Daisy Cooper

This government is determined to make early years the department’s top priority, reset its engagement with the sector and set every child on the journey to improved life chances. The government will say more about plans for early education and childcare in due course.

The current position is that families with British National Overseas status can access:

• The universal 15 hours free childcare entitlement, which is available to all 3 and 4 year old children, regardless of parental circumstances.
• 15 hours entitlement for parents of 2 year olds in receipt of additional support, which is available if their child has an education, health and care plan, or is in care or adopted in England and Wales. They are also eligible for these hours if their household income after tax is no more than:

o £26,500 for families outside of London with one child

o £34,500 for families within London with one child

o £30,600 for families outside of London with two or more children

o £38,600 for families within London with two or more children

The entitlements for children of working parents are not within the definition of ’public funds’ in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or the Immigration Rules. However, there are requirements in the Childcare (Free of Charge for Working Parents) (England) Regulations 2022 for the parent, or one of the parents, not to be subject to immigration control. This means that where both parents have no recourse to public funds, they will not be eligible for these entitlements. However, if there are two parents and just one of them is subject to immigration control, the family will still be eligible for the entitlements provided they meet the other eligibility criteria.

The department will be considering whether to publish such additional guidance and will confirm its decision in due course.

The department will take time to consider the high needs national funding formula (NFF) that it uses to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The department is considering the impact of the formula on local authorities, including Hertfordshire County Council and those in the F40 group. It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set, which means that decisions on the high needs and mainstream schools NFF and the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

The department will take time to consider the high needs national funding formula (NFF) that it uses to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The department is considering the impact of the formula on local authorities, including Hertfordshire County Council and those in the F40 group. It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set, which means that decisions on the high needs and mainstream schools NFF and the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

Decarbonising transport is central to delivery of the UK’s cross-economy climate targets and directly supports the Prime Minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerate our journey to net zero.

Delivering greener transport is one of five priorities the Secretary of State for Transport has set out for the Department for Transport.

The Government will respond to points raised in the Climate Change Committee’s annual report to Parliament, published on 18 July 2024, in the autumn.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for arranging access to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) recommended treatments, therefore it is not driven by the Department. It is up to ICBs to determine the best model of access for their eligible population.

Antiviral treatments for COVID-19 are now routinely available for National Health Service patients at highest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, in line with the approach to the rollout set out in the NICE’s guidance published last year.

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of including a dedicated section on congenital disorders of glycosylation in the UK Rare Diseases Framework. The framework was published in 2021, and provides a national vision for how to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases by addressing shared challenges, and does not focus on specific rare conditions.

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a national patient register for congenital disorders of glycosylation. There are no plans in England for a specific registry for this condition. Metabolic patients are included in the National Disease Registration Service, which is now part of NHS England.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchairs services. It is therefore the responsibility of ICBs to review and assess the quality of the provision of their commissioned National Health Service wheelchair services.

As such, we do not currently have any plans to assess the adequacy of the provision of NHS wheelchair services provided by AJM Healthcare. NHS England is taking steps to support ICBs to make improvements and commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services.

Data on waiting times for wheelchairs provided by AJM Healthcare is not held centrally. NHS England collects quarterly data from the ICBs through the National Wheelchair Data Collection, which is available through the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/national-wheelchair/

This data supports the drive for improvements in wheelchair services, although it is ICB level data that does not include specific data on individual services. Individual service data would need to be requested from ICBs.

The National Health Service is broken, and the Government is determined to fix it. We recognise the need for investment in NHS estates across the country, including at Watford General Hospital. We will provide the investment and reform needed to get patients the care they deserve.

My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked for an urgent report on the degree to which the New Hospital Programme is funded, and a realistic timetable for delivery. He will consider this carefully then report back to patients, clinicians, and local communities to confirm any possible revisions to the schedule.

Financial secrecy facilitates illicit finance including money laundering as well as tax and sanctions evasion. It enables serious and organised crime, undermines our national security by supporting kleptocracies around the world, and it diverts resources needed for vital public services.

Tackling illicit finance in the UK, as well as in our Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies, is a priority for the new Government.

We will be working closely with the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to increase transparency, including through publicly accessible registers of company beneficial ownership. We note the progress made in a number of jurisdictions, but will be looking to work with UKOTs and CDs to urgently accelerate progress in others.

The government is committed to a fairer business rates system. In our manifesto, we pledged to level the playing field between the high street and online giants, better incentivise investment, tackle empty properties and support entrepreneurship.

The introduction of eGates has been part of the Home Office’s wider approach to transforming our borders. Currently, there are over 270 eGates in place at 15 air and rail ports, open to British citizens and a range of other nationalities.

We are in the process of reviewing our approach to eGate eligibility policy and will announce our decision in due course.

Housing targets are an important tool to ensure housing is delivered in the right places – this is critical in tackling the chronic shortage that the country is facing that means owning a home is a distant reality for much of the public.

We cannot local a generation out of homeownership, we must build the homes the next generation needs.

As set out in the manifesto, the Government will restore mandatory housing targets. We will reverse the damaging changes introduced in December 2023 that undermine our growth ambitions and commitment to delivering 1.5 million homes. We will set out more detail in the forthcoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) update.

We will take a brownfield first approach, prioritising the development of previously used land wherever possible and fast-tracking approval of urban brownfield sites.

Brownfield alone will never be enough to build the homes we need– which is why we will look to lower quality ‘grey belt’ land where necessary to meet local housing needs.

By enabling democratic engagement with how, not if, homes and infrastructure are built – the major brakes on the planning system will be addressed to support sustainable growth.

We are working at pace on various revisions to the NPPF, with a view to public consultation on a new draft Framework in due course.

Returning Officers are required at elections to record the number of postal ballot packs received before and after the close of poll and this information is available for public inspection after the election. No separate record is kept by Returning Officers in Great Britain in respect of overseas electors.

The Electoral Commission will publish a report on the administration of the General Election held on 4 July later this year, and the Government will give careful consideration to any findings or recommendations made in the report in relation to the current arrangements for postal voting.

Returning Officers are required at elections to record the number of postal ballot packs received before and after the close of poll and this information is available for public inspection after the election. No separate record is kept by Returning Officers in Great Britain in respect of overseas electors.

The Electoral Commission will publish a report on the administration of the General Election held on 4 July later this year, and the Government will give careful consideration to any findings or recommendations made in the report in relation to the current arrangements for postal voting.