Nick Timothy Portrait

Nick Timothy

Conservative - West Suffolk

3,247 (7.0%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024

Opposition Assistant Whip (Commons)

(since November 2024)

1 APPG Officer Position (as of 18 Jun 2025)
Racing and Bloodstock Nick Timothy is not a member of any APPGs
Employment Rights Bill
13th Nov 2024 - 16th Jan 2025


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Nick Timothy has voted in 218 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Nick Timothy Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op))
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(17 debate interactions)
Yvette Cooper (Labour)
Home Secretary
(13 debate interactions)
Rachel Reeves (Labour)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
(12 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Business and Trade
(51 debate contributions)
Home Office
(46 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(22 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Nick Timothy's debates

West Suffolk Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want all forms of geo-engineering to be illegal in the UK. We do not want any use of technologies to intervene in the Earth's natural systems.


Latest EDMs signed by Nick Timothy

20th November 2024
Nick Timothy signed this EDM on Monday 25th November 2024

Housing

Tabled by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (England) Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 1073), dated 28 October 2024, a copy of which was laid before this House on 30 October, be annulled.
32 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Dec 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 31
Independent: 1
2nd September 2024
Nick Timothy signed this EDM on Monday 2nd September 2024

Social Security

Tabled by: Rishi Sunak (Conservative - Richmond and Northallerton)
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 869), dated 22 August 2024, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August 2024, be annulled.
81 signatures
(Most recent: 10 Sep 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 74
Independent: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Nick Timothy's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Nick Timothy, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Nick Timothy has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Nick Timothy has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Nick Timothy


A Bill to make provision about freedom of expression in relation to religion or belief systems; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 10th June 2025
(Read Debate)
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 12th September 2025

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
3 Other Department Questions
22nd Jan 2025
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 23033 on Equality, whether the duty will require police and crime commissioners to prioritise specific (a) crime types, (b) localities and (c) minority groups.

The duty will not require police and crime commissioners to prioritise specific (a) crime types, (b) localities or (c) minority groups. The duty requires specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

9th Jan 2025
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2024 to Question 2316 on Equality, whether the socio-economic duty will apply to (a) Police and Crime Commissioners and (b) Police Constables.

The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. The duty will require specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage. Public bodies specified by the duty include police and crime commissioners established for an area in England. We will consider whether the list of public authorities to which the duty will apply requires updating as part of our research programme and evidence gathering.

11th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will publish Public Sector Equality Duty implementation guidance for each (a) Government Department and (b) arms-length body.

Decisions about the development of guidance regarding internal processes to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty are for individual departments to make. Publicly available guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty includes the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s technical guidance that covers complying with the duty in practice.

2nd Jun 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) prosecutions brought and (b) successful prosecutions in relation to offences contrary to Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 in each year since 1995.

The table below shows the number of offences charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by way of section 4A (intentional harassment, alarm or distress) in which a prosecution commenced from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2024. These figures relate to the number of offences charged and not the number of individual defendants.

The CPS does not hold data showing the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted of offences created by the Public Order Act 1986, including section 4A. To establish the number of defendants charged pursuant to and convicted under section 4A would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.

Calendar Year

Public Order Act 1986 { 4A(1) and (5) }

2004

4,524

2005

5,349

2006

6,077

2007

6,651

2008

6,892

2009

7,151

2010

8,329

2011

8,278

2012

8,140

2013

8,269

2014

9,790

2015

10,878

2016

11,038

2017

11,969

2018

11,620

2019

10,882

2020

9,616

2021

12,299

2022

11,560

2023

10,797

2024

11,693

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
9th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what industrial disputes are ongoing within (a) their Department and (b) each of the arm’s length bodies connected to their Department; how many (i) staff and (ii) contractors are involved in each dispute; what the form of industrial action is in each dispute; which recognised trade union is involved in each dispute; what the substantive matter is that is being disputed in each case; and what steps he plans to take to end each dispute.

There are no ongoing industrial disputes within the Attorney General’s Office, Government Legal Department, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Serious Fraud Office, or Crown Prosecution Service.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
8th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) the Attorney General's Office and (ii) each of its arm’s length bodies.

