Dan Aldridge

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. The purpose of the EHRC’s Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations is to ensure or facilitate compliance with the Equality Act 2010 or an enactment made under that Act. The EHRC has opened its consultation on the draft updated statutory Code of Practice, seeking views from affected stakeholders. We encourage all those affected stakeholders to submit a response to the consultation. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, has banned inflation-linked in-contract price rises. Since 17 January 2025, all retail telecom providers have been required to set out clearly ‘in pounds and pence’ the price the consumer will pay at the point of sale and be up-front about any increases.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices against consumers, including misleading omissions and actions. The Department is not currently working with regulators regarding the advertising of VAT exclusive prices. The Advertising Standards Agency has provided advice to businesses on advertising prices: https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/compulsory-costs-and-charges-vat.html

The Government has set out its immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay. The Plan includes a number of measures which may help people manage endometriosis and adenomyosis at work - including making sure people can benefit from flexible working. Our plan aims to deliver change so that people are more able to balance working life with their personal circumstances.

All large and medium-sized companies are already required to report on their material risks within their annual strategic report, including on cyber risk where this is a material risk. Recognising the important strategic role that boards of directors play in risk management, the Government intends to launch a Cyber Governance Code of Practice, and cyber governance training, to support boards in governing cyber risks and building cyber resilience. We will bring forward the draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill shortly, with which we intend to provide the audit and governance regulator with important new powers and objectives relating to the audit and reporting duties of directors.

Product safety law requires that all consumer products placed on the UK market must be safe. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, in my Department, has a programme of work focused on making sure online platforms, including Meta, are aware of their responsibilities for preventing the supply of unsafe products to UK consumers, and requires them to remove unsafe or non-compliant products made available on their sites.

The Government recognises that solutions to enable users and institutions to determine what media is real and what is AI-generated can help in tackling a range of AI risks, and are examining the robustness of a range of such solutions in this space.

The Government is also making sure our statute book is ready for the age of AI and its huge opportunities. The Government will update Parliament in due course.

The Online Safety Act creates new duties on online services to tackle illegal content and activity. The strongest duties are to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation (CSEA) and to stop child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from being shared. The illegal content duties have been in effect from 17 March. Ofcom is the regulator for the regime and has set out steps providers can take including strong automated content moderation and takedown measures. Ofcom will continue to develop their codes iteratively, including additional measures to detect, prevent and remove CSAM.

AI generated content is regulated by the Online Safety Act where it is shared on an in-scope user-to-user or search service and constitutes illegal content or content which is harmful to children. This includes mis- and dis- information where it is assessed to present material harm to a significant number of children. Providers of pornographic content must also prevent children from accessing that content.

Chatbots with functionalities that bring them into scope of the Online Safety Act will be required to comply with the relevant duties including preventing children from encountering harmful content – whether that is real or synthetic.

The government recognises the cyber threats posed by quantum computing. The NCSC recently issued new guidance to help organisations prepare for and protect against threats posed by future developments in quantum computing [https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/pqc-migration-timelines]. The guidance is focused on migrating to post-quantum cryptography to mitigate the potential future quantum threat to encryption services, and identifying and mitigating cyber risks during the migration.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and NCSC have also commissioned external research to understand industry barriers and incentives to migrate to post-quantum cryptography. This will be used to inform future policy interventions to drive the transition.

The government continues to monitor developments in quantum computing and uptake of post-quantum cryptography, including working with other countries to keep UK citizens and organisations secure. The government continues to assess wider cyber risks from critical and emerging technologies on an ongoing basis.

Cyber security is a priority for the government. We are taking action to protect businesses, citizens and essential services against cyber threats. Last year the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said AI will almost certainly increase the volume and heighten the impact of cyber attacks over the next two years, however the impact on the cyber threat would be uneven. The full report is at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/impact-of-ai-on-cyber-threat .

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will require regulated organisations to adopt cyber security measures which protect against a wide range of cyber threats, including AI-enabled threats. Further details on the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be published in due course.

Cyber attacks cost the UK economy billions of pounds per year, resulting in serious disruption for businesses and individuals, and disruption to supply chains and public services. Cyber attacks harm confidence and investment in UK technology, while intellectual property can be stolen which has cost billions of pounds to develop. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cyber-security-breaches-survey] sets out further details on the impact of cyber threats and we will publish further research on this in due course.

