Danny Chambers

Public engagement and participation are vital to the health of our democracy, and the Government will continue to support the public to make their voices heard.

Engagement with the political process must be built on trust. The Government is committed to returning to a politics of service, for example by exploring further tightening of the rules on MPs' outside interests via the House of Commons Modernisation Committee.

Households with solar panels benefit through significantly reduced electricity bills. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a market-led mechanism in which energy suppliers, not government, set both tariff levels and structure. This is to encourage innovation and competition between suppliers.

We are also speeding up connections for smaller-scale projects and seeking to address market challenges like price certainty.

The Government keeps the SEG under regular review to ensure it continues to meet our objectives.”

The Government takes the safety of children extremely seriously. We recognise the potential risks that AI systems pose, and that is why strong protections already apply. Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope AI services must assess the risk of harm to users from illegal content on their services and implement measures to manage and mitigate this risk. Where services are likely to be accessed by children, they will be required to take action to protect them from harmful content. In‑scope AI services must assess and mitigate the risk of illegal content, including AI‑generated material.

Government has been clear that it will continue to take further action where required. We have introduced new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material. Additionally, the Secretary of State has confirmed in Parliament that the government is exploring how emerging services, such as AI chatbots, interact with the Online Safety Act and what further measures may be required.

AI is a general-purpose technology with a wide range of applications, which is why the UK believes that the vast majority of AI systems should be regulated at the point of use. In response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the Government committed to work with regulators to boost their capabilities.

This is complemented by the work of the AI Security Institute which has deepened our understanding of the critical security risks posed by frontier.

The Government will act where evidence shows further measures are needed. New offences in the Crime and Policing Bill will criminalise AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material. The Secretary of State has also confirmed that the Government is examining how emerging AI services, such as chatbots, interact with the Online Safety Act, and what further measures may be required. The Government remains committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.

The government does not speculate on legislation ahead of future parliamentary sessions.

A range of existing rules already apply to Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation and other forms of sectoral regulation.

AI is a general-purpose technology with a wide range of applications, which is why the UK believes that the vast majority of AI systems should be regulated at the point of use. In response to the AI Action Plan, the Government committed to work with regulators to boost their capabilities.

This is complemented by the work of the AI Security Institute which has deepened our understanding of the critical security risks posed by frontier.

However, the government will not hesitate to act where evidence suggests that further action is necessary.

On 3 December 2025, the DSIT Secretary of State confirmed in Parliament that the government is exploring how emerging services, such as AI chatbots, interact with the Online Safety Act and what further measures may be required. Further to this, we are signing the commencement order to urgently bring powers to criminalise the creation of intimate images without consent into force.

We will also legislate to criminalise nudification apps. This new criminal offence will make it illegal for companies to supply tools specifically designed to create non-consensual intimate images.

The government remains committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.

Under the Online Safety Act, sharing, or threatening to share, a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence. The government will also urgently bring into force a new offence which criminalises the creation of intimate images without consent.

We will also legislate to criminalise nudification apps. This new criminal offence will make it illegal for companies to supply tools specifically designed to create non-consensual intimate images.

Ofcom is the enforcement regulator for the Online Safety Act and it has confirmed it is opening a formal investigation into X due to concerns over non consensual intimate images.

Under the Online Safety Act, sharing, or threatening to share, a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence. The government will also urgently bring into force a new offence which criminalises the creation of intimate images without consent.

We will also legislate to criminalise nudification apps. This new criminal offence will make it illegal for companies to supply tools specifically designed to create non-consensual intimate images.

Ofcom is the enforcement regulator for the Online Safety Act and it has confirmed it is opening a formal investigation into X due to concerns over non consensual intimate images.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming and leisure facilities.

Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, monitors facilities stock through their Active Places dataset. As of March 2026, 308 local authority swimming pools have closed since 2015 and 272 have opened. A yearly breakdown of closures is below:

The government is committed to creating opportunities for all children so that they can achieve and thrive. The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport.

