Written Statements

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

Thursday 11 December 2025

Free Trade Agreement: Turkey

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The third round of negotiations on an enhanced free trade agreement with Turkey took place in Ankara during the week commencing 17 November 2025.

Negotiations were productive, with positive progress being made in a number of areas:

Trade in services

Constructive discussions were held across financial services, professional and business services, domestic regulation, and entry and temporary stay. The UK set out proposals aimed at giving greater legal certainty and transparency for services suppliers. Both sides explored avenues for regulatory co-operation to support open and stable markets, and continued to narrow outstanding issues and further consolidate text across these chapters.

Trade in goods

Negotiators continued to discuss text proposals and relevant data across trade in goods, with a view to unlocking commercially meaningful opportunities for UK exporters. Significant progress was made on customs and trade facilitation, focused on enabling predictable, transparent and efficient border procedures through enhanced co-operation between customs authorities. On sanitary and phytosanitary measures, both sides continued to discuss practical co-operation to facilitate safe trade in agrifoods while maintaining and upholding the UK’s high standards.

Sustainability and collaboration

Positive exchanges were held on labour, anti-corruption and environment, building on work from previous rounds. Discussions also advanced on good regulatory practice with the shared aim of supporting open, transparent and predictable regulatory environments that reduce unnecessary barriers to trade, and support innovators and SMEs.

Additional areas

Text-based discussions continued on dispute settlement and the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Both sides also worked to refine and clarify respective approaches across Government procurement, state-owned enterprises and subsidies. On trade remedies, officials held further exchanges to build a common understanding of practices and mutual processes.

Economic growth is our first mission in Government and FTAs have an important role to play in achieving this. A stronger trade relationship with Turkey will contribute to jobs and prosperity in the UK, with trade between the two totalling around £28 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2025.

The UK will only ever sign a trade agreement that aligns with the UK’s national interests, upholding our high standards across a range of sectors, including protections for the national health service.

The fourth round of negotiations is expected to take place in early 2026. Ministers will update Parliament on the progress of discussions with Turkey as they continue to progress.

[HCWS1153]

Child Protection Authority

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)]

Today Government have launched a public consultation on the Child Protection Authority for England, a new national body with one clear purpose: to protect children. In addition to this consultation, we are also publishing new analysis and data on child sexual abuse and exploitation in response to a recommendation in Baroness Casey’s audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The child protection system

For too long, we have seen heartbreaking cases where the system has not worked as it should. Despite the dedication of thousands of professionals, repeated reviews have shown the same weaknesses: fragmented leadership; poor information sharing; and lessons that take too long to turn into action. These failures have left children exposed to harm, and families devastated. We cannot allow this to continue. Whilst we cannot shield every child from harm, it is imperative that we do not repeat past failures and that we strive to create a future where we do not allow history to repeat itself.

We have heard at first hand from those impacted by systemic failures. It is clear that there is too often a lack of expertise, accuracy and grip in the most important decisions around significant harm. There are countless cases where poor information sharing contributes to serious safeguarding failures, and learning about what does and does not work has been too slowly embedded, if at all.

The Child Protection Authority

The CPA will change that. It will bring national leadership and oversight, using data and intelligence to spot risks early and advise on policy at local and national level, helping to create a system that is proactive, rather than reactive.

It will support initiatives from “what works” centres and centres of expertise in spreading and embedding good practice, as well as plugging vital gaps in research and evidence.

The CPA will also make sure that recommendations lead to real change, not just words on a page. It will work closely with inspectorates, regulators, and relevant Government Departments to drive continuous improvement across the system. Accountability will be clearer, impacts will be measurable, and practice will be expert, accurate and decisive.

The CPA will absorb and build on the impressive work of the child safeguarding practice review panel. I would like to thank Sir David Holmes, former chair Dame Annie Hudson, and panel members, for their tireless work—particularly their relentless focus on sharing learning and modelling multi-agency expertise.

The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse called for a national body to address inconsistencies and drive stronger accountability where opportunities have been missed. They called for a body that has a laser focus on child protection, that can build on the strengths of the sector and that can support a system that can take swift and direct action where children are at risk of significant harm. The CPA will be that body.

Reform programme

The measures we are announcing today sit within a wider programme of reform. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, introducing a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse, and improving information sharing. Through the families first partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion, we are rolling out family help, family group decision making and multi-agency child protection teams in every local area, and we are taking targeted action to support victims and survivors, including reforms to the disclosure and barring system and removing the three-year time limit for civil claims. We will build a system that can prevent the tragedies we have seen in the past, and one that has enduring relationships at its core.

