Dan Norris

I refer to my answer for UIN 80985, tabled on 10 October 2025.

The Government is committed to improving pandemic preparedness. As the response to Module One of the Covid-19 inquiry made clear, the Cabinet Office is playing a greater role in preparedness for cross-cutting catastrophic risks.

Our preparedness for future pandemics has been stepped up through Exercise Pegasus, the largest ever national pandemic response exercise. The exercise will test national to local coordination arrangements, and lessons from the exercise will help strengthen pandemic preparedness at national and local levels.

The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). As of 9 September, IBCA has contacted 3,471 people to start their compensation claim, and 3,122 have started the claim process. 1,615 offers of compensation have been made, totalling over £1.2 billion, and so far 1,299 people have accepted their offers with more than £897 million paid in compensation. This means, as of 9 September, over 90% of infected people registered with a support scheme have been contacted to begin their claim.

IBCA expects the first claims from the cohort of people who are infected but have never been compensated, as they are not registered with an infected blood support scheme, to begin in October 2025. IBCA will also start the first claims for deceased infected people, and affected people, by December 2025.

The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small businesses across the country. For too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) have been held back by government procurement processes that are too slow, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement and builds on measures in the Procurement Act including an expectation for all public bodies to maximise procurement spend with SMEs and VCSEs.

In central government, we have announced new rules to drive greater transparency and accountability for increasing numbers of SMEs and VCSEs delivering public contracts. From 1 April 2025 central government departments must set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and to publish progress annually.

The Government is also currently consulting on further reforms to our public procurement processes to build on the changes introduced in the Procurement Act. In particular, these reforms will open up more opportunities for SMEs and VCSEs.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) does not manage participation of No Mow May centrally. However, estates are encouraged to take part in such initiatives if operationally feasible on a site by site basis. As such several sites took part across the GPA estate.

We’re creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street and supports investment, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties under £500,000 rateable value. The government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year.

Our recently announced Small Business Strategy aims to tackle late payments, boost access to finance, and remove red tape to enable small businesses, including independent retailers, grow and thrive.

The Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential, targeting government investment towards eight-growth driving sectors (IS-8). There are clusters of the IS-8 sectors across the whole country, and the policy package addresses the biggest constraints to growth highlighted by businesses in these sectors.

The West of England Combined Authority will receive targeted interventions to support sectors in the area including devolved funding from the Creative Places Growth Fund, £0.8bn Transport for City Regions funding, and dedicated support from a British Business Bank Cluster Champion.

To ensure robust and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the Industrial Strategy, we have chosen six economic indicators that reflect a range of desirable objectives for the IS-8 and the economy as a whole, which will be tracked at the economy-wide, sector and place level. Monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy will be overseen by the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council who will take a data-led approach.

The government has concluded a trade deal with India, the fastest-growing economy in the G20. We have also agreed the General Terms for an Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) with the United States and agreed a new Strategic Partnership with the European Union.

We are continuing to make good progress in our negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Republic of Korea, Switzerland and Turkey.

On 1 July, the Government launched the Parental Leave Review, fulfilling its manifesto commitment.

As set out in the terms of reference, the review is scheduled finish roughly 18 months after launch which will be around January 2027.

The Department has not made an assessment on the potential impact of the Review on the gender pay gap at this stage. However the Review’s Terms of Reference set out that one of our objectives for the parental leave and pay system is to support economic growth through labour market participation, including tackling the gender pay gap and motherhood penalty.

On 1 July, the Government launched the Parental Leave Review, fulfilling its manifesto commitment.

As set out in the terms of reference, the review is scheduled finish roughly 18 months after launch which will be around January 2027.

The Department has not made an assessment on the potential impact of the Review on the gender pay gap at this stage. However the Review’s Terms of Reference set out that one of our objectives for the parental leave and pay system is to support economic growth through labour market participation, including tackling the gender pay gap and motherhood penalty.

Net Zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st Century – one that has the potential to reignite our industrial heartlands, create good jobs for the future, and lower bills in the long term

We’re restoring the UK as a global leader on climate action and green growth, and you can expect to see the PM driving forward that agenda at COP30.

As he did last year at COP29, the Secretary of State will be leading the UK delegation in Brazil supported by myself and other Ministers. We will work with others to support multilateralism and push for maximal ambition.

To achieve net zero at lowest cost, we must look at how to accelerate all low carbon technologies including geothermal. The Government recognises that the mine water from coal mines shows good potential as a renewable source for heat networks. The government is therefore supporting such mine water schemes as Gateshead and Seaham Garden Village through the Heat Network Investment Project and the Green Heat Network Fund. The Mining Remediation Authority has also released opportunity maps for 10 Cities in England Mine Water Heat Opportunity Mapping for 10 Cities in England - data.gov.uk

We have made an excellent start delivering our Clean Energy Superpower Mission. We are bearing down on energy bills and identifying options to lower energy costs. We have secured over £50 billion of private investment in clean energy, backed the next generation of nuclear power with £14.2 billion of funding for Sizewell, and invested in a £1 billion supply chain fund under Great British Energy to unlock investment in offshore wind jobs and our clean energy supply chains. Industry stakeholders have acknowledged and welcomed the acceleration in our ambition and progress we're making to deliver our objectives. We recognise there is much work to do, and our long-term plan will take time, requiring extensive engagement across all sectors of our society. But we won’t be deterred by the scale of the task, and this Government will not waste a moment delivering it.

