Alex Ballinger

Royal Mail is an independent business and therefore concerns about operational matters should be directed to its management.

The government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s commercial or operational decisions, including its processes for recording tracking histories at its Heathrow distribution centre.

The Government is aware that the parental leave system requires improvement and action to deliver this has already begun. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing the flexibility of parental leave and helping parents to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The Government has also committed to conduct a review of the parental leave system. This will focus on ensuring that parental leave offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The origin and profile of biomass used by Drax is monitored by Ofgem. The Government requires that all biomass used by Drax be compliant with strict sustainability criteria. This requires that biomass must be legally and sustainably harvested and includes requirements around protecting biodiversity and maintaining forest productivity.

We have strengthened sustainability requirements in our recently announced deal with Drax. In the agreed low carbon dispatchable Contract for Difference, we will explicitly exclude material sourced from primary forests and old growth forests from receiving support payments. There will be substantial penalties on Drax if sustainability criteria are not met.

The government recognises the importance of the UK’s copyright regime to the economic success of the creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We are committed to supporting rights holders by ensuring they retain control over and receive fair payment for their work, especially as technology advances to include AI. We are actively working with stakeholders to ensure copyright protections remain robust and fit for purpose.

On the impact of AI, our next step is a 10-week consultation, published on Tuesday 17 December and closing 25 February, to engage AI and creative industries stakeholders widely on the impact of AI on the copyright regime.

Consultation responses will inform our approach to the design and delivery of a solution to the current dispute over the use of copyrighted material in AI training. Our aim is to clarify the copyright framework for AI – delivering certainty through a copyright regime that provides creators with real control, transparency, and helps them licence their content, while supporting AI developers' access to high-quality material.

Following the consultation we will continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders - supporting our brilliant artists and the creative industries to work together with the AI sector to harness the opportunities this technology provides.

Childminders are an important part of the early education sector. They provide flexible and affordable care which can be tailored to the specific needs of parents and children.

Primary legislation does not permit funding care that is provided by a relative under the early years entitlements. Successive governments have taken this same approach to avoid creating an incentive for adults to register to become childminders and being paid to look after related children that they are already looking after on an informal basis. For this reason, the department currently has no plans to change this long-standing position. A local authority can choose to fund a childminder providing childcare for a related child. However, this would have to be from local authority funds that are independent of the dedicated schools grant.

Although childminders cannot receive entitlements funding for related children, flexibilities within staff to child ratios can be used to allow childminders who are caring for related children to avoid limiting the income they can earn. This clarification, which aims to provide more flexibility and remove burdens for childminders while maintaining quality and safety standards, is part of our wider changes to the early years foundation stage.

This government has not set out plans to phase out applied general qualifications.

In July, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the review of qualifications reform. The rapid review is focused on Level 3 qualifications currently scheduled to have funding removed on 31 July 2025.

The department has an extensive programme of engagement underway, to ensure that the views of colleges, schools and teachers are fed into the review of qualifications reform. The department has already held a Ministerial chaired round table with key leaders in the college sector and is undertaking a series of focus groups and interviews with colleges, schools and other organisations to ensure that the views of stakeholders are fully considered. These events include key leaders from across the further education sector, as well as subject teachers and leaders of curriculum in institutions. In addition, departmental officials are using the latest student data and information available to inform the review.

There are two native species of grouse in England, red and black grouse. Black grouse are of conservation concern because of a long-term decline in their numbers due to a combination of factors including predation, climate change and changes in agricultural practices.

As with all wild birds, red and black grouse are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. The Game Act, 1831 applies a close season to both species to ensure hunting is sustainable. However, there is a long-standing voluntary moratorium on the hunting of black grouse due to their long-term decline.

Typical habitat for both species is peatland, heathland and moorland. We are committed to protecting these nature-rich habitats through promoting sustainable land management and restoration practices. These habitats are included in the Government commitment to deliver our legally binding biodiversity target to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042. The Government’s Nature for Climate Fund is also enabling peatland restoration and native woodland planting which will provide benefits for both species of grouse.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels, whether that be mandatory or voluntary, so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.

The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally important. It is already a requirement that food information must be easily visible, clearly legible, and where appropriate indelible, in addition to there being a required minimum font size for mandatory information.

Additionally, if a prepacked or prepacked for direct sale food contains one of the 14 major allergens as an ingredient then this must be emphasised in the ingredients list so that it clearly stands out from the other ingredients.

The Government is considering plans to review existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing and licensing, taking account of long-standing Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency plans and recent sector proposals.

