Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 58 · Department for Business and Trade
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of revised steel safeguard measures due to take effect on 1 July 2026 on defence procurement programmes, including the AUKUS submarine pr
The new steel trade measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply so the UK can meet its defence and critical national infrastructure needs. I have engaged closely wit...
What eligibility criteria will apply to the £350 million Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund and the £120 million ceramics support package; what estimate he has made of the number of businesses and jobs
Government is working to determine the scope of these funds and will provide further detail on this and the application process in due course. It is Government’s intent to open these funds to applications in summer 2026.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in tariff-free import quotas and increase in safeguard tariffs from 1 July 2026 on the number of businesses reliant on imported spec
The Government has held extensive consultations with industry to inform development of the new steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025, and will continue to engage with companies across the supply chain. The measure has been design...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) industrial energy costs and (b) import competition on the competitiveness of the steel sector; what recent discussions he has had with the Sec
Our Steel Strategy sets out the action we are taking to improve the competitiveness of the sector, including on energy prices and trade. We have introduced and expanded schemes to reduce the industrial electricity prices of energy-intensive industries, in...
What consultation was undertaken with downstream steel-using industries before the decision to reduce tariff-free steel import quotas and increase safeguard tariffs from 1 July 2026; whether a full eco
The Government held extensive consultations with both primary steel producers and downstream users to inform development of the trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025. We will continue engaging regularly with companies across the supply...
What estimate he has made of the volume and value of steel imports that were subject to contractual commitments before the announcement of revised safeguard measures on 14 March 2026; what transitional
The new steel trade measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply for downstream users, including the makeup and length of the transitional arrangement to ease short t...
With reference to the recent announcement of changes to steel safeguard measures due to take effect on 1 July 2026, what assessment he has made of the availability of specialist steel grades and alloys
The new steel trade measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply for downstream users, including the makeup and length of the transitional arrangement to ease short t...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing tariff-free steel import quotas and increasing safeguard tariffs from 1 July 2026 on the competitiveness and costs of businesses in the (
The Government has carefully designed this measure to minimise downstream impacts while addressing the existential threat to UK steelmaking. Current production levels are being considered in our work to set quota sizes, and imports will continue to flow t...
What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of payroll employment; what discussions his Department has had with businesses on hiring freezes and investment plans; and whether he plans to
The government is committed to delivering an effective labour market that works for all. The number of payrolled employees remains near record highs, and the UK labour market remaining strong by international standards, with a higher employment rate than ...
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that lower-paying sectors including hospitality and retail have experienced some of the largest falls in payroll em
The department monitors labour market trends closely and recognises pressures in sectors such as retail and hospitality.We have introduced permanently lower business‑rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, introduced a £4.3 billi...
What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the cumulative impact of the Employment Rights Act 2025, increases in employer National Insurance contributions and changes to business rates reli
The Government has published a comprehensive package of analysis on the Employment Rights Act: Employment Rights Act 2025: impact assessments - GOV.UK.This analysis shows that the Act is expected to benefit young workers significantly. The Government rema...
With reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what increase in remuneration for postmasters is expected to result from the introduction of Banking Framework 4; what assessment his Department has made of the sustainability of Post Office banking services as bank branch closures continue; and what additional services are being considered to strengthen the Post Office’s role in providing access to cash and banking services.
Banking Framework 4 increases remuneration rates for cash services. Increases will vary by branch activity. Post Office has also committed to improving remuneration through its Transformation plan, which includes cost saving investments (such as automation) related to the implementation of the Banking Framework. Banking Framework 4 secures Post Office’s important role in providing free-to-access cash and banking services until December 2030. As set out in the Government response to the Green Paper, there was a constructive joint discussion between government, the Post Office and the banking sector in January 2026, where several areas of mutual interest were discussed including additional banking services.
With reference to the Written Statement of 20 June 2025 on Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, HCWS1360, which government services the cross-government group referenced in the Statement is considering improving through the Post Office network; what his planned timetable is for the development of those proposals; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this change on Post Office footfall and revenue.
The cross-government group referenced is considering options for a common physical front-end for government services to ensure there is a ‘go to’ place for a range of government services, expanded assisted digital support, an enhanced role in identity verification and exploring new propositions such as prescription collection. Further updates on government services in post offices will be provided in due course.
In reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that future IT systems used by the Post Office avoid the operational and governance failures associated with the Horizon system; what procurement processes are being used to select replacement providers; and whether Fujitsu will have any future role in Post Office IT systems or services.
Post Office Limited is using the competitive flexible process (pursuant to the Procurement Act 2023) in order to select suppliers. Post Office expect by Summer 2026 to award a contract for a new supplier to replace Fujitsu and all parties remain committed to seeing that happen as soon as possible. The Government acknowledges the necessity for maintained oversight and is taking appropriate action to ensure that POL can successfully transition to a new IT system which is robust and fit-for-purpose. Fujitsu has announced that it will not bid for further Government business unless specifically asked to do so by Government. Such requests are made only where Fujitsu’s involvement is necessary to maintain critical public services.
With reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what proportion of the planned £180 million network subsidy funding over the next three financial years represents new funding rather than the continuation or repurposing of existing subsidy arrangements; how that funding will be allocated across the network; and what conditions will be attached to the use of that subsidy by the Post Office.
The Department plans to provide up to £180 million of funding through a new network subsidy to Post Office over the next three financial years. The entirety of this funding is new, with the specific allocation of funding across the network being an operational matter for the Post Office. This funding will support with the operational costs of delivering government policy, which requires Post Office to deliver essential services across specific access criteria. This includes the requirement to ensure that 99% of the UK population is within 3 miles of their nearest post office outlet. The Framework Document between the Department and POL sets out that network subsidy is ringfenced for the purposes of delivering government policy via the branch network.
In reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what assessment his Department has made of whether the existing Access Criteria remain sufficient to ensure equitable access to Post Office services in rural, coastal and deprived urban areas; whether changes to those criteria are under consideration; and how the Government will monitor compliance with those requirements at a regional and local level.
The Government’s Green Paper consultation confirmed that the public, especially rural communities and small businesses, rely on their local Post Office for essential services. We are therefore committed to retaining the 11,500‑branch minimum network and existing access criteria to ensure nationwide access to essential services. In the Green Paper consultation response, the Government explicitly confirms that all six Access Criteria will remain in place, and performance will be monitored by the Government through regular reporting and Post Office’s published annual Network Report.
With reference to the statement of 25 February 2026 on the Government Response to the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, what proportion of the Post Office network consists of full-time, full-service branches; how many branches will be (a) upgraded and (b) reclassified to meet the 50% requirement; what estimate his Department has made of the cost of achieving that requirement; and what guidance has been issued to the Post Office on the implementation of that target.
As set out in the Government’s response to the Post Office Green Paper, at least half of the Post Office’s network must be full‑time, full‑service branches. This new requirement provides flexibility for the Post Office to expand lighter-touch formats, such as parcel shops, where there is demand, while guaranteeing the core majority of the network is full time and full-service. The network must also continue to comply with the pre-existing 11,500 minimum branch requirement and Access Critieria, which mean, for example, that 99% of the total UK population must be within three miles of their nearest Post Office branch.As set out in Government’s Green Paper response, as of April 2025, 79% of branches already meet the ‘full-time, full-service' definition. Consequently, no branches require upgrade or reclassification to achieve the 50% threshold at this stage and there are accordingly no additional associated costs or further guidance required.
What steps she is taking to reduce regulatory burdens on small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Small Business Plan outlines how we are supporting SMEs across the UK through the most significant package of legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlock billions of pounds in finance and remove unnecessary red tape.We have also committed to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament. We have already announced measures to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs, including efforts to modernise corporate reporting requirements, exempting tens of thousands of companies from producing Strategic and Directors' Reports, helping deliver annual savings of around £230 million.
What steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands facing increases in energy and regulatory costs.
The Government is committed to lowering operating costs for all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in the West Midlands.Government is helping support businesses to lower their energy costs through energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Recent research from the Willow Review highlights that SMEs adopting sustainability initiatives are reaping the financial rewards.The Government is also committed to ensuring the allocation of energy costs is fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way. DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on the fiscal position of the UK.
Since publication, over £250 billion of investment commitments have been made into the IS-8, boosting our frontier industries. These commitments will enhance their rate of growth and in turn bring in higher tax revenues.Fiscal policy is a matter for the Treasury, and the Chancellor has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility to produce an economic and fiscal forecast to be published alongside the Budget on 26 November.