There has been no change in the Attorney General’s Office’s management of artwork or heritage assets since the previous administration.

As separate entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the ministerial department.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
12th May 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment for the introduction of a youth mobility scheme with the European Union.

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be time-limited and capped, and we have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters will be subject to negotiation

Nick Thomas-Symonds
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the National Security Secretariat uses Gaza Health Ministry statistics in its cross-Whitehall briefings.

NSS does use Gaza Health Ministry casualty figures for briefing.

It is difficult to verify casualty statistics accurately during an active conflict. FCDO and CO rely on the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports which use figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH).

Over the course of this conflict FCDO has consulted experts from the London School of Tropical Medicine, OCHA, WHO and Every Casualty Counts, and assesses that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 is a reliable figure. The MoH collates information on casualty statistics using a health information system derived from eight major hospitals across the Strip. They verify and identify the dead by age, gender and ID number.

Nick Thomas-Symonds
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department takes steps to verify statistics published by the Gaza Health Ministry.

I refer the Right Honorable Gentleman to the response given for PQ 49111.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department uses Gaza Health Ministry statistics in cross-Whitehall briefings.

I refer the Right Honorable Gentleman to the response given for PQ 49111.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department issues on whether third parties should declare their political interests when recording official videos for government departments.

There is no standalone Cabinet Office policy or guidance that addresses the declaration of political interests of third parties when recording official videos.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
18th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the average cost, as a percentage of the total paybill, of trade union facility time in the (a) public sector and (b) private sector in the latest period for which data is available.

Under the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017, relevant public sector authorities are required to publish certain information annually on facility time usage in their organisation.

The most recently available data, for 2022/23, is published on gov.uk. It provides data on the total cost of facility time for public sector organisations, including as a percentage of total pay.

The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the cost of facility time within the private sector. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has made impact assessments relating to the Employment Rights Bill, which have been published on .gov.uk



Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what senior leadership positions are vacant in the EU Directorate within his Department.

The EU Relations Secretariat was established in the Cabinet Office to give effect to the Government's manifesto commitments to reset the relationship with the EU, implement the Windsor Framework in good faith and protect the UK's internal market, as well as responsibility for the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

All Senior Civil Servant roles within the EU Relations Secretariat are currently filled. We are recruiting for the new role of Second Permanent Secretary; the advert for which closed on 8 December.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials at each civil service grade have been allocated to the EU Directorate within his Department.

The EU Relations Secretariat was established in the Cabinet Office to give effect to the Government's manifesto commitments to reset the relationship with the EU, implement the Windsor Framework in good faith and protect the UK's internal market, as well as responsibility for the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The EU Relations Secretariat brings together civil servants who were already working on EU relations from across the government. The data on this headcount will be published in 2025.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have been suspended due to allegations of misconduct since in each year since 2020.

Decisions to suspend an employee are delegated to individual departments. Data on the number of civil servants who have been suspended due to allegations of misconduct are therefore not held centrally.

Civil Service statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including data on those leaving the Civil Service due to dismissals, are available on GOV.UK.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
2nd Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers, and (c) officials in (i) the Cabinet Office and (ii) 10 Downing Street have had with the Muslim Council of Britain since 5 July.

There has been no change to HMG policy on engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
2nd Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average salary was of each civil service grade in each Department in each year since 2010.

The Cabinet Office publishes data annually on civil servants’ median pay by department and grade. The relevant data for the years between 2010 and 2024 are available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
29th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what industrial disputes are ongoing within (a) his Department and (b) each of the arm’s length bodies connected to his Department; how many (i) staff and (ii) contractors are involved in each dispute; what the form of industrial action is in each dispute; which recognised trade union is involved in each dispute; what the substantive matter is that is being disputed in each case; and what steps he plans to take to end each dispute.

There are currently no ongoing industrial disputes with Cabinet Office employees within the Cabinet Office or any of its arms length bodies. There are, however, ongoing disputes between PCS and G4S Security Company (G4S) and International Services System - Facilities Management Services (ISS) who provide facilities management services to the Cabinet Office.

