Written Statements

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

Tuesday 17 March 2026

Mais Speech

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Rachel Reeves)]

I am updating the House on the Government’s economic plan to increase living standards, build resilience and bolster the security of the UK economy.

Today, I am reaffirming and building upon what I set out in my 2024 Mais lecture: that in this age of insecurity, the right solution for Britain’s economy is “securonomics”. This is a strategy for building secure and resilient growth by increasing public and private investment through an active and strategic state which works in partnership with business, steps up its role in expanding the supply side of the economy, and makes conscious and deliberate choices about the sectors in which we pursue leadership and the capabilities we must protect or grow.

In Iran and the middle east, we are witnessing further symptoms of that age of insecurity. This week, the Government have intervened to protect the most vulnerable households reliant on heating oil, who are not shielded by the energy price cap, and we have been clear that any exploitation of the crisis for excess profit will not be tolerated.

The effects we have already seen are likely to put upwards pressure on inflation in the months to come. However, the actions that this Government have taken to secure our economy and our national resilience have put us in a better position to respond. We have substantially uplifted defence spending, with £270 billion investment planned over the spending review. Our energy security plan is taking effect, with the UK importing 17% less gas in 2025 than we did in 2021, and from next month, the energy price cap will be £117 lower.

The age of insecurity affects every country. But since the global financial crisis, the UK has experienced the sharpest slowdown in productivity growth of any G7 economy compared with the pre-crisis trends. To address this, we must capitalise on our strengths as set out in the modern industrial strategy and fix our structural weaknesses, and the mistakes of the past caused by a passive state that believed markets should be left to their own devices and that growth could be built on a narrow geographical base of too few places.

The Government’s plan for righting these wrongs is securonomics. Securonomics provides a response to a more unstable world, prone to shocks, by focusing on economic security for working people, by increasing domestic productive capacity in areas of strength or strategic importance, and by working closely with international allies to build more resilient supply chains. Since 2024, the Government have been pursuing this strategy, and driving growth through stability, investment and reform.

Rather than turning back now, the Government must continue to take active, bold decisions. That is why we are going further on our three big choices: empowering regional growth, embracing AI and innovation, and establishing a closer relationship with the EU.

I want every part of Britain to do well. The Government have already committed to this agenda: we published the regional growth strategy in 2024, and our National Wealth Fund is already supporting local places to build on their existing strengths: investing in wind power in Orkney and critical minerals in Cornwall, while building on the north of England’s strengths to create a global clean energy supercluster. Meanwhile, our growth mission fund is driving local growth across Britain through projects such as Kirkcaldy high street, the Peterborough sports quarter and the reopening of Southport pier.

I am now going further to drive regional growth across the UK. I am backing Britain’s cities and ensuring towns do not lose out by connecting them into those city regions through better transport, housing and skills. This includes accelerating action in the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor, doubling the Government’s initial commitment by making over £800 million available for up-front land acquisition and infrastructure to help unlock land for new homes. I am providing £2.3 billion of new grant, loan and patient capital funding over five years for city investment funds, with up to £1.7 billion going to mayors in the north. This funding will go directly into hands of mayors in major city regions to deliver city densification, supporting priority projects in local growth plans and development in the areas around Northern Powerhouse Rail stations. I am also backing growth-driving sectors by investing over £150 million through the industrial strategy-8 cluster programme in areas across the north.

Looking ahead to autumn Budget, I can also confirm that I have asked my officials to work with mayors, businesses and other experts to develop a road map for future fiscal devolution. This will set out plans to give regional leaders control of how they allocate a share of some national taxes that for too long have been allocated by central Government, looking at income tax alongside other taxes. To ensure that Government are achieving our objectives of providing our mayors with the long-term certainty that they need to invest in the foundations of growth in a way that is practical and responsible, the development of this road map will be guided by four key principles: empowerment, accountability, sustainability and fairness. This is not about new taxes or higher tax rates. I will not ask taxpayers to pay more. Reforms will be fiscally neutral, focused on sharing and retaining a portion of existing revenues, with the proceeds of growth benefiting the places that generated them.

