Charlotte Nichols

The Cabinet Office recognises the valuable role that the voluntary and community sector can play in all aspects of resilience. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires those responders most likely to be involved in emergencies (Category 1 responders) ‘to have regard’ to the activities of voluntary organisations in the course of carrying out their duties. This is further reinforced in guidance and standards highlighting the benefits which the voluntary and community sector can bring to local partners and Local Resilience Forums.

The voluntary sector is also being included in the reinvigorated National Exercising Programme (NEP) to test our readiness to respond to risks set out in the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) through the participation of Local Resilience Forums. This programme complements existing emergency response exercises being led by and involving Government Departments, Local Government, the Devolved Administrations and industry organisations.

To further develop and support engagement, the Head of Resilience in the Cabinet Office chairs the Voluntary and Community Sector Strategic Discussion Forum every six months, with key voluntary sector organisations. Cabinet Office will continue to explore opportunities to further strengthen voluntary sector engagement to build national resilience.

We understand that this will be a concerning time for workers at TGI Fridays, and we stand ready to support those impacted. Affected employees will be able to access Government support, including Universal Credit and Job Centre Plus to help them find new jobs, through its Rapid Response Service. DBT officials are monitoring developments and are in touch with administrators.

Through the recently introduced Employment Rights Bill, we are amending existing legislation to ensure employers accept flexible working requests, except where they are not reasonably feasible. These changes will support employees to access flexible working, including women. We know flexible working is particularly important supporting women who combine work with caring responsibilities.

There have been no changes to the licence agreements issued to UK Seabed Resources Limited since January 2021.

The Department for Business and Trade has considered the potential future impacts to the UK in holding two Deep Sea Mining exploration licences and have found there is an opportunity for the UK to take a lead in this emerging market with potential for growth and revenue through taxation. This is subject to the establishment of strong, enforceable environmental regulations, standards and guidelines adopted by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and where there is sufficient scientific evidence available to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining activities on marine ecosystems.

This Government is committed to delivering the Plan to Make Work Pay in full and updating Britain's employment protections, so they are fit for our modern economy and the future of work. As set out in the Plan to Make to Work Pay we are committed to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), so it provides a safety net for those who need it most. We will remove the Lower Earnings Limit to make it available to all workers and remove the waiting period so that SSP is paid from the first day of sickness absence. Ministers are identifying the most appropriate delivery mechanisms for the commitments in the Plan, including an Employment Rights Bill that will be introduced to Parliament within 100 days of taking office.

The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) is not a government grant, rather it is an obligation on larger energy suppliers to deliver the most cost-effective single insulation measures to eligible households across Great Britain.

Information on the number of measures installed and the number of households that have received measures under GBIS since it launched in 2023 can be found in Tables 1 and 2 of the latest GBIS Statistics Release.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology is carefully considering Ofcom’s categorisation research and advice and will make Regulations as soon as reasonably practicable.

Nuclear power production is making a crucial contribution to the UK’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission. This contribution relies on a highly skilled workforce. The government and industry are working together to increase the number of students across academic and technical education that enter the nuclear sector. The government’s reforms of England’s skills system, including through the Growth and Skills Levy, the work of Skills England and the Post-16 Strategy, will support the sector’s access to the talent that it needs.

The National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills, which the government developed in partnership with industry, will also help address the workforce needs of the civil and defence nuclear sectors. The Plan, published by the Nuclear Skills Delivery Group, is available here: https://nuclearskillsdeliverygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NSDG-National-Nuclear-Strategic-Plan-For-Skills.pdf.

The government’s current skills offer in England is already helping meet the needs of the nuclear sector. There are seven nuclear-specific occupational standards which underpin apprenticeships. Other apprenticeships are also crucial to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, including project manager (level 6), and maintenance and operations engineering technician (level 3).

The ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ offer includes two nuclear sector-specific qualifications: the ECITB level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Nuclear Engineering and Science.

A range of Skills Bootcamps are available in nuclear specific and nuclear supportive courses.

Higher education plays a key role in supplying the civil nuclear sector with the skills it needs. Sector specific provision is important, particularly at postgraduate level, but more general courses are also vital to a healthy skills supply for the sector.

All state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of statutory health education, which is taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). It includes basic first aid and dealing with common injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.

