Abtisam Mohamed

Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses and public bodies that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people, including those with assistance dogs.

The Act places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This could include allowing the use of assistance dogs so that disabled customers are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.

This is an anticipatory duty, meaning businesses should expect that some customers will have assistance dogs and should put in place arrangements to assist their access. Failure to do so could ultimately leave the service provider open to legal action by the disabled person.

To help businesses comply with the law and disabled customers know their rights, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a range of guidance and codes of practice, for all to consult.

It is crucial that trans people are safe and protected from discrimination. This government is committed to breaking down barriers by ending the politics of division.

Work is underway on the various manifesto commitments that will enhance legislative protections for all LGBT+ individuals, including those who are trans. In particular, the government is committed to delivering a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices; ensuring that all existing strands of hate crime constitute an aggravated offence and reforming the legal gender recognition process to remove indignities for trans people while upholding the Equality Act.

I confirm the £4.85 million referenced in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office press release of 2 December 2025 refers directly to the Integrated Security Fund allocation for the Gender and National Security portfolio. This forms part of the Fund’s overall allocation of £854.82 million in 2025/26.

The decrease in the Integrated Security Fund’s (ISF) national security programming budget means that we need to focus resources on the highest priority threats to national security, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 10 February. The Government has therefore taken the decision to close the standalone Gender and National Security (GNS) portfolio in 2026/27.

The ISF will continue to provide £0.8m each year to fund the Women, Peace and Security Helpdesk, which forms part of the GNS portfolio this year. The Helpdesk provides high-impact technical and advisory support to teams across Government, including the ISF. This supports delivery of gender-sensitive activity aligned to UK national security priorities.

Teams across government delivering ISF programming are also expected to continue to mainstream gender throughout their work, including through projects which specifically address gender and social inclusion.

They are also expected to monitor the gender and social inclusion impacts of their activity and in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty obligations, programmes will consider the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations across protected characteristics.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,747 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme.

The Prime Minister and the president of the European Commission met in Brussels on 2 October and agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and the UK, putting it on a more solid, stable footing.

We are committed to finding constructive ways to work together and deliver for the British people.

We are not going to give a running commentary on youth mobility. We will obviously look at EU proposals on a range of issues, but there are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme, and we will not return to freedom of movement.

No recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of current legislation governing fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.

The trade strategy will set out how we can achieve long-term sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth through trade. The development of the strategy will consider the Government’s commitment to uphold our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards, areas in which the UK is a world leader.

All businesses operating in the UK, regardless of where they are owned, are required to comply with UK sustainability regulations and standards. This includes the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The government will continue to monitor and assess the effectiveness of existing and emerging policy levers which prevent human rights abuses, labour rights abuses and environmental harms across business operations and supply chains.

The UK is party to 83 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain investment protection and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). In 2022, these BITs covered at least £195 billion of UK investment overseas.

ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without adequate compensation.

The Government has no plans to review UK treaties containing ISDS.

The UK is party to 83 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain investment protection and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). In 2022, these BITs covered at least £195 billion of UK investment overseas.

ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without adequate compensation.

The Government has no plans to review UK treaties containing ISDS.

The Warm Homes Plan will cut bills, with an offer for every household, whether they own their home, rent privately, or live in social housing. We will reach up to five million homes by 2030, through direct support for those on low incomes and in fuel poverty, grants and innovative low-interest finance available to all.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant is accessible to those living in privately rented accommodation, subject to eligibility. We are also standing up for renters through our new minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors, which will lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty.

From 1 October 2030, private rented homes must meet the required standard, or have a valid exemption registered in order to be let.

The Warm Homes Plan will cut bills, with an offer for every household, whether they own their home, rent privately, or live in social housing. We will reach up to five million homes by 2030, through direct support for those on low incomes and in fuel poverty, grants and innovative low-interest finance available to all.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant is accessible to those living in privately rented accommodation, subject to eligibility. We are also standing up for renters through our new minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors, which will lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty.

From 1 October 2030, private rented homes must meet the required standard, or have a valid exemption registered in order to be let.

The latest annual fuel poverty statistics estimate that around 873,000 households in England were in fuel poverty in 2025 and lived in properties with under 125 mm of loft insulation, equivalent to a fuel poverty rate of 13.3% for this group. This compares with a rate of fuel poverty of around 7.8% (1.17 million households) among households with 125 mm or more of loft insulation, and 9% (316,000 households) among households where loft insulation is not applicable.

These estimates are produced under the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric and are published in Table 17 of the Fuel poverty detailed tables 2026 (2025 data).

The Department is considering a range of reforms to unlock renewable investment and pass through the benefits of cheaper renewables to consumers. This includes potential changes to support local and community energy.

All policies within my department and Government undergo appropriate analytical appraisals, which includes an assessment of the impacts on Net Zero.

The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore policy and regulatory barriers to local supply, including route to market challenges.

The Department continues to work with Ofgem and key stakeholders to enhance our community energy offer. We will set out further detail in due course.

The Autumn Budget settlement provides £3.9bn in 2025-26 for the first carbon capture and storage clusters in the UK. The breakdown of costs by financial year is commercially sensitive whilst negotiations progress. The cost of carbon capture after 2025-26 will be disclosed following the conclusion of the second phase of the Spending Review.

The Government recognises that AI is transforming workplaces, demanding new skills and augmenting existing roles. The scale of future change remains uncertain. We are therefore planning against a range of plausible outcomes to ensure workers continue to have access to good, meaningful employment.

To aid this, the Government has launched the AI and the Future of Work Unit - a cross‑government function dedicated to ensuring AI delivers positive outcomes for the economy, jobs, and workers.

This Unit is designed to prepare the UK for AI-driven labour market transformation by researching and monitoring AI’s impact on the economic and labour market, to provide timely advice on when new policies should be implemented. For example, we have recently published an assessment of AI capabilities and their impact on the UK labour market evaluates trends in AI driven productivity gains and workforce exposure to AI.

The Government is committed to strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in AI. While TechExpert scholarships focus on domestic talent, we continue to attract top international talent through initiatives such as the AI Global Fellowships and the Spärck AI scholarships. These programmes ensure the UK retains world-class expertise, supports frontier research, and sustains its competitive edge in AI innovation. This balance to championing our domestic pipeline while attracting some of the world's best AI minds to the UK is key to maximising our AI ambitions.

The unauthorised use of copyright material is an infringement. The terms on which permission is granted, including any payments that may be made, is a private commercial matter.

The Government would encourage parties involved in potential litigation proceedings to seek a negotiated settlement and the IPO offers a mediation service which employs accredited mediators who are qualified to mediate across a range of IP rights.

There are also many other individuals and organisations who mediate IP disputes, and the IPO has published a list of providers on its website. Further information regarding mediation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/intellectual-property-mediation

The government’s primary focus is on continuing efforts, both domestically and in collaboration with the EU, to boost UK participation in Horizon Europe (FP9). That must be the immediate priority.

However, the government will of course closely observe the development of any future programmes with interest. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides a long-term basis for cooperation in areas of shared interest, such as science, research, and innovation.

The government will set ten-year budgets for certain R&D activities, giving certainty to form long-term partnerships with industry and stay at the forefront of global innovation.

Further details will be announced in due course.