I am also committed to going further on innovation and AI. This will ensure the UK is a world leader in AI and will enable us to benefit from the clear opportunities AI presents, while managing the risks. We are taking concrete steps to make the UK the best place for innovative firms to start, scale and stay, with a £500 million sovereign AI unit, regulatory reforms to support safe and trustworthy adoption of innovative products and services across the economy, including responsible AI applications, an AI adoption summit and a commitment worth up to £2 billion to fund quantum technologies over the next decade—including up to £1 billion to procure commercial-scale quantum computing capabilities. We want to ensure that AI serves in the interests of working people, creating good jobs that pay well, and security and hope for the future. That is why we are setting up a new AI economics institute to work with the future of work unit to understand the impact of AI on our productivity and labour markets. In January, we announced our ambition to upskill as many as 10 million workers through our AI skills hub, alongside providing £27 million to kick-start the Government’s techlocal scheme and AI scholarships at top UK universities to link training and industry.

I am also reaffirming the Government’s commitment to strengthening our partnerships with the EU to increase our resilience and our trade opportunities. We have seen instability on Europe’s border, in the middle east and in our economy—not aided by the costs of a damaging Brexit. We need to deliver security amid this volatility, strengthening resilience in the economy and stabilising trading conditions for businesses. There is now a strategic imperative for deeper integration between the UK and EU, and so today I set out more detail on the Government ambition to strengthen our relationship with Europe to benefit both partners. There are red lines in the national interest, but we choose growth and security over instability and decline, and so will be prepared to align with EU rules: if it boosts long-term growth, consumer benefits and jobs, if it fits with stable and compatible policy goals, and if it protects or strengthens the UK’s security and resilience. This is all while keeping the option of regulatory autonomy where needed in strategically important sectors.

Further supporting our commitment to defence and security, and strengthening our wider international relationships, I can also announce today that a core group of NATO allies—Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK, together with other partners—are exploring setting up a new mechanism for financing by 2027. This has the aim to aggregate demand, drive joint procurement, accelerate defence investment, and increase the availability of critical capabilities such as munitions as we step up shared defence and security commitments.

All announcements are funded from within existing departmental budgets within the current spending review period, except for the city investment funds and additional Ox-Cam financial transactions, which will be accounted for at Budget 2026.

This is the right economic plan in this age of uncertainty. I look forward to continuing to update Parliament as we pursue this strategy to deliver for the UK economy.

[HCWS1413]

Local Media Strategy

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

Today the Government launch our local media strategy, “Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan”, setting out our plans to support the sustainability of local journalism in the UK and empower communities through a thriving local media that highlights the issues that matter to them, helping to drive community wellbeing, social cohesion and local growth.

Local media plays a vital role in the fabric of our society, keeping citizens informed about decisions and events that directly affect them, scrutinising the activities of local public services and other institutions, and helping to reflect the views and perspectives of citizens and communities.

As audiences converge online, the business models of many local media outlets have been challenged, posing a risk to the sustainable provision of high-quality, trustworthy news and information at local level.

The local media action plan outlines our proposed approach to tackling these challenges, building on previous studies into the sustainability of public interest journalism in the UK, including the Cairncross review and inquiries conducted by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and the Lords Communications and Digital Committee. Our approach is based around three central pillars.

Financial sustainability in the short-to-medium term

We will support the industry’s existing innovation to accelerate the transition toward sustainable, digital-first business models by:

Launching a multi-year local news fund of £6 million in the first year—and up to a further £6 million in the second—to invest in digital innovation and infrastructure, ensuring funding is distributed in ways that benefit a broad range of local news providers and the diverse communities that they serve.

Increasing DCMS community radio funding to £1 million per year to strengthen the vibrant community radio ecosystem.

Making best use of local media as a key trustworthy channel for Government advertising and public information campaigns, for the benefit of both local media and audiences.

Meeting long-term challenges of changing audience habits

We will ensure that local media reaches younger audiences and thrives alongside BBC and the largest tech firms by:

Starting in the north-west, launching an inspiring the future campaign, to connect local media to schools, building news literacy and inspiring the next generation of journalists.

Ensuring young people from all backgrounds and in all parts of the country have access to high-quality local journalism.

Ensuring through the BBC charter review process that the BBC does more to support local media diversity, including future-proofing the local democracy reporting service.

Exploring greater transparency options and developing a healthy licensing ecosystem between AI developers and rightsholders including local media, helping local news providers to adapt to the emerging challenges of AI-generated news summaries.

Incentivising public interest news

We will make it easier for journalists to scrutinise local institutions and conduct other public interest news-gathering without fear or favour by:

Establishing a best practice framework for engagement between journalists and public services through a new regional media forum, in partnership with the West of England combined authority.

Consulting on the future of statutory notices to ensure they continue to support both community awareness and journalistic scrutiny.

Refreshing the national action plan for the safety of journalists to assess and mitigate the specific risks faced by local reporters.

A thriving local media is essential to a healthy democracy and a cohesive country. This action plan presents a robust programme of work in support of this vital industry but it is also only the beginning of our commitment to support local media. We intend to monitor our progress, and the impact on our communities and on citizens, over the coming years, and will provide a short annual update to summarise and track progress.

Our country is richer for the diversity of voices, views and experiences in every nation and region, and those voices will be heard.

[HCWS1414]

Online Advertising Taskforce Progress Report 2025

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts (Ian Murray)]

The online advertising taskforce is today publishing its progress report for 2025, summarising work carried out since publication of its last progress report, covering 2023-24.

The taskforce brings Government and the advertising industry together to help improve trust, transparency and accountability in advertising. It specifically works to reduce harms, tackle illegal advertising and minimise the advertising served to children for products and services illegal to sell to them.

Six industry-led working groups have continued to work across our priority areas to improve the evidence, develop and enhance voluntary initiatives or standards, and identify any gaps in industry initiatives where they already exist. These groups have membership from across the online advertising ecosystem, including regulators and Government, with working groups covering age assurance, the use of AI, influencer marketing, information sharing to counter malvertising, the Internet Advertising Bureau UK’s gold standard, and principles for intermediaries and platforms in their hosting of online adverts.

I chaired meetings of the taskforce on 10 November 2025 and 26 February 2026, and commend the group for the progress it has led across the online advertising ecosystem.

Specifically, I want to highlight progress to understand the impact of AI in advertising, and welcome the publication of the Advertising Association’s best practice guide for the responsible use of generative AI in advertising: https://adassoc.org.uk/our-work/best-practice-guide-for-the-responsible-use-of-generative-ai-in-advertising

This was developed under the auspices of the taskforce’s AI working group and is now being adopted across the sector. Similarly, the influencer marketing working group has driven adoption of the influencer marketing code of conduct: https://www.isba.org.uk/knowledge/isba-imtb-influencer-marketing-code-conduct-version-4

The taskforce estimates to now cover over 50% of the relevant market. I also welcome indicative findings from the taskforce’s age assurance working group that online and platform targeting tools are largely effective in ensuring children are not served adverts for age-restricted products. Finally, the information sharing working group has made significant progress in removing barriers to cross-platform information sharing on malvertising, with a live pilot already allowing real-time information sharing between trusted partners. Further details of the focus and achievements of working groups are set out in the progress report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-advertising-taskforce-progress-report-2025

While I warmly welcome this progress, there remains significant work to do. The continued work of the taskforce and its working groups is vital for understanding and addressing issues in the online advertising sector, and the progress report published today presents a forward plan for 2026.

As part of that, I am keen to ensure that the taskforce increases focus on transparency in the online advertising ecosystem, with particular work to tackle fraudulent advertising. In response to this renewed focus, the taskforce has agreed to stand up a new ad fraud and standards working group to focus specifically on issues of fraud, scams and malvertising in online advertising. This group will be co-chaired by Government and the Internet Advertising Bureau UK, and will report back to Ministers in 2027.

The progress report is published on gov.uk today, and I will place a copy of the report in the Library of each House.

[HCWS1407]

Flood Defences: Investment

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

Storm Chandra brought heavy rain and flooding to the UK in January. I want to again acknowledge the vital work of local authorities which were badly impacted by the flooding, such as those in Somerset, Dorset and Teignbridge district. My thanks also to the vital work of the emergency services, members of the internal drainage boards, the voluntary community and faith sector, and others who responded. Approximately 24,500 properties were protected by Environment Agency assets across all locations.

This is not an isolated event. That is why in the last 18 months, this Government have built our resilience to these events.

As well as investing £2.65 billion in flood defences in our first two years, and funding actions to make farmland more resilient to the effects of flooding and climate change, we moved quickly once in Government to establish a flood resilience taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness.

The taskforce has been working since September 2024 and has reviewed readiness helping us be in a better position before the storms came, it’s also secured training for over 1,500 emergency responders, introduced an improved forecasting service for surface water flooding and a new risk vulnerability tool, to help better identify those communities most vulnerable to flooding. The taskforce includes DEFRA, Cabinet Office, MHCLG and DFT Ministers, representatives from the Environment Agency, Met Office, local resilience forums, and the National Farmers Union.

Yesterday, I chaired the sixth meeting of the full taskforce which focused on the national and local response to this autumn and winter’s flooding. We considered wider societal flood resilience, the Environment Agency’s refresh of its national floods and coastal erosion risk management strategy, and an update on progress of the implementation of the FloodReady report.

After more than a decade of under-investment by the previous Government in the flood defence schemes needed to protect our homes, this Labour Government are investing £4.2 billion over the next three years—2026-27 to 2028-29—to construct new flood defence schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country.

Today, I am pleased to announce how we will invest the £1.4 billion we secured for the first of those three years—2026-27—in over 600 flood defence schemes spanning every region of England.

The schemes include a range of different types of flood defence projects: natural flood management schemes, beach management, and the construction of major barriers to help protect coastal and inland communities.

To name just a few, £8 million will be invested in the Pevensey bay to Eastbourne coastal management scheme, helping to protect over 18,000 properties at risk from coastal flooding; £37 million will be invested into the second phase of the “Our City Our River” scheme, a major flood alleviation and regeneration programme along the River Derwent in Derby; and in the north-west, £15 million will be invested in the Preston and South Ribble flood risk management scheme. The scheme is designed to reduce flood risk and provide protection for around 5,000 homes and businesses and also includes measures to address climate change, enhance local environments, and support growth and regeneration in the surrounding communities.

A map and list of all the schemes that will receive funding in 2026-2027, published on gov.uk, demonstrates how this investment will benefit communities in every part of the country which is available in “Programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) schemes”:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/programme-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-schemes#full-publication-update-history

As well as funding new defences, our investment will fund the maintenance of our existing defences. More than £260 million will be spent in 2026-27 managing, maintaining and repairing Environment Agency assets, including those damaged by Storms Goretti and Chandra, ensuring vital protections remain strong when communities need them most.

Looking beyond 2026-27, the new flood defence investment programme will benefit 840,000 properties over the next 10 years and protect communities across the country from the devastating impacts of climate change. Backed by a record long-term capital investment of £7.9 billion, this will be the largest floods investment programme in history.

Through the delivery of natural flood management schemes, the new programme will also enhance our environment. And by unlocking house building, protecting businesses small and large, safeguarding innovation and increasing investor confidence, the new programme will drive economic growth.

The new programme includes several key changes and improvements from the previous one, helping us get the most from every pound of investment.

Thanks to a new funding policy announced in October 2025, funding will be simpler to apply for and there will be a wider spread of flood resilience interventions, including more sustainable drainage and property flood resilience projects as well as more natural flood management.

We have already stabilised the condition of our flood protection measures, arresting the decline seen during the previous 14 years. Recognising the growing pressure on existing assets, refurbishment of existing flood defences will be treated on an equal footing with new projects in the new programme, ensuring vital repairs that cannot be addressed through routine maintenance are eligible for the funding.

To bring in as much investment as possible, changes to the funding formula will also mean that securing funding from partners outside of Government make a proposed new flood defence project more likely to secure Government funding. This change, alongside efficiencies gained through the increased use of technology such as drones, satellites and artificial intelligence, will help make every £1 of Government investment in flood defences go even further.

Overall, this Government will invest more than £10.5 billion in flood defences by 2036, and this investment will see a remarkable return—for every £1 invested we expect to see around £8 of benefits.

This record investment into the biggest floods investment programme in history once again demonstrates that protecting communities around the country from flooding is a genuine priority for this Government. But this has been clear since the start.

[HCWS1406]

Neighbourhood Health Framework

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)]

Today I would like to inform the House about the publication of the neighbourhood health framework, which outlines the next steps that we are asking the NHS and local government to take—working with civil society—to deliver neighbourhood health.

Neighbourhood health is at the heart of the 10-year health plan and our mission to build an NHS fit for the future. It is underpinned by three shifts—hospital to community; treatment to prevention; analogue to digital—and neighbourhood health is pivotal to all three.

The shift to a neighbourhood health service will ensure that services are easier for people to access and professionals to deliver, with multidisciplinary teams that work together to reach people earlier, to support them to stay well and live independently, and to prevent needs escalating. This joined-up approach will deliver more preventive, personalised and digitally enabled care.

The framework builds on our previous publications, such as the NHS medium-term planning framework for 2026-27 to 2028-29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards, and the better care fund framework for 2026-27. We know that there are already strong examples of neighbourhood working across the country. The neighbourhood health framework aims to provide clarity and consistency for local leaders to develop and scale their neighbourhood health services and plans.

The neighbourhood health framework outlines a minimum set of interventions that all ICBs should deliver over the next three years. While reforms will be led locally, we have heard from systems that there are many common-sense actions that work well everywhere—these actions are the building blocks of successful, joined-up neighbourhood health services. Importantly, this set of interventions is not the ceiling of neighbourhood health, but the foundation on which local priorities will be built. The framework is designed to create the conditions for local leaders to succeed, giving them the flexibility to design services that best meet the needs of their local communities.

The framework outlines 10 core steps that we are asking local government and ICBs to take in 2026-27, including agreeing neighbourhood footprints and confirming intentions to use pooled funding under the better care fund. Progress made in 2026-27 will form the basis for action in 2027-28, when, working through health and wellbeing boards, ICBs and local government are expected to develop local neighbourhood health plans.

Central to our plans are neighbourhood health centres, which will bring care closer to where people live. Our ambition is for there to be a neighbourhood health centre in every community. To kickstart delivery, in the 2025 autumn Budget we announced our commitment to deliver 120 neighbourhood health centres by 2030, and 250 by 2035, funded through a mix of public-private partnership and public capital, and starting in the areas of greatest need.

At the heart of our work to deliver neighbourhood health are people, particularly those working hard across health and care, wider local government, and with our civil society partners. Through their efforts, we will see increased and improved join-up between public services, as multidisciplinary, cross-sector teams work in a system that focuses on keeping people well, using the workforce, funding and local assets to their best effect. We recognise that the current system is too siloed, and we are committed to supporting the culture change that is a prerequisite for building the seamless, integrated, person-centred care that patients and the workforce are crying out for.

The 10-year workforce plan will set out aggregate assumptions and scenarios to inform local NHS workforce plans when published later this year.

We will support local systems to deliver through the national neighbourhood health implementation programme, which will build capability and identify success criteria for the scaling of new neighbourhood health models. So far we have launched the national neighbourhood health implementation programme across 43 places in England.

We will also support ICBs to commission new outcomes-based neighbourhood health services through the development of contractual levers, including single neighbourhood provider and multi-neighbourhood provider contracts. We will also support the goals of neighbourhood health in national reform agendas, such as Best Start family hubs, Pride in Place initiatives, local Get Britain Working plans, and workwell.

I am proud to be the Minister driving neighbourhood health. I have seen that every day across health, care and wider local government, people work tirelessly to improve our services and make them better for communities. Neighbourhood health is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in how we build an NHS, and wider health and care system, fit for the future.

[HCWS1411]

Local Government: Best Value

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)]

I have previously updated the House on this Government doing what it takes to fix the foundations of local government. That includes taking prompt and direct action when councils are failing their best value duty. In that context, today I am updating the House on the steps we are taking in Tower Hamlets.

On 19 January, I informed the House that, having carefully considered the evidence, I was concerned that a year into the statutory intervention, the council was not making sufficient progress and had not understood the severity of its situation or moved beyond planning for improvement into action and impact. I considered that the council was not yet complying with its best value duty in relation to continuous improvement, governance, leadership, culture and partnerships, and that the evidence amounted to new failure to comply with the duty in relation to its use of resources. I therefore proposed changes to the current intervention package to accelerate and strengthen the required improvement work, and invited the council and other interested parties to provide representations on the proposals by 2 February.

I received five responses. I also received the envoys’ second report, which I am publishing today. The envoys recognise the progress the council has made in some areas, including engaging more effectively with its partners, the delivery of a staff survey and the development of a more mature continuous improvement plan. They conclude, however, that

“the overall pace of change and the grip of the officer and member leadership to drive improvement is insufficient.”

They describe the council’s leadership as “unnecessarily defensive”, noting that their energy is centered on

“managing the message and writing a plan, rather than on deeper ownership of the council’s issues and driving forward key deliverables".

The envoys welcome the proposed package and believe that it will support a necessary shift in the approach of the council’s leadership.

I have carefully considered the representations, the envoys’ second report and other relevant material. I am satisfied that the council is continuing to fail to comply with its best value duty, which includes additional failure in relation to its use of resources. I am also satisfied that the council is not yet making sufficient progress or demonstrating the required level of leadership grip under the existing model of intervention. I have therefore concluded that it is both necessary and expedient for me to exercise intervention powers under the Local Government Act 1999 as I have proposed, to accelerate and strengthen the improvement work, with some minor amendments, in order to:

Streamline the governance of the intervention,

Increase the transparency and scrutiny of the council’s reporting against its improvement journey, and

Clarify the scope and intended effect of the powers being issued to the envoys.

I have today issued the council with revised directions under section 15(5) and 15(6) of the 1999 Act which in summary require the council to

Continue to implement its continuous improvement plan in a timely manner, including action to continue to address the statutory recommendations and significant weaknesses identified by the council’s external auditor

Continue to achieve improvements in scrutiny, recruitment, transparency, procurement, contract management, internal investigations, officer structure and the scheme of delegation

Co-operate with the envoys to adequately resource and deliver the deep dive project into alleged misconduct at the council

Disband its transformation and assurance board and establish an envoy-led improvement board to oversee its delivery against the ministerial directions

Take appropriate action to ensure compliance with its best value duty in relation to leadership, governance, culture, partnerships and community engagement, continuous improvement and use of resources.

To safeguard the improvement process, the envoys will be able to exercise the following functions of the council, which are to be treated by the envoys as held in reserve. In summary, these functions are associated with the

Governance, scrutiny and transparency of decision making

Strategic financial management, financial governance and scrutiny of financial decision making

Operating model and redesign of local services, and

Recruitment, appointment, structure, performance management and dismissal of senior and statutory officers.

To reflect the need for additional finance expertise and capacity in the envoy team, I will appoint an additional assistant envoy with finance expertise in due course.

For the envoy model to be successful, the council and its leadership need to grip and drive its own improvement at pace, supported, challenged and overseen by the envoys. I want to be clear in my expectation that the council’s political and officer leadership now demonstrate true acceptance and ownership of the issues and embed improvement at every level of the organisation, with clear evidence of impact and progress. I expect the envoys to see a clear change in the current behaviours of the council’s leadership, and I know they will hold them accountable if change is not forthcoming.

Additionally, I would like to highlight to all members of the council that their individual and collective contributions to the council’s improvement journey are crucial to its success. It is disappointing that some members have demonstrated a lack of commitment to improvement thus far and it is my expectation that members from all parties can put aside their personal and political differences to prioritise constructive scrutiny and debate. It is time for all members to put the residents of Tower Hamlets first and contribute wholeheartedly to the council’s improvement journey.

