Written questions by Griffith.

When she expects to publish the consultation on guaranteed hours under the Employment Rights Act 2025; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the consultation on (a) business confidence, (b) employment levels, (c) levels of flexible work and (d) business viability, particularly for (i) recruitment agencies and (ii) seasonal sectors such as (A) hospitality and (B) agriculture.

The government will consult on the right to guaranteed hours in due course, to be sure to get the detail of the regulations right for both workers and employers across all sectors. We appreciate that employers will need clarity and time before regulations come into effect to familiarise themselves with these new rights and adapt their practices. We will ensure that employers have sufficient time and appropriate guidance to comply with the new legislation.

Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications were submitted for change of use into Class E for each of the last three years.

My Department does not hold the information requested.

How many businesses received free allowances under the Emissions Trading Scheme in each of the last three years.

The number of businesses that received free allowances under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) in each of the last three years was as follows: 2024: 2842025: 2732026: 265 Note that the Allocation Table lists the company that operated each site at the time the table was last updated, rather than when the free allowances for a given year were distributed, so the figures above should be treated as approximate for 2024 and 2025. This information is publicly available on GOV.UK at UK ETS Allocation Table for operators of installations - GOV.UK.

How many free allowances were granted to businesses under the Emissions Trading Scheme in each of the last three years.

The total number of free allowances distributed under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) in each of the last three years was as follows: 2024: 30,823,9372025: 25,451,6712026: 24,107,382 This information is publicly available on GOV.UK at UK ETS Allocation Table for operators of installations - GOV.UK.

What proportion of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department were responded to (a) within the statutory 20 working day deadline, (b) between 21 and 40 working days, (c) between 41 and 60 working days, and (d) after 60 working days, in each of the last three calendar years.

The Cabinet Office publishes official Freedom of Information (FOI) statistics for all monitored central government bodies, including the Department for Business and Trade, as part of its regular Government FOI Statistics series. These statistics are available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.FOI statistics for 2023 and 2024 are currently available online through this collection. The 2025 FOI statistics are scheduled to be published in April 2026.

If she will publish information held by the Disclosure and Barring Service on DBS checks issued in the most recent year by (a) sector, (b) occupation and (c) Standard Industrial Classification.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent and therefore responsible for the information it publishes.The organisation currently publishes performance against its targets at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, the DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK.It does not publish information about the sector, occupation, or Standard Industrial Classification in relation to its checks.

Whether his Department plans to hold an African Investment Summit.

I refer the member for Arundel and South Downs to the answer I gave to UIN 101498 on 8 January.

What proportion of DBS checks are requested for roles not involving regulated activity.

DBS received 7,434,323 applications across all levels of checks between 01/03/2025 and 28/02/2026. Of those, 3,580,685 (48%) applications were for roles not involved in regulated activity.

Innovation and Technology, whether she intends to publish an updated Space Industrial Plan.

The government does not intend to update the Space Industrial Plan. Instead, a broader plan for space will be published later this year, which will build on the Space Industrial Plan and other relevant publications, including the National Space Strategy and the Strategic Defence Review. The plan will set out objectives and delivery plans for areas previously covered by the Space Industrial Plan, including skills, regulation and investment.

Where the new Fair Work Agency offices will be located.

The Fair Work Agency brings together in one place the work of the existing employment rights enforcement bodies. To ensure there is no disruption to front line operational activity there are no immediate plans to changes to existing, nationwide, locations of staff.

What was the total value of the Emission Trading Scheme/Carbon Price Support compensation paid to British Steel during 2024-2025.

For the last decade, Government has provided compensation to a small number of businesses in the most electricity intensive sectors, including steel, to lower their electricity bills and help keep them viable in the UK. In the 2024/25 financial year, approximately 140 of the most electricity intensive and trade exposed companies received support worth £142 million. The Department does not publish the details of individual awards given to companies through compensation schemes due to commercial sensitivities.

With reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, how many unique user accounts successfully performed the set of actions required to access another company’s details without consent during the period the vulnerability was active.

It is not currently possible to determine the number of unique user accounts affected. However, Companies House is investigating this from both a technical and customer perspective. Following the initial report, ongoing investigations have found no subsequent confirmed cases of personal data having been accessed without permission as a result of the issue. There is no confirmed evidence that any records have been changed. The absence of any new confirmed cases is welcome, although investigations continue.

With reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate his Department has made of the number of companies whose private dashboard information, including director home addresses, was accessed by unauthorised users.

Companies House is investigating this from both a technical and customer perspective. Following the initial report, ongoing investigations have found no subsequent confirmed cases of personal data having been accessed without permission as a result of this issue. There is no confirmed evidence that any records have been changed. The absence of any new confirmed cases is welcome, although as the investigation continue it is not yet possible to provide an estimate of whether any confirmed cases will be identified.

With reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, whether his Department has formally notified the Information Commissioner’s Office of a personal data breach regarding the potential exposure of director details.

Companies House formally notified the Information Commissioner’s Office on 13 March 2026, as soon as it became aware of a potential data breach and is actively engaging with them as its internal investigation progresses. The issue was fixed and the WebFiling Service reopened at 9am on 16 March after comprehensive testing.

With reference to the Companies House news story titled Update on Companies House WebFiling security issue, published on 16 March 2026, on what date the security flaw allowing unauthorised access to company details was first introduced to the WebFiling system.

Companies House has investigated the technical issue and confirmed that it was introduced on 11 October 2025 as part of a major WebFiling service update. It was not the result of any malicious attempt to breach its systems from outside or a cyber-attack. The issue has now been fixed and the WebFiling Service reopened at 9am on 16 March after comprehensive testing.

When she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 19 January 2026, (b) 12 February 2026 and (c) 3 March 2026 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.

A response to your correspondence has now been issued.

When he intends to publish the updated steel safeguards to replace the expiring ones in June 2026.

The Government remains committed to supporting the UK steel sector. A robust position on trade is critical for steel, underpinning our approach to defending against unfair practices and global overcapacity. The Government will ensure there is a plan in place following the expiry of the Safeguard in June. We are prioritising developing a robust trade measure to protect our domestic sector and will announce our proposals as soon as we can.We are mindful of giving industry notice for their commercial decision making. This Government is clear that we must secure our domestic steelmaking.

When he intends to publish the full text of the US Pharma Deal.

We are finalising underpinning details and will share more information when we can.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trade and investment cooperation on corruption, electoral integrity, rule of law and judicial independence in African nations.

The Department for Business and Trade works closely with other UK Government Departments, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and many countries across the Africa continent, to consider a wide range of issues to make sure that two way trade and investment can grow through a stable business environment.

Which legal entity or entities are expected to receive the £375 million capital funding for British Steel included in the 2025–26 Supplementary Estimates.

The £375 million capital allocation for British Steel Limited is recoverable as a debt owed to the Crown. The sole stipulation for this funding is that it must be used strictly for the purposes established in the legislation. Recoverability of this debt will be further assessed at year-end and the resulting treatment will be reflected and published in the Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025-26.The £375m is intended for British Steel Limited, a private limited company limited by shares incorporated in the United Kingdom under the Companies Act 2006 and registered in England and Wales with company number 12303256.