Baroness Louise Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse

Today, we have also published analysis of child protection data to meet recommendation 9 of Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes analysis of children who were assessed as being affected by child sexual abuse or exploitation, giving valuable insight into their demographics and outcomes, and into trends over time. It will help us to better understand practice and recording for these children.

This is another important step in building our understanding of how we need to improve.

CPA consultation

This consultation, which will run for 12 weeks, sets out our proposals and invites views on the CPA’s scope, powers, and priorities. We will publish the Government response in summer 2026, alongside plans for legislation to establish the CPA.

This Government are unwavering in their commitment to act. Every child deserves a system that is expert, decisive and compassionate—and today’s announcements mark a bold step toward making that vision a reality.

[HCWS1156]

Hurricane Melissa: Government Response

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Chris Elmore)]

I am writing to update the House on the impact of Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and the action the Government are taking in response, following my recent visit to Jamaica, where I witnessed at first hand the devastation caused and the scale of the challenge facing communities.

Nearly 6 million people throughout the Caribbean have been affected by Hurricane Melissa, with Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti suffering the most acute impacts. In Jamaica, 45 deaths have been reported, and the World Bank has estimated that there has been up to $8.8 billion in damage—over 41% of the country’s 2024 GDP. In Haiti, assessing the scale of the damage has been challenging, with critical roads and bridges swept away, and severe damage to the agricultural sector. Haitian authorities report 43 deaths in the coastal town of Petit-Goave alone, and approximately 250,000 people have been affected. In Cuba, extensive damage was caused to infrastructure, agriculture and essential services. In the Bahamas, and in the UK overseas territories of Turks and Caicos, Cayman Islands and Bermuda, the impact was limited but nonetheless disruptive.

Throughout my time in Jamaica, the importance of the UK’s support was evident. The UK Government have assisted Jamaica in three different ways. First and most importantly, there is the work that we do in advance of any crisis. The UK is a long-standing champion of disaster finance mechanisms, and it has worked closely with Jamaica to set up a sophisticated pre-arranged finance framework, with a reported $1.6 billion available to respond to disasters through financial instruments. We were also a founding donor of a regional risk pool—the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility. The CCRIF has announced that Jamaica has received around $92 million from hurricane and excess rainfall insurance, and Jamaica’s catastrophe bond paid out $150 million last week. The UK is also a major contributor to the Red Cross and UN global emergency response funds, as well as the Start non-governmental organisation network, with over £14 million additionally triggered for vulnerable households in affected countries, both for preparation ahead of the hurricane, and for humanitarian relief post impact. These initiatives provide countries with security at their most insecure time and allow them to rebuild at pace. I pay credit to the Jamaican Government for their prudence and foresight in engaging such frameworks.

Second is the work that the UK has done bilaterally. We delivered over 18,000 core relief items, such as emergency shelter kits, hygiene kits and solar lanterns, which are directly assisting approximately 33,000 people. HMS Trent arrived in Jamaica on 2 November, having supported the Turks and Caicos in the immediate aftermath of Melissa. 24 Commando Royal Engineers, alongside the ship’s company, cleared debris, repaired storm damage, and conducted urgent repairs at Falmouth hospital and a local primary school. These efforts enabled the Spanish Government-run field hospital to occupy wards.

The UK emergency medical team was deployed to deliver primary healthcare services in support of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellbeing; the provision of two mobile clinics operating in rural areas of Trelawny parish supported affected communities and reduced the burden on Jamaican healthcare. To date, our teams have seen 1,225 patients. We are also supporting the Caribbean Public Health Agency with public health supplies and specialist technical support.

The UK is also funding the staffing of a field hospital in Savana-la-Mar. Demonstrating the benefit of the UK’s efforts to build climate-resilient healthcare, I visited Santa Cruz health centre in Saint Elizabeth, a UK-funded resilient hospital implemented by the Pan American Health Organization—the regional WHO office—in collaboration with Jamaica’s Ministry of Health. The hospital has survived both Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa, continuing to provide critical healthcare throughout these crises. We have also provided funding for the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation, which has deployed 51 specialist energy sector personnel to support restoration of the national electrical grid.

