Written Statements

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

Tuesday 13 October 2026

Plan to Make Work Pay: Implementation

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for the Future of Work (Kate Dearden)]

Employment laws have not kept pace with modern working patterns. Too many workers lack the protections they need at work, while responsible businesses face unfair competition from those willing to exploit gaps in outdated employment laws. Our plan to make work pay is modernising employment rights to respond to a changing labour market and create a fairer, more secure economy for workers and businesses. The Employment Rights Act 2025 is extending employment protections already offered by many of Britain’s best employers to millions more workers, helping to raise living standards and support fair competition between businesses.

Many of these reforms are already making a real difference for workers, including the 1.3 million more workers now eligible for statutory sick pay, who previously earned too little to qualify, and the 32,000 fathers and partners who are now entitled to paternity leave from day one in a new job.

In August, electronic and workplace balloting for statutory trade union ballots came into effect. This allows statutory trade union ballots to be conducted electronically and in the workplace, rather than relying solely on postal voting.

Today, the UK Government are outlining further progress in the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025, as part of the plan to make work pay, updating Parliament on the publication of Government responses to consultations on bereavement leave, flexible working, and the employer duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union. This written ministerial statement also provides an overview of the recently launched whistleblowing consultations, and the tipping consultation that was launched during the parliamentary recess. Further detail on each is provided in this statement.

Consultation 1: Whistleblowing

The whistleblowing framework in the Employment Rights Act 1996, which applies in England, Wales and Scotland, protects workers who make disclosures about wrongdoing in the public interest from dismissal or other detriment by their employer.

Many stakeholders have argued that the framework, which has remained largely unchanged since it came into force in 1999, may require reform. They have suggested that protections for workers are insufficient, that employers are not required to have whistleblowing procedures in place, and that the framework can be difficult to navigate for both workers and employers.

The UK Government have therefore launched a consultation to seek evidence and views on a range of potential reforms. The consultation also seeks views on the design of a proposed Serious Fraud Office scheme to provide financial rewards to individuals who report economic crime to the agency, and on associated criminal offences. This is in response to recommendations by Jonathan Fisher KC in part 2 of the independent review of disclosure and fraud offences, published by the Home Office in July 2026.

The consultation launched on 12 October and will run until 8 January 2027.

Consultation 2: Tipping

Too often, workers do not get a say in how tips and service charges are distributed in the workplace. This can make a big difference to what employees take home each month and wider workplace cohesion. This is particularly an issue in the hospitality sector, which makes up one of Britain’s largest workforces. We are changing that by introducing a new requirement for employers to consult with workers at their place of business when developing or revising their written tipping policies.

On 19 August, the UK Government launched a public consultation on tipping, which ran until 29 September. This consultation sought views on the revised statutory code of practice on fair and transparent distribution of tips. The new draft code takes into account: these new requirements on worker consultation and tipping policies; the views expressed during our previous public consultation, which was held between February and April 2026; and other developments in tipping industries since the current regime came into effect in October 2024.

We will carefully consider all representations before bringing into effect a final version before Parliament later this year, thereby enabling workers and employers to effectively exercise these new rights.

Government Response 1: Bereavement Leave

There is currently no statutory right for employees to take bereavement leave following a death or pregnancy loss, except for parents who lose a child aged under 18, or stillborn from 24 weeks. The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a power to create a new day one right to bereavement leave for the loss of other loved ones, including pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, guaranteeing employees the right to take time off to grieve and the security of knowing they have the legal right to do so.

The consultation for this entitlement ran for 12 weeks, concluding on 15 January 2026. The consultation sought views on details of the entitlement, such as eligibility criteria, the total duration of leave, the maximum window of time in which the leave must be taken, and the types of pregnancy loss in scope.

The Government response was published on 22 September 2026. It sets out the final details of the bereavement leave entitlement, and the next steps for its implementation. These details will be laid out in secondary legislation and are planned to come into force in April 2027. Measures set out in the response include:

The eligibility criteria, both for pregnancy loss and the loss of other loved ones.

When and how the leave can be taken, including leave length, notice periods and evidence requirements.

Government Response 2: Flexible Working

Despite recent reforms and wider cultural changes, flexible working requests are still handled inconsistently. While in some workplaces, managers and employees are working together to think about where flexibility might be possible, in others, these opportunities are missed.

