Daisy Cooper

Both the UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their arrangements for Third Country Nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the Schengen Borders Code allows for Third Country Nationals to travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling to the EU.  The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

The UK government partnered with the newspaper industry to launch the “All in, all Together” Covid-19 advertising campaign. The purpose of the partnership was to amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging to ensure it reached all communities while also delivering demonstrable value for money. The partnership comprised over 600 titles, to ensure messaging is reaching communities throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and includes over 25 multicultural titles. We only hold information about the press partnership as a whole; it is not broken down by publisher, campaign or newspaper.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on public information campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk.

The UK government partnered with the newspaper industry to launch the “All in, all Together” Covid-19 advertising campaign. The purpose of the partnership was to amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging to ensure it reached all communities while also delivering demonstrable value for money. The partnership comprised over 600 titles, to ensure messaging is reaching communities throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and includes over 25 multicultural titles. We only hold information about the press partnership as a whole; it is not broken down by publisher, campaign or newspaper.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on public information campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk.

The list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries as of September 2024 is published on gov.uk and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-parliamentary-private-secretaries-pps-september-2024

Nigel Railton, the Post Office Chair, has set out his ambitions for the future of the Post Office, which involves a reduction in central costs and other ways to deliver efficiencies, plus steps to improve the commercial future of the business in order to enable real term increases in postmaster pay. No decisions have yet been taken on the future of any individual Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) as part of this plan. The Government will continue to work closely with Post Office as they develop their transformation plan. In the meantime, we expect the Post Office to fully engage and consult with the Unions and postmaster representative bodies about future options for the DMBs.

Decisions about franchising are an operational matter for Post Office Limited. The Government is broadly supportive of POL’s transformation plan, including the aim of increasing postmaster pay, however neither the Department nor UKGI, acting as the Shareholder representative on the Board of Post Office Limited, have made the requests referred to in the question.

The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government.

Nigel Railton, the Post Office Chair, has set out his ambitions for the future of the Post Office, which involves a reduction in central costs and other ways to deliver efficiencies, plus steps to improve the commercial future of the business in order to enable real term increases in postmaster pay. No decisions have yet been taken on the future of any individual Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) as part of this plan. The Government will continue to work closely with Post Office as they develop their transformation plan. In the meantime, we expect the Post Office to fully engage and consult with the Unions and postmaster representative bodies about future options for the DMBs.

Decisions about franchising are an operational matter for Post Office Limited. The Government is broadly supportive of POL’s transformation plan, including the aim of increasing postmaster pay, however neither the Department nor UKGI, acting as the Shareholder representative on the Board of Post Office Limited, have made the requests referred to in the question.

The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government.

The Government takes reports of complaints very seriously. Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.

Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Ofgem did not find any evidence to suggest that Drax had been issued with subsidies incorrectly. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.

To encourage innovation and competition, the Smart Export Guarantee is a market-led mechanism in which energy suppliers, rather than the government, set both the tariff levels and structure. The scheme’s success should therefore be gauged by the diversity and creativity of the offerings. To date there is a good range of offers for both residential and commercial exporters which is evident in Ofgem’s latest SEG annual report (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/smart-export-guarantee-seg/smart-export-guarantee-seg-contacts-guidance-and-resources). This demonstrates the scheme’s growth in terms of tariff variety, innovation, and prices. We will continue to keep this under review.

No decision has been taken on whether transitional support arrangements should be introduced for biomass generators when their current arrangements end. The Government will consider a range of factors, including a robust assessment of potential value for money for consumers, to inform its decision. This will be subject to appropriate Parliamentary engagement.

Both rooftop solar and batteries are important for getting to net zero. Households and businesses with solar panels can benefit through significantly reduced electricity bills. They can also export the excess energy they generate to the grid via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). This is a market led mechanism where electricity supply companies set their own export tariffs. As the SEG is market led, those with solar panels can shop around for the best prices.

The Gambling Minister has met with the Betting and Gaming Council since her speech at the GambleAware conference on 4 December 2024 and the Department continues to work with the BGC on the issue of advertising. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards in this area to ensure that levels of gambling advertising does not exacerbate harm and this work will be monitored closely.

National guidelines for concussion in grassroots sport were developed by international experts on concussion and acquired brain injury to better identify, manage and prevent the issue. We continue to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the guidance to their own sport where appropriate.

The concussion guidelines’ impact is in the process of being evaluated by the Department for Health and Social Care, with DCMS involvement, and the evaluation is expected to be published in 2025.

The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety with relevant stakeholders and the sports sector in the coming months to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.

Public notices are important for ensuring that the public is kept informed of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property. The independent 2019 Cairncross Review into sustainable journalism found that public notices are also an important source of revenue for local newspapers. However, the Government is aware of feedback from some sectors about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. In this context, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and provide a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We are monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices.