Lastly, there is the work we have been delivering through multinational organisations. We have funded critical surge staff positions in UN agencies in both Jamaica and Haiti, as well as providing humanitarian experts to support the British high commission in Kingston. During my visit to Saint Elizabeth, I met children directly affected by the storm—30% of early learning facilities were severely damaged, and another 30% were impacted. The UK has provided £850,000 to UNICEF to deliver water and sanitation services, child protection, and education support. I saw UNICEF’s mobile child-friendly spaces, which offer critical psychosocial support to children in affected communities. In Saint Elizabeth, I also observed the World Food Programme’s efforts, supported by £2 million from the UK, to provide emergency food supplies, strengthen humanitarian logistics, and deliver telecommunications expertise.

The Red Cross Jamaica is using £1 million in UK funding to provide emergency shelter, cash assistance, psychosocial support, including for children, and water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies. Preparations are also under way for cash assistance programmes led by the World Food Programme, the Red Cross, and UNICEF to help affected families purchase essentials and restore livelihoods once markets stabilise. The UK has also contributed to programmes that have been active in responding to the impact of the hurricane in Haiti and Cuba. The World Food Programme has provided anticipatory cash transfers to 9,400 households in high-risk areas ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s landfall, and a $4 million Central Emergency Response Fund allocation was also released to support humanitarian efforts in response to Melissa’s impact. The UK has also supported specific technical expertise to the response.

Alongside our humanitarian response, the UK consular operation has been significant. With the UK’s strong links to Jamaica, many British nationals and UK residents were in the country during Hurricane Melissa. The FCDO provided consular support to over 2,000 British nationals in Jamaica, including by organising a charter flight, closely liaising with airlines and providing tailored support to vulnerable individuals.

Throughout my visit to Jamaica, I was reminded of the deep and enduring bonds between the UK and the Caribbean; every map I saw contained links to every part of the UK. These relationships need to mean something in times of crisis. I pay tribute to all those I have met across Government, NGOs and local communities who continue to work tirelessly to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need. I am proud to say—and to have seen for myself—that the UK stands by Jamaica’s side in its hour of need.

[HCWS1159]

DHSC Annual Accounts: Covid-19 Reporting

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)]

The 2024-25 annual report and accounts for the Department of Health and Social Care has been published today, 11 December 2025.

The annual report discloses losses relating to covid-19 inventory that the Department is reporting under the requirements of HM Treasury’s “Managing Public Money” guidance on dealing with public resources. The losses primarily relate to inventory procured during the pandemic, the great majority of which has already been impaired in departmental financial statements in previous years. However, we are required to disclose losses when they crystallise, which is when they reach their expiry dates or are subject to disposal. The losses are as follows:

Covid-19 medicines

There were two constructive losses occurring in 2024-25, of £856 million and £393 million respectively, relating to two covid-19 antiviral medicines that reached their expiry dates during the year. The bulk of these items were procured from December 2021 in response to the emergence of the omicron variant in late 2021, at a time when its severity and potential impact on vaccine efficacy were uncertain. In practice, the impact was less severe than previous variants, meaning not all medicines purchased were used prior to their expiry dates. All efforts were made with the manufacturers and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to extend the expiry dates to the greatest extent possible in order to get best value from the Government’s investment.

Covid-19 vaccines

The annual report and accounts disclose a constructive loss valued at £527 million relating to 19,285,820 doses of covid-19 vaccine, all of which reached their expiry dates during the 2024- 25 financial year. This was due to the actual use of vaccines ultimately falling below the total of 412,177,005 covid-19 vaccine doses procured as part of pandemic contracts, the majority of which were signed in the 2020-21 financial year. This level of vaccine doses was procured to give the Government the ability to vaccinate the entire population under potential “reasonable worst-case scenarios”, meaning there was always a risk that some stock would expire before it was potentially required.

Covid-19 testing kits

A loss of £0.7 million (547,420 units) has been disclosed relating to testing kits which reached their expiry date during 2024-25 and could not be repurposed. The stock was therefore disposed of, avoiding further storage costs being incurred by the taxpayer.

Covid-19 personal protective equipment

A “claim waived or abandoned” loss arises where a decision is taken not to present or pursue a claim, which could be, or has been, properly made. As set out in the DHSC group 2024-25 annual report and accounts, the Department is now waiving or abandoning claims to the value of £572 million against 25 covid-19 PPE suppliers. The Government covid counter-fraud commissioner has reviewed these cases and supports the Department’s course of action in each.