Through the Employment Rights Act 2025, the UK Government are making changes to strengthen the flexible working framework. The Act introduces a new requirement that employers must only reject requests where it is reasonable to do so and provides powers to set out a statutory process employers must follow before rejecting a request. These changes are intended to improve transparency and accountability by ensuring that employees receive a clear explanation of decisions while supporting more meaningful discussion about whether flexibility can be accommodated.

Earlier this year the UK Government consulted on proposals to improve access to flexible working to shape how these reforms will be implemented in practice. The consultation ran from 5 February until 30 April 2026 and sought views on a new process that employers would be required to follow when considering the rejection of a statutory flexible working request, alongside wider questions about the operation of the flexible working framework and the guidance and support needed to make it work effectively in practice.

The Government response was published on 15 September and sets out feedback on the proposed process we took on board, and confirms plans to bring reforms into effect through secondary legislation. The reforms do not remove employers’ ability to refuse requests where it is reasonable to do so and where the relevant business reasons apply. Instead, they are intended to support better decision making and to encourage meaningful consideration of requests.

Having considered the consultation responses and wider evidence, the Government will now proceed with reforms enabled through the Employment Rights Act 2025.

To achieve this, the Government will:

Introduce secondary legislation setting out a process that employers must follow when considering the rejection of a statutory flexible working request.

Bring the reasonableness test introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025 into force.

It is our intention that these changes will take effect in autumn 2027. The Government will also consider what other information and guidance may be needed to support implementation of these reforms.

Government Response 3: Employer Duty to Inform Workers of their Right to Join a Trade Union

Workers cannot exercise rights they do not know they have. Too many workers are unaware that they have a legal right to join a trade union. Without clear information, workers may not be in a position to make informed choices about whether trade union membership is right for them.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 addresses this long-standing gap in the legislation by introducing a new duty on employers to provide workers with a written statement about their right to join a trade union. This new duty will help to ensure that workers receive clear and consistent information about their right to join a trade union and are able to make an informed choice about union membership.

A consultation on this duty ran from 23 October to 18 December 2025 and sought views on the practical detail of how the duty should operate to ensure it is clear, proportionate and workable for both employers and workers.

The Government response, which was published on 25 September, confirms the final policy approach, which provides for a standardised statement drafted by Government that employers will be required to give to workers. The statement will include a brief overview of the functions of a trade union, information about recognised trade unions and trade unions with statutory access agreements where applicable, information on the certification officer’s list of trade unions, and a summary of statutory rights in relation to union membership. When implemented, employers must provide the statement to new workers directly, while employers have flexibility in how they provide the statement to existing workers either through direct or indirect delivery.

The duty is planned to come into force on 1 January 2027, with employers required to give the statement to new workers from its introduction and to existing workers by 6 April 2027.

Next Steps for Consultation

The UK Government have committed to delivering their employment rights reforms in partnership with businesses, trade unions, public sector employers, and civil society. That is why we are undertaking full and comprehensive consultation with these groups on key changes. By delivering these reforms together, we are backing businesses that do the right thing and giving hard-working people the job security and opportunities they deserve. The Government will continue to keep Parliament updated on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act and the plan to make work pay.

[HCWS372]

CMA Heating Oil Market Study: Government Response

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment (Chris McDonald)]

Today I am publishing the Government’s response to the consultation on standard essential patents.

Standards allow products and services to connect, communicate and operate across borders—enabling the technologies that people rely on every day, from smartphones and wi-fi to connected vehicles, medical technology, advanced manufacturing and smart consumer products. Standard essential patents protect the innovations that make this possible. A well-functioning SEP licensing environment is fundamental to the UK’s growth mission. It must give businesses fair and affordable access to the technologies they need, while ensuring innovators secure a proper return on their investment in research and development.

The consultation examined whether the SEP licensing ecosystem functions efficiently for UK businesses, and whether targeted reforms could improve transparency, encourage earlier conclusion of licensing negotiations, and support more efficient dispute resolution.

We received 93 responses from businesses, representative organisations, legal and academic experts, and others with direct experience of SEP licensing, along with substantial supporting evidence, and analysis. I am grateful to everyone who contributed. The consultation showed broad support for the Government’s underlying objectives: helping businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to navigate SEP licensing; improving transparency around pricing and essentiality; and enabling faster, more efficient dispute resolution.

However, there was no consensus on the scale of the problem, the right solutions, or how far Government should intervene. Views were especially divided on the case for new regulatory mechanisms and on the role of injunctions in licensing negotiations. Although concerns were raised by some implementers, the evidence identified few instances of injunctions disrupting market access.