The hard work of security guards and other staff keeps the government running. As is longstanding practice under successive administrations, the Government does not provide a running commentary on ongoing disputes.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
29th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) his Department and (ii) each of it's Arm's Length Bodies; and what the policy of the Government Property Agency is on this.

There has been no change in the Cabinet Office’s management of artwork or heritage assets since the previous administration.

As separate entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the Department.

The Government Property Agency does not have a national policy on this topic and will follow any policy and/or guidance provided by relevant client departments.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 July 2024 to question 1252 on 10 Downing Street: Government Art Collection, if he will publish a list of all art work, including reference numbers from (a) the Government Art Collection and (b) his Department's own collection that are on display within the offices of No.10 Downing Street; and whether any such art is on display in the Prime Minister's personal residence.

The Government Art Collection website lists the artworks on display in Downing Street https://artcollection.dcms.gov.uk/?s=&display=artworkonly&search_place=Downing+Street. There are currently no Government Art Collection pieces in the Prime Minister’s official residence.

There have been no changes to displayed artworks owned by the Cabinet Office since July 4, 2024.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the names of people issued with a security pass to access Downing Street since 4 July 2024, excluding special advisers and civil servants.

I refer the Rt Hon Member and Hon Member to the answer given by the then Prime Minister on 7 February 2017, Official Report, PQ 62542.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has undertaken economic modelling on the potential impact of sustained high industrial electricity prices on the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector until 2035.

Competitiveness depends on a wide range of factors. The Government recognises that high industrial electricity costs negatively impact the competitiveness in UK manufacturing, in line with the academic literature.

The Government announced the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme in the Industrial Strategy to reduce industrial electricity prices by c. £35 - £40/MWh from 2027 for around 7000 businesses. In addition, we also announced an increase in support for our most energy-intensive industries eligible for the British Industry Supercharger package, with an uplift of the Network Charging Compensation (NCC) scheme from 60% to 90%.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
20th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the UK has imported rare earth minerals from Russia since 2022.

HRMC’s Overseas trade statistics (country of dispatch basis) show that the UK did not import any Rare Earth Elements (REE) products* dispatched directly from Russia, between 2022 and April 2025.

*HS codes 280530, 284610, 284690, 360690

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of US tariffs on (a) manufactured components and (b) raw materials for the domestic production of electric vehicles.

The Secretary of State and I frequently engage with stakeholders to discuss automotive sector issues, including the potential impacts of US tariffs on manufactured components and raw materials for domestic EV production. On May 8, a landmark economic deal with the US was announced, protecting jobs in key sectors such as automotive. This deal reduces tariffs on UK car exports from 27.5% to 10%, which is positive news for British car manufacturers. We are also providing additional support for the sector; the 2024 Autumn Budget allocated over £2 billion for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and supply chains.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) manufactured components and (b) raw materials imported from China for the domestic production of electric vehicles in the last five years.

Over the last five years the UK has, on average, annually imported China-origin goods worth a) £1.9bn of components (automotive parts, batteries, and motors) and b) £9.7m of minerals that are typically used for batteries and traction motors. These imports may have been used for non automotive uses. The Department does not have the precise value that went into UK automotive production. This information is commercial and therefore can only be provided by individual companies.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
12th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increasing the Autonomous Tariff Quota on the domestic sugar beet industry.

The Government recognises the importance of the domestic sugar beet industry and is carefully considering the potential impacts of any changes to the Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) on raw cane sugar following an engagement exercise which closed in March 2025.

We will aim to strike the right balance between supporting our domestic sugar beet and raw cane refining industries, alongside a range of other factors including the UK’s wider strategic trade objectives. The outcome of this review will be announced in due course.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information his Department holds on the proportion of imports worth less than £135 that did not meet UK safety standards by country of origin in each year since 2015.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with local authorities and border forces to detect, deter and disrupt the flow of unsafe and non-compliant goods as they are imported into the UK. Risk-based and intelligence-led approaches are used to target the most high-risk goods for inspection at the border. Therefore, the Government does not hold the information in the form requested. In 2023/24 the targeted approach resulted in checks on consignments covering over 15 million goods at the border, with 2.4 million goods (16%) refused entry to the UK.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with US Government officials and representatives on horse importations as part of negotiators on a potential trade deal.