Managed quarantine service

A loss of £16.7 million has been disclosed in relation to debts arising from the covid-19 managed quarantine service. The MOS handled 214,000 arrivals who entered the UK during the pandemic between April and December 2021^[1] and who were required to isolate in a quarantine hotel provided by the service. Of the loss disclosed, £6.3 million relates to debt where there is insufficient evidence of validity and £10.4 million relates to “hardship” debt which is no longer economically viable to pursue.

[1] NAO Report “Managing cross-border travel during the COVID-19 pandemic” https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/managing-cross-border-travel-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

[HCWS1160]

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust: Statutory Inquiry

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

On three occasions this year, I have met with some of the families who lost their loved ones under the care of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. I would like to place on record my deep and sincere condolences to all the families who have taken the time to speak to me. Each one of them has suffered an unimaginable loss, and their courageous and tireless campaigning—not only on behalf of their loved ones, but also on behalf of everyone in urgent need of mental health support—has been inspirational.

I am grateful for their time and for sharing their experiences. What happened to their loved ones is unacceptable. Patients should be safe in mental health services, and their families should be assured that they are safe. Too many people have experienced care that has been well below the high standard that we all deserve when we are at our most vulnerable. I would also like to thank the many local MPs who have campaigned on behalf of their constituents and brought these issues to my attention.

This Government take these concerns extremely seriously. After careful consideration, I have decided to establish a statutory inquiry, under the Inquiries Act 2005, into the deaths of mental health patients at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. I am concerned that services at the trust have not improved to the extent that they should have, and that there has been a lack of transparency around the circumstances of some of these tragic incidents. I believe a statutory inquiry is the only way to get to the bottom of the failings at the trust and to ensure we derive the learning required to prevent such poor outcomes in the future.

Information on the chair and terms of reference will be confirmed as soon as possible.

[HCWS1161]

NHS Pensions: McCloud Implementation

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)]

On 1 July 2025, I issued a written statement on the implementation of the McCloud remedy for affected NHS pension scheme members. I informed the House that a number of deadlines by when the NHS Business Services Authority was required to provide remediable service statements to members would be missed. I explained that I was commissioning Lisa Tennant, independent chair of the NHS pension board, to lead a review of the capacity, capability and delivery plans of the NHS Business Services Authority’s McCloud remedy functions.



The review has now provided me with an interim report on the capability and capacity of the authority to enact the remedy and recommendations for its effective delivery. Key findings include that significant progress has been made in remedy delivery planning but that governance arrangements must be strengthened with enhanced assurance measures put in place, and detailed capacity planning and supplier arrangements need to be finalised. A final report will be published in line with the Government’s commitment to transparency.

Since my previous statement, the NHS Business Services Authority has been undertaking a significant replanning exercise for the delivery of the remedy. This exercise has now entered its final stage and the authority and my Department are implementing recommendations from the interim report. It is anticipated that the review will conclude its assurance of the revised delivery plan early in 2026. After this point, I will publish the final report and set new statutory deadlines by when the authority must provide remediable service statements, based on a complete and robust plan which has been independently assured and endorsed by the authority’s board.

The revised plan will continue to prioritise retired members who are likely to be facing financial detriment as a consequence of the discrimination identified by the McCloud judgment. RSS and remedial pension savings statements continue to be issued. The authority expects that their capacity to produce RSS will increase materially when software to automate a significant proportion of the calculations required comes online in spring 2026.

I want to reaffirm this Government’s commitment to delivering the remedy for public service pension scheme members affected by the discrimination caused by the coalition Government’s decision making. I will continue to keep this House informed of progress in the implementation of the remedy for the NHS pension scheme.

[HCWS115]

Terrorism Legislation: Report of Independent Reviewer

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood)]

In accordance with section 36 of the Terrorism Act 2006, Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has prepared a report on the operation in 2023 of the Terrorism Acts, which was laid before the House on 15 July 2025.

I am grateful to Mr Hall KC for his report and have carefully considered the recommendations and observations included within. I am today laying before the House the Government response to the report, Cmd 1466. Copies will be available in the Vote Office, and it will also be published on gov.uk.

[HCWS1158]

National Plan to End Homelessness

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Local Government and Homelessness (Alison McGovern)]

Today, the Government have published their national plan to end homelessness. For the first time ever, this is a truly cross-Government strategy, with commitments from all relevant Departments to both reduce homelessness and rough sleeping and—where appropriate—to use their levers to improve the lives of children and families already in the homelessness system.

Both the number of individuals sleeping rough and the number of households in temporary accommodation have more than doubled since 2010. Behind these statistics are human lives—some who we can see sleeping on our streets and others who we cannot, often families and children living in unsuitable accommodation without adequate facilities.

