Caroline Voaden

At the first UK-EU Summit, the Government agreed a substantial package to take forward our new Strategic Partnership with the EU. We are proceeding swiftly with technical negotiations to implement these commitments. We will keep Parliament updated on significant developments.

Internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, but we expect companies to treat consumers with compassion in such circumstances, with many organisations having specialist bereavement advisors to support consumers during such times.

Under consumer legislation, businesses are required to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill, and within a reasonable time. Businesses in regulated sectors may have additional obligations, such as financial organisations which are bound by the Consumer Duty.

My department has not had any recent discussions with organisations about improving bereavement processes. However, we do engage with businesses more generally on consumer protection matters.

Internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, but we expect companies to treat consumers with compassion in such circumstances, with many organisations having specialist bereavement advisors to support consumers during such times.

Under consumer legislation, businesses are required to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill, and within a reasonable time. Businesses in regulated sectors may have additional obligations, such as financial organisations which are bound by the Consumer Duty.

My department has not had any recent discussions with organisations about improving bereavement processes. However, we do engage with businesses more generally on consumer protection matters.

Internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, but we expect companies to treat consumers with compassion in such circumstances, with many organisations having specialist bereavement advisors to support consumers during such times.

Under consumer legislation, businesses are required to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill, and within a reasonable time. Businesses in regulated sectors may have additional obligations, such as financial organisations which are bound by the Consumer Duty.

My department has not had any recent discussions with organisations about improving bereavement processes. However, we do engage with businesses more generally on consumer protection matters.

I have recently met with Ofcom to discuss a range of issues. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the seller is responsible for the delivery of goods bought online until they are in the consumer's physical possession and is thus responsible if anything goes wrong with the consumer's parcel, including goods delivered damaged or lost in transit.

Ofcom requires that all operators have a straightforward, accessible, and affordable complaints process.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced greater powers to remove false and misappropriated company addresses from the register and more stringent requirements around what constitutes an appropriate address.

It will also introduce compulsory identify verification for company officers. The automated nature of these processes means that they can manage a large amount of data at speed. Verifying an address and a company's link to it, however, would rely on different evidence, requiring much more manual processing. Given Companies House registers over 800,000 companies per year, the vast majority of which are entirely legitimate, the resource demands are likely to be disproportionate and such checks are not currently part of government plans.

The Government recognises the important role small-scale onshore wind can play in achieving our decarbonisation goals.

The Government supports small-scale onshore wind through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), a mechanism that ensures homes or farms with wind turbines receive payments for the renewable electricity they export to the grid.

The Government is also consulting on proposals to introduce a new permitted development right for small-scale, non-domestic wind turbines in England, making it easier for businesses, farms, and public sector organisations to install a single turbine for microgeneration, without needing to submit a full planning application, subject to safeguards.

The Data Communications Company (DCC) - the licensed body that is responsible for the provision of communication and data services for smart metering in GB - is obligated under the conditions of its licence to provide smart meter network coverage to at least 99.25% of premises across Great Britain, and to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of coverage.

The Government is working closely with the DCC and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties as soon as reasonably possible. One such solution, due to be trialled imminently, will involve VWAN - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.

The Government is consulting on changes to how Feed-in Tariff payments are adjusted for inflation in future. The consultation includes an analytical annex which includes an assessment of the potential impacts of this policy. An updated version of this will be published alongside a Government Response, next year.

Due to the physical set-up of these residences, the majority of consumers living on park home sites will continue to receive their energy via a non-domestic contract and will not have their own meter. This means that the energy price cap will not apply to them. However, park home residents who purchase their gas or electricity from their park home site owner are protected from excessive charges by the Maximum Resale Price provisions drafted by Ofgem.

The provisions prevent mobile park owners from reselling energy to the residents at a higher price than the price that they paid to the licensed energy supplier. Consumers are entitled to receive a breakdown of the park owner’s costs upon request. The breakdown should include details of the cost of electricity and/or gas, standing charges and VAT paid.

The Government is now consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector, including proposals for rented homes to achieve EPC C or equivalent by 2030. The consultation sets out proposals on maximum spend required from landlords and the exemptions regime to manage the cost burden placed on landlords and the impact on the rental market, whilst still achieving our ambition to deliver significant bill savings for tenants and lift households out of fuel poverty. We are considering how we can best support landlords to meet the new standards and welcome responses from landlords to the consultation.

Building Digital UK (BDUK) engaged suppliers at the end of 2025 on the potential for further Project Gigabit delivery, and several voucher suppliers expressed interest in delivering more voucher projects in South Devon. BDUK will make premises available to be covered by voucher projects where there is a prospect of viable projects being proposed by suppliers.

