Anna Gelderd

The Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy funding to support the delivery of a minimum number of branches, including Liskeard and other rural & urban communities and to provide a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, Post Office delivers essential services, including banking and cash services, across the UK via its network of 11,500 branches.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all. We have committed to work closely with banks to roll out at least 350 banking hubs, which will provide individuals and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services.

For homes, we have kickstarted delivery of the Government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan, which will transform homes across the country, including those in South East Cornwall, by making them cleaner and cheaper to run. This includes grant support through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), and targeted support for low income and fuel poor households, namely GBIS, ECO. The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, and Warm Homes: Local Grant will also begin delivery this year.

The Government is also committed to making electric vehicle charging infrastructure more affordable and accessible, particularly for those without off-street parking, and is offering grants to support the installation of private chargepoints in residential and commercial properties.

The Government’s Clean Energy Superpower and Growth missions will be enabled by a significant reinforcement of our electricity network, at all levels across the high voltage transmission and lower-voltage distribution networks. The network companies are responsible for owning and operating the grid, and Government is working with them, Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator to accelerate the delivery of network infrastructure and enable the connection of new renewable generation.

All Government energy efficiency schemes, including the Great British Insulation Scheme, must comply with construction standards as set out by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 included several changes designed to enhance and protect the environment. For example, it expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.

Areas right across the UK are benefitting from the transition to low carbon energy. The government’s investments in the skills system are promoting education and training that creates meaningful opportunities for all, including in areas such as renewable energy for South East Cornwall.

The department funds a range of programmes that develop green skills, including:

• T Levels in construction, engineering and land management, which can lead to careers as a civil engineering technician or countryside officer, for example.

• Over 200 occupational standards that include green skills, such as civil engineer, low carbon heating technician and professional forester.

Moreover, green energy will be eligible for the first round of shortened apprenticeships that we recently announced as part of our skills reforms.

The recently created Skills England is working with partners to map out and address skills needs linked to clean energy.

Addressing local renewable energy and green skills needs are a priority set out in Local Skills Improvement Plans, including the plan covering South East Cornwall. With support from the department, local colleges are actively addressing green skills needs through various initiatives and programmes in key areas such as green construction, heat pump technologies and electric vehicles.

All education and training providers, as with other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities, so they are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, which is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/20.

Local authorities are also responsible for commissioning education for young people who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan and have high needs. Cornwall Council’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) offer is developed in partnership with parents, carers and stakeholders, which includes the two colleges in Cornwall. The Together for Family’s SEND strategy sets out Cornwall Council’s considerations for post-16 young people. Schools and colleges in Cornwall help young people prepare for adulthood and there are specific programmes of education to support young people in moving on to further education, independent living, training and/or employment.

The council provides further support for young people at risk of becoming not in employment, education or training (NEET) through the Cornwall Opportunities Initiative and the Youth Engagement Project for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, aimed at disadvantaged young people, which has received £2 million from the UK government through the Shared Prosperity Fund. The latter programme works with young people aged 16 to 24, with a specific focus on 16 to 18 year-olds who are NEET or are at risk of NEET, have special educational needs, or are in other vulnerable groupings.

The government recognises the vital role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children. The government’s manifesto committed to working with local government to support children in care, including through kinship arrangements. The department is considering how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system to deliver better outcomes for children and families, including how best to support kinship children and families.

This government is extending the delivery of over 140 peer support groups across England, which are available for all kinship carers to access, where they can come together to share stories, exchange advice and support each other. The department is also delivering a package of training and support that all kinship carers across England can access.

The government recognises the challenge that many kinship carers face in continuing to work, alongside the pressures of taking in and raising a child. We are also prioritising implementing kinship leave within the department in the next financial year, subject to pay negotiations.

From September 2024, the role of virtual school heads has been expanded to include championing the education, attendance and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school.

The £45 million Families First for Children pathfinder and Family Network Pilot aim to make greater use of family networks by involving them in decision-making at an earlier stage and providing practical and financial support via family network support packages to help keep children safe at home.

Defra is assessing the role that marine net gain may play in nature recovery including consideration of timescales for operation of the policy.

Consumers receiving accurate information about the food they eat is of upmost importance, however any new legislation needs to be carefully considered, taking into account the views of all stakeholders and the balance of costs and benefits, which will take some time

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods, which includes foods made to order in restaurants

In December 2023, the FSA Board agreed that businesses selling non-prepacked foods, such as cafes and restaurants, should provide allergen information to consumers in writing and this should be supported by a conversation. Following the Board’s decision, FSA officials are working to assess the impact of different legislative options for improving the provision of allergen information for non-prepacked foods. Defra officials are being kept closely informed on the progress of this work.

In parallel, taking the steer from the Board, the FSA has created best practice guidance for businesses to provide written information and support this with a conversation, which has just been through a public consultation. This guidance along with tools to assist businesses in following it will be published in the next few days.

Natural England has identified that the lack of nest sites is one of the pressures on species including the swift. Therefore, provision of swift bricks may aid recovery alongside other actions, such as to increase food resources. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published a revised National Planning Policy Framework in December. This expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support species like swifts, such as swift bricks.

Defra policy officials are continuing to work with MHCLG colleagues to consider what action may be appropriate to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. As of March 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 75,305 publicly available charging devices, up 32% on this time last year.

Cornwall Council have been allocated over £6m capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (LEVI) Fund to increase local public chargepoints across the area. The LEVI Fund will support the installation of at least 100,000 local chargepoints across England.

We are aware that disabled EV drivers face specific barriers when using public chargepoints. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles co-sponsored the accessability standard, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) 1899, along with national disability charity Motability. The Government has been actively encouraging relevant parties to adopt its specifications, building on improvements already being made in the sector. The Government is supporting the 24-month review of the PAS, which is being led by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and concludes early in 2025.

As set out to Parliament by the Secretary of State in December we are developing an Action Plan, with input from the Ombudsman, so that lessons are learnt. We will publish the Action Plan in due course.

We are committed to providing clear and sufficient notice of any changes in the State Pension age, so people have the notice they need to plan for their retirement.

The Secretary of State has also tasked officials with developing a strategy for effective, timely and modern communication on the State Pension that uses the most up to date methods. This will build on changes that have already been made, for example the launch of the online ‘Check Your State Pension’ service, which gives a personal forecast of your State Pension including when you can claim it, and how much you can get.

My predecessor met with representatives from WASPI Ltd in September 2024, the first Minister to do so for 8 years.

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.

OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.

OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.

OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

The Department is committed to working with the pharmaceutical industry to develop a more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible clinical research system in the United Kingdom, ensuring that all patients, including those with rarer cancers like Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Erdheim Chester disease, have access to cutting-edge clinical research and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

We are also committed to improving waiting times for cancer treatment, so that people with cancer, including rarer cancers, can get access to the care they need more quickly. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

Finally, the National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including rare and less common cancers.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which includes priority four on improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework, and published the fourth England action plan on 28 February 2025.

Under priority four:

- we have worked with industry, clinicians, and patients to understand the challenges and opportunities of early access pathways for rare disease therapies;

- we have committed to continuing to keep the effectiveness of the schemes for rare treatments under review;

- the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has launched a review of its highly specialised technology programme for evaluating rare disease treatments;

- introduced action 38 on reforming clinical trial regulations; and

- introduced action 39 on developing an operational framework for individualised therapies in the National Health Service.

For further details, the 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-rare-diseases-action-plan-2025