Having carefully weighed this evidence, the Government have concluded that targeted and proportionate action is appropriate, rather than wide-ranging regulatory reform. The evidence did not support introducing a stand-alone rate determination track or establishing a new Intellectual Property Office-run essentiality checking service at this stage. It did, however, identify clear opportunities to improve transparency, strengthen existing dispute resolution routes, and support better-informed negotiations.



The Government will:

undertake a Call for Evidence on the feasibility and design of an IPO-led fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory opinion service, which could provide an independent, non-binding opinion on whether proposed licensing terms fall within a FRAND range;

improve access to SEP information by exploring how businesses can more easily identify relevant SEPs through the voluntary provision of standard-related patent information to the IPO;

work with the judiciary to explore a court-anchored process for earlier resolution of FRAND disputes;

develop practical guidance on licensing negotiations and good faith conduct, particularly to support businesses with limited experience of SEP licensing; and

strengthen the broader, non-regulatory approach by improving take-up of existing alternative dispute resolution options, enhancing transparency and the quality of essentiality information, expanding the IPO’s SEP resource hub, and continuing the UK’s global collaboration to help businesses navigate SEP licensing across international markets.

Work on the feasibility and design will now begin on these proposals. No final decision has been made to establish an IPO-led FRAND opinion service or a court-anchored process; final decisions will follow once that work is complete. The Government will continue to engage businesses, rights holders, professional advisers, the judiciary and other interested parties as these proposals are developed.

Our objective is to ensure the UK’s SEP framework supports innovation and investment and helps businesses of all sizes access the standardised technologies they need to compete and grow, reinforcing the UK’s position as a leading global forum for the fair and efficient resolution of intellectual property disputes.

I am placing a copy of the Government response in the Libraries of both Houses and will make it available on www.gov.uk.

[HCWS365]

Service Complaints Ombudsman's 2025 Annual Report: MOD Response

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Veterans and People (Mr Calvin Bailey)]

I am pleased to place in the Library of the House today the Ministry of Defence’s formal response to the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces annual report for 2025 on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the service complaints system.

The ombudsman’s report assessed the service complaints system and the work of the SCOAF’s office in 2025. The response sets out the MOD’s comments to the report and views on the one new recommendation that was made.

The MOD values the strong independent oversight that the now Armed Forces Commissioner brings to the service complaints system and remains committed to having a system in which our personnel can have confidence.

Attachments can be viewed online at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2026-10-13/HCWS368/

[HCWS368]

CMA Heating Oil Market Study: Government Response

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Ms Polly Billington)]

Today I am publishing the Government’s response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study into the heating oil sector.

For the first time, families who rely on heating oil will benefit from stronger protections under Labour Government plans to regulate the sector for the first time. This Government are committed to protecting households from volatile global fossil fuel markets. Home-grown power that we control is the only way to lasting energy security and lower bills. While the Government cannot prevent global price shocks, including those driven by the middle east crisis, consumers must be treated fairly and supported when markets come under pressure. This includes the 1.5 million households across the UK that rely on heating oil to heat their homes, many of them in rural and off-grid communities, who currently lack many of the protections available to other energy users.

We are grateful for the CMA’s swift action to investigate and the publication of its report in July. While the CMA found that recent increases in heating oil prices were largely driven by higher wholesale costs rather than a lack of competition or excessive profits, it identified clear gaps in consumer protections, compared with those available to gas and electricity users. These include weaker rights when things go wrong, limited access to redress and dispute resolution, less price transparency and less support for vulnerable households. Today I can confirm that this Government are taking forward proposals to regulate the heating oil sector for the first time. We will strengthen consumer rights and ensure a fairer deal for off-grid households.

We will take forward a programme of reform to establish a stronger consumer protection framework for households. Working with Ofgem, the devolved Governments, and industry and consumer representatives, we will develop options for proportionate regulation that puts consumer rights at its core, while supporting competition, investment and security of supply. This will be underpinned by a robust evidence base, extensive engagement and the appropriate legislative framework.

In practice, this means consumers can expect stronger rights, clearer standards, better support for vulnerable households and easier access to redress when things go wrong. These actions build on the issues faced by thousands at the start of the middle east crisis when their heating oil orders were cancelled, forcing them to re-order and pay more.