We welcome the clarity that the revised code of practice brings to service providers on navigating the implications of the Supreme Court ruling. While there is no current assessment of the potential impact of the revised code of practice on the tourism industry, the Office for Equality and Opportunity within the Cabinet Office is collating Government feedback for the OEO to provide to the EHRC on their public consultation on the code of practice following the UK Supreme Court ruling on 16 April 2025.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm, including through adherence to statutory safeguarding guidance.

In order to be in receipt of public funding all sport’s organisations need to be in adherence with the Code for Sport Governance, authored by Government’s Arm’s Length Bodies, UK Sport and Sport England. The code includes provisions in relation to welfare and safety which all organisations are required to adhere to.

Sport England also provides support to the sport and physical activity sector around safeguarding, including funding the Ann Craft Trust and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is updating its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations and is seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation. The department will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Weston-super-Mare to the answer of 09 June 2025 to Question 55359.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Weston-super-Mare to the answer of 09 June 2025 to Question 55359.

This government is committed to safeguarding children. We believe the majority of the out-of-school settings sector does a good job, providing safe and enriching education and activities for children.

Providers have a legal duty of care to ensure the safety of children who attend their setting and protect them from harm. Local authorities are also legally responsible for safeguarding children in their areas and, when there are concerns, the department expects them to intervene using the wide range of powers available to them.

In December 2023, the department updated the statutory safeguarding guidance 'Working together to safeguard children' to strengthen multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection.

We have already acted to improve sector safety by updating the safeguarding code of practice for out-of-school setting providers and accompanying guidance for parents and carers, both in September 2023. We will also publish new e-learning for out-of-school providers and strengthened guidance for local authorities.

In addition, the department will publish a call for evidence in due course to help us improve our understanding of safeguarding in out-of-school settings and to gather information on potential approaches to enhance the safety of these settings.

The department is committed to supporting high quality apprenticeship training provision which supports employers and learners gain the skills they need for long-term success.

It is for training providers to choose how best to deliver apprenticeship training in order to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard, in consultation with the learner and employer. The department encourages providers to explore how they can use the latest technologies to enhance their offers.

The department will continue to work with experts to consider and respond to the implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.

This Government has not made an assessment of the risks of using disposable and portable barbecues in public places. Research published under the previous Government considered the risks posed by disposable barbecues. This is available at: Sky Lanterns, Single-Use Barbecues and Helium Balloons - Risks and Mitigation Options - EV04104.

Local authorities already have powers to apply local controls on the use of disposable barbeques on council or public land.

The Department for Transport conducted roadside trials of noise camera technology between October 2022 and February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024. Overall, the trials demonstrated that noise cameras currently have the potential to be used for enforcement, but only when accompanied by human review of the recorded evidence, which is likely to lower the cost effectiveness of deploying the technology in many circumstances.

It is ultimately for local authorities and the police to consider what the most appropriate enforcement routes may be for addressing issues with excessive vehicle noise within their area. The use of noise camera technology has already been taken forward by some local authorities.

Excessive exhaust noise is currently tested with a subjective assessment at the MOT in which the tester can fail the vehicle if they believe it is producing excessive noise for the vehicle model. The MOT standard for exhaust noise requires that the noise from the vehicle must not be unreasonably above the noise level a tester would expect from a similar vehicle with a standard silencer in average condition.

This standard is derived from the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (C&U) where regulation 54 states:

“Every exhaust system and silencer shall be maintained in good and efficient working order and shall not after the date of manufacture be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases.”

The MOT noise test also meets the requirements of the European Roadworthiness Directive, which all EU Member States are required to comply with.

For most vehicles, the MOT tester will be familiar with the level of exhaust noise to be expected and should have no difficulty in determining whether the noise complies with the standard or not.

Introducing a metered noise test with the use of a calibrated decibel meter to record noise levels more accurately would require approximately 23, 400 garages to purchase and maintain this equipment. In addition, the accuracy of such a test will be difficult to achieve due to localised noise pollution around testing centres, and within a noisy garage environment.

All vehicles used on the road in Great Britain are subject to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, as amended (C&U). Regulation 109 of C&U only permits drivers to view information related to the state of the vehicle or its equipment, navigation information, or information that assists in viewing the road around the vehicle when driving.

The Department is also participating in drafting an international regulation onDriver Drowsiness and Distraction Warning Systems (DDADWS) at the UN

Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). This regulation will set the technical requirements for how these systems detect when the driver is distracted and will warn them to focus their attention back to the driving task.