The eligibility criteria are set out in the Education Act 1996 and were amended by the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Whilst the statutory walking distances have been in place since the 1940s, children within walking distance can now also have free travel if they cannot walk to school because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the route is unsafe. Extended rights to home to school travel now support school choice for children from low-income families where the cost of transport may otherwise be a barrier. We do not currently have any plans to change the existing statutory framework for home to school travel.

The department has not held specific discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care on heart screening for young people participating in physical education.

All pupils attending compulsory education are required to take part in physical education as part of the national curriculum. We expect schools to be aware of the risks associated with sporting activities and to provide a safe environment for pupils. The government recognises the value of physical activity in enhancing the health and wellbeing of young people.

Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for decisions about the welfare and health of their students.

The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor.

In the 2025/26 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools up to £83,400. In addition to this, all small schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26, including the NFF lump sum set at £145,100. This provides a fixed amount of funding that is particularly beneficial to small schools, as it is not affected by pupil numbers.

This funding recognises the particular financial challenges small and remote schools can face, such as fewer opportunities to find efficiencies, the significant role they play in the rural communities they serve, and that without such funding, their pupils could face long travel distances to attend school.

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework, for trainees and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and are underpinned by the most up-to-date evidence. From September 2025 they will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by ITT providers to create their curricula. All ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction underpinned by the ITTECF which will be known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE).

During the department’s review which led to the development of the ITTECF, particular attention was paid to the evidence base and needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, including those with neurodiversity.

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and have recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027, including the ITTECF, to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will include a focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education. They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances. The availability of training and career progression opportunities for school support staff helps ensure schools have the skilled staff they need to deliver high quality education. For example, in September 2024 the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) approved a new Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship, allowing teaching assistants to specialise in one of three areas: SEND, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, or Curriculum provision. The apprenticeship will be available for candidates to undertake in 2025.

We recognise the importance of supporting further education (FE) students with complex needs, and the valuable role colleges play in SEND education. We are currently supporting the recruitment and training of SEND specific teachers in FE through:

1. Enabling providers through the Taking Teaching Further (TTF) programme, to support new teachers with relevant knowledge and industry experience to undertake a teaching qualification and receive wrap-around early career support. Funding is also available to support recruits who will provide support to students with SEND.
2. Supporting recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas, including SEND.

The department also runs a Universal SEND Services contract to provide SEND-specific professional development and support for the school and FE workforce. The programme helps professionals to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, earlier and more effectively. Since the programme commenced, school and college staff have completed over 20,000 online training modules.

All education and training providers, including universities and other related service providers, have a duty to ensure reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under Section 20 of the Equality Act 2010.

The government is committed to ensuring there is a thriving post-16 sector, which is vital to our missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.

Sixth form colleges (SFCs), rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating the pay of their staff. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for schoolteachers. Along with further education (FE) colleges, SFCs were incorporated under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.

Maintained schools and academies are funded on an equivalent basis, meaning 16 to 19 academies received this funding, whilst SFCs that remain in the FE sector did not. All SFCs have been free to apply to convert to academy status since 2022.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are gaining the education and skills this country needs. The department has recently announced that it is making approximately £50 million of this funding available to statutory FE providers, including SFCs, for April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges and SFCs to respond to current priorities and challenges as they see fit, including workforce recruitment and retention.

The remaining funding will be made available in 16 to 19 funding rates for the 2025/26 academic year, with the aim of ensuring that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026.

This builds on the department’s investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers, including SFC teachers, in key subject areas. The department is also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16, who are predominantly studying in FE.

The department will continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. We confirmed that FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for a further year, worth up to £31,000 each, tax free in the 2025/26 academic year.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government has committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform to improve the health and welfare of breeding dogs and their puppies. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet. The consultation is expected to consider a range of welfare issues, including those associated with brachycephalic dogs and extreme conformations. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders as this develops.

This Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. Defra manages noise through the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006.

The Regulations require noise mapping and the adoption of Noise Action Plans based upon this mapping. The Action Plans identify ‘Important Areas’, where the 1% of the population affected by the highest noise levels is located. The latest round of mapping is complete, with Noise Action Plans due to be published later in 2026.

This Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. Defra manages noise through the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006.