The Government will respond to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s report on Grassroots music venues as soon as we can in the autumn, including its recommendation on a fan-led review of live and electronic music. As part of our commitment to putting fans at the heart of our policy on music, we will launch a consultation on the secondary ticket market in the autumn alongside a call for evidence on dynamic pricing.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The department collects absence data for teachers and teaching assistants employed directly by state-funded schools via the school workforce census. This includes absences due to sickness but does not include the reason for the sickness absence. Each census collects data for absences from the previous academic year. The latest data available covers the 2022 /23 academic year and is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

Under current programmes, 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive benefits-based free school meals (FSM). This includes pupils attending a local authority maintained, academy or free school nursery who are entitled to FSM, as long as they either are in full-time education or receive education both before and after lunch and meet the benefits-based FSM eligibility criteria.

Further information on the number of pupils registered to receive FSM is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Engaging in sports and physical activities, both within and outside the school environment, is crucial for a child’s wellbeing and personal development. There are various resources already available to assist schools and sports clubs in assessing and mitigating any risks associated with these activities.

The department’s guidance, ‘Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools’, supports schools in evaluating the risks associated with their activities. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-advice-for-schools/responsibilities-and-duties-for-schools. It signposts to the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on promoting a balanced approach to children’s play and leisure.

Additionally, health and safety advice is available from the Association of Physical Education and the National Governing Bodies of individual sports, who are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the concussion guidance to their own sport where appropriate.

Furthermore, on 24 November 2024, DCMS updated the 'Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport’. These UK-wide guidelines aim to help players, coaches, parents, teachers, school staff, National Governing Bodies, and sports administrators effectively identify and manage brain injuries.

The department and DCMS have been collaboratively disseminating the guidance to schools through various channels such a sector email and a school stakeholder bulletin.

This guidance can be accessed here: uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf.

Engaging in sports and physical activities, both within and outside the school environment, is crucial for a child’s wellbeing and personal development. There are various resources already available to assist schools and sports clubs in assessing and mitigating any risks associated with these activities.

The department’s guidance, ‘Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools’, supports schools in evaluating the risks associated with their activities. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-advice-for-schools/responsibilities-and-duties-for-schools. It signposts to the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on promoting a balanced approach to children’s play and leisure.

Additionally, health and safety advice is available from the Association of Physical Education and the National Governing Bodies of individual sports, who are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the concussion guidance to their own sport where appropriate.

Furthermore, on 24 November 2024, DCMS updated the 'Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport’. These UK-wide guidelines aim to help players, coaches, parents, teachers, school staff, National Governing Bodies, and sports administrators effectively identify and manage brain injuries.

The department and DCMS have been collaboratively disseminating the guidance to schools through various channels such a sector email and a school stakeholder bulletin.

This guidance can be accessed here: uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special education needs and disabilities or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

Children who have had a brain injury can be affected in different ways. Some brain injuries will result in a special educational need (SEN) or a medical need, whilst others may affect a child in other ways.

In whatever way a brain injury manifests, it is essential that the pupil’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately. Support should be tailored to their own learning barriers, irrespective of their diagnosis. This is underpinned by the range of statutory duties on schools to support children with SEN, disabilities or medical conditions. Depending on the impact that an acquired brain injury has on the child accessing education, they may be entitled to support under any or all of these duties. For example:

• A mainstream school must use its ‘best endeavours’ to provide the right support for all its pupils with SEN.
• Schools must make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions.
• Schools must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies and not discriminate against disabled pupils.

The maintenance of public toilets is a matter for local authorities. The Government has no plans to produce guidance for local authorities on the provision of sanitary waste bins in men's bathrooms.

The Government oversees policy and legislation with respect to the safe management of waste and litter as well as the protection of drains and sewers. It does not, however, have powers to compel the provision of sanitary bins in public toilets. The maintenance of public toilets is a matter for local authorities.

As stated in the reply to Question 10820, Defra is considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps in England.

The water industry must comply with Regulation 31 and they cannot purchase and install a product from a supplier without first assuring themselves that the product has been approved or meets the requirements of Regulation 31. The Government recognises that it is critically important that there are effective procedures and regulatory oversight and the Drinking Water Inspectorate has been pro-actively supporting the industry towards accessing additional laboratory facilities and services with respect to Regulation 31 testing.

A full regulatory impact assessment, including consideration of costs and benefits, would be prepared as part of any implementation of Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

No such assessment is available at this stage.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the times of use, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS. The Department for Transport’s concessionary travel statistics for the year ending March 2025, report that 60% of travel concession authorities provide discretionary concessions for disabled concessionary passholders to travel before 9:30am and after 11pm.