Connor Naismith

HMG officials and Ministers, including myself, regularly engage EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The UK and the EU allow for visa-free, short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. UK nationals can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. In France, a long-stay visa is available. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 5 February 2026 to Question 109565. Since then, the UK has sanctioned a further 6 targets in Russia’s Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) industry including ships, traders and Russia’s Portovaya and Vysotsk terminals responsible for exporting Russian LNG, as part of our most recent sanctions package announced on 24 February 2026.

The Department for Business and Trade is currently engaging with stakeholders on proposed changes in filing requirements at Companies House, to ensure they strike the right balance between tackling economic crime and avoiding undue burden on business. As part of this we are considering stakeholder views on the requirement for small and micro entities to file profit and loss accounts. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Government recognises that the supply chain is crucial for the day-to-day running, maintenance, and development of the railway.

Under the strategic leadership of Great British Railways, there will be more coordination between track and train, a centralised point of contact and more certainty for rail suppliers, but equally the Government requires a resilient and productive rail supply chain that invests in skills, technology, and innovation to reduce costs and increase competitiveness.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper, Invest 2035, identified eight growth-driving sectors. All sectors will benefit from wider policy reform, including rail, through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act updates existing prohibitions on unfair trading in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (2008) and introduces new consumer protections for subscription contracts.

The impact assessment for the DMCCA can be found here: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill - Impact Assessment Summary.docx. We will continue to monitor the impact of the measures on consumers.

The Government is committed to tackling serious labour abuse and exploitation. Workers on sponsored visas have the same protections and rights under employment law as British and settled workers. All employers are expected to comply with UK employment law.

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and HM Revenue and Custom’s National Minimum Wage enforcement team work together to ensure that workers are aware of their rights. If anyone thinks they are not getting their employment rights, they should contact Acas on 0300 123 1100 for advice on next steps.

Through the Employment Rights Bill and the Fair Work Agency we are delivering a much-needed upgrade to employment rights enforcement, including for workers on sponsored visas.

The Government intends to strengthen consumer protections in the domestic heating‑oil market, informed by the Competition and Markets Authority’s ongoing examination of the sector, which it announced on 20 March. The CMA also announced on 11 March that it is moving quickly to get to the bottom of troubling reports from heating oil customers about cancelled orders and sudden price increases. In parallel, the Government has made available £53M to support low-income families who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices.

In July 2025, we announced that we would not be implementing zonal pricing as part of the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) and had decided instead to retain a single Great Britain wide wholesale electricity market. We plan to set out the potential impact of zonal pricing − with respect to areas such as consumers, generators and investment, including South East England – in the REMA Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), which will be published later this year.

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue. Ofgem has conducted a broad public consultation to understand the views of consumers on this issue, receiving over 5,000 responses on their 2024 discussion paper. Since then, Ofgem has been continuing work in two areas.

Firstly, Ofgem has been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with low or no standing charges. Ofgem took a further step towards this goal on 24 July, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers low or no standing charge tariffs from early 2026.

Secondly, Ofgem has been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this. Ofgem published its Cost Allocation and Recovery Review on 30 July.

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue.

Firstly, Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with low or no standing charges Ofgem took a further step towards this goal this week, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers low or no standing charge tariffs from early 2026.

Secondly, Ofgem have been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this.

The Government supports renewable energy innovation through a range of measures including the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies in power, buildings and industry. Over 2021-25, approximately £91 million has been invested in the Northwest of England through this programme. For example, in East Cheshire, funding has been provided to innovators like Aerofoil Energy to improve energy and temperature performance in retail refrigeration.

We will be engaging with local authorities and partners across the country to amplify youth voices through Youth Councils and other mechanisms, so that a diverse range of young people have a role in shaping decisions that affect their lives.

This may look different in every place, and we are eager to work with young people to co-design what this looks like in their local area, including Crewe and Nantwich.

The reporting and governance process across government will allow young people to hold us to account on what we are doing. This will be through a national hearing by young people every year to discuss progress and priorities on the delivery of the strategy.

In September 2023 DCMS published updated statutory guidance to support local authorities’ understanding of the existing duty and how to deliver it. In the longer-term, we will explore reviewing the current local authorities’ statutory duty for youth services to empower them to better deliver on their responsibilities for youth services. The timeline for this review is not yet finalised.

Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy, will put young people from all backgrounds in the driving seat when it comes to decisions that affect their own lives.

We are committed to being accountable to young people, their parents/carers, sector partners, and the wider public to deliver this strategy.

Every year, our department will invite a diverse group of young people to run a national hearing on the delivery of the strategy. This process will be co-designed with young people. We will also publish an interim delivery progress report in 2027.

His Majesty’s Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including choral music. Local choirs are an important part of many people’s lives across the UK, providing a creative outlet and strong sense of community, as well as an accessible, enjoyable cultural experience enjoyed by people of all ages.

The Government supports the arts financially, including choirs and singing, through its arm’s-length body Arts Council England. The Arts Council does not have a specific category for identifying investment in ‘male choirs’, however, for the financial year 2024/25 Arts Council England funded activity with a choral focus or element by nearly £44 million. This funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England. Organisations supported by this funding include Ex Cathedra, a nationally recognised choir with a repertoire that reaches from the 12th to the 21st centuries.

Within the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department for Education continues to fund bursaries for training choristers through the Choir Schools’ Association.

To ensure the BBC is on a stable financial footing, the Government has committed to the current licence fee model for the remainder of the current Charter period.

The licence fee will increase annually in line with CPI inflation until the end of this Charter period, as required by the Licence Fee Settlement agreed by the last Government in 2022.

Looking ahead, the Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that it must be funded by a model that is sustainable. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

School leaders are best placed to make staffing decisions to ensure the workforce reflects the needs of their pupils. That is why schools are provided the freedom to manage employment of all their staff. The department is not the employer of any school staff.

Where school employers use settlement agreements, they are required to comply with employment law. Settlement agreements are entirely voluntary, and employees do not have to enter into them if they do not agree with the proposed content. Academy trusts must comply with the Academies Financial Handbook if they are considering making a settlement agreement. The handbook can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook.

Settlement agreements often include a confidentiality clause, however, the law is clear that confidentiality clauses cannot be used to prevent someone from making a protected disclosure, such as whistleblowing. Further information about whistle blowing for employees can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing.

In addition, the government has introduced a new measure, through the Employment Rights Act 2025, that will address the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) by employers. The government will consult on the conditions under which NDAs can still be validly made, known in the legislation as an ‘excepted agreement’.

​​This government is committed to providing a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. So far, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. Following the success of the early adopters, and as the first phase of national rollout, we are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Since September 2024, over 50,000 additional full childcare places have also been made available to families through the National Wraparound Programme. ​

No staff member should ever be pressured into leaving their job. Headteachers have the freedom to manage employment at their schools in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document guidance for maintained schools and relevant employment law for all schools.

In addition, the government is taking action to ensure that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be used to take unfair advantage of workers. For example, the Employment Rights Bill now includes a measure that will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. The government intends to outline strict conditions in regulations under which NDAs can still be validly entered into.

We are also taking significant steps to reduce pressure on teachers and therefore increase teacher retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service contains a range of supportive resources for schools to review and reduce workload, as well as improve staff wellbeing. This year saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.

No staff member should ever be pressured into leaving their job. Headteachers have the freedom to manage employment at their schools in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document guidance for maintained schools and relevant employment law for all schools.

In addition, the government is taking action to ensure that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be used to take unfair advantage of workers. For example, the Employment Rights Bill now includes a measure that will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. The government intends to outline strict conditions in regulations under which NDAs can still be validly entered into.

We are also taking significant steps to reduce pressure on teachers and therefore increase teacher retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service contains a range of supportive resources for schools to review and reduce workload, as well as improve staff wellbeing. This year saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.

Generally, to be eligible for student support a student must be ordinarily resident in England and have ‘settled’ status or a recognised connection with the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course. They must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for the three years prior to that date.

It is important that the limited public funds available for student support are targeted on those categories of persons with a lawful and substantial residential connection to the UK and who are likely to remain indefinitely.

Local authorities already have powers to take enforcement action against littering offenders. Anyone caught littering may be prosecuted in a magistrates’ court, which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £2,500 on conviction. Instead of prosecuting, local authorities may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot fine) of up to £500. Local authorities also have powers to issue a civil penalty to the keeper of a vehicle from which litter has been thrown. This helps them respond to littering incidents when they cannot identify the specific individual who dropped litter from a vehicle.

To support local authorities to make good use of their fixed penalty powers for littering and related offences, which will reduce littering, we have laid new Statutory Guidance, Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them, in Parliament. Local authorities will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers. The guidance is available: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them - GOV.UK

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be issuing a small grant payment to local authorities in England to support them to familiarise themselves with the Litter Enforcement Guidance.

We have also laid the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse statutory guidance in parliament which outlines the standards expected of local authorities and other duty bodies (e.g. National Highways) with regards to their duty to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. The guidance can be found on: Code of practice on litter and refuse - GOV.UK

Littering is a local issue. The role of central Government is to enable and support local action by providing a clear legal framework of rights and responsibilities and setting national standards. Local councils have legal powers to take enforcement action against littering offenders. Anyone caught littering may be prosecuted in a magistrates’ court. Alternatively, councils may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot fine) of up to £500. To support local councils to make good use of their fixed penalty powers for littering and related offences we have laid new Statutory Guidance, Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them, in Parliament. Local authorities will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers, which is available at: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them - GOV.UK

We have also laid the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse statutory guidance in Parliament which outlines the standards expected of local authorities and other duty bodies (e.g. National Highways) with regards to their duty to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. This guidance can be found on: Code of practice on litter and refuse - GOV.UK

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy.

We intend to publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport.

Work has begun on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy to reduce disease rates and end the badger cull by the end of this Parliament.

The ban on XL Bullies is vital to protect the public and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions. Up to date guidance for owners of XL Bullies is available on GOV.UK.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the food sector, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging. Feedback from stakeholders has been factored into finalising the regulations, including consulting stakeholders on a draft of the pEPR regulations in 2023.

Government recognises the importance of protecting small producers from direct cost obligations. This is why the regulations include a de-minimis threshold of £2 million turnover and 50 tonnes which exempts approximately 70% of the UK's smaller producers from paying scheme fees.

The Government has committed £7.5 billion over the next decade to support industry and the public as they transition to zero emission vehicles.

This includes the £2 billion Electric Car Grant, which has already supported over 80,000 drivers who have benefited from discounts of up to £3,750 across more than 40 models. This also includes the £600 million funding to support the rollout of charging infrastructure, with 118,321 public chargers installed already as of 1 March 2026.

As of March 2025, there are over 118,000 public chargers across the UK. Both the 2024 NAO ‘public chargepoints for electric vehicles’ report, and the Climate Change Committee 2025 Progress report, concluded that charge point rollout is on track.

The majority of public chargepoints will be delivered by industry, who have already committed £6 billion of private sector investment before 2030. The Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Fund supports local authorities in England to leverage significant private investment and is expected to deliver over 100,000 further local public charge points.

We are confident that the Grid can support the transition to EVs. The National Energy System Operator is investing over £58 billion to modernise and expand the electricity network.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. In the interests of road safety, the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.

Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer to process as the DVLA is often reliant on receiving information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.

The DVLA is currently experiencing an increase in both the volume and complexity of driving licence applications from people with one or more medical conditions. Unfortunately this has led to longer waiting times for some customers. In 2024/25 the DVLA made more than 830,000 medical licensing decisions with forecasts showing that more than 925,000 medical applications and notifications will be received in 2025/26.

To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its online service and is launching a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements to drivers with medical conditions. These enhancements, alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements for customers.

As part of the Northern Growth Strategy, the government set out its intention to ultimately deliver a North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. This is not a reinstatement of HS2 and the government is yet to determine exactly what will be delivered and to what specification. Significant further work is required to develop plans before such decisions are made. We will engage with stakeholders, including Local Authorities, as this work takes place.

Adults aged over 30 may be eligible for a number of national and regional railcards. Train operating companies also offer a range of products, such as season tickets, which can be used to support better value regular travel to work.

The Government has no current plans to review existing concessionary discounts. However, the Railways Bill gives Great British Railways the flexibility to update and expand concessionary offers as passenger needs change.