Written Statements

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

Thursday 22 October 2026

Enhanced Free Trade Agreement: Turkey

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

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

My hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Lord Sarwar, has today made the following statement.

The sixth round of negotiations on an enhanced free trade agreement with Turkey took place in London between 28 September and 2 October 2026.

International trade is central to the Government’s ambition to deliver good growth in every part of the UK. The UK and Turkey already enjoy a strong trading relationship, with total trade reaching £28.3 billion in 2025, an increase of 3.9% on the previous year. By building on this foundation, we can help unlock new opportunities for businesses, workers and consumers across the UK.

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

Trade in services

Sessions were held across a range of important areas, including digital trade and investment. UK negotiators continued to pursue ambitious outcomes across these areas and beyond, seeking an FTA that supports the UK’s world-leading services suppliers. Text-based discussions on digital trade, domestic regulation and investment took place. We look forward to continuing discussions across trade in services over the coming months.

Trade in goods

Negotiations covered a range of market access and regulatory issues, including goods market access and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Discussions focused on reviewing respective proposals, recognising regulatory equivalence and reviewing audit requirements, while maintaining and upholding the UK’s high standards. Both sides discussed their first tariff offers, alongside their respective market access interests and sensitivities. These sessions were productive, with both sides seeking an ambitious outcome that supports businesses and drives progress forward.

Additional areas

Further productive discussions took place across a number of chapters, including intellectual property, state-owned enterprises, environment, core text, Government procurement and trade remedies.

The UK will only ever sign a trade deal which aligns with the UK’s national interests, upholding our high standards across a range of sectors.

Both sides will work constructively towards the seventh round of negotiations in the coming months. Ministers will continue to update Parliament on progress as discussions with Turkey advance.

[HCWS403]

Strengthening Community Resilience

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Security (Dan Jarvis)]

On 14 July 2026, the Government published their annual update on the implementation of the resilience action plan, outlining significant steps made to bolster the UK’s resilience in the year following its publication. We also announced our intention to launch a campaign to raise awareness of the simple steps people can take to be ready for everyday emergencies.

The storms last winter and the wildfires this summer have shown how severe weather events can cause disruption to our everyday lives and impact the services we rely on, like phones, power, water and the internet. They have also shown the strength of our communities and the skill and bravery of our emergency services, and are a reminder that we can all play our part to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safe in times of emergency.

Since committing to launch a campaign, we have:

published updated research that shows just 13% of people in the UK feel they are prepared for an emergency that could cut them off from the services they rely on, and that 84% want the Government to do more to share information about the steps they can take to increase their preparedness;

met with international partners to gain insight about their efforts to improve household resilience; and

engaged with more than 500 organisations from across the country—ranging from emergency services, local authorities, businesses, voluntary community groups, charities, and advocacy organisations representing older people, disabled people, people with mental health needs, and people who rely on foodbanks—to help ensure that our advice is simple, relatable, reassuring and meets communities’ needs for a range of emergency scenarios.

I am therefore pleased to confirm that we have today published updated advice for households at gov.uk/beready, and that members of the public will begin to see more information about what they can do in a three-year campaign to “Be Ready”.

The updated advice calls on households to be prepared to be self-sufficient for three days in the case of an emergency, and it includes a checklist of simple steps people can take. This brings the UK into line with many of our European peers who also have the “three day” message at the heart of their campaign. There are two key actions:

sign up to the priority services register if they are eligible; and

have three days-worth of bottled water and non-perishable food stored at home.

Many simple steps on the website are completely free, and items on the checklist can be gathered or ticked off over time. For example, signing up to the priority services register is a straightforward process that costs nothing. Taking a few minutes to ensure eligible households are signed up ensures utility companies know who prioritise for additional support in an outage.

We also understand that not everyone will be able to take all the simple steps. This campaign is simply about providing basic advice on how to prepare, so people can take the steps that work for them. Our emergency services will be ready to respond when needed, and other charities, community organisations and services will be there too. When households take steps to look after themselves during an emergency, it reduces the strain on our emergency services. This ensures first responders can help those most in need first.

As part of the steady campaign roll-out, we will also publish a partner toolkit, with products and information that community groups and local businesses can use to share messages locally.

“Be Ready” has been developed by the UK Government, working closely with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive—as well as mayors and local councils—as we collectively seek to improve national resilience across all communities in the UK.

[HCWS409]

Critical Undersea Infrastructure Security and Resilience: Modernising the UK’s Legislation

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

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

I would like to provide the House with an update on the Government work to strengthen the security and resilience of undersea infrastructure that is critical to the United Kingdom.

Today, the Government are publishing a White Paper on “Critical Undersea Infrastructure Security and Resilience: Proposals for modernising the UK’s legislation”. At the same time, we are launching a 12-week public consultation on these proposals.

Critical undersea infrastructure underpins services essential to the UK’s security, economy and daily life. Subsea telecommunications cables carry approximately 99% of the UK’s international data traffic, while subsea pipelines, interconnectors and other offshore energy infrastructure play a vital role in supporting the UK’s energy needs. As reliance on this infrastructure grows, so too does the importance of ensuring it remains secure and resilient.

In April, the then Defence Secretary revealed that the UK’s armed forces, working with allies, tracked Russian submarines tasked with surveying subsea cables. Incidents of this kind underline the global risks to CUI and the need for modern legal frameworks to protect it.

The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has made clear that UK legislation has not kept pace with the growing importance of CUI or the risks it now faces. The Government agree. The principal offence for damaging subsea cables dates back to 1885, refers to “telegraphic” communications, and makes limited provision for energy infrastructure. It no longer provides an adequate deterrent.