Getting this approach right will take time, to ensure the best outcomes for consumers. In the meantime, we will take practical steps to strengthen consumer protections without delay. Working across Government, with Ofgem, and with industry and consumer groups, we will seek improvements to existing codes of practice, promote access to existing appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms, and increase consumer awareness of available support.

We will also examine areas where consumers may face barriers, to help with affordability and transparency issues. This will include considering minimum order volumes, access to smaller deliveries and payment plans, as well as whether further action is required to improve price transparency. Intervention will be considered where there is a clear case to improve consumer outcomes, while avoiding unnecessary burdens where markets are functioning effectively.

Today’s announcement is the next major step in our commitment to improve the heating oil market. It builds on the swift action that this Government have already taken—over £50 million of financial support to help with the cost of heating oil, and we are helping thousands of households on heating oil switch to clean heat with grants worth £9,000.

Our aim is simple: a fairer, more resilient and trusted heating oil market that prioritises consumer protections, while preserving competition and security of supply. Our response combines practical action now with a clear path towards stronger, proportionate protections for the future.

[HCWS366]

Flood Action Week

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

As we enter Flood Action Week 2026 (12 to 18 October 2026), I am updating the House on the steps this Government are taking to strengthen resilience to flooding and drought, improve public preparedness, and protect communities across England from the impacts of a changing climate.

This year an especially strong El Niño weather pattern is expected, bringing with it an increased likelihood of wetter and stormier conditions across the UK. Flood Action Week is an important moment to assess our resilience and ensure our communities, and those who work to support them, are prepared for the winter. Today I want to set out how we continue to strengthen that preparedness, improve public awareness, and increase resilience across the country.

Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce

Flooding and drought are interconnected challenges that require a more integrated approach to water management. The winter of 2025-26 was the eighth wettest in England since records began in 1836. However, by August 2026, 71% of England had entered drought status. Currently, Wimbleball reservoir and Ardingly reservoir are still key areas of concern. This rapid transition between extremes underlines the need to strengthen resilience to both flood and drought risks.

To support this, I am announcing that the existing Flood Resilience Taskforce will be expanded and renamed the Flood And Drought Resilience Taskforce. Building on the success of the current taskforce in improving flood preparedness, the new body will bring together national, regional and local government, the Environment Agency, water companies, Ofwat, representatives of the farming sector and community groups to support a more integrated approach to managing the lifecycle of water in the environment.

A key priority of the new taskforce will be to champion the voice of communities by ensuring that the experiences of those affected by flooding and water shortages inform policy development and resilience planning through better engagement and communication.

The first meeting of the Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will take place tomorrow, 14 October 2026. The agenda will focus on assessing the nation’s preparedness for potential flooding this winter. Through the work of the taskforce, the nation is better prepared than last year, and its members have already improved their response. The first meeting of the new taskforce will discuss emerging learnings from the ongoing drought, and if improvements could be made to aid the nation’s resilience to both flooding and drought.

Flood information website

We have heard that people often struggle to know where to find clear, practical and trusted advice to inform them of the potential risk of flooding to their homes and businesses. As a response to this, during flood action week, the Environment Agency is launching a new Flood Action Online website. This will play a vital role in giving power to communities by helping people understand their flood risk.



Flood Action Online will serve as a one-stop shop. The website will connect people to existing services and flood information on www.gov.uk and other trusted Government services and advice. It will help them to navigate information in a more accessible, user-friendly way.

The website will promote practical actions that increase preparedness and resilience for people to protect their homes and businesses. Equally, it will encourage measures that can reduce the impacts of flooding on people, places and communities. I strongly encourage members of this House to promote this new resource to their constituents.

Flood Re and flood performance certificates

To be resilient, individuals and businesses must understand and reduce their own flood risks. We are working with Flood Re and insurers on the development of voluntary flood performance certificates, one of the recommendations of the FloodReady review that we continue to implement. These certificates will give people the option of better understanding their flood risk and the steps that they can take to make their properties more resilient.

Flood Re is launching the BeFloodReady platform, the property flood resilience hub, which will become the UK’s authoritative hub for property flood resilience information, guidance and support. It is designed to serve householders, businesses, academics, and policymakers. Recognising that flood risk is a long-term issue, this site will drive innovation and share best practice far into the future.

Three-year flood and coastal erosion investment targets

Earlier this year, I announced the Government’s new 10-year flood and coastal erosion investment programme, backed by record levels of funding. I can now set out the three-year targets for what this investment will achieve. Between April 2026 and March 2029, the Government will invest £4.2 billion in flood resilience, maintaining existing assets while delivering new flood schemes across every region of England.