This strategy sets out our clear vision for change. Homelessness should not be an accepted part of our society, but the scale of crisis we inherited means we cannot end it overnight. That is why this strategy sets out the actions we are taking to drive change across the short, medium and long term. It outlines the tangible actions and targets we have set ourselves for delivery this Parliament, which will act as milestones on the way to achieving our long-term vision.

In the long term, the strategy commits to delivering sustainable change to address the root causes of homelessness. This will include building more homes through our £39 billion investment in social and affordable housing; reforming renters’ rights, including banning section 21 evictions; and tackling poverty, as set out in our recent child poverty strategy, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty.

In the medium term, the strategy commits to supporting councils and public services to shift from crisis to prevention. We are investing £3.5 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping over the next three years via new, more flexible arrangements that prioritise prevention. Alongside this, we are outlining a long-term ambition that no one should leave a public institution into homelessness. This is backed up by both a new duty on public services to identify, act and collaborate to prevent homelessness, and a set of targets and commitments from other Government Departments that recognise that the causes of homelessness do not respect departmental boundaries.

In the short term, the strategy commits to taking immediate action to tackle the worst forms of homelessness.

First, it pledges to eliminate the unlawful use of B&Bs for families over the course of the Parliament, as well as to tackle unacceptable temporary accommodation. We will do this by increasing supply, improving quality and experience—including via cross-Government commitments to improve health outcomes and school attendance and reduce the risk of mortality when children are in temporary accommodation—and supporting local models through an expanded emergency accommodation reduction programme.

Secondly, it pledges to halve the number of people with complex needs who spend months or even years on the street by the end of the Parliament. We will do this through a new long-term rough sleeping innovation programme, as well as targeted funding for supported housing and the voluntary, community and faith sector.

We have looked at the issues carefully, across an interministerial group. We were supported by a lived experience forum so that people who have experienced homelessness could influence the strategy, and an expert group bringing together representatives from homelessness and rough sleeping organisations, local government and experts.

We have made our ambition clear and will hold ourselves to account to deliver on it. The strategy sets three new overarching national targets: to increase the proportion of households supported to stay in their own home or find other accommodation; to end the use of B&B accommodation for families except in short-term emergencies; and to halve the number of people sleeping rough long term. It also places targets and commitments on seven Departments across Government. We expect local partners to do the same, outlining clear local action plans and targets of their own to deliver on this vision.

The interministerial group will continue to meet to monitor progress and make sure that we deliver. We will report publicly on this progress at least every two years, and will feedback regularly to Parliament in the usual way.

To underwrite this ambition, today we have also announced a £50 million top-up to the homelessness prevention grant to further boost services available to people experiencing and at risk of homelessness this year. The allocations will be published on gov.uk here www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-prevention-grant-allocations-2025-to-2026

Now more than ever, we need our partners to join us in this mission, including local councils, frontline public services, homelessness organisations, voluntary, community and faith groups. Together, this strategy will set us on the path to ending homelessness, and deliver immediate action to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping now.

Copies of the strategy have been laid in the House this morning and are now available at gov.uk.

[HCWS1154]

Connectivity Tool

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Achieving sustainable development is a core aim of the UK’s planning system, but it has been hindered by the lack of a clear way of measuring what is a “sustainable location” for development in transport terms. This means that policymakers and decision-takers have lacked a commonly agreed evidence base to define connectivity.

To tackle this problem, the Department for Transport has created a new connectivity tool that combines transport and land-use data in an innovative way to generate a “connectivity score” for every location across England and Wales at a resolution of 100 x 100 square metres. This score measures people’s ability to get where they want and need to go, using walking, cycling and public transport to reach jobs, shops, schools, healthcare and other essential services.

In June, we launched the tool with all public bodies in England and Wales. Today, we are going a step further and opening up access to the tool online to everyone, free of charge, to help inform their plans, strategies and decisions.

This landmark platform will serve as the new national metric of connectivity, transforming how we plan for new development and the transport infrastructure needed to support it, ensuring new homes and services can be easily accessed by sustainable modes of transport, helping kickstart economic growth, and delivering the Government’s house building targets. It will help to target investment in transport infrastructure that enhances connectivity to underserved communities, improving their access to opportunities. By helping planners and place-makers consider how to shape their towns and cities, it will ensure we are building homes that are part of vibrant and thriving communities and help unlock development sites.

[HCWS1155]