Oral QuestionDepartment for Work and Pensions

“If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.”

Tabled: 20 March 2018Answered: 26 March 2018

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Answer from Hansard

Jonathan Reynolds

I understand the prominence of the issue in the right hon. Member’s constituency. We already import a significant amount of ethanol from the US: 860,000 tonnes of bioethanol. We recognise the competitive pressures that the US trade deal will bring—it is obviously not yet in operation—and have met the companies affected and continue to negotiate with them. They are already very distressed and lose significant amounts of money, so what they really need are regulatory changes from the Department for Transport for the market as a whole. I can assure him that we are working on that.