Through this investment, we expect to:

better protect 200,000 properties;

increase the proportion of flood risk management assets at or above their required condition to 93.5%;

generate more than £27 billion of avoided economic damage, delivering almost £7 of benefit for every £1 invested;

create or enhance 2,500 hectares of habitat and improve 750 kilometres of river.

Flooding remains one of the most significant climate risks facing the country. Through record investment, stronger co-ordination, and a more joined-up approach to water resilience, the Government are taking practical action to protect people, property and infrastructure across England. Equally, through better, more accessible public information, we are empowering communities to mitigate their flood risk and protect their homes and businesses.

[HCWS370]

Contingent Liability Notification: African Development Bank

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for International Development (Kirsty McNeill)]

It is normal practice, when a Government Department proposes to undertake a contingent liability in excess of £300,000 for which there is no specific statutory authority, for the Minister concerned to present a departmental minute to Parliament giving particulars of the liability created and explaining the circumstances, and to refrain from incurring the liability until 14 parliamentary sitting days after the issue of the statement, except in cases of special urgency.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office proposes to increase the United Kingdom’s callable capital commitment to the African Development Bank as part of the general callable capital increase agreed by shareholders in 2024. This will result in an additional contingent liability of approximately £1.6 billion, reflecting the UK’s 1.87% share of the total increase. This is in addition to the UK’s existing callable capital commitment to the bank, which is currently around £1.7 billion, bringing the UK’s total callable capital commitment to approximately £3.3 billion.

The African Development Bank is a multilateral development bank supporting economic growth, poverty reduction, and sustainable development across Africa. The UK’s participation in this callable capital increase will support the strengthening of the bank’s financial resilience, helping to safeguard its capability to continue delivering effectively on core priorities aligned with UK priorities, including climate action, job creation and support for fragile states.

Callable capital is a contingent liability and |would be called only in the highly unlikely event that the bank faces severe financial distress. No immediate expenditure will arise from this commitment. If the liability is called, provision for any payment will be sought through the normal supply procedure.

HM Treasury has approved the proposal in principle. If, during the period of 14 parliamentary sitting days beginning on the date on which this minute was laid before Parliament, a Member signifies an objection by giving notice of a parliamentary question or by otherwise raising the matter in Parliament, final approval to proceed with incurring the liability will be withheld pending an examination of the objection.

[HCWS373]

Historical Stillbirth Burials and Cremations

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Yvette Cooper)]

Working with my ministerial colleagues, the Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon) and the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), I am making this statement on behalf of the Government.

Until the mid-1980s, some stillborn babies across the United Kingdom were buried or cremated without their parents’ involvement, leaving families without clear information about where their baby or relative was laid to rest. The Government recognise the lasting pain, uncertainty and grief this has caused. I pay tribute to the families who have shared deeply personal experiences and to the campaigners whose courage and persistence have brought them to national attention and called for greater recognition, transparency and support.

On behalf of the Government, I am deeply sorry for the distress caused by these historical practices, and for the additional pain caused where parents and relatives have been unable to find clear information about what happened to their baby.

Practices and standards have changed significantly since these cases occurred. Parents should be involved in decisions following the death of a baby. Since 2019, the Government have funded the costs of burial or cremation for stillborn babies and children below the age of 18 in England, with similar schemes in the devolved nations. We will also consider the Law Commission’s recent recommendations for the future legal framework for burial and cremation and respond in due course.

We are now taking further practical action to support families who are seeking answers. Within four weeks, all trusts must ensure a dedicated point of contact within their patient advice and liaison service, or an equivalent named service, to support families seeking answers. We are also disseminating guidance produced by Sands to all trusts on where records may be held, which organisations families can approach, and what support is available. The guidance is transparent about where records may be incomplete or unavailable, while supporting families to explore every reasonable avenue. We recognise how painful it may be when a precise resting place cannot be identified, and any surviving personal information must be handled with sensitivity and care.

Funeral sector representative organisations may also be able to offer specialist support to families seeking historic records.

We are also encouraging compassionate local action. Liverpool, Oldham and Wirral local councils already help families search available records and consider appropriate memorials. I thank them for this important work and encourage other councils and local organisations to consider what records and support they can make available, so that each family is treated with compassion and every inquiry is handled with sensitivity.

Our focus is on practical action that helps families: clear guidance, encouraging sensitive local support and remembrance, and considering whether further legal change is needed. We will continue to listen carefully to families and campaigners as this work progresses and communicate any next steps openly.

