Written questions by Baldwin.

What his timetable is for the (a) consultation on and (b) implementation of the compensation scheme for steel undertakings referenced in his statement of 10 December 2025.

The Government is engaging with Jingye, the owners of British Steel, to find a pragmatic path forward for the future of the company. The Government wishes to make further progress in those discussions before introducing such a scheme. The Government does not plan to consult on the scheme since the directions in the Act have been applied to only one company.

On what date his Department submitted the Impact Assessment relating to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 to the Regulatory Policy Committee for review.

The request for formal review of the Impact Assessment was submitted on 3 November 2025. The Regulatory Policy Committee responded earlier this week, and the final Impact Assessment will be published in January 2026.

What proportion of the £274 million funding provided to British Steel has been used to settle outstanding invoices owed to small and medium-sized enterprises in the supply chain; and what estimate he has made of the remaining value of unpaid invoices to such businesses.

Revenue generated from sales funds the majority of British Steel's operating costs, with additional funding provided to British Steel under the provisions of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act to enable safe operation of its blast furnaces and related steel works. British Steel have confirmed it cannot currently disaggregate payments or invoices by SME status; however, all invoices are processed in line with contractual payment terms.

Whether he plans to publish the Steel Strategy before the expiry of the current steel safeguards in 2026.

The Government will publish the steel strategy in early 2026, before the expiry of the current steel safeguard in June 2026.

Whether he plans to reduce the cost of groceries by reducing tariffs on fruit and vegetables not (a) grown and (b) processed in the UK.

As part of the Budget, the Government launched an application window for new duty suspensions on 26 November to help reduce import costs. Stakeholders have until 4 February 2026 to apply for the UK Global Tariff rate to be temporarily suspended on goods which are not produced, or not produced in sufficient quantities, in the UK and Crown Dependencies, including on fruit and vegetables. As a result of the previous application window announced in March 2025, the Government suspended tariffs on a range of food and drink products including fruit juices, pine nuts and raisins.

What estimate his Department has made of the time and resources required to negotiate UK accession to the PEM Convention with existing members.

No decision has been made on UK accession to the PEM Convention. As set out in the Trade Strategy, we are now engaging business and PEM partners to consider the potential merits of accession and launched a Call for Evidence on 17 November. A decision to seek to join the PEM Convention will only be taken if it is in the national interest and reflects business sentiment. It would be premature therefore to comment on the nature of hypothetical negotiations or the resources that might be required to engage in them, hypothetically.

With reference to the answer of 4 November 2025 to question UIN 86627, has the Minister convened the roundtable together with with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, the Post Office and key banks on potentially expanding the range of banking services available at post offices.

Together with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, I plan to co-chair a roundtable with the Post Office and key banks. Due to diary constraints this has not been possible yet but will happen in due course.Exploring opportunities for further collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector remains a priority and I plan to continue raising the issue at all appropriate opportunities, including the upcoming roundtable.

Whether his Department plans to publish a summary of responses to the call for evidence on the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention on Rules of Origin.

Once the Call for Evidence has closed, the government will review and analyse the responses received and decide how best to proceed and what to publish.

Whether his Department has conducted a sectoral impact analysis of the potential UK accession to the PEM Convention.

As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, the Government recognises that PEM accession could bring benefits to British businesses but that the potential benefits and risks will likely vary both within and across sectors. Our Call for Evidence, launched on 17 November, seeks input from business directly to better understand these sectoral impacts. It will end on 15 December.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits and risks to UK exporters of joining the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention.

As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, joining the PEM Convention could simplify rules of origin across the UK’s nearest neighbours and increase supply chain flexibility for UK exporters. However, the Government recognises the benefits and risks of accession could vary both within and across sectors. We have therefore launched a Call for Evidence to seek direct business and partner input on the opportunities and risks that might flow from joining PEM. This will run until 15 December.

How many people impacted by the Horizon IT system failure received settlements lower than their original claims.

The Government does not hold this information in a way that allows for reliable reporting. Each claim is assessed individually, and settlement offers vary depending on the specific circumstances of each case. As such, providing a figure would be misleading.

How much the Government paid in its settlement to Sir Alan Bates.

The Government is unable to disclose amounts awarded to individual GLO claimants.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the uplifted Network Charging Compensation Scheme on the UK’s industrial electricity price competitiveness relative to other G7 economies.

Raising the level of compensation delivered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90% will reduce electricity prices for the average energy intensive industry (EII) business by a further £7-10/MWh. This increased discount will bring electricity prices in this country closer in line with those in other G7 countries, including France and Germany. This support will provide meaningful electricity cost relief for eligible businesses to help them remain competitive and support them to decarbonise.

Whether his Department has conducted a regional impact assessment of the Network Charging Compensation Scheme uplift on industrial competitiveness across the devolved nations.

This Government understands the pressures facing our energy intensive industries (EIIs), across the nation, including high electricity prices. Our recent announcement of the uplift of relief offered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90% will benefit EIIs across England, Wales and Scotland. However, the Scheme will not apply to EIIs in Northern Ireland. The Government consulted widely on this policy, our proposal to proceed with this uplift was informed by feedback from energy industry stakeholders across the UK.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the uplift in Network Charging Compensation Scheme relief on small and medium-sized manufacturers not eligible for EII status.

The Government will bear down on costs across the energy system to ensure that the uplift does not lead to a net increase in electricity bills for domestic and non-domestic energy consumers, including small and medium scale non-energy intensive manufacturers. Additionally, in October 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published a consultation seeking views on the proposal to amend the inflation indexation of the Renewables Obligation (RO) from the RPI to the CPI. This may contribute to this goal.

Whether he plans to publish a list of (a) sectors and (b) companies eligible for the 90% relief under the revised Network Charging Compensation Scheme.

The eligibility criteria of the Network Charging Compensation Scheme has not changed, only the level of relief offered to current eligible firms supported by the British Industry Supercharger. A list of these firms, as at 16 September 2025, is available on the GOV.UK website and will be updated should any more firms receive support. The eligibility criteria are based on the pre-existing Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Exemption scheme. A list of sectors eligible for support can also be found on the GOV.UK website, within the guidance to the EII Exemption Scheme.

What steps he is planning to take to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of the 90% compensation rate in supporting (i) decarbonisation and (ii) energy efficiency in energy intensive industries.

The Government consulted a wide range of stakeholders from across the energy industry on the proposal to uplift the level of relief offered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90%. Industry stakeholders were broadly in favour of this measure as a supportive means during their decarbonisation transition by encouraging electrification through reducing industrial electricity prices. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders and recipients to assess the effectiveness of this support and to inform potential targeted, proportionate and effective support in future.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the uplift in compensation for energy intensive industries does not lead to increased costs for other electricity consumers.

The Government will bear down on costs across the energy system to ensure that the uplift of the relief offered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme does not lead to a net increase in electricity bills for domestic and non-domestic energy consumers. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published a consultation seeking views on the proposal to amend the inflation indexation of the Renewables Obligation (RO) from the RPI to the CPI. If implemented, this may contribute to that goal.

With reference to the Green Paper consultation on the Future of the Post Office, which ended on 6 October 2025. what progress he has made on holding joint discussions with the Post Office and banks on potentially expanding the range of banking services available at post offices.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to Question 83450 on 23 October 2025. As I stated in that response, together with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, I plan to co-chair a roundtable with the Post Office and key banks which will provide an opportunity to discuss where future potential collaboration, on a commercial and voluntary basis, may be in the interests of both parties. This will take place in due course.

When he plans to publish the UK Steel Strategy.

The Government is developing a Steel Strategy to be published in 2025 that will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there. The strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals.