Written Statements

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

Thursday 19 March 2026

Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)]

On 8 July last year, my predecessor announced the Government’s intention to launch a redress scheme for postmasters’ family members who were most severely affected by the Horizon scandal. This statement provides further information to the House about the scheme’s form, scope and eligibility criteria. While the scheme remains focused on personal injury, we have made significant changes that will make it easier for more family members to qualify for redress.

This scheme follows the Government’s acceptance of recommendation 18 in volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report (that financial redress should be provided to close family members of those most adversely impacted by the Horizon scandal), and of similar recommendations made by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board.

Over the past months, my officials and I have been working with stakeholders, including the Lost Chances group, Horizon redress claimants lawyers and the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, to develop a fair approach to redress that recognises the difficulties that some people may find in providing evidence of the harm which they have suffered. In doing so, we have drawn on lessons from other Government schemes to ensure that this scheme delivers timely, accessible support, while minimising the potentially re-traumatising impact of a lengthy claim process.

The outline scheme announced by my predecessor focused on personal injury—which in many cases we expect to mean damage to mental health. That earlier version of the scheme would have allowed applications to be made based only on contemporaneous evidence of medical issues or a fresh assessment of an ongoing medical condition arising from Horizon.

Stakeholders have told us that very few people would be able to provide this type of evidence. In response, we have created an alternative route to redress for people whose postmaster relatives faced some of the most stressful specific consequences of the Horizon scandal (such as prosecution or bankruptcy) and were therefore more likely to have experienced significant harm. So long as we can confirm the event experienced by the claimant’s postmaster relative, we will not require them to evidence any further harm.

Because we are not asking such claimants for specific evidence of any harm for events-based claims, we cannot differentiate between claims. We will therefore offer flat-rate “recognition payments” to people who claim through this route. This simple approach may result in some individuals receiving an amount that differs from what they would have been awarded following the assessment of a personal injury claim. However, given the evidential problems, the alternative would have been to give them no compensation at all. Those who do have evidence will still be able to apply for an assessed personal injury claim and provide contemporaneous evidence of medical issues arising from Horizon, or a fresh assessment for any ongoing medical condition, as outlined by my predecessor.

I believe this enhanced scheme for family members is the best approach, striking the right balance between a low-evidence approach and an individual personal injury assessment to meet our original promise—and Sir Wyn Williams’s recommendation—to support family members of those most severely affected by the Horizon scandal.

I have today written to the Lost Chances group setting out details of our proposals. I am placing a copy of my letter in the Library of each House, and have copied it to the Chair of the Business and Trade Committee. The letter is published at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/horizon-family-members-redress-scheme

Restorative Justice

The Department’s response to volume 1 of the report of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry announced that with the Post Office and Fujitsu we had jointly embarked on a restorative justice project for postmasters, facilitated by the Restorative Justice Council. On 31 October 2025 the RJC published a report on the pilot phase of that programme, which set out what postmasters wanted from a restorative justice programme. They have continued to engage with postmasters in the intervening period.

The RJC is today publishing a second report which gives a further account of many postmasters’ terrible experiences of the impacts of this scandal, considers how a restorative justice programme can help, and describes what will now be delivered. As was always our intention, the programme is very much postmaster-led.

The Department, the Post Office and Fujitsu have agreed to support the programme both financially and practically for up to five years initially. Responsibility for funding will be shared between the three organisations. Fujitsu’s financing of the programme is separate from their contribution to compensation, which will be agreed once the Williams inquiry has reported.

I am placing a copy of the Restorative Justice Council report in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS1420]

UK Steel Strategy

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Peter Kyle)]

The Government are today announcing a comprehensive set of measures to secure and enhance the long-term future of UK steel-making, strengthen national security and position the UK as a world leader in clean, modern steel production.

Steel production has played a central role in the UK’s history and is essential to our economic success and national security. It underpins key growth-driving sectors of the industrial strategy, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence and digital technologies. The sector supports thousands of skilled jobs and remains integral to communities across the country. It is a bedrock of our economic resilience and national security.

Despite its strategic importance, the UK steel sector has faced 20 years of decline. High operating costs and global over-capacity have significantly affected the competitiveness and viability of the UK steel industry, and manufacturers have increasingly turned to imported steel at artificially low prices. This situation has contributed to reduced investment, diminished capabilities and severe impacts on steel-making communities. Crude steel production has fallen by more than 50% over the last decade. Successive Governments have intervened to support individual companies, but have not addressed the underlying causes of decline across the sector, or fostered broader, long-term conditions for a sustainable domestic industry.

While the sector faces challenges, this Government do not accept that decline is inevitable. That is why we have today published our new steel strategy, which sets out a comprehensive plan to reverse historical trends and build a strong and resilient industry, supported by up to £2.5 billion of Government investment, in addition to £500 million for Tata Steel.

A key part of the strategy is the introduction of a new trade measure to ensure the future of domestic steel production in the face of global over-capacity, given the sector’s central role in critical national infrastructure, defence, and economic resilience. From 1 July 2026, overall quota levels for steel imports will be significantly reduced by 60% compared with the safeguard, and steel coming into the UK above these levels will be subject to a 50% tariff. This measure will apply to imported steel products that can be made in the UK.

A stable, thriving steel sector will provide a secure supply of high-quality steel to downstream customers. The tariff will apply only once import quotas have been met, which will facilitate continued imports for industries that rely on them, including those in the automotive, construction and defence sectors.

Following engagement with downstream importers, we are exploring a transitional arrangement under which the new tariff would not apply to goods under contract agreed before 14 March and imported between 1 July and 30 September 2026. We are finalising the details to ensure that the agreement provides genuine support to firms facing unexpected costs, while still protecting the UK market from excessive imports. Our quotas will be administered on a quarterly basis, with roll-over between quarters within the same accounting year. We will also review the measure after 12 months to ensure that it remains effective.

Alongside the new trade measure being announced today, the Government will also launch a process at the World Trade Organisation under article 28 of the general agreement on tariffs trade to negotiate and agree an increase in the UK’s maximum most favoured nation steel tariffs to 50%. This will create the space for applied MFN tariffs to be increased in the future, protecting domestic industry in the long run from the impacts of global over-capacity.

The Government’s approach is the result of extensive engagement with the Steel Council, trade unions and businesses, and with responses to the recent call for evidence on supply chain needs. It aligns with the Government industrial strategy and trade strategy, which supports resilient supply chains and secure growth in critical sectors.

The UK is not alone in taking steps to improve the security and resilience of the steel sector. Our neighbours and allies face the same challenges from over-capacity, which is challenging global markets. The European Union announced its own measure on steel trade last year. We are acting on the basis of shared concerns. That is why we are focused on engaging constructively with the EU, with whom our supply chains are so connected.

This trade measure, alongside our wider strategy, will reinforce the UK steel sector’s resilience and help us meet our ambition for domestic production to meet 40% to 50% of the UK’s steel demand. Achieving these goals will also require investment in the sector’s future. Building on the direct support the Government have provided so far, the National Wealth Fund will be the main mechanism for providing further financing for investment in the steel sector. The NWF is actively seeking engagement with steel firms and is looking to crowd in significant private capital to support the sector.

The Government have reformed the clean industry bonus to create new incentives for manufacturers to invest in UK steel in domestic wind turbines and wind farms. In parallel, electric arc furnace capacity will be expanded, recognising that stabilisation of the sector will mean a transition to more highly productive, decarbonised steel-making. As we see at Sheffield Forgemasters, electric arc furnaces have the technical capability we need to produce steel at the highest of standards, including for safety-critical sectors such as nuclear, aerospace and defence.

Blast furnace capacity will continue to be required in the immediate term, and the Government will therefore pursue a managed transition to ensure security of supply.

The strategy also places renewed emphasis on recycling. Greater use of domestically available scrap steel is a major opportunity for growth, and the Government, through the creation of a new working group, is engaging with industry, academia and other stakeholders to ensure this potential is fully realised. We are announcing a new innovation working group, chaired by an expert to increase collaboration between our research community and industry. It will develop a clear direction for steel research and development. Through the Steel Council, we will foster collaboration between industry, devolved Governments and wider stakeholders to address the sector’s workforce requirements.

To improve the business environment, the Government are addressing the long-standing challenge of high energy costs as set out in the industrial strategy. Under our clean energy superpower mission, we will increase our energy security and reduce electricity bills by investing in clean energy and strengthening our connections to the EU energy market. While we will focus on translating the cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills, we also recognise the need to act quickly to support sectors with high growth potential and significant exposure to high electricity prices.

The British industry supercharger policy has already delivered substantial savings for steel-making firms, and further benefits will follow from forthcoming changes to the network charging compensation scheme; the British industrial competitiveness scheme, which could save eligible firms up to £40 per megawatt hour from April 2027; and continued support for the energy intensive industries compensation scheme, announced in the Budget, which has delivered financial support for steel businesses since 2013, and will continue to deliver electricity costs support for steel companies. These measures help reduce electricity costs for steel companies to make them more competitive.

The Government recognise that public investment alone cannot deliver the scale of renewal required. New private sector investment is essential to increasing capacity and capability and stabilising the sector. Britain welcomes new entrants to the market, supported by Government finance where appropriate. We will continue to work closely with the devolved Governments in Wales and Scotland to attract further investment.

The steel strategy sets out a vision of Government, industry and communities working together to make the UK steel sector more attractive to investors, more financially stable and more internationally competitive. This vision is already being realised. UK Export Finance has today signed a major financing agreement with Nigeria for the refurbishment of two major ports. Under this arrangement, British Steel Ltd will supply 120,000 tonnes of steel billets, a contract worth £70 million and the largest British steel order that UKEF has ever backed.

The steel strategy will support the country’s broader ambitions in infrastructure, defence and technology. Steel produced in the UK will be required for the delivery of 1.5 million new homes, and for the approved third runway at Heathrow, which alone will require 400,000 tonnes of steel. Steel made in the UK will be key to delivering the AUKUS submarine programme, a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the United States. The strategy will also support new data centres and gigafactories, including the Agratas facility in Oxfordshire, where 23,000 tonnes of steel, fully sourced from the UK, have already been used in construction.

The Government are taking action to secure the future of the UK steel industry, recognising its importance to the nation’s economic and national security. Britain’s industrial past was built on steel, and our future will be too.

[HCWS1419]

Manchester Digital Campus

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister without Portfolio (Anna Turley)]

Today I want to inform the House that the Manchester digital campus programme is progressing well following the formal approval of its outline business case.

This programme will change how Government works, bringing together Departments with a major digital focus on a new, purpose-built site in central Manchester. It supports our places for growth policy, wider Government priorities, and our Government digital and data strategy. The Manchester digital campus is expected to open in 2032.

By consolidating our footprint and moving high-quality decision-making roles out of London, this transformation will drive long-term estate efficiencies and deliver a more resilient shared infrastructure.

We will continue to work closely with local partners and across Government to ensure the campus delivers value for money and a clear strategic advantage for the United Kingdom. We will keep the House updated.

[HCWS1422]

UK Common Frameworks Publication

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Chris Ward)]

Following sustained and constructive dialogue with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive, I am informing the House that three frameworks have been published by the UK Government on behalf of the Scottish and Welsh Governments, and the Northern Ireland Executive:

Blood safety and quality common framework

Organs, tissues and cells common framework

Late payment common framework

This brings the total number of finalised common frameworks to eight. This is in addition to four bilateral common frameworks finalised with the Northern Ireland Executive and published on 26 February by the Department for Transport: rail technical standards; commercial transport and operator licensing; driver licensing; and motor insurance.

These documents have been updated to reflect changes in both policy and legislation since the common frameworks were laid for scrutiny, and accommodate many of the recommendations made, not only by the UK Parliament, but also legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, changes have occurred in key areas such as the Windsor framework replacing the Northern Ireland protocol. The Windsor framework has reduced regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for goods remaining in the UK. The standard text was updated in the relevant common frameworks following agreement by the four Governments.

The continued efforts and joint working by the four Governments have enabled the operation of the full programme of common frameworks since they were provisionally published in 2021-22. The final publication of these frameworks is an excellent example of strong communication and collaboration. It demonstrates that together, the four Governments of the United Kingdom can take the right decisions for the benefit of citizens and businesses, protecting the integrity of the UK internal market.

For completeness, it was agreed between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive that the specified quantities common framework was no longer required as this had little risk of divergence, and the four Governments also agreed that the mutual recognition of professional qualifications framework is not required at this time.

As we look ahead, we are focused on the future transparency of the programme. The UK Government are clear that this should not only allow the four legislatures of the UK insight into the effectiveness of common frameworks, but also ensure that all relevant stakeholders with a specific industry interest can utilise this information.

Finally, the UK Government are firmly committed to the speedy finalisation of the remaining common frameworks. We continue to work with the devolved Governments to complete the remainder of the programme and the Government will update the House on those developments in due course.

[HCWS1421]

Northern Growth Strategy: Next Steps

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (James Murray)]

My noble friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Livermore) has today made the following written ministerial statement.

On Tuesday 17 March, the Chancellor updated Parliament on the Government’s economic plan to increase living standards, build resilience and bolster the security of the UK economy. I am today setting out more detail on a core part of that plan—how the Government will drive growth in the north of England, working alongside local leaders, as part of our wider regional growth strategy.

Today the Government have laid the “Northern Growth Strategy: Next Steps” (CP 1549). As set out in the “Northern Growth Strategy: Case for Change” (CP 1485) published in January, there is significant national benefit to boosting growth in the north. Just growing the north’s five most populous mayoral strategic authority areas’ productivity to the national average could add around £40 billion per year in gross value added, alongside around £15 billion per year in fiscal revenues. That is why the Government have put the north of England at the centre of their regional growth plans including through unlocking the northern growth corridor, stretching from York to Liverpool across the Pennines; and making the most of unique strengths in the north-east, and wider north.

The publication laid today sets out how investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail will serve as the backbone for economic transformation across the region, alongside action to grow and densify northern cities, to back industrial strategy clusters where they excel, and to decentralise our political system and put real power in the hands of local leaders. This publication begins a new phase of deeper engagement with a wide range of local partners, to further develop the northern growth strategy, with a further update intended for the autumn.

The document sets out the next steps the Government are taking now, to support their strategy, including through:

City Investment Funds

The city investment funds, announced earlier this week by the Chancellor, provide £2.3 billion of new grant, loan and patient capital funding, with up to £1.7 billion going directly to mayors of the largest city regions in the north, to unlock large-scale city centre development, in particular where there are issues around viability.

The fund will bring together different types of finance, deployed flexibly to accelerate projects, expand city-centre housing and office markets, and support major regeneration schemes across the north, including:

The Victoria North development in Manchester, one of the largest city-centre regeneration schemes in the UK

Transformation of Liverpool central gateway and sites at the Knowledge Quarter

Regeneration and densification around Leeds City station, Leeds South Bank, and the new Bradford Northern Powerhouse Rail station

Developing projects in the Don Valley corridor, Sheffield city centre innovation spine, and Rotherham town centre

Accelerating development across the proposed mayoral development zone spanning Newcastle and Gateshead, with Gateshead Quays and Forth Yards as flagship anchors.

By combining early catalytic funding with a long term focus on reinvestment, city investment funds will support sustainable growth, crowd in private capital, and help cities realise their full economic potential.

Industrial Strategy Cluster Partnerships

The Government are backing five areas in the north, supported by £150 million clusters investment from the British Business Bank, supercharging growth driving sectors where they already excel. New place based partnerships will be established with local leaders, businesses and universities to strengthen and accelerate growth in the north’s globally competitive industrial strategy clusters. For example:

Transforming Greater Manchester into a “global growth cluster” in life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital and technologies, including through investing hundreds of millions into the development of Manchester digital campus. The campus will bring together 8,800 civil servants and Ministers in the heart of the city, solidifying Manchester’s status as a digital and AI hub, bringing more high-skilled jobs to the area, and saving the taxpayer billions through consolidating existing estate.

Strengthening Liverpool city region’s role as a leading centre for life sciences and digital technologies, including through investment in a new national cryogenics facility that will help establish the north-west as a hub for ultra-low temperature research, expected to attract investment from sectors such as quantum, healthcare and fusion; creating high-quality jobs and boosting our national security.

Supporting West Yorkshire’s financial services and professional and business services “Northern Square Mile” in Leeds, promoting it as a destination for global financial services businesses supported by the Office for Investment: Financial Services concierge service.

Working with partners to further develop the clean-energy “supercluster” across the north-east, Tees Valley, York and North Yorkshire, and the Humber. The Government will work in partnership with local leaders and businesses to attract and develop clean energy industries investment and infrastructure into the region.

Building on South Yorkshire’s strengths in advanced manufacturing and defence through its £50 million defence growth deal to strengthen sovereign manufacturing capability. This will boost the region’s strengths in the research, development and engineering of materials critical to the next generation of defence capabilities.

Fiscal Devolution

Looking ahead to the Budget, the Chancellor confirmed that she has asked Treasury officials to work with mayors and businesses to develop a road map for future fiscal devolution. This will set out plans to give regional leaders a share of the revenue from some national taxes and will consider income tax alongside other taxes. The Chancellor’s objective is to provide mayors with the long-term financial certainty that they need to invest in a way that is practical and responsible. Therefore this work will be guided by four key principles: empowerment, accountability, sustainability and fairness.

The Government will continue to develop the northern growth strategy in partnership with local stakeholders. To support this, an invitation for views is being launched alongside the document laid today. This sets out a series of questions around connectivity, regeneration and densification of cities, business investment, skills, and culture. The invitation for views will close on 31 July 2026. The Government will review responses over the summer to strengthen the approach, ahead of a further update in the autumn.

Across the north, places are demonstrating what sustained investment, strong local leadership and clear long-term direction can achieve. The challenge now is to build on that momentum and scale it up at pace. We look forward to working together with mayors and local partners on this collective endeavour over the coming months.

The report is published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northern-growth-strategy-case-for-change/northern-growth-strategy-case-for-change

[HCWS1423]

Official Development Assistance Programme Allocations 2026 to 2029

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Yvette Cooper)]

In recent years, the world has been reshaped by global instability. Faced with growing global security threats the Government last year took the decision to increase spending on defence by reducing official development assistance to the equivalent of 0.3% of gross national income by 2027. The UK will return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when fiscal circumstances allow.

Our commitment to international development is as important as ever—it reflects UK values, supporting those in conflict and extreme poverty, and is also in the UK national interest because in an interconnected world, crises and instability across the world undermine our security and prosperity at home. Over the past year we have taken the time to review our priorities and redefine how we work. We are modernising and improving our approach to development to have the greatest impact abroad and secure the best value for money for taxpayers at home.

The spending review 2025 set the FCDO’s ODA budget from 2026-27 to 2028-29; it will no longer be automatically adjusted for unforeseen changes to the ODA budget. The new cross-Government ODA delivery and impact board chaired by the Minister for Development will ensure all departments work coherently together. This means we have been able to set three years of ODA programme allocations, providing teams with the predictability required to effectively manage the transition to 0.3% of GNI. All future plans are subject to revision as, by its nature, the Department’s work is dynamic. Programme allocations are continually reviewed to respond to changing global needs, including humanitarian crises and other ODA allocation decisions.

In the attachment available online, see table 1: cross-Government ODA programme allocations.

Priority themes

Our priorities remain humanitarian, global health, and climate and nature, underpinned by economic development. We are prioritising support for fragile and conflict-affected areas and linking it to conflict and atrocities prevention. We will ensure that women and girls are central to development decisions.

The UK plans to spend approximately £1.4 billion each year in the places with the highest humanitarian need over the next three years, in addition to our planned commitment to the UN and Red Cross for humanitarian work. Over the next three years, the UK will spend around £6 billion of ODA as international climate finance. We will balance support between mitigation and adaptation and maintain a focus on nature. By using different instruments and levers, we will aim to generate an additional £6.7 billion of UK backed climate and nature positive investments and to mobilise billions more in private finance.

We have fully protected central programme spending on violence against women and girls, women peace and security, and preventing sexual violence in conflict. We are strengthening our approach to mainstreaming gender equality across the FCDO’s work and have raised our ambitions, committing that at least 90% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes will contribute to gender equality by 2030.

Multilateral ODA programming

We are increasing the share of FCDO’s programme ODA which we spend through multilateral organisations, targeted strategically towards the most effective multilateral organisations. We have already confirmed we will honour our pledge to IDA’s 21st replenishment, an increase of 40% from our previous contribution. We are pledging £650 million to the African Development Fund, as the largest donor to a record replenishment of $11 billion.

We have already pledged £1.25 billion to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We also announced in November our commitment of £850 million from 2026 to 2028 for the eighth replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. We will continue to support the World Health Organisation and UN Population Fund in delivering vital support on reproductive and maternal health. To prioritise the most effective investments, we plan to end our funding to the pandemic fund, the global polio eradication initiative, and support these objectives through other investments. We will match our current pledge for the 2027 to 2030 period to Education Cannot Wait, delivering an effective humanitarian response to education in crisis settings. In due course, we will set out our multilateral plans on climate and other education multilateral organisations when negotiations are further advanced.

In the attachment available online, see table 2: planned multilateral ODA programming.

Country and regional ODA programming

FCDO bilateral ODA allocations are reducing as a proportion of our ODA budget. We will prioritise our country and regional ODA where humanitarian needs are most acute—to reach those in greatest need and reduce the harm caused by violence and atrocities. The proportion of spending in fragile and conflict-affected states will increase by around 13 percentage points to over 70% of all country and regional spending by 2028-29.

Set within the UK’s 100-year partnership with Ukraine, we remain committed to providing vital humanitarian, development and economic support to Ukraine. We have protected Ukraine’s bilateral ODA allocation at £240 million per year. In addition, FCDO will provide $2 billion of loan guarantees through the World Bank to help meet Ukraine’s 2026 financing needs. FCDO has also allocated over £109 million ODA over three years to Ukraine from the integrated security fund and British International Investment has committed £250 million over five years. The UK remains ready to play its part in fully supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal aggression, provides for its population under constant bombardment, and rebuilds its economy and society. The UK will explore financing options to Ukraine to ensure support remains durable and as effective as possible in addressing Ukraine’s most pressing needs.

We are limiting our reduction of bilateral aid to humanitarian crises across the middle east. We are fully protecting our allocation to Palestine. The UK is committed to providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, supporting Gaza’s early recovery, and strengthen Palestinian institutions, governance, accountability, and civil society, including reform of the Palestinian Authority. In Lebanon, we will protect funding at current levels during the ongoing crisis. The UK’s humanitarian programme in Lebanon provides lifesaving support, while strengthening national disaster preparedness and shock responsive social protection systems, in turn reducing the drivers of irregular migration.

We are fully protecting our allocation to Sudan. UK ODA is responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis alongside making progress towards ending hostilities and laying the foundations for a political process and civilian-led transition, protecting civilians and mitigating regional threats.

In a range of countries, we will transition away from spending high levels of grant ODA, but our ambition and effort will remain high, delivering through modernised partnerships, and making the most of what the whole UK has to offer. We will also make the shift to investment and mutually beneficial partnerships and phase out FCDO bilateral country allocations to G20 countries, except in Turkey where we help to share the burden on account of their hosting of refugees.

This approach means that the proportion of FCDO country and regional ODA allocated to Africa will reduce. However, we are pivoting our multilateral ODA even further towards the African continent including the African Development Bank and the World Bank’s International Development Association, which delivers two-thirds of its financing in Africa. The UK’s new Africa approach recognises that delivering strong partnerships requires looking beyond aid, consistent with our modern international development approach. It is a shift towards modern, equal partnerships based on shared interests—growth, security, climate, and global reform—using the full range of UK tools, not just ODA.

As we rethink and reset our approach, we will shift from donor to investor and providing expertise rather than grants. We will support systems capacity building rather than service delivery and support local solutions. Areas where partnerships are in place, but bilateral funds have been substantially reduced, will have the opportunity to draw on the communities of expertise, central funding and mobilise British International Investment and climate finance.

In the attachment available online see table 3: planned country and regional ODA programme allocations.

Thematic directorates

To support our international development reset, FCDO’s ODA programming managed from headquarters has been restructured to focus on: the delivery of effective multilateral programming and reform of the international development system; programmes that support financial leverage and private capital mobilisation, and the provision of a responsive offer to partners in areas where the UK can add value or broker expertise. Communities of expertise will help our posts bring the most innovative and practical thinking to joint problem solving with their hosts. Financial transactions will fund investment in developing economies.

We will prioritise our ODA-funded research and development where high-quality evidence, science and innovation can deliver the greatest impact for people most in need, and where the UK has a clear strategic role to play. Through the global research and technology development portfolio, we will invest in high potential R&D to tackle shared global challenges, focusing primarily on fragile and conflict affected contexts in Africa and south and west Asia, where poverty, insecurity and climate risks are increasingly concentrated.

In the attachment available online, see table 4: thematic directorates.

Arm’s length bodies, public corporations, private sector investments, subscriptions

In addition to the regional and thematic directorate programming set out above, the FCDO delivers through arm’s length bodies such as the British Council, public corporations such as the BBC World Service and through the UK’s development finance institution, British International Investment, which will deliver on the UK’s shift from donor to investor.

This Government will increase ODA and non-ODA funding for the BBC World Service, providing an additional £33 million in total across the spending review period, or £11 million per year for the next three years. That means this Government have increased its contribution to BBC World Service funding by 42% since coming to power, showing how highly we value it. This Government are also providing a non-ODA uplift of £40 million across the spending review period to the British Council. This supports our objective of a financially sustainable British Council for the long-term.

In the attachment available online, see table 5: arm’s length bodies, private sector investments, subscriptions.

Attachments can be viewed online at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2026-03-19/HCWS1425/

[HCWS1425]

Probation Delivery

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

My noble Friend, the Minister of State for Justice (Lord Timpson), has today made the following statement:

The Government are committed to strengthening public protection and ensuring the Probation Service has the tools and capacity it needs to keep communities safe, protect victims and change lives.

Today I am setting out a package of reforms that will deliver tougher, more targeted supervision for offenders who pose the greatest risk, expand the use of electronic monitoring to improve management of offenders in the community, and ensure probation officers can focus their time where it has the biggest impact on public safety.

For too long, the Probation Service has operated under immense pressure. Years of unsuccessful structural reforms, rising caseloads, outdated systems, and chronic under-investment under the previous Government left the service overstretched and without the tools to manage risk effectively. These pressures were exacerbated by the wider criminal justice system challenges we inherited, including the prison capacity crisis.

This Government have already taken decisive action to stabilise the system, including through the independent sentencing review and the Sentencing Act. We are now going further to ensure the Probation Service can better supervise those most likely to reoffend, strengthening protection for victims and the wider public across the country.

The Government are investing up to £700 million into probation and the community by 2028-29—a 45% increase on current funding —which will be spent on measures including tagging, accommodation, and a new commitment to onboard at least 1,300 additional new trainee probation officers in 2026-27. This is on top of the 1,000 brought in in 2024-25 and the 1,300 committed to for 2025-26, which we are making progress on.

A central part of strengthening the Probation Service is professionalising the workforce, building upon its legacy of over 100 years of dedicated service but equipped with skills to reduce reoffending in the 21st century. Later this year the Government will publish a consultation on introducing external regulation for the Probation Service, to gather views on the most effective approach and legislation required. External regulation would aim to strengthen public understanding and provide formal recognition of the status of probation practitioners. This fulfils a long-standing commitment to recognise the professionalism, qualifications, knowledge and skills required for the unique role of a probation practitioner, in providing trusted advice to the courts and protecting the public. Regulation would enhance confidence in the workforce and secure parity with other recognised professions.

The Government are also committed to ensuring that probation staff are safe at work and we are taking action to protect them. We are installing visitor lockers in all probation contact areas to reduce the risk of weapons being brought into interview spaces, and rolling out bleed control kits and defibrillators to every probation office. In addition, we will pilot enhanced safety and security measures in seven probation offices from April 2026, including the use of archway scanners, handheld wands, body-worn video cameras for unpaid work staff, and enhanced personal safety training focused on de-escalation and aggression management.

These improvements form the groundwork for a more resilient and effective Probation Service that enables staff to build the right relationships to motivate change and spot early signs of escalating risk. Building on this foundation, and the encouraging signs of improved performance already emerging across probation regions during recent ministerial visits, the Government are today announcing a set of measures that will significantly strengthen how offenders are supervised in the community.

First, we are significantly strengthening the service’s electronic monitoring capabilities. Performance of the service is now significantly improved and, as part of up to £700 million investment in probation by 2028-29, we will introduce a presumption that all offenders released from prison will be tagged for the period of time they would have been in custody. This is unless probation practitioners deem it unsuitable for that individual. This step alone will mean thousands more offenders are electronically monitored on release. To enable this the Government will invest £100 million to deliver the largest expansion in the use of electronic monitoring in the service’s history to enhance public safety.

The Government will invest £5 million of this £100 million to pilot proximity monitoring within this Parliament, as committed to in the Government’s 10-year violence against women and girls strategy. This new technology—used to different extents internationally in countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, and Australia—enables us to know if an offender comes within a preset distance of a victim, adding a further layer of protection for victims of high-harm domestic abuse and providing a further powerful tool for managing risk.

We are also expanding intensive monitoring for priority groups where technology can provide even stronger safeguards. This includes the national roll-out of our domestic abuse perpetrators on licence (DAPOL) pilot, which will extend from eight probation regions to all 12 across England and Wales. This programme gives probation staff the ability to tag any offender they assess as posing a domestic abuse risk, not only those with a domestic abuse-related conviction. Tags can be used to impose curfews confining the offender to an address between certain times, require the offender to stay away from specific locations such as the victim’s home or workplace, and provide constant whereabouts monitoring to see exactly where they have been. Probation staff working with victims report high confidence in the scheme—83% say that tagging provides victims with greater peace of mind, and 75% say it has improved victim protection.

Further, we are expanding the use of technology to tackle some of the most persistent and harmful offences in our communities. The acquisitive crime pilot, already operating across 19 police force areas, sees burglars, robbers and thieves required to wear GPS tags which map their movements against the locations of recent unsolved offences. Any matches are shared with the police to support their investigations. This acts as a strong deterrent to reoffending with our impact evaluation suggesting that the pilot has cut reoffending by this group by 20%. From autumn 2027, the pilot will be rolled out further, being made available to all 43 police force areas by the end of this Parliament.