Blue Badge holders generally must reapply for a Blue Badge every three years; this gives local authorities the opportunity to ensure that they continue to meet the criteria which make them eligible for a badge. It also helps ensure that the details local authorities hold about the badge holder remain correct and that the details displayed on the badge itself remain legible. Depending on the circumstances an authority may choose not to reassess.

In cases where a person's disability or condition is unlikely to change, local authorities will generally process applications as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once a person’s data is captured on the system it should become easier and less time-consuming for them to reapply for a new badge ahead of their current one expiring.

There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats.

Although there is no obligation to report all collisions with animals on roads,Rule 286 of The Highway Code advises drivers to report any collisions involving an animal to the police, and if possible, they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals and advise them of the situation.

Since June 2024, all cats in England over 20 weeks of age must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database, unless exempt or free-living. This will make it easier for National Highways and local authorities to reunite cats with their keepers.

The Scottish Government uses its powers under devolution to pay some unpaid carers who live in Scotland, regardless of their means, an extra amount through the twice-yearly payments of a Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

This Government is continuing with a different approach which focuses on extra support given to carers on the lowest incomes. Carers across the UK who are on Universal Credit can therefore receive around an additional £2,400 a year through the Carer Element compared to those without caring responsibilities.

(a) Reduce waiting times on Department's helplines

DWP reviews forecasted telephony demand and plans resourcing accordingly to keep wait times down. Wait time performance is frequently reviewed and where DWP’s telephony is delivered by an outsourced provider we use the Key Performance Indicator of percentage of calls answered. All DWP customer telephone lines are Freephone numbers.

The Department is investing in a new capability that aims to better route customers to the right offer at the right time. This will help to reduce waiting times by supporting customers to utilise digital alternatives where appropriate and enables telephony agents to speak to our customers that really need to speak to someone. If a customer indicates they may be at risk of physical or mental harm e.g. suicide, terminal illness, homelessness, and clinical mental health, they will be routed to a telephony agent in as short a journey as possible.

The Department offers a wide range of reasonable adjustments for customers, including production of communications in a range of alternative formats. We are currently testing further digital solutions for British Sign Language interpreter connectivity within our jobcentre environment.

(b) Prevent calls from being cut off after long waiting periods

Regarding disconnections, while mobile phone contracts may disconnect after a certain time period, we do not intentionally cut off customers after long wait times. We do not have anything configured in our Contact Centre platform to automatically cut customers off after any time threshold, or period of waiting.

We do, however, inform customers when they are in a queue and we know their call won't be answered before the line closes, and request that they call back.

The Department is regularly in contact with claimants who are vulnerable. Many, particularly those with severe heath conditions and disabilities, already have support in place from third parties (friends, relatives or appointees for example). However, for those who don’t, DWP provide a range of information and services to support customers through the application process.

Applications for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are normally registered by telephone. To support hearing and speech impaired applicants, DWP uses the Video Relay Service to communicate in real time through a British Sign Language interpreter over a video connection. DWP also uses Relay UK, previously known as Next Generation Text, to correspond through typed messages via a BT agent.

DWP offers a claims completion service over the telephone to help PIP applicants without support from another source.

For the most vulnerable customers, support – including help with form completion – is offered through the Visiting Service:https://www.gov.uk/support-visit-benefit-claim

DWP has also produced a series of videos to support understanding of and navigation through each part of application and assessment: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/personal-independence-payment-customer-journey-films

Access to good quality, nutritious and attractively presented hospital food can improve patient morale and contribute to recovery.

All National Health Service trusts are expected to follow the NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink. There are eight mandatory standards all trusts are required to meet. This includes having a food and drink strategy and demonstrating that they have suitable food service provision 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is appropriate for their demographic.

The guidance requires that NHS organisations must show they comply with the British Dietetic Association’s Nutrition and Hydration Digest which identifies actions to be taken in relation to the provision of nutritional food. Further, a key part of the specific standards for retail, staff and visitors in healthcare settings is the need to comply with the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services mandatory nutrition standards.

Access to good quality, nutritious and attractively presented hospital food can improve patient morale and contribute to their recovery.

All NHS Trusts are expected to follow the NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink. There are eight mandatory standards all Trusts are required to meet. This includes having a food and drink strategy and demonstrating that they have suitable 24/7 food service provision, which is appropriate for their demographic.

