The Government continually assesses our international partners’ approaches to online safety and has engaged with the EU to discuss its Digital Services Act which, like the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), requires companies to take steps to protect users online.

The OSA underwent extensive Parliamentary scrutiny, and reflects the online safety priorities of the UK, as agreed by Parliament.

On 15 June, the government announced it will ban social media companies from providing their services to under 16s. Alongside this, we are putting restrictions in place to protect under 16s from stranger communication and livestreaming on a wider range of services. This move will give children the freedom to be kids again.

Since January 2021 any plants listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 cannot be exported to the EU or moved to Northern Ireland without first undergoing a risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Defra has submitted risk assessment applications for 48 high-risk plant species, with 41 derogations to export approved subject to certain conditions being met. The timeline for the remaining 7 assessments is controlled by the European Commission. There are no plans to submit any further applications until the outcome of the negotiations on an EU-UK SPS agreement is clear.

The Government is aware of the European Commission’s roadmap on phasing out animal testing and is considering its potential implications as part of our broader international engagement on alternative methods. We continue to monitor developments in the EU and other jurisdictions, recognising the importance of international collaboration in supporting the development, validation and acceptance of alternatives. Our Replacing Animals in Science strategy sets out a UK‑led, science‑based approach to reducing reliance on animal use. We will continue to engage with international partners to support progress, and further detail on international activity will be set out in the strategy delivery update to be published later in 2026.

Careful choice of land management techniques can play a part in reducing wildfire impacts and bring a wide range of public benefits, but influencing human behaviour will be essential in preventing most wildfires from starting. Decisions on the most appropriate land management technique(s) should be tailored to the site in question, be evidence-led and part of a wider long-term strategy, beyond individual site boundaries, to restore ecosystem health and function.

Caution is needed when interpreting evidence from elsewhere in the world where there may be different fire regimes, habitat and vegetation types, and/or societal and cultural characteristics including current and historic grazing management. Some strategies used in countries with natural fire regimes (e.g. where lightning strikes are a common ignition source for wildfires), where target habitats may be naturally adapted to fire, over thousands of years, may not be appropriate in the UK where most wildfire is caused by humans.

There have been three exchanges of emails with European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the last six months, regarding UK submissions of additional information for three prohibited high-risk plants: Castanea sativa, Hamamelis mollis and Robinia pseudoacacia. This allowed EFSA to publish scientific opinions for these species on 22 December 2025, 6 January 2026 and 22 April 2026 respectively.

There is usually a delay of a few weeks/months whilst the EU Commission drafts new legislation based on published EFSA opinions, but progress continues at pace. In the last six months the EU has lifted prohibitions, subject to conditions, on a further five species of Prunus (3 October 2025)

Only seven of the 45 High Risk Plant species that the UK has requested market access for, remain prohibited for export to the EU/Northern Ireland.

No UK Internal Market assessment has been made.

Article 5(4), in conjunction with Article 13(3) of the Windsor Framework, provides that the EU law listed in Annex 2 to the Windsor Framework, including that law as amended or replaced, will apply to and in the UK in respect of Northern Ireland. Consequently, the EU Batteries Regulation has applied in Northern Ireland from 18 February 2024.

Working alongside the Devolved Governments, we are reviewing the UK's producer responsibility legislation for batteries. As part of this review, we are considering aligning with the requirements of the EU Batteries Regulation in Great Britain. My officials held a series of workshops with industry earlier this year to explore this further.

Any impact of EU sanctions is a matter for the EU.

The Government is aware of the EU's plans to remove its relief for low value imports from 1 July 2026.

The facilitations under the Windsor Framework are unaffected by this change, meaning goods can continue to move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the UK Carrier Scheme and the UK Internal Market Scheme without the need to pay duty. We continue to engage closely with the EU to understand the future arrangements and ensure we can minimise any potential impact on consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland. We will issue appropriate guidance in due course.

As announced at Budget, the Government will remove its low value imports relief by March 2029 at the latest. The Government is consulting on the design of its new arrangements and there is a live consultation open which closes on 6 March.

We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low-value imports and the announcement in December 2025 of its intention to introduce a handling fee on consumer parcels from November 2026.

At the Budget in November 2025, the Chancellor also announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest. There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6th March 2026.

We are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework continue to operate. The EU has not yet published their full legislation in relation to the handling fee and therefore an assessment cannot be made. The Government is, however, engaging closely with the EU with regard to their announcements.

The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.

We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low value imports and the announcement in December of its intention to introduce customs duty on these goods from 1 July 2026.

At Autumn Budget 2025, the Chancellor announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest.

There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6th March 2026.

We are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework continue to operate. This means that goods eligible to move under the UK Carrier Scheme and the UK Internal Market Scheme will continue to do so. These schemes are designed to protect goods moving within the UK internal market from incurring duty.

The benefits of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement will also continue to be available.

The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.

We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low-value imports and the announcement in December of its intention to introduce customs duty on these goods from 1 July 2026.

At the Budget in November 2025, the Chancellor also announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest. There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6^th March 2026.

We expect and are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework will continue to operate. This means that goods eligible to move under the UK Carrier Scheme and the UK Internal Market Scheme can continue to do so. These schemes are designed to protect goods moving within the UK internal market from incurring duty.

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement will also continue to apply.

The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.

We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low-value imports and the announcement in December of its intention to introduce customs duty on these goods from 1 July 2026.

At the Budget in November 2025, the Chancellor also announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest. There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6^th March 2026.

We expect and are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework will continue to operate. This means that goods eligible to move under the UK Carrier Scheme and the UK Internal Market Scheme can continue to do so. These schemes are designed to protect goods moving within the UK internal market from incurring duty.

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement will also continue to apply.

The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.