The scheme is due to end in March 2028 and therefore projects will need to be approved by August this year. The Government would encourage suppliers to engage directly with BDUK, if they believe there is an opportunity to develop a new project targeted at a specific area.

Suppliers are responsible for creating a network design plan and delivery schedule for their Project Gigabit contracts. Therefore, updates on delivery timescales for specific areas are often provided by suppliers through their own websites and fibre checker tools. Building Digital UK (BDUK) also works with suppliers and local councils to support communications about Project Gigabit contracts throughout their delivery.

Additionally, communities can check if their premises is included in BDUK plans using the following link: September 2025 OMR and premises in BDUK plans (England and Wales) - GOV.UK. Delivery progress can also be found via BDUK’s monthly data reporting, which shows the number of premises passed under each Project Gigabit contract. The latest edition of this data is available here: Premises contracted and built, Project Gigabit contracts - GOV.UK.

Through Project Gigabit we are delivering gigabit-capable connections to premises across the South West that are not expected to be reached by the commercial market alone.

Up to 31 March 2025, approximately 165,900 premises across the region have received access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection through publicly-funded broadband projects.

We remain committed to ensuring that at least 99% of UK premises are able to access a gigabit-capable connection by 2032.

Consumers should expect high-quality, reliable services. Operators have statutory obligations to keep services available and take all appropriate and proportionate measures to prepare for and minimise any disruption or outages.

In 2019, Ofcom - the independent regulator - worked with telecoms operators to introduce a voluntary, automatic compensation scheme for domestic broadband. 10 internet service providers are signatories to the scheme and collectively cover over 90% of home broadband consumers.

We will continue to work with Ofcom to monitor the market to ensure that consumers are receiving reliable services and recourse for when things go wrong.

Parliament legislated for a national registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. The government remains committed to implementing this registration scheme.

As part of the government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE,will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools provide youth-voice led, tailored, and high-quality enrichment offers.

Whilst the design of the EEP is ongoing, the department is taking learnings from the Enrichment Pilot Programme around how to ensure long term change in the way schools develop their enrichment offer. DCMS is also working closely with DfE to ensure other programmes complement the EEP and avoid duplication.

The EEP will work in tandem with other government initiatives, and participating schools will be supported to link up with local authorities and other local providers and initiatives. As the programme is currently being designed, further details on evaluation plans, impact measurements and indicators of success will be shared in due course and we will commission an evaluation contractor to monitor and assess the EEP.

As part of the government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE,will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools provide youth-voice led, tailored, and high-quality enrichment offers.

Whilst the design of the EEP is ongoing, the department is taking learnings from the Enrichment Pilot Programme around how to ensure long term change in the way schools develop their enrichment offer. DCMS is also working closely with DfE to ensure other programmes complement the EEP and avoid duplication.

The EEP will work in tandem with other government initiatives, and participating schools will be supported to link up with local authorities and other local providers and initiatives. As the programme is currently being designed, further details on evaluation plans, impact measurements and indicators of success will be shared in due course and we will commission an evaluation contractor to monitor and assess the EEP.

As part of the government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE,will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools provide youth-voice led, tailored, and high-quality enrichment offers.

Whilst the design of the EEP is ongoing, the department is taking learnings from the Enrichment Pilot Programme around how to ensure long term change in the way schools develop their enrichment offer. DCMS is also working closely with DfE to ensure other programmes complement the EEP and avoid duplication.

The EEP will work in tandem with other government initiatives, and participating schools will be supported to link up with local authorities and other local providers and initiatives. As the programme is currently being designed, further details on evaluation plans, impact measurements and indicators of success will be shared in due course and we will commission an evaluation contractor to monitor and assess the EEP.

The government is committed to getting local government back on its feet. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils' Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

Public libraries are funded by local authorities as part of this broader settlement. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.

The department’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms are ensuring every child gets the right support at the right time. This includes all of those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), including Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). We regularly engage with organisations who represent children with SLCN, including DLD, such as Speech and Language UK who are a member of our Complex Needs Group.

​Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with SEND wait too long for this support.

​As part of our new £1.8 billion investment, schools will be able to access support from professionals such as SaLTs through the Experts at Hand offer. They will work directly with school staff to equip them with skills and strategies to better meet need.

​We are also investing £15 million to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area to support more SaLTs to work with educational settings, upskill speech and language support workers, and promote the SaLT apprenticeship route.

The department’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms are ensuring every child gets the right support at the right time. This includes all of those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), including Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). We regularly engage with organisations who represent children with SLCN, including DLD, such as Speech and Language UK who are a member of our Complex Needs Group.

​Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with SEND wait too long for this support.

​As part of our new £1.8 billion investment, schools will be able to access support from professionals such as SaLTs through the Experts at Hand offer. They will work directly with school staff to equip them with skills and strategies to better meet need.

​We are also investing £15 million to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area to support more SaLTs to work with educational settings, upskill speech and language support workers, and promote the SaLT apprenticeship route.

We are consulting on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England. Healthier food does not have to mean higher cost. We tested proposals to check affordability and are working closely with the sector.

The department is monitoring policies put in place in other countries, including Australia, and we are working with counterparts there to share learnings and best practice. Ministers at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will also be visiting Australia to understand the approach taken.

Last month, the government announced a package of measures to improve children’s relationship with mobile phones and social media, including a commitment to produce evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged 5 to 16. This builds on ongoing work to develop screen time guidance for parents 0 to 5 year-olds.

The government also announced that we will be launching a consultation and national conversation on further measures to ensure technology is enriching children’s lives. The consultation will include exploring the option of banning social media for children below a certain age, alongside a range of other measures.

The government is committed to expanding access to high-quality, evidence‑based parenting and home learning support as part of the Best Start in Life Strategy, delivered through the national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs.

Local authorities are expected to commission from departmental menus of programmes with the strongest evidence base, which include both in-person and digital options.

Delivering these programmes through open-access models within Best Start Family Hubs, aims to normalise parenting support by making it widely available and integrated within a broader system of help for families. This approach is intended to broaden access, ensure families can seek support in a non‑judgemental, accessible environment and reduce barriers, including stigma.

The department will continue to evaluate the impact of Best Start Family Hubs to ensure they are delivering positive outcomes for children and families and informing future policy development.

The Government recognises the importance of Dartmoor’s pony populations.

Grazing rates within the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier have been developed in line with evidence that moderate to low grazing can benefit biodiversity, soil carbon and natural flood management. These schemes offer a range of stocking densities, reflecting differing moorland habitats and conditions.

Ponies are supported through these schemes for their role in conservation grazing and, in this case, for their value to biodiversity as a native breed unique to Dartmoor. However, as with all livestock, they are included in stocking density calculations as they contribute to overall grazing pressure.

Defra will continue to monitor impacts on pony populations and consider mitigations where necessary to support their long‑term sustainability.

Defra has assessed the impact of including ponies in grazing density calculations under Countryside Stewardship schemes and considers that this supports the sustainability of Dartmoor pony populations.

Inclusion ensures ponies are recognised within scheme payments, including Native Breed support for Dartmoor Hill Ponies, and reflects evidence of their ecological value in controlling dominant vegetation and supporting biodiversity.

Defra will continue to monitor impacts on Dartmoor pony populations and consider mitigations where necessary to ensure their long‑term sustainability.

The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals when slaughtered and official veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are present in all approved slaughterhouses to monitor and enforce welfare requirements. When the FSA identifies breaches, they are fully investigated, and proportionate action is taken to protect animal welfare. It carries out a rigorous programme of annual audits in approved slaughterhouses.

Post-implementation reviews of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015, the most recent of which was published earlier this year, have confirmed that the legislation has met its objectives of improving welfare and providing assurance that slaughterhouses operate to high welfare standards.

Part 4 of Schedule 1 to The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 provides a list of plastics which are included in the recyclable plastic waste stream. This includes PE, PET and PP pots which are larger than 40x40mm and do not contain any pigment which prevents them from being near-infrared detectable (e.g. carbon black pigment) within the plastic recyclable waste stream.

^Guidance has already been published to assist local authorities and other waste collectors and workplaces in implementing these requirements.

Defra engages regularly with local authority networks and will raise this matter with them, so they can communicate directly with their members about the legal requirement to collect this material.

Part 4 of Schedule 1 to The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 provides a list of plastics which are included in the recyclable plastic waste stream. This includes PE, PET and PP pots which are larger than 40x40mm and do not contain any pigment which prevents them from being near-infrared detectable (e.g. carbon black pigment) within the plastic recyclable waste stream.

Defra engages regularly with local authority networks and will raise this matter with them, so they can communicate directly with their members about the legal requirement to collect this material.

We know that some local authorities will need longer to roll out changes beyond 31 March 2026 due to circumstances beyond their control, such as delivery timescales for collection vehicles and containers. In such circumstances, we expect local authorities to be taking all necessary steps within their control to progress and to keep their residents informed on timeframes for service changes. We continue to work with local authority waste networks and the wider industry, providing targeted support to help address the outstanding issues.