We are also improving the way electronic monitoring data is shared. The new electronic monitoring data insights tool will provide probation staff with quick access to electronic monitoring and behavioural information. Timely sharing of behaviour patterns—such as licence condition violations—will help staff make better decisions and support rehabilitation through earlier interventions, while easing their workload by replacing inefficient data collection processes. A small pilot will start in June 2026, and we aim to fully roll out by autumn 2026.

Alongside expanding tagging, we are taking steps to improve offender supervision. Persistent pressures on the Probation Service have meant that staff have not been able to deliver the levels of face-to-face supervision expected with all offenders. Between 2023 and 2025, 31% of target probation appointments did not take place due to unmanageable workloads. The position has been improving—the proportion of target appointments not completed fell from 35% in 2023, to 31% in 2024, and 27% in 2025. However, the system remains under significant strain. We must take further steps to ensure our most dangerous offenders receive the frequency and quality of supervision required to manage their risk effectively.

We are therefore making a number of key changes to ensure staff time is focused where it has the greatest impact on public safety. First, we are changing the way staff assess overall offender risk, integrating the use of statistical tools to the risk assessment processes. These tools will support practitioners when making their clinical assessments by providing information on an individual’s reoffending likelihood. Secondly, we will ensure we can deliver the face-to-face expectation with our highest-risk offenders through an overall rebalancing of staff time away from lower-risk offenders. This rebalancing will help us to set out expectations for probation supervision which are genuinely deliverable for staff, and which will protect the public by ensuring those most at risk of serious reoffending receive the most supervision.

There are two core safeguards we have considered in the design of these measures. First, practitioner judgment remains at the heart of the risk assessment process—those identified as posing the highest risk of reoffending and harm by probation staff will always receive the strictest supervision. Equally, in keeping with this Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, offenders we know have a history of domestic abuse will never be eligible for our lowest levels of supervision. These measures will help us to strengthen public protection practice, protect victims, and strengthen probation supervision by targeting it to where we can have the greatest impact.

Taken together, this package of reforms represents a major shift towards a more resilient, better-targeted and modern Probation Service—one that harnesses the expertise of its practitioners, makes full use of modern technology, and enables staff to build the right relationships to motivate change and spot early signs of escalating risk. By focusing probation’s resources where they are needed most and ensuring closer oversight of offenders who pose the greatest risk, we will strengthen public protection, support long-term reductions in reoffending, and give victims greater confidence and reassurance.

[HCWS1424]

Covid-19 Inquiry: Module 3 Report

Thursday 19th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Prime Minister (Keir Starmer)]

The chair of the UK Covid-19 inquiry has today published the inquiry’s module 3 report, which examined the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on healthcare systems in the four nations of the UK.

The chair emphasises

“the unbearable stress and distress to patients, their loved ones and the healthcare workers looking after them.”

She pays tribute to the extraordinary efforts of all those working in the healthcare systems across the UK. I too recognise the loss and pain people experienced during the pandemic, and the extraordinary efforts of health workers across the four nations. The disruption and effects of covid-19 on our society were profound, and its effects were particularly felt through the health and social care system.

The chair has found that the UK entered the pandemic ill-prepared and with highly stretched healthcare systems, and that the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare systems of the UK was devastating. The chair concludes that the UK needs better pre-pandemic planning. She recommends measures to strengthen national preparedness for future pandemics, with clear accountability for the provision of guidance on infection prevention and control, an ethical framework for resource allocation, improved data systems for risk stratification, and tested plans to rapidly scale hospital and urgent and emergency care capacity. She also recommends measures to protect patients and health workers, including guidance on visiting restrictions, standardised advance care planning, transparent reporting of health worker deaths, better preparation for FFP3 mask fit-testing, and psychological and emotional support for healthcare staff.

This Government are committed to learning the lessons from the inquiry and ensuring the NHS and the social care sector are prepared for a future pandemic. We will work with our colleagues in the devolved Governments as we carefully consider the recommendations in the report. It is clear that the NHS and the social care sector remain under pressure across the UK, and in many cases healthcare services are still recovering from the pandemic. This Government are committed to investment and reform to build a health service in England that is fit for the future and there for people when they need it.

I would like to thank Baroness Hallett and her team for their thorough work on this report. The Government will carefully consider all the findings and recommendations of the report and respond in due course.

I have laid a copy of the report before both Houses of Parliament.

[HCWS1426]