The government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship. The UK is committed to continuing these discussions, but the UK will only do a deal that is in the national interest of the UK and its businesses.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to introduce retaliatory tariffs on horse importations from the US.

We remain committed to discussions with the US on a wider economic deal that works for both the UK and the US but nothing is off the table; this government will do what is necessary to defend the UK's national interest. That is why on 3 April, the government launched a Request for Input from businesses as a formal step, to keep all options on the table; and to give businesses the chance to have their say and influence the design of any possible UK response.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to prevent the online sale of illegal e-bikes.

Product safety law requires that all consumer products placed on the UK market must be safe. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, in my Department, has a programme of work focused on tackling the sale of illegal e-bikes, making sure online platforms are aware of their responsibilities and working closely with Border Force on the issue at the UK Border. My officials work closely with counterparts across Government, including the Home Office on e-bike safety.

The Product Safety and Metrology Bill will provide powers that can be used to place new duties on online marketplaces with regards to unsafe products.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies.

There has been no change in the Department for Business and Trade’s management of artwork or heritage assets since the previous administration.

As separate entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the Department.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of employers in the (a) private and (b) public sector that have recognised a trade union in 2024.

The Management and Wellbeing Practices Survey estimates the percentage of employers with recognised unions and employers with union members included within the table below:

Estimated employer size (number of workers) with recognised unions and workers in unions

% of employers with recognised unions

5 to 9

4%

10 to 19

5%

20 to 49

15%

50 to 99

20%

100 to 249

46%

250 to 499

62%

500 or more

73%

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate he has made of of the number of employers in the (a) private and (b) public sector whose employees are members of an unrecognised trade union.

The Government does not hold information on the number of employers in the private and public sectors whose employees are members of an unrecognised trade union.

The Management and Wellbeing Practices Survey estimates the percentage of employers with recognised unions and employers with union members. The difference in percentages could be used as a proxy to estimate the percentage of employers whose employees are members of an unrecognised trade union.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the threshold for the number of employees within an organisation for it to be eligible for the statutory trade union recognition ballot process.

The Government is simplifying the process and the law around statutory recognition thresholds, so that working people have a meaningful right to organise through trade unions.

As part of this, we are removing the antiquated rule that means that unions must show at the application stage that they are likely to get a majority in a subsequent recognition ballot. We will also consult on whether the 10% membership requirement on application should be reduced following Royal Assent of the Employment Rights Bill.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation, Making Work Pay: Consultation on creating a modern framework for industrial relations, published in October 2024, what his planned timetable is for the consultation on lowering the admissibility requirements for the statutory trade union recognition ballot process.

The Employment Rights Bill includes a provision to provide Ministers with the power to bring forward secondary legislation to vary the trade union recognition admissibility threshold between 2% and 10%. Once the Bill obtains Royal Assent the Government intends to consult on lowering the admissibility threshold prior to issuing secondary legislation.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to consult on (a) secondary legislation and (b) policy on trade union voluntary access (i) agreements and (ii) adjudication.

Clause 46 of the Employment Rights Bill provides a framework for trade unions to access workplaces where an access agreement is reached between an independent trade union and an employer, making it easier for union representatives to recruit, organise and carry out other union-related activities.

The Government ran a consultation that closed on 2 December about the approach to enforcement of the right of access provisions. We are currently considering the responses to that consultation and will publish a government response in due course.

The Government will also consult on secondary legislation relating to the right of access framework following Royal Assent of the Employment Rights Bill.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what industrial disputes are ongoing within (a) his Department and (b) each of the arm’s length bodies connected to his Department; how many (i) staff and (ii) contractors are involved in each dispute; what the form of industrial action is in each dispute; which recognised trade union is involved in each dispute; what the substantive matter is that is being disputed in each case; and what steps he plans to take to end each dispute.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and its Arm’s Length Bodies collectively comprises of 9,921 FTE (as of March 2024). There are currently no ongoing industrial disputes with DBT employees within DBT or any of its Arm’s Length Bodies.