Those wishing to ride a moped will first need to pass a theory test. After which they will need to pass an off-road riding test (known as the ‘module 1 test’) and an on-road riding test (known as the ‘module 2 test’).

The table below show the number of Module 1 and Module 2 AM category practical riding tests conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the number of tests passed between 1 January and 31 December 2024.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has processes in place to identify fake and forged documents including genuine documents that may have been altered. These measures help to make original documents difficult to counterfeit and forgeries easier to identify. DVLA documents, including the driving licence, contain a number of security features to prevent misuse. These features are regularly reviewed and periodically updated to help keep documents secure and to help tackle fraud.

The DVLA also provides the police with information about these security features to help them to identify genuine documents.

The Government is considering plans to review existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing and licensing, taking account of long-standing Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency plans and recent sector proposals.

Those wishing to ride a moped will first need to pass a theory test. After which they will need to pass an off-road riding test (known as the ‘module 1 test’) and an on-road riding test (known as the ‘module 2 test’).

The table below show the number of Module 1 and Module 2 AM category practical riding tests conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the number of tests passed between 1 January and 31 December 2024.

My Department will be meeting the Motorcycle Industry Association at the Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group later this month to discuss the A Licence to Net Zero plan, alongside other ideas put forward by the motorcycle industry.

My Department will be meeting the Motorcycle Industry Association at the Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group later this month to discuss the A Licence to Net Zero plan, alongside other ideas put forward by the motorcycle industry.

While some disabled people may welcome a card that acts as a proof of disability, we are aware that some disabled people would not wish to carry a card which confirms their impairment. Other people who may meet the criteria for the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability do not identify as disabled, although they may require reasonable adjustments.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty, meaning that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.

There are a number of optional schemes and cards in the UK that have been created to meet particular needs and which people may use if they wish. These include the Hidden Disability Sunflower Scheme which discreetly identifies where additional support may be needed and is gaining widespread recognition, and Nimbus Disability’s Access Card which can help when communicating with a business about the types of support or reasonable adjustments that might be needed to access their services.

Introducing an ID scheme for carers could prove restrictive. A disabled person may have more than one carer or may be accompanied by different people on different occasions.

There are therefore no plans to introduce an ID scheme for disabled people or their carers at this time.

Government keeps the rates of benefits, state pension and statutory pay under review.

Parental pay is reviewed annually at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. From April 2025, the rate will increase by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, subject to parliamentary approval, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.

Parental pay is only one element of the support available for parents. Depending on individual circumstances, additional financial support, for example, Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available.

The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

The Government has no plans to stop the provision of clinical or therapy services by either unregulated and/or unregistered individuals.

The resilience of the United Kingdom’s supply chains is a key priority, and we are committed to helping build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. The Department works in partnership with industry, the National Health Service, and the wider health system to help ensure the continuity of the supply of medical products, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines. These issues are often global in nature. We monitor and manage medicine supply issues at a national level, so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand, and therefore there are no specific measures for the West Midlands.

As a result of intensive work, some issues with ADHD medicines have been resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

However, whilst the supply of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets has improved, issues still persist. We are continuing to work to resolve these remaining issues by engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support the continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. The Department is also working with new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to improve supply and resiliency for the UK market.

We are supporting an ADHD taskforce that NHS England has established to examine ADHD service provision. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines.

The Department has worked with NHS specialists to develop advice on prescribing alternative ADHD medications. We expect that ADHD service providers should follow this guidance and offer rapid responses for urgent advice, especially for high-risk patients. To aid decision-making at the point of the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medicines, we continue to update a list of available ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website.

Statutory and mandatory training is wide ranging and completed by all National Health Service staff. NHS England is leading work to reform statutory and mandatory training through a programme to optimise, rationalise, and redesign training. The aim is for the redesigned mandatory training to improve outcomes and staff experience, and take less time whilst being more relevant, higher quality, better value, and more portable.

The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to boost production to mitigate the supply issue. Increased volumes of PERT are expected for 2025, and specialist importers have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the gap in the market. In December 2024, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This includes actions for clinicians to consider unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public facing page to include the latest update on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice.

Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983 requires local social services authorities and National Health Service commissioners to provide or arrange for the provision of aftercare to adults or children detained in hospital for treatment under section 3, 37, 45A, or transferred under section 47 or 48 of the Act who then leave hospital. No assessment of patients is required to determine whether they are eligible for s117 aftercare although professionals would of course be expected to work with a patient to understand their individual needs.