The guidance requires that NHS organisations must show they comply with the British Dietetic Association’s (BDA) Nutrition and Hydration Digest which identifies actions to be taken in relation to the provision of nutritional food. The Digest is available at the following link: https://www.bda.uk.com/specialist-groups-and-branches/food-services-specialist-group/nutrition-and-hydration-digest.html.

Furthermore, a key part of the specific standards for retail, staff and visitors in healthcare settings is the need to comply with the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) mandatory nutrition standards.

In January 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reviewed evidence and assessed the most accurate methods for identifying childhood obesity and thresholds for predicting the risk associated with overweight and obesity. They recommend that Body Mass Index (BMI) centile (BMI adjusted for age and sex) is a useful practical measure for estimating and defining overweight and obesity in children and young people.

The Government accepts NICE’s evidence review, assessment and recommendations as national guidance for measuring childhood obesity through the National Child Measurement Programme, including that:

• BMI centile needs to be interpreted with caution because it is not a direct measure of central adiposity (the accumulation of excess fat in the abdominal area, which directly relates to health risks such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease).
• Waist circumference and a waist to height ratio measurement is considered alongside a child’s BMI centile in individual clinical assessments to predict health risks associated with central adiposity. Based on this recommendation, additional information about measuring a child’s waist to height ratio using the NHS waist to height calculator has been included on NHS.UK to support parents in understanding their child’s long-term health risks.
• A child’s BMI centile should always be plotted on the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health UK-World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts and BMI charts.

I have asked the General Dental Council (GDC) to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the GDC’s Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) waiting list, and I will be regularly meeting with them to monitor progress.

I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place, as well as their ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. I will continue to discuss the new arrangements with the GDC, with a focus on understanding how they will further increase the availability of the ORE exam in the short and longer term.

The Department not be proceeding with providing the GDC with any additional legislative powers for international registration at this time. Having considered options for a provisional registration scheme, the Government’s view is that other, more cost-effective and efficient routes to registration should be the immediate priority.

Meanwhile, we expect the GDC to make full use of the flexibility afforded by the international registration reforms introduced in 2023 to ensure that those who have the right skills and experience are able to join its registers as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Department has worked intensively with pharmaceutical industry, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and others in the supply chain to largely resolve the supply issues with GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), including Ozempic (semaglutide). Currently all strengths and presentations of Ozempic are available. We continue to monitor the supply of GLP-1 RA’s closely to ensure these medicines remain available for patients. Any patient concerned about their condition, or access to these medications, should speak to their prescriber in the first instance.

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. As announced by the Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, zero emission and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles will begin to pay VED in a similar way to petrol and diesel vehicles.

While first year rates for zero emission cars have been frozen at £10 until 2029/30, rates for the most polluting vehicles that emit over 76mg/km have doubled.

In addition, at Autumn Budget 2024 the government announced Company Car Tax rates will continue to strongly incentivise the take-up of electric vehicles. Appropriate Percentages (APs) for all vehicle bands above 50 g/km will increase by 1 percentage point per year in 2028-29 and 2029-30. The maximum AP will also increase by 1 percentage point per year to 38% for 2028-2029 and 39% for 2029-2030.

Revenue from motoring taxes helps ensure we can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect.

Double Cab Pick Up vehicles (DCPUs) have in the past been treated as goods vehicles for tax purposes, rather than cars. Following a judgement by the Court of Appeal, DCPUs must be treated as cars, rather than goods vehicles, for certain tax purposes, based on their primary suitability.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the government had to make difficult decisions, and in the given fiscal situation was not willing to legislate to change this treatment and provide a significant tax break worth hundreds of millions per year for these vehicles.

The transitional arrangements put in place meant that this would not affect the capital allowances treatment of any business that already owned a DCPU, or that purchased one before April 2025; and businesses that purchase or have purchased a DCPU after this date will still be able to deduct the cost from their taxable profits at 18% or 6% per year. Under the transitional arrangements for Benefit-in-Kind treatment, anyone who accessed a DCPU before 6 April 2025 will not be impacted until the sooner of disposal of the vehicle, 5 April 2029 or when their lease expires.

In addition, there are alternatives to DCPUs (such as Single Cab Pick Ups, or 4x4 vans) that are still treated as goods vehicles.

HMRC have not stopped processing IHT30 clearance requests. HMRC have prioritised the processing of IHT400 forms to minimise any delays for customers applying for probate through HM Courts & Tribunals Service, and this has meant that some IHT30 requests are currently being processed outside of service standard.

