Chris Vince

The Department is working with the European Union and Members States to break down trade barriers. As part of this agenda, we need effective ongoing dialogue with both British businesses and the European Union. As part of this, later today, Minister Thomas and I are hosting a roundtable to gather views from businesses on how the UK-EU trading relationship can be improved. My officials are also engaging with businesses to understand the barriers they face and how this Government can support then to grow and export to the European Union.

The department has not completed a formal assessment of the impact of the Caledonian building works on pupils. However, the department is aware of the significant disruption for the school and pupils. The department continues to work closely with the trust and local authority to ensure all pupils at Sir Frederick Gibberd College receive an excellent education in a safe and secure environment.

The Deregulation Act 2015 enabled Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) operators to sub-contract bookings to each other across licensing boundaries, but the legislation has always allowed taxis and PHVs to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed, but pre-booked work by PHVs and taxis can be undertaken anywhere.

The Department for Transport does not hold any information about the number and proportion of PHV drivers operating in the Harlow area but licensed by other licensing authorities. As of 1 April 2023, there were 346,300 licensed taxi and PHV drivers in England, of which 264 were licensed by Harlow Council.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.

Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.

Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.

Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.

Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.

Care Quality Commission regulated providers have a key role in safeguarding adults. All relevant professions are subject to employer checks and controls, and employers in the health and care sector must satisfy themselves regarding the skills and competence of their staff.

In January 2024, the Department published the first part of the Care Workforce Pathway, the new national career structure for adult social care, and linked to this we have also launched the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate. Both the pathway and new qualification cover the learning outcome to reduce the likelihood of abuse, linked to safeguarding.

On 6 September 2024, the Department launched the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme. This scheme allows eligible employers to claim funding for certain training and qualifications on behalf of eligible care staff, including the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate.

This Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable, and we have set out our mission to halve it within a decade. Achieving this means overhauling every aspect of society’s response to these devastating crimes.

This includes drastically improving the police and wider criminal justice response, including targeting the most prolific and harmful perpetrators to better protect victims and preventing reoffending.

Prevention and education are fundamental to our approach, and we will also tackle the root causes of these crimes, including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.

The 80th anniversary of VJ Day in August 2025, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will serve as a significant occasion to honour the service and sacrifice of all those who served in the Far East and brought the Second World War to an end. The Government continues to recognise those that served in the Far East during World War II, with eligible personnel entitled to receive the Pacific Star and the Burma Star in recognition of their service.

The 80th anniversary of Victory Over Japan (VJ) Day in August 2025 will be an important opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who finally brought the Second World War to a close.

As the Chancellor announced in the Budget, the Government will provide funding to the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) and VJ day, to remember those who gave their lives and honour those who served at home and abroad. DCMS is leading on the Government plans for what those national commemorations will look like, and the Ministry of Defence will play a significant supporting role.