There are no plans at present to introduce any such mandatory training or require mandatory recording of the number of people eligible for section 117 who local social services authorities and NHS commissioners have responsibility for.

The Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Scheme was evaluated in 2022, and these evaluations were published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-venture-capital-schemes.

The evaluations found that the schemes were well targeted to address the market failure which makes it difficult for early-stage, high-risk companies to secure the investment they need.

The Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Scheme was evaluated in 2022, and these evaluations were published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-venture-capital-schemes.

The evaluations found that the schemes were well targeted to address the market failure which makes it difficult for early-stage, high-risk companies to secure the investment they need.

Gambling Duties raised £3.5 billion in revenue in 2023-24.

As with all taxes, the Government keeps the gambling duty system under review during its Budget process.

The debt collection agencies (DCAs) that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) collaborates with are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are strictly bound by HMRC's processes and guidance.

HMRC undertakes regular reviews, including the monitoring of calls and examination of messages, to ensure compliance with these stringent processes and guidelines.

In the event of an unresolved dispute, or an error on a taxpayer's account, the DCAs must return the taxpayer’s case to HMRC for direct handling.HMRC will then work with the taxpayer to ensure that any disputes or errors are resolved.

The Government has robust processes in place for reviewing the list of proscribed organisations. However, the Government does not routinely comment on whether or not an organisation is being considered for proscription.

The Family Immigration Rules provide the requirements to be met for those seeking to establish or maintain their family life in the UK and these rules are kept under regular review to ensure that there are clear incentives to comply with the rules and clear disincentives for failing to do so. Specifically, on 10 September the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules, and we will reflect any recommendations arising from that review.

It is a government priority to drive meaningful culture change across the fire and rescue sector. Our fire professionals work under significant pressure and in challenging circumstances, so it is important that the Fire and Rescue Authorities and the Fire and Rescue Services create a culture where every member of the team can thrive. It is also vital that no one should have to endure bullying, discrimination or harassment within the workplace.

This government will work hand-in-hand with the workforce and our sector partners to ensure we see the highest levels of integrity and make working in the Fire and Rescue Sector a profession to be proud of.

Familiarisation visits, and other types of training and community engagement, are a local operational matter. It is for the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority and Service to determine their priorities on these types of activities.

Fire and rescue authorities are responsible for ensuring that firefighters receive the training they need in order to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend. The National Fire Chiefs Council maintains national operational guidance for fire and rescue services to draw upon when developing operational policies, procedures and training.

The Home Office funds the independent Fire Standards Board (FSB) to develop and maintain a comprehensive set of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England. The FSB has published 19 national standards for fire and rescue services covering a range of topics from emergency response driving to leading and developing people and a code of ethics.

The Home Office will continue to work with stakeholders to build on the work of the FSB in the context of the Government’s fire and rescue service reform agenda.

The Building Regulations are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare; they set minimum acceptable standards for new building work including when a building is being designed, constructed, or subject to major re-design and which are enforced through the Building Control process.

Since the Grenfell tragedy, the Building Control process has been strengthened, bringing greater oversight of Building Regulations compliance before, during and on completion of Higher Risk Building work. This will make sure that safety and performance of buildings is considered at the start of the design process and is fit for the building’s lifecycle.

At Planning Gateway 1, fire safety is considered as part of the development planning process; a local planning authority is required to consult the Health and Safety Executive on planning applications for Higher Risk Buildings.

The Building Safety Act 2022 established the Building Safety Regulator, which became the Building Control Authority for all Higher Risk Buildings in England in October 2023 and convenes multi-disciplinary specialist teams to assess building control applications at Gateway 2. Building work on new Higher Risk Buildings can only start after the developer has received Building Control approval from the Regulator.

The government understands the impact that deliberate fire setting has on people and the communities in which they live and work.

The Local Government Finance Settlement available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Councils can also finance capital expenditure from their revenue budgets, reserves or capital receipts to meet rebuilding and repair costs.

Building control assure compliance with the building regulations and have powers to intervene where it is found that buildings are in breach of the Building Regulations. It is an important function for local authorities, protecting the health and safety of residents and enabling economic activity.

We have invested £16.5 million to support capacity building in local authority building control teams and continue to encourage authorities to invest in this service.

The Building Safety Regulator is implementing Operational Standards Rules, which define minimum performance standards that building control bodies must meet and will improve outcomes across the sector.

The Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report recommended the appointment of a panel to consider delivery models and commercial interest in building control. We are considering the recommendations and will respond shortly.