Above all, we recognise the babies who mattered deeply, and the families who continue to carry their loss. I offer a sincere apology on behalf of the Government to those families for the distress caused by historical practices, and for the pain that has followed where answers have not been available.

[HCWS374]

Contingencies Fund Advance: Independent Immigration Appeals Authority

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Anna Turley)]

I would like to notify the House that the Home Office has obtained approval for an advance from the Contingencies Fund of £4,000,000. The Independent Immigration Appeals Authority is being set up in parallel to the passage of the Immigration and Asylum Bill to help ensure that the authority is delivered as quickly as possible once the IIAA is established in law. We have identified the need for targeted spend on delivery activity prior to Royal Assent of the Bill.

Parliamentary approval for additional resource of £4,000,000 for this new service will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the Home Office. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £4,000,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

[HCWS367]

Independent Expert’s Report on Paramilitary Group Transition to Disbandment

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Bryant)]

Everybody in Northern Ireland has a right to live free from fear and intimidation. The continuing existence of paramilitary groups poses a direct threat to that right. While these groups may pose as protectors of their communities, they are largely engaged in criminality, including drug dealing, extortion and intimidation, blighting the very communities they perversely claim to protect. Their continued influence is a stain on our collective conscience and in direct opposition to our shared aim of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Northern Ireland for everyone.

This is why I am pleased to lay the independent expert Fleur Ravensbergen’s “Independent Report on Paramilitary Group Transition to Disbandment”, which identifies possible routes to end paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. The report was jointly commissioned with the Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration under the legislative framework of the Independent Reporting Commission. The independent expert was asked to carry out a short scoping exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment.

As provided for in the “Fresh Start” agreement, the UK Government are committed to ending paramilitarism once and for all. It was in this context that we appointed the independent expert. It is particularly relevant, given the two notable anniversaries this year: the 2006 St Andrews agreement and the establishment of the Police Service for Northern Ireland in 2001. The anniversaries exemplify how far Northern Ireland has come, but the persistence of armed groups in communities clearly shows that there is more that needs to be done. No one should live in fear or suffer harm at the hands of these groups.

I would like to thank Ms Ravensbergen for her extensive engagement and consideration of the issues as she carried out this exercise.

The report contains a number of recommendations, which I will take time to carefully consider and discuss with the Irish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, community and policing partners. The main recommendation, detailing a possible mechanism for transition of paramilitary groups, is clear that any process must be complementary to existing efforts and accompanied by a robust criminal justice response. It is evident from the report that the implementation of any process will face challenges and will need support from across the political community in Northern Ireland.

Ending paramilitarism once and for all is essential to improving the lives of people in communities across Northern Ireland where these groups still hold influence. The UK Government remain resolute that there is never any justification for violence or criminality. Together with a strong criminal justice response, those communities who are held back by the harms perpetrated by paramilitary groups must be prioritised, and we will continue to support the Northern Ireland Executive in their efforts in this space.

[HCWS371]

Chiltern Railways: Transfer into Public Ownership

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

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

I am confirming to the House that on Sunday 20 September 2026, Chiltern Railways services transferred into public ownership under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024. Operations are now run by a new public sector operator, Chiltern Rail Ltd, a subsidiary of public corporation DfT Operator Ltd, or DFTO.

As we make progress towards the establishment of Great British Railways, 10 of the 14 train operators delivering passenger services under contract with the Department for Transport are now in public ownership. With Chiltern, DFTO now runs over 12,000 passenger rail services a day and delivers over 1 billion passenger rail journeys across its networks every year.

Chiltern will press ahead with delivering a range of measures to improve passengers’ experience, including more modern trains, more services and more comfortable journeys across the network. Public ownership also provides a fresh opportunity to deliver East West Rail and its benefits to passengers.

Great Western Railway’s services will be the next to transfer into public ownership on 13 December 2026, followed by Avanti West Coast’s services on 7 March 2027, and the rail public ownership programme remains on track to be completed by the end of 2027.

Public ownership means Britain’s railways are owned by the public, for the public, putting passengers and customers back at the heart of the railway. The Railways Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will lead to the establishment of Great British Railways, a new publicly owned body and a new passenger watchdog.

GBR will maintain and improve the railways and be accountable to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers. By unifying track and train under GBR, we will deliver a reliable rail network that people can be proud of and that will create growth, jobs and homes.

[HCWS369]