There are, however, ongoing disputes between PCS and G4S Security Company (G4S) and International Services System - Facilities Management Services (ISS) who provide facilities management services at some DBT offices and who are contracted by Government Property Agency. These staff are employees of either G4S or ISS, they are not normally employees of the department itself.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of Arden Strategies.

Details of Senior Officials’ and Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special Advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.

Where a Special Adviser accompanies their Minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the Special Adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the Minister will be the main attendee.

Where an ‘informal’ lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to publish a timeline for introducing a (a) faster and (b) more efficient route to market for Advanced Modular Reactors.

The government will be publishing a pathway for privately-led advanced nuclear technologies shortly. The government has also stood up the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, which has been asked to identify ways to streamline regulatory processes and frameworks. The Taskforce’s report will be published in Autumn 2025.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the (a) transparency and (b) accuracy of the information provided to the Examining Authority by (i) Sunnica and (ii) its related UK registered companies during the trading period for the 12 months ending 30 April 2024.

The full reasons for the Secretary of State’ planning decision on the Sunnica project are set out in the Decision Letter. Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking such decisions it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with Sumando Ltd on the nine-month delay in submitting its 30 April 2023 financial statements to Companies House in relation to the development consent decision for Sunnica.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of the UK’s supply chain’s readiness to support the (a) construction and (b) operation of advanced modular reactors; and what steps he is taking to improve domestic capabilities in this area.

The Government recently published its Modern Industrial Strategy. The policies announced will ensure that UK is well positioned to build upon existing strengths and seize opportunities provided by new technologies.

This includes providing a pathway for privately-led advanced nuclear technologies. Great British Energy - Nuclear has been tasked with assessing proposals within a new framework, to be published shortly, with the National Wealth Fund exploring potential investment opportunities and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero exploring revenue support for viable projects.

The Government will also collaborate with the supply chain to mitigate barriers to entry, develop policies that maximise domestic opportunities, and support access to international markets to drive exports.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to provide revenue support for privately led advanced nuclear technologies as set out in the Spending Review 2025.

As set out at the Spending Review, the government is providing a pathway for privately led advanced nuclear projects. Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBEN) has been tasked with a new role in assessing proposals within a new framework to be published shortly, the National Wealth Fund exploring potential investment opportunities, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero exploring revenue support for viable projects.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he sought further information from (a) Sunnica and (b) its UK registered companies on their finances before making the development consent decision for Sunnica.

The full reasons for the Secretary of State’ planning decision on the Sunnica project are set out in the Decision Letter. Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking such decisions it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether (a) he and (b) officials have had discussions with (i) Sumando Ltd and (ii) related stakeholders on Sumando Ltd's exclusion from the organogram of funding Statement No 3 when he made the development consent decision for Sunnica.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution of Baron Wilson of Sedgefield in the House of Lords on 3 July 2025, Official Report, column 867, what plans he has to take up internationally fuel refining industry margins.

Refining margins differ from site to site and are driven by the prices of the crude oils each refinery buys and of the products that they produce. These prices are largely set by international traded markets.

The Government is determined to work with industry, workers and trade unions to ensure our UK refineries can compete in this international context. That is why, in less than 12 months in office, we have invested in carbon capture, usage and storage, which can help key refineries, such as Phillips 66 and Stanlow, through Viking and HyNet; and we are driving forward with the sustainable aviation fuel mandate, to help the refining sector maximise the opportunities created by the clean energy revolution.

We are also reviewing the methodology for the energy-intensive industries compensation scheme, to help assess whether sectors such as this should be covered in the future, and whether more can be done to help their competitiveness.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered mandating market payments from intermittent renewable generators for costs associated with system inertia provision.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) continuously monitors the electricity system and ensures that there is sufficient inertia. In the transition to clean power, we are deploying the technologies needed for this. NESO is procuring technologies such as synchronous condensers and flywheels and use sub-second response services to manage frequency changes and maintain system stability.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)