount of information possible.

The IBCA will provide assistance to those who believe their medical records have been lost or destroyed. The role of the IBCA’s claim managers includes helping individuals who are claiming to gather information, including medical evidence where available, to support their claim.

In July 2025, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office wrote to the chairs of the Public Accounts and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committees to set out the measures being taken to prioritise faster payments to victims of the infected blood scandal. One of these measures is to use the powers in the Victims and Prisoners Act to get records from the Infected Blood Inquiry, and using testimony to contribute to the assessment of proof of infection.

Organisations that remove, store, and use human tissue for some types of health research, medical treatment, post-mortem examination, education and training, and for display in public, are independently regulated by the Human Tissue Authority.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the levels of imported ammonia required for munitions manufacturing.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Ammonia, an important precursor in the production of energetics and munitions, is one of many chemicals critical to defence manufacturing and, as such, supply levels are kept under review.

The levels of ammonia required for munitions manufacturing differs between programmes. The fulfilment of those requirements is managed by Defence suppliers, and the MOD works closely with them to monitor and review national and international supply networks to ensure availability and manage risks to Defence outputs.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of low-carbon ammonia as a flexible energy store, including to provide seasonal energy storage and dispatchable power.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Government recognises that ammonia could play an important role for the transport, storage and

trade of hydrogen, especially for hydrogen users with limited access to networks.

Ammonia based chemical storage for cracking hydrogen was assessed to have a low technology readiness and is not eligible for the first round of the Hydrogen Storage Business Model (HSBM), which will support large scale geological storage of hydrogen as part of the UK’s first regional hydrogen network, aimed at decarbonising industry and providing flexible power generation.

Government continues to review developments and welcomes evidence from industry on ammonia.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the near-term and long-term i) demand for and ii) supply of ammonia in the UK.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ammonia can serve as an essential feedstock across a wide range of industrial applications and could support decarbonisation in hard-to-electrify transport sectors, such as maritime. Ammonia can also be used as a ‘hydrogen carrier’ to store, transport and trade hydrogen.

However, the scale of future UK demand for ammonia is uncertain, with a key factor being the decarbonisation pathways chosen by sectors such as maritime. We will continue to review emerging evidence on UK supply and demand for ammonia and will consider the development of any further appropriate policy measures as needed.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department intends to develop a standard for low carbon ammonia.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ammonia can serve as an essential feedstock across a wide range of industrial applications and could support decarbonisation in hard-to-electrify transport sectors, such as maritime.  Ammonia can also be used as a ‘hydrogen carrier’ to store, transport and trade hydrogen.' We do not have plans currently to create a standard for ammonia, given our primary focus on hydrogen production. However, we will continue to review emerging evidence on UK supply and demand for ammonia and will consider the development of any further appropriate policy measures as needed.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing revenue support for ammonia-to-power projects (a) under the Hydrogen to Production Business Model and (b) through a bespoke business model.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Hydrogen Production Business Model provides revenue support to selected low carbon hydrogen producers who may sell that hydrogen for a variety of applications including as a feedstock for the production of ammonia.

The Government’s Hydrogen to Power business model is currently focused on delivery of the first regional network where wider infrastructure is supporting hydrogen. We want to ensure integration into the wider hydrogen value chain to ensure the business model provides dispatchable power to the energy system. We will keep the eligibility of ammonia and other hydrogen derivates under review.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of low-carbon ammonia for UK energy security, in the context of rising natural gas prices linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The biggest threat to energy security for families and businesses in the UK is continued reliance on unstable fossil fuel markets. That is why we’re taking back control with clean, homegrown power to ensure our energy security, protect the British people and bring down bills for good.

DESNZ officials are working across government and with industry to understand the role low carbon ammonia could play in the UK’s future energy security.

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Found: Eshalomi; Bill Esterson; Patricia Ferguson; Sir Bernard Jenkin; Dame Chi Onwurah; Andy Slaughter; Jamie Stone