As we approach local and mayoral elections this May, it is of upmost importance that all interested parties work closely together to deliver safe and secure local elections. I would also like to remind the council of the importance of adhering to the code of recommended practice on local authority publicity, particularly its principles of objectivity and even-handedness, especially in times of heightened sensitivity.

The revised directions take effect from today. The envoys will provide their next report on progress in the summer, with further reports as agreed with them. As with other statutory interventions led by my Department, the council will meet the costs of the envoys and provide reasonable amenities and services and administrative support. The envoys’ fees are published on gov.uk. I am assured this provides value for money given the expertise being brought in and the scale of the challenge.

I will review the directions and the envoys’ roles at the appropriate time, to ensure Tower Hamlets has the right support to secure its recovery and to protect the public purse. Subject to clear and sustained evidence of improvement, certain functions may be returned to the council ahead of the expiration of the directions. As set out in my 19 January statement, I remain committed to working in partnership with the London borough of Tower Hamlets to provide whatever support is needed to ensure its compliance with the best value duty.

[HCWS1410]

Inclusive and Sustainable Growth: Greater Oxford

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)]

I am today setting out further steps that the Government are taking to expedite ambitious growth in Greater Oxford as part of our ongoing efforts to realise the full potential of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor.

The Oxford-Cambridge region is already a world-leading innovation corridor. Anchored by two of the world’s best universities, it is a hub for globally renowned science and technology firms, a breeding ground for internationally successful start-ups, and a magnet for talent and ambition. It has the potential to become one of the most innovative and economically dynamic areas in the world.

Maximising the full potential of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor requires us to identify and take advantage of the numerous growth opportunities that exist in the region. Oxford and its surrounding areas offer one such opportunity. Located at the western end of the corridor, Oxford already has one of the fastest-growing economies in the UK, driven by its world-leading technology, life sciences, and knowledge-intensive sectors from advanced manufacturing to artificial intelligence.

However, while the city and its environs are perfectly placed to deliver nationally significant growth to the benefit of existing and new communities and the country as a whole, numerous long-standing constraints risk undermining its full potential. These include inadequate transport connections, a lack of affordable housing, and energy and sewage capacity pressures.

In May 2025, I appointed Neale Coleman as chair of the Oxford Growth Commission and tasked him with identifying how best to unlock new development and accelerate growth across Oxford and its surrounding areas. The OGC’s interim report, published on 15 December 2025, recommended that a priority for the next 12 months should be consideration of the need for an appropriate delivery vehicle to support development in and around Oxford.

To take full advantage of Greater Oxford’s unique assets and ensure that we maximise its contribution to national economic growth, the Government are convinced that a bold place-based intervention is required to address the constraints it faces. I am therefore announcing today that we intend to consult on establishing a centrally-led development corporation to deliver nationally significant growth in Greater Oxford.

To ensure that such growth is inclusive and sustainable, and that its benefits will be felt by existing as well as new communities, we are committed to an ongoing partnership with local leaders, communities and residents. Their insights, knowledge and direct input will help shape the delivery vehicle’s ambition and focus. Should a decision be taken to establish a centrally-led development corporation, it is our intention that local democratically elected leaders would be invited to join the board. There will be opportunities to formally shape the Government’s proposals as part of the future consultation process.

Finally, to strengthen our commitment to supercharge growth in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, I am pleased to announce that the Government will double its initial £400 million investment, meaning that up to £800 million will now be available to help bring forward development in this critical economic area.

We will continue to update Parliament on the Government’s work in Greater Oxford and the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

[HCWS1412]

Family Courts: Child Focused Model

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr David Lammy)]

I am pleased to announce today the national roll-out of the child-focused model, formerly known as the private law pathfinder, in the family courts.

The child-focused model implements substantial reform to private law children’s proceedings. With the help and close collaboration of hard-working professionals across the family justice system, the model delivers improvements to the court process and to the outcomes experienced by children and parents involved in these cases, including where domestic abuse has been a feature.

This Government remain steadfast in our commitment to tackle the scourge of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. We are committed to halving VAWG within a decade, supported by systemic change across society and sustained support for victims right across the justice system. The national roll-out of the child-focused model will contribute to this through co-ordinated early identification of risk in the family court, ensuring that children are heard and that victims of domestic abuse are provided with specialist support.