​​The government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all children and young people, as this is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning.

The department, along with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, provides guidance to schools and colleges on a whole school or college approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf. The department has also provided a free to access resource hub for mental health leads, which can be found here: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.

Over 70% of all schools and colleges have accessed grants from the department to train a senior mental health lead, who develops their knowledge and skills to embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training. In addition, as of April 2024, Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) cover 44% (4.2 million) of pupils in schools and learners in further education (FE) in England. Coverage of MHSTs is expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.

A key part of our approach is ensuring the right support is available to every young person that needs it, which is why we have committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

For early years settings, the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The EYFS statutory framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

The department works closely with the FE sector to support providers to develop and implement a whole college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This is supported by the Association of Colleges refreshed Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, which was published in March 2024.

To raise standards in the higher education sector, the Office for Students has provided £400,000 of funding to the student mental health charity, Student Minds. This has enabled significant expansion of the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with 113 universities now signed up. The programme helps universities to adopt a whole institution approach to mental health.

The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE). This remains the responsibility of individual colleges who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.

The government recognises the vital role that FE teachers play in developing the skills needed to drive our missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. That is why the department is investing around £600 million in FE across the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26. This includes extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas and with support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our Taking Teaching Further programme.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced a Budget on 30 October, to be followed by a multi-year Spending Review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.

This government’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs, including those with speech, language and communication needs, is the same as it is for all children and young people. We want them to achieve well in their early years, at school and in further education; to find employment; to lead happy and fulfilled lives; and to experience choice and control.

In July, the department announced that funded support would continue in the 2024/25 academic year for 11,100 schools registered to the Nuffield early language intervention programme. This will help pupils who need extra support with speech and language development to find their voice. The department is also funding the Early Language and Support For Every Child pathfinders, in partnership with NHS England. This will fund nine Integrated Care Boards and will fund one of the local areas within each of the nine Regional Expert Partnerships to trial new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools. Alongside this, we know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. That is why the department introduced the speech and language degree apprenticeship, which is now in its third year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.

The leading causes of red squirrel decline in England include competition from non-native grey squirrels, squirrel pox virus, and habitat availability. Conservation of red squirrels is therefore targeted to red squirrel stronghold areas in the north of England. All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conservation Translocations.

The UK Squirrel Accord, to which Defra, Natural England, and the Forestry Commission are signatories, is working to better understand the appropriate strategies for conserving the red squirrel. This work includes identifying, protecting, and strengthening existing red squirrel populations, expanding their current range, and promoting better understanding and support for their conservation. Future conservation actions will be informed by this work. Once the work of the strategy has concluded and its recommendations set out, we will consider whether red squirrels should be reintroduced. In the meantime, the red squirrel action plan contains actions that could improve their habitats.

In the Autumn Budget the Government announced over £2bn of capital and R&D funding to 2030 that will support the latest research and development, accelerate commercial scale up, and unlock capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries and the wider supply chain. In addition, in 2025-26 Government is investing £200m to expand electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints, providing £120m for new electric van grants, and strengthening consumer incentives by widening the differentials in Vehicle Excise Duty First Year Rates between EVs and hybrids vs. internal combustion engine cars. EVs continue to get the best rates available for salary sacrifice schemes, which strongly incentivises the uptake of EVs.

Once Great British Railways is established then it will be making integrated decisions on Rolling Stock, bringing together track and train. This will include a Rolling Stock Strategy which will include considerations around the timelines for new build, refurbishments, and provide more visibility to the rolling stock market.

The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to supporting its growth.

There will be a statutory duty on Great British Railways to promote the use of rail freight and there will be an overall rail freight growth target set by the Secretary of State, with clear and meaningful targets for rail freight growth within pre-defined periods.

The delivery of High Speed Two (HS2) is expected to nearly double seat capacity between London and Birmingham, which is the most congested section of the West Coast Main Line. We are taking into consideration the recent proposal from the Mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands for enhancing rail connectivity between the Midlands and the North West, and will set out a clear plan to address capacity and connectivity issues in due course.

This Government is committed to reviewing the overcomplicated fares system with a view to simplifying it. We have already begun simplifying fares through our pay as you go schemes and work to simplify fares with LNER. More details will be announced in due course.