Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve transparency and public accountability of the trade envoy programme, including the publication of outcomes achieved and costs incurred.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Trade Envoy Programme is a network of Parliamentarians appointed to specific markets by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Membership of the programme is cross party and includes representation from both the House of Commons and House of Lords. The programme abides by all transparency and public accountability rules.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of (a) the prevalence of unfair trading practices in the UK clothing supply chain and (b) the potential merits of establishing a Garment Trading Adjudicator to provide redress for affected suppliers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government expects all UK businesses to respect human rights and the environment throughout their supply chains in line with the OECD Guidelines and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Section 54 of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to publish modern slavery statements.
The Office for Responsible Business Conduct promotes the OECD Guidelines and provides a non-judicial grievance mechanism for complaints of non-observance by UK businesses. The government also launched a review, through the Trade Strategy, into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct (RBC), focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains. While concerns have been raised about unfair practices, there are currently no plans to introduce a Garment Trading Adjudicator, however other measures are under consideration as part of the RBC review. We shall update the House when the review is complete.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed in his Department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is not appropriate to publish individual-level personal data in a Parliamentary Question response.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on British Steel's export competitiveness during the period of special measures.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HMG regularly engages British Steel and wider industry to understand the impact of the EU CBAM. UK businesses may face administrative costs providing emissions data to EU importers to support their compliance with the EU CBAM. The cost of certificates for the carbon price liability of embedded emissions is borne by EU importers.
To support business readiness, the Department for Business and Trade has compiled a comprehensive package, including webinars and an explainer on business.gov.uk. The Government is also engaging with the European Commission on emissions trading scheme linking, which is expected to facilitate a mutual UK-EU CBAM exemption in due course.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much and what proportion of the working capital funding provided to British Steel has been allocated to (a) raw materials, (b) salaries and (c) other operational costs.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
From 12 April 2025, the date HMG passed the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, to 24 February 2026, DBT has provided approximately £370 million to BSL, to ensure sufficient working capital is maintained for the safe and effective operation of the Scunthorpe site. Of the £370 million working capital allocated to BSL, £57 million (15%) was used for payroll costs, £104 million (28%) for other operational expenses, and £209 million (57%) for raw material purchases.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consultation his Department has undertaken with steel industry stakeholders on the development of a UK steel sector strategy.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government reconvened the Steel Council in January 2025 to assist us in the development of the steel strategy. The Council has met five times and members include senior leaders from our main steel producers, trade associations, trade unions, academia and representatives from Devolved Governments.
Wider steel stakeholders, including downstream processors and stockholders, have been able to contribute to the steel strategy through a series of three Ministerial Roundtables that took place in March and April 2025, and through our public consultation, which was open from February - March 2025. My officials continue to engage extensively with individual stakeholders on specific policy areas under the strategy.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure consumer rights legislation provides adequate protection for purchasers of cloud-dependent products when manufacturers end service provision.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods or digital content must be of satisfactory quality, fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller.
A trader can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features of, or add new features to, digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the trader. It must also continue to conform with any pre-contract information as to main characteristics, functionality, and compatibility provided by the trader.
Consumers in England and Wales are encouraged to report any concerns to the Citizens Advice consumer service, who will pass intelligence to Trading Standards, allowing them to act upon areas where consumers are experiencing the most harm.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 adequacy of current consumer protection legislation in relation to manufacturers ending software support for connected consumer devices; and whether he plans to introduce minimum software support period requirements for smart home technology.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government does not currently have any plans to introduce a minimum support period for smart home technology.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods or digital content must be of satisfactory quality, fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller. A trader can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features of, or add new features to, digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the trader. It must also continue to conform with any pre-contract information as to main characteristics, functionality and compatibility provided by the trader.
Consumers in England and Wales are encouraged to report any concerns to the Citizens Advice consumer service, who will pass intelligence to Trading Standards, allowing them to understand and act upon areas where consumers are experiencing the most harm.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce regulatory barriers for exporting businesses through digitisation.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT is taking steps to reduce regulatory barriers for exporting businesses by supporting the uptake of digitalised trade processes. Through the Digital Trade Corridors programme, focused on key European markets such as France and Germany, we are identifying regulatory and policy barriers and encouraging businesses to adopt digital tools. This is complemented by an SME capability programme helping smaller firms benefit from digitalisation. Internationally, the UK works with partners, including through UNCITRAL, the WTO, and the Commonwealth, as well as bilaterally through Trade Committees and Dialogues, to promote legal and regulatory harmonisation.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what digital resources his Department provides to support small and medium-sized enterprises with exporting.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has integrated its support for SMEs in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – making it easier and quicker for businesses to access the right support at the right time.
Business.gov.uk hosts our online export offer and is the route into DBT’s wider network of export support. Businesses can access a wealth of information on exporting, including advice on paperwork, rules of origin, customs duties, and regulations.
The support available also includes the Business Academy, which offers free online training through webinars to help businesses build market knowledge and export capability.