The Regulations require noise mapping and the adoption of Noise Action Plans based upon this mapping. The Action Plans identify ‘Important Areas’, where the 1% of the population affected by the highest noise levels is located. The latest round of mapping is complete, with Noise Action Plans due to be published later in 2026.

Chalk streams are a large source of national pride. As one of Britain’s most nature-rich habitats, they support some of our rarest wildlife.

During the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill last year, the Government committed to consulting on National Planning Policy Framework to give explicit recognition to chalk streams in the new suite of planning policies for decision making and seek to ensure that chalk streams are explicitly recognised as features of high environmental value. Also, Local Nature Recovery Strategies statutory guidance will be amended to encourage chalk streams to feature prominently.

The Government has has also set out clearer expectations for development proposals to assess and mitigate adverse impacts to water quality on these sensitive waterbodies.

The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available here: National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK and will remain open for responses until 10th March 2026.

Defra does not test seized illegal meat imports for infectious agents. Border Force and local authorities seize illegal meat imports, which must be safely disposed of in accordance with animal by-products rules.

During financial year 2025/26, the Government provided approximately £1.6 billion to support local highways authorities across England, a £500 million uplift compared to the previous year.

As part of this, Hampshire County Council received a total of over £52.9 million from the government to support their highways maintenance activities. This represents an uplift of over £15.2 million compared to the previous financial year.

Local highways maintenance funding is provided by the government to local authorities to maintain all parts of the highway network, including carriageways, bridges, cycleways, lighting columns and footways.

Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 place a statutory duty on local highway authorities to maintain public highways, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances, including the repair of potholes.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. There are no delays in applications for a driving licence where there is no medical condition involved.

The DVLA’s target for driving licence applications is to dispatch 95 per cent within three working days for straightforward online applications and 90 per cent within ten working days for straightforward paper applications.

In the current financial year, the DVLA has achieved 100 per cent for online applications and 99.9 per cent for paper applications.

Department officials are in regular conversation with South Western Railway regarding their service provision in response to demand. When reviewing train services, the Department needs to assess business cases and balance demand with value for the taxpayer in its considerations.

The Department’s aim is to keep the price of rail travel at a point that works for both passengers and taxpayers, where possible. We are also committed to simplifying the fares and ticketing system and driving innovation across the network.

The Rail Minister recently met with South Western Railway regarding their operational performance, as he has done and continues to do with all Operators, as this is a key priority of the Department.

On 25th May 2025, SWR will be the first operator to be nationalised following the introduction of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024. This will lead to the introduction of Great British Railways which will bring track and train together under one directing mind, with a relentless focus on improving services for passengers and customers.

Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.

Through future legislation, we will set out the role Great British Railways will have in fares, ticketing, and other operational aspects of the railway.

This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work.

As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the economy continues to adjust post‑pandemic. While some have suggested that increased adoption of AI may be contributing to this fall, current evidence is mixed and does not yet establish a clear causal link. Most forecasters continue to project that artificial intelligence will lead to a net increase in employment overall, though its impacts will vary across industries and occupations.

To ensure graduates and the wider workforce can benefit from these opportunities, the Government has established the AI and Future of Work Unit to monitor emerging trends and coordinate policy responses across departments. We are investing in practical AI skills training for adults and expanding partnerships to upskill 10 million workers. Our Youth Guarantee is working to ensure that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship, including graduates, and backed by an addition £820 million at the autumn budget.

This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work.

As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the economy continues to adjust post‑pandemic. While some have suggested that increased adoption of AI may be contributing to this fall, current evidence is mixed and does not yet establish a clear causal link. Most forecasters continue to project that artificial intelligence will lead to a net increase in employment overall, though its impacts will vary across industries and occupations.

To ensure graduates and the wider workforce can benefit from these opportunities, the Government has established the AI and Future of Work Unit to monitor emerging trends and coordinate policy responses across departments. We are investing in practical AI skills training for adults and expanding partnerships to upskill 10 million workers. Our Youth Guarantee is working to ensure that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship, including graduates, and backed by an addition £820 million at the autumn budget.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to improving accessibility and customer experience for all users, including those in the Winchester constituency. The Department recognises that call waiting times and contact routes have not always met expected standards and has taken steps to address this.