The model is currently active in 10 out of 43 court areas across England and Wales, equivalent to around a quarter of relevant cases. Under the model, families benefit from a streamlined, problem-solving approach that brings forward a holistic assessment of needs and risks, and that enables the court to make safe decisions without delay. The percentage of children seen by social workers more than doubles. Victims of domestic abuse and other harms receive expert support from independent domestic violence advisers.

The model was first piloted in Dorset and North Wales in 2022, and learning from these original pilots has informed our approach to implementation in other areas. Evidence from across the existing pilot areas shows that it is working. The model reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma. The length of time that families are in proceedings has reduced significantly, with cases being resolved up to seven and a half months sooner. The backlog in pilot court areas more than halved, freeing up capacity for other proceedings. Learning suggests that the model is leading to significantly fewer cases per hearing and improvements in timeliness. The model requires all the dedicated professionals, magistrates and judges in our family courts to collaborate better and to adopt a problem-solving approach. A published process evaluation found that professionals are working more closely together and hearing the voice of the child.

The Government are committed to rolling out the child-focused model nationally over the next three years, investing £17 million in 2026-27 to fund the next expansion in the north east, the north west and the east midlands, which I announced in my statement of 25 February. This funding includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for CAFCASS and CAFCASS Cymru, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts. We will work to ensure that all areas are preparing for implementation of the model as part of a phased approach to roll-out that will see the model live across England and Wales by the end of this spending review period.

By putting victims at the heart of our approach, we are strengthening trust in the justice system and guaranteeing that the protection of children remains paramount.

[HCWS1408]

Quantum Technologies

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Liz Kendall)]

Today we are announcing the UK’s commitment to procuring and deploying large-scale quantum computers on our shores by the early 2030s, backed by up to £2 billion of Government investment in quantum technologies. These systems will be developed, built and rolled out in Britain—creating British jobs, new opportunities for British businesses, and opening new routes of investment to flow into our economy from all over the world.

This ambitious commitment is the first of its kind in the world. It will strengthen the United Kingdom’s position as a global leader in quantum technologies, supporting our modern industrial strategy. The programme will include a range of support for quantum computing, sensing and networking, including research and development grants, procurement contracts, skills investments and scale-up infrastructure upgrades. These targeted interventions will contribute to long-term economic growth, creating British jobs, new opportunities for British business and opening a new wave of investment to flow into our economy from all over the world.

As part of this, the UK is pioneering a forward-looking, advanced procurement plan for quantum computing infrastructure, backed by co-ordinated funding for R&D and manufacturing. We are uniquely connecting resources across software, hardware and error correction, supporting all development areas. This integrated strategy accelerates progress and puts British expertise ahead globally in delivering practical quantum solutions.

This first-of-its-kind quantum computing programme will launch next week, where companies will be invited to table proposals to partner with us to deliver state-of-the-art prototypes for evaluation. Prototypes will then be assessed, with the most promising companies invited to deliver larger-scale machines for use by scientists, researchers, the public sector and businesses, as part of our national computing infrastructure—transforming the UK into a hotbed for the latest cutting-edge quantum technology.

Quantum technologies offer new ways to tackle some of our most challenging problems. By harnessing the behaviours of atomic and subatomic particles, quantum technologies will be vastly more powerful for specific tasks than the most cutting-edge technology of today. This could lead to faster, more accurate and more reliable solutions across industries and will be important for national security.

These technologies are now reaching maturity, and it is our ambition to consolidate the UK’s leadership in this area to unlock breakthroughs for the UK in areas such as medical diagnostics, treatments and the discovery of new materials for clean energy.



For the UK specifically, Oxford Economics estimates that quantum computers could increase productivity across the UK economy by up to 7% by 2045, potentially delivering up to £212 billion of gross value added to the economy and 100,000 new jobs.

This Government are committed to ensuring that the UK can be one of the first countries in the world to benefit from the transformative potential of quantum technologies, and the plan that we have set out today will deliver on this.

[HCWS1409]