The Climate Change Act (2008) made the UK the first country to introduce a legally binding, long-term emissions reduction target. This sets our commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in law. The UK has already halved its emissions, having cut them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023, while growing the economy by over 80% in the same period.

We will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors of the economy by October 2025. The Climate Change Committee published its 2025 progress report in June, and we will also formally respond to this report by October 2025.

The Warm Home Discount statistics for 2024-25 were published on 26^th June 2025. These statistics cover receipt of the WHD for winter 2024/25. Estimates of future eligibility are not available at county or constituency level. Across Great Britain, we will be extending the WHD to an estimated additional 2.7 million households and bringing the overall number of households supported to around 6 million.

Good progress on improving broadband coverage has been made in the North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, approximately 91% of premises in this constituency have access to gigabit-capable broadband (of 1000 Mbps or faster), this is up from 87% in 2024. This figure exceeds the UK average, which currently stands at 89%.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.

Significant progress has been made on validating alternative methods, including the possibility of replacing mice by in vitro suitable cell cultures in LD50-type testing methods, and relevant regulatory quality standards and testing requirements have been revised accordingly for these specific medicines.

The implementation of new tests for existing products must protect and prioritise human safety, often requiring extensive validation. It is not presently possible to replace all of the existing animal tests with in vitro non-animal replacements.

The Government published its Digital Inclusion Action Plan in February 2025, which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including North East Somerset & Hanham.

These will be targeted at local initiatives for boosting digital skills and confidence, widening access to devices and connectivity, and getting support to people in their own communities so everyone can reap the benefits of technology.

We are committed to ensuring government online and digital services are accessible as possible alongside exploring how to extend the scope of the standards further.

The Government published its Digital Inclusion Action Plan in February 2025, which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including North East Somerset & Hanham.

These will be targeted at local initiatives for boosting digital skills and confidence, widening access to devices and connectivity, and getting support to people in their own communities so everyone can reap the benefits of technology.

We are committed to ensuring government online and digital services are accessible as possible alongside exploring how to extend the scope of the standards further.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing” and the Government is drafting a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.

The Government has been consulting industry, academia and civil society as this process unfolds. Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then.

DCMS is developing a registration scheme to collect data on short-term lets across England. The Scheme, which is launching in 2026, will give the Government and local authorities valuable insights on the number of short-term lets in local areas.

This data is shared by all constituencies in the ceremonial county of Somerset:

• Inbound: Somerset saw 496K visits, 3.2M nights, and a spend of £296M in 2022.

• Domestic: Somerset saw 2M trips, 6.7M bednights, and a spend of £460.4M - annual average based on 24 months between Sep 21-Sep 23

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

The latest January 2025 statistics relating to funded early education and childcare were published on 11 July 2025. Statistics at constituency level are not readily available. Figures on the number of 3 and 4 year-olds registered for the 30-hour working parent entitlement in Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/440c7635-9b30-45ae-7a83-08de11c58191.

Following the expansion from September 2025, figures on the number of children aged 9 months to 2 years registered for the 30-hour working parent entitlement, at local authority, regional, and national level, will be published in next year’s January 2026 statistics on GOV.UK.

​​As part of the Plan for Change, the government has a commitment to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and further education colleges by the end of this Parliament to ensure a high quality teacher in every classroom. Our measures are already having an impact, with the workforce in England having grown by 2,346 full-time equivalents in secondary and special schools in the 2024/25 academic year compared to the previous year.

​Our work to improve recruitment and retention has been supported by a near 10% pay award for teachers and leaders over the past two years and our investment of a further £590 million for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers in the 2025/26 financial year.

​We have also confirmed a package of financial incentives to support teacher recruitment in the 2026/27 academic year, including tax-free bursaries and scholarships worth up to £31,000 each for teachers of priority subjects in both schools and colleges. The best recruitment strategy starts with a retention strategy, which is why we have also confirmed targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax.

On 7 July, the department published our ‘Best Start in life Strategy’, which sets out how we will make real change happen for families across the country.

From September 2025, eligible working parents will be able to access 30 hours of funded childcare a week, over 38 weeks of the year, from the term after their child turns nine months until they start school. This will save eligible families using all 30 hours nationally up to £7,500 on average.

According to the ‘Childcare and early years provider survey’, this would be higher (£7,900) in Bath and North East Somerset due to higher childcare fees, though these estimates are likely to be more variable due to a smaller sample size. The survey can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8919d3d0-fd4f-4adb-8ae2-08ddbed6edd3. To calculate this estimation the department has used local authority data from Bath and North East Somerset in the absence of constituency-level childcare fee data.

A recent Coram report shows the average cost to parents of a 25 hour nursery place for children under three in England has halved between 2024 and 2025.

The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to improve attendance. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the statutory guidance here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf.

In addition, the department is improving evidence on which interventions improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested in mentoring projects supporting at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas.

Regional improvement for standards and excellence teams support schools by sharing best practice across areas and empowering schools to better access support and learn from one another. This includes new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, supporting around 550 schools in the South West each year.

Attendance is also supported by broader investments, including breakfast clubs in primary schools so that children start their day ready to learn, and Mental Health Support Teams which will provide access to specialist professionals in every school.

Mobile phones have no place in our schools. Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.