CMS has implemented the Digital Assist Telephony Service to support customers to use online services and reduce avoidable call demand.

CMS has invested in enhanced telephony routing to prioritise vulnerable customers and direct callers to the right support quickly, with additional operational capacity deployed when required to maintain service levels. CMS has extended weekday telephony hours to 6pm to meet demand.

CMS has expanded digital self-service, including Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance (GHACM) and My Child Maintenance Case (online account), which provide 24/7 access for parents to manage their case without needing to call, improving accessibility and offering greater flexibility on how and when customers make contact. Communication has been further improved through the introduction of online messaging for specific processes, with further expansion planned.

By promoting self-service options online and efficient call routing, we have freed up valuable resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. These measures are delivering progresses.

The Department will continue to monitor performance and invest in further improvements to ensure customers receive timely, high-quality support through the channels that best meet their needs and remains committed to providing a reliable, fair and responsive service for all parents across the country.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and recognises that domestic abuse can take many forms including physical, emotional, or financial abuse, violent or threatening behaviour and coercive control.

The CMS has procedures in place to ensure victims and survivors of domestic abuse can use its services safely. CMS caseworkers will also signpost, where needed, to suitable domestic abuse organisations, if domestic abuse is raised or suspected.

All CMS caseworkers have extensive training, equipping them to be able to comprehensively act on a range of scenarios. For our most challenging and complex case groups, caseworkers complete and receive regular refresher training on specific aspects of customer service situations such as domestic abuse, advanced customer support and supporting vulnerable customers.

Specialist Case Team is one of the measures CMS have introduced to manage cases with the most challenging or complex domestic abuse concerns. This has minimised the need for parents to recount their history of domestic abuse and caseworkers to deliver support to some of the most vulnerable customers.

For parents using the Direct Pay service, the CMS can act as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange of bank details to help ensure there is no unwanted contact between parents and can provide information on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code, which reduces the risk of a parent’s location being traced.

The Government has announced plans to reform the Child Maintenance service, replacing the existing Direct Pay Service and moving to a service where the CMS collects and transfers all payments. This will remove any requirement for victims and survivors to provide evidence of domestic abuse, which we know can be difficult and traumatising. It will also remove any need for contact between parents and remove the need for receiving parents to report missed or late payments. The CMS will monitor all payments and take swift action as soon as payments break down.

Managing all CMS cases in one service will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster, and better support victims and survivors of domestic abuse who use the CMS.

We cannot currently commit to ending the two-child limit. However, tackling child poverty, as the last Labour Government did, is at the heart of this Government’s missions. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring all available levers, including social security reform.

On behalf of all the nations of the United Kingdom, NHS England published an invitation to tender for the UK subscription model for antimicrobials on 24 August 2024. The assessment of each product is being undertaken by a panel convened by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence against the award criteria. Once that process is complete, the results will be communicated to bidders along with an award offer where appropriate.

Following the award offer, it is normal practice for a 10-day standstill period before contracts commence. Further details on timings will be available once the assessment process is complete, however, suppliers involved in the process have already been advised that contract award is likely to be in November, with contracts commencing from quarter one of 2027.

The Neighbourhood Health Framework focuses on improving access to diagnostic services by bringing them closer to home as part of the wider ambition to shift care from hospital to community settings. In this context, it commits NHS England to reviewing direct access to diagnostics for general practice and undertaking a review of diagnostic services to map existing community diagnostic centre capacity and planned expansion.

Rapid and point‑of‑care infection diagnostics can play an important role in supporting clinical decision-making, antimicrobial stewardship, and more appropriate antibiotic prescribing. The Government’s approach to improving access to these technologies is informed by the UK 2024–2029 National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance, which identifies improved diagnostics and diagnostic stewardship as key priorities in reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use. The UK 2024–2029 National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-action-plan-for-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029/confronting-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029

NHS England and local systems will continue to consider opportunities to improve access to appropriate diagnostic technologies, including rapid and point‑of‑care tests, as part of wider efforts to strengthen community diagnostic pathways. Decisions on the adoption and use of these technologies are guided by evidence on clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and operational feasibility.