HMRC have trained and are recruiting more staff in this area so that they can reduce wait times

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations. The exceptional VAT relief for tourism and hospitality during the Covid-19 pandemic cost over £8 billion. The Government has no current plans to change the VAT rate for the hospitality and tourism sector.

The Government uses the tax system to support a variety of objectives including our legally binding climate targets, including the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced changes to the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) first year rates from 1 April 2025, to introduce higher rates for hybrid and petrol/diesel vehicles for 2025-26, and freeze the rate for zero emission vehicles until 2029-30.

The Budget also announced new company car tax rates for 2028-29 and 2029-30, which gradually increase the rates for both petrol/diesel and electric vehicles whilst restricting incentives for hybrid vehicles, which research has shown are over three times more polluting than previously thought.

Cars are treated according to their emissions under the capital allowances system; and company cars made available for private use are also taxed according to their CO2 emissions under the benefit in kind regime.

From April 2025 this includes some pick-up trucks such as double cab pick-ups and extended cab pick-ups. These vehicles will be charged a higher rate for the benefit in kind, and be eligible for lower capital allowances reflecting their generally higher emissions.

The Government is committed to protecting children and young people from all forms of abuse and exploitation, including child sexual exploitation and ‘grooming gangs’, alongside other forms of exploitation and criminal activity.

In June 2025, the Government accepted all the recommendations made in Baroness Louise Casey’s Independent National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girl’s statement made to the House on 2 September, which sets out an update on the Government’s work to establish a new national inquiry and national police operation to strengthen understanding and responses to group-based offending, including grooming gangs.

Since 2019, the Home Office has funded The Children’s Society to deliver the nationwide Prevention Programme that works to raise awareness of child exploitation to professionals working within the private, statutory and third sectors, as well as the public. The programme upskills staff, including within social care, to better respond to, disrupt and prevent all forms of child exploitation.

We are committed to tackling child criminal exploitation and have introduced a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill and developed new civil preventative orders to disrupt and prevent child criminal exploitation and pursue the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime. These will, alongside other additions in the bill, work to tackle the interconnected and exploitative practices often used by criminal gangs, especially in county lines.

An important protective factor for children living in residential children’s homes is ensuring that staff are trained, have the right skills, are supported to provide good quality care and can be challenged where they are not doing so. The Government has committed to improve qualifications, standards, and access to training for staff working in residential children’s homes to ensure they are able to safeguard and protect the children in their care.

Furthermore, the Government is going further to better protect children, including children in care or leaving care, including through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is establishing multi-agency child protection teams and improving information sharing, including through a single unique identifier.

It is a matter for the operationally independent police and Crown Prosecution Service to determine if a crime has been committed under Sections 11-13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT), and what action should be taken in response.

Under the Online Safety Act, tech companies are accountable to Ofcom, an independent regulator, to keep their users safe, and they need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content, including terrorist material. Tech companies can be held liable for unlawful terrorism-related content on their services once they have knowledge of it. It is on this basis that the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit in the Metropolitan Police refers terrorism content to companies for removal.

No such assessment has been undertaken. In many cases, no fee is payable for a court order to access a Child Trust Fund where this is the sole asset.

Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, legal authority is required to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This requirement applies to all assets, including Child Trust Funds, and is vital in ensuring that vulnerable people are safeguarded and protected. Guidance on completing the court form when access to a Child Trust Fund is required can be found at How to apply to make property and finance decisions on someone’s behalf (including Child Trust Funds) - GOV.UK.

In February 2023, the Court of Protection introduced an online process to simplify the making of property and affairs applications. This has reduced errors and omissions and reduced administration handling times.

We are considering options for further improving access to matured Child Trust Funds while balancing the need to maintain safeguards which protect the best interests of individuals that lack capacity.

No such assessment has been undertaken. In many cases, no fee is payable for a court order to access a Child Trust Fund where this is the sole asset.

Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, legal authority is required to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This requirement applies to all assets, including Child Trust Funds, and is vital in ensuring that vulnerable people are safeguarded and protected. Guidance on completing the court form when access to a Child Trust Fund is required can be found at How to apply to make property and finance decisions on someone’s behalf (including Child Trust Funds) - GOV.UK.

In February 2023, the Court of Protection introduced an online process to simplify the making of property and affairs applications. This has reduced errors and omissions and reduced administration handling times.

We are considering options for further improving access to matured Child Trust Funds while balancing the need to maintain safeguards which protect the best interests of individuals that lack capacity.