To address such deficiencies, the White Paper sets out detailed proposals for:

A new criminal penalties regime to strengthen deterrence against harmful conduct affecting CUI;

New security and resilience duties for providers of subsea telecoms cable systems and services;

A new national security power to enable the Government to require industry to take specified action where necessary and proportionate to ensure the security and resilience of subsea telecoms cable infrastructure and services; and

A new regulatory framework to help ensure the secure deployment and operation of subsea sensing technologies.

Through our consultation, the Government welcome views from anyone with an interest in these proposals, including individuals, industry, academia and civil society organisations. The responses will inform the development of future legislation. The White Paper contains 72 consultation questions covering the proposed framework.

The proposals are based principally on the reserved competences of telecommunications, national security and defence. The Government recognise that some proposals will interact with devolved responsibilities, including environmental and marine management functions.

The White Paper has been presented to Parliament as a Command Paper and will be placed in the Library in both Houses. It is also published on the gov.uk website.

[HCWS404]

Improving Children’s Outcomes

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Paul Waugh)]

The Government have today published the early years foundation stage profile assessment data for the 2025/26 academic year.

The Government have set a national ambition for 75% of children in England to achieve a good level of development by 2028, as set out in the “Giving every child the best start in life” strategy. Achieving this ambition requires a collective effort across schools, early years providers, local authorities, health services and wider family support services, including Best Start family hubs, recognising that children’s outcomes at the end of reception are shaped by their learning and development throughout the early years.

Early childhood development is strongly associated with later outcomes, providing the foundation for achievements throughout school and beyond. Children who achieve a good level of development at age five are more likely to succeed at school and less likely to be not in education, employment or training later in life.

The latest data shows strong progress towards this ambition, with 72.3% of children reaching a good level of development, an increase of 4 percentage points on last year. This brings the country significantly closer to the 2028 target and reflects the dedication and hard work of teachers, early years practitioners, school leaders, local authority teams and wider partners across England.

While this progress is encouraging, the gap between children eligible for free school meals and their peers widened slightly, underlining the importance of the whole system working together to ensure that all children benefit from continued improvement. Further progress will depend on schools, early years providers and local leaders using data and evidence to identify gaps, target support effectively and implement approaches proven to improve outcomes.

To support delivery of the national ambition, the Government have set local authority-level targets. Publishing these targets provides greater transparency and accountability, while enabling local leaders to focus action where it will have the greatest impact for children.

The Government will continue to support local areas through delivery of best start local plans, investment in teaching and learning across the early years system, and action to strengthen support for children and families. Working across education, health and family services will be particularly important in improving outcomes for disadvantaged children and those most at risk of falling behind.

Today’s results demonstrate the progress that can be achieved through collective effort. By building on this momentum and maintaining a focus on evidence-led improvement, we can move closer to our ambition of 75% of children reaching a good level of development by 2028—a first step to ensure that more children get the best possible start in life.

[HCWS405]

Renewables Obligation to Exchequer Scheme Expenditure: 1 July to 30 September 2026

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

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

I am making this statement to update hon. Members on expenditure incurred under section 13 of the Energy Prices Act 2022, in accordance with the statutory requirement to provide quarterly reports to Parliament.

This quarterly report is required under section 14 of the EPA. It covers expenditure incurred from 1 July to 30 September 2026 under the renewables obligation to Exchequer scheme.

The renewables obligation to Exchequer scheme was announced at autumn Budget 2025 as part of the Government’s package to reduce energy bills for households. It came into effect on 1 April 2026 and will run for three years. Under the scheme, 75% of renewables obligation costs are removed from domestic electricity bills and funded instead by the Exchequer, thereby reducing costs for consumers.

The expenditure set out in this report relates to the delivery and operation of the scheme during this reporting period, as well as the cumulative spend to date.

Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong: 1 January to 30 June 2026

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Ed Miliband)]

The latest six-monthly report on the implementation of the Sino-British joint declaration on Hong Kong was published today and is attached. It covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2026. The report has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. A copy is also available on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/six-monthly-report-on-hong-kong-january-to-june-2026

I commend the report to the House.

[HCWS407]

Representation of the People Bill: Contingencies Fund Advance

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith (Florence Eshalomi)]

I hereby give notice of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s intention to seek approval from HM Treasury for advance expenditure totalling £2,800,000.

This request follows the passage of the Representation of the People Bill, which is currently before Parliament and which the Government expect to receive Royal Assent by spring 2027.

The funding for this work has already been provided through the Department’s spending review settlement and does not represent new or additional spending. Approval for expenditure in advance of Royal Assent is required to enable the Department to commence essential digital development activity to implement the Bill’s provisions, specifically the manifesto commitment to extend the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds. Deferring this work until after Royal Assent would compress delivery timescales and increase the risk of delays to implementation.

The proposed expenditure will support the development of the digital infrastructure required to implement the legislation. This includes a secure service enabling eligible young people to register to vote using data held by the Department for Education as part of appropriate identity checks. It will also support development of the wider systems required to implement the reforms, including electoral management systems, the citizen-facing service and electoral registration officer portal functionality. The advance will allow this work to progress alongside the Bill’s passage through Parliament, reducing implementation risk and supporting timely delivery. This will help ensure the necessary systems are in place to provide local government with an efficient and resilient mechanism for processing applications and maintaining electoral registers.

Parliamentary approval for additional capital of £2,800,000 for this new service will be sought in a supplementary estimate for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £2,800,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

[HCWS406]