David Taylor

The Government Digital Service supports and incentivises departments to design digital services that are simple and easy to use. The Service Manual provides patterns to help departments design both online services for people with limited digital literacy and offline channels to support users, such as in person support at Post Offices for OneLogin.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

All teachers are teachers of SEND, and high-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school.

Consideration of SEND underpins the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF), both of which were developed with input from sector experts to outline the mandatory training for new teachers. The frameworks have been designed to support all pupils to succeed, including those pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice. Headteachers are provided the flexibility to use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including in specific specialisms.

All mainstream schools must have a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) who must be a qualified teacher, or the head teacher, working at the school. On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring that SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.

The department’s Universal SEND Services programme offers free SEND-specific continuing professional development for the school and further education workforce. It is delivered by National Association for Special Educational Needs (Nasen). The department works closely with Nasen to ensure the programme supports professionals across all of England. Since the programme commenced in May 2022, school and college staff have completed over 15,500 online training modules.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

All teachers are teachers of SEND, and high-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school.

Consideration of SEND underpins the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF), both of which were developed with input from sector experts to outline the mandatory training for new teachers. The frameworks have been designed to support all pupils to succeed, including those pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice. Headteachers are provided the flexibility to use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including in specific specialisms.

All mainstream schools must have a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) who must be a qualified teacher, or the head teacher, working at the school. On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring that SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.

The department’s Universal SEND Services programme offers free SEND-specific continuing professional development for the school and further education workforce. It is delivered by National Association for Special Educational Needs (Nasen). The department works closely with Nasen to ensure the programme supports professionals across all of England. Since the programme commenced in May 2022, school and college staff have completed over 15,500 online training modules.

As the independent economic regulator, Ofwat independently scrutinises water company business plans and ensure the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030.

The Government is committed to taking action to address water poverty and help vulnerable customers with their water bills. All water companies, including Affinity Water, have measures in place for customers who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, including measures such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support.

Furthermore, we expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Thames Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. Furthermore, after writing to Ofwat, the Secretary of State has secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. Ofwat will also ensure that when money for investment is not spent, companies refund customers, with money never allowed to be diverted for bonuses, dividends or salary increases.

The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

The Environment Agency will publish the 2024 Event Duration Monitoring data, showing how long and how often storm overflows have been used, in March 2025. The data for previous years is available here.

Both I and the Secretary of State meet regularly with other ministers from across government to discuss a range of issues within our portfolios. This includes anti-social behaviour on public transport, which incorporates the playing of loud music on public transport.

The government is committed to tackling all forms of anti-social behaviour (ASB) on public transport.

The British Transport Police enforce against it on the rail network and the 61016 reporting plays a key role in addressing ASB incidents and providing intelligence to target resources.

In addition, the government is funding five pilot schemes across England which are aimed at tackling ASB through the targeted deployment of Transport Safety Officers. The findings from these pilots will be shared with other local authorities to help them to address ASB on their public transport networks.

The Bus Services Bill aims to provide all local transport authorities with the powers to effectively enforce against ASB on their bus networks and improve safety for passengers. The Bill also seeks to mandate that staff are trained on how to recognise and respond to incidents of ASB on buses.

The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation is not intended to ban the usage of Pedicabs in London, but to ensure that they are properly regulated. These prospective regulations will be now consulted upon by TfL in 2025, and we would expect TfL to take into account the various impacts of any pedicabs regulations on levels of congestion, pavement safety and the safety of cyclists throughout the consultation process.

The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations to be consulted on by TfL in 2025. We would expect TfL to take into account the Highway Code throughout the consultation process.

The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL) on this particular matter. However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations to be consulted on by TfL in 2025. We would expect TfL to take into account the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians throughout the consultation process.

Most parents pay some or all their maintenance liability without issue however, the Child Maintenance Service is aware of a small number of parents whose maintenance liability is inconsistent with their financial resources, usually because they can choose to support themselves via a complex arrangement of assets instead of, or in addition to, taking a salary.

Cases involving complex income or suspected fraudulent behaviour can be looked into by the FIU. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the CMS is given.

In the quarter ending September 2024, 300 financial investigation cases were referred to the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU) in addition to 875 ongoing cases from previous quarters. In the same quarter, 340 financial investigations were completed of which 210 resulted in a maintenance assessment change.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will do everything within its powers to make sure parents comply and has made significant improvements to the process to speed up action when payments first break down and to target enforcement action more effectively.

Where parents fail to take responsibility for paying for their children, the CMS will not hesitate to use the full range of strong enforcement powers available. These include, using Enforcement Agents (previously known as bailiffs) to take control of goods, forcing the sale of property, removal of driving license or UK passport, deductions directly from earnings and bank accounts or even commitment to prison.

8% (£682.1 million) of the total maintenance due to be paid since the CMS began, remains to be collected through Collect & Pay but this is falling.

In the past year to September 2024, the CMS collected £16.8 million from paying parents with civil enforcement actions in process and an additional £5.4 million from paying parents with our most serious enforcement action in process.

In the twelve months to September 2024, there were 2,857 applications to the courts in England, Wales and Scotland for our most serious enforcement powers. Of these the courts issued two immediate prison sentences and 316 suspended prison sentences.

It is a contractual requirement for National Health Service dentists to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Integrated care boards can review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, and we want to make sure that everyone who needs a National Health Service dentist can get one. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Hemel Hempstead constituency, this is the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB.

The settlement for the Swap to Stop scheme will be confirmed in due course.

The settlement for the National Smoke-free Pregnancy Incentives Scheme will be confirmed in due course.

The Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for improving access to healthcare services in Hertfordshire.

NHS England has informed us that the ICB is delivering its responsibility to improve support for those in mental health crisis through the launch of a Mental Health Urgent Care Centre, providing a more appropriate and therapeutic environment at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage. The ICB has also increased children and young people’s mental health access by 44% year-on-year, according to the latest data.

According to NHS England’s assessment, people across Hertfordshire now have significantly improved access to blood pressure checks across a range of settings, including general practice, community pharmacy, some dental and optometry sites, outpatient departments, and through community services.

A purpose-built theatre suite is set to open at St Albans City Hospital in Spring 2025. The ICB states that this will provide non-complex orthopaedic, hip and knee surgery, spinal injections, and ear, nose and throat procedures for approximately 4,400 patients per year, from across the ICB’s area.

The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the change needed to meet the three Health Mission goals, those being: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.

The direct participation of DPRK troops in combat operations is another dangerous expansion of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security. This is a grave error by DPRK, who have already begun to suffer significant casualties. In return, Russia's deepening cooperation with DPRK and increased political, military, and economic support further exacerbates tensions on the Korean Peninsula and poses a greater risk to stability in the region and beyond. The Government will continue to consult and coordinate with our close partners in response to this dangerous development, including Japan and South Korea.

The FCDO has consistently underlined the importance of protecting all civilians, including religious and ethnic minorities, publicly and in our engagement with regional and international partners. The UK joined talks in Aqaba on 14 December, hosted by Jordan, with Arab, US, UN and EU partners during which we collectively expressed commitment to supporting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process based on the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government. We also underlined the importance of respect for human rights, including for women and minorities. Senior FCDO officials recently travelled to Damascus, where they discussed the importance of an inclusive transitional political process, protecting the rights of all Syrians.

We are aware of the Special Rapporteur's report relating to "atrocity crimes" of the 1980s, including the summary, arbitrary and extra-judicial execution of dissidents. The execution of dissidents and political opponents is a deliberate attempt to instil fear and stifle dissent. We will continue to support UN Special Procedures including the Special Rapporteur in their mandate to highlight the Islamic Republic's historic and current human rights violations. The UK was proud to help deliver the Iran Human Rights Resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November, which called for Iran to establish a moratorium on executions and to end the persecution of political opponents.

We are aware of the Special Rapporteur's report relating to "atrocity crimes" of the 1980s, including the summary, arbitrary and extra-judicial execution of dissidents. The execution of dissidents and political opponents is a deliberate attempt to instil fear and stifle dissent. We will continue to support UN Special Procedures including the Special Rapporteur in their mandate to highlight the Islamic Republic's historic and current human rights violations. The UK was proud to help deliver the Iran Human Rights Resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November, which called for Iran to establish a moratorium on executions and to end the persecution of political opponents.

The Prime Minister has pledged his support for the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Speaking on December 2, 2024, he announced plans for the Foreign Secretary to convene an "inaugural meeting in London to support civil society in the region, as part of that work to negotiate a two-state solution." This government has been clear; we are committed to pursuing a lasting solution to the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, including through achieving a two-state solution. We continue to support efforts to this end through our aid programmes, which assist civil society in Israel and Palestine on a range of issues, including peacebuilding and conflict resolution. In June 2024, the G7 Heads of Government included milestone new language in their communiqué, committing to "working together and with other international partners to closely coordinate and institutionalize our support for civil society peacebuilding efforts, ensuring that such efforts are part of a larger strategy to build the foundation necessary for a negotiated and lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace."

Excess speed is still a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads. Anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face sanction.

Enforcement of speeding offences in rural areas of Hertfordshire and the deployment of available resources and capabilities is an operational matter for Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Chief Constable and Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner to determine, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders which will be introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by the police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Respect Orders will be piloted prior to national rollout to make sure they are as effective as possible. Consideration will be given to where the pilots will take place in due course.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

That’s why this Government will put thousands of new neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities across the country, so residents know they will have someone to turn to when things go wrong.

We will crack down on those causing havoc on our high streets by introducing tougher powers, including new Respect Orders to tackle repeat offending, and we will give the police stronger powers to crack down on the antisocial use of dangerous and deafening off-road bikes.

The Government will update the House in due course on the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending, including ODA-eligible spending to support asylum seekers and refugees within the UK.

The UK continues to monitor the security situation in Kosovo closely and UK forces are deployed in country supporting NATO’s KFOR mission to maintain a safe and secure environment. This is consistent with our ongoing commitment to support regional defence and security.

HMG are also currently exploring defence export opportunities to Kosovo. This has the potential to help support jobs throughout the United Kingdom and maintain our world-class defence-industrial base alongside bolstering Kosovo’s security and resilience.

UK export licences would only be granted in accordance with the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the possible impact of providing equipment and capabilities. We do not issue licences where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria including under Criterion 4 where we determine if there is a clear risk that the items would, undermine overall peace and security.

The Government has engaged with people affected by the Ban throughout the response to the Independent Review; the response can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-independent-review-government-response.

Defence has worked closely with key stakeholders on the design of the scheme, enabling the voices of the veterans to be heard. Indications of interest were invited through the application process for non-financial restorative measures, aiding Defence in understanding more about the affected community and ensuring that the scheme considers the needs of the community. Further information regarding the restorative measures can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-apply-for-restorative-measures.

I recently held a briefing in which I welcomed questions and listened to the concerns of veterans directly from their MPs. This Government is committed to holding a Parliamentary debate to ensure Parliamentary scrutiny is given to the design of the scheme and that all veterans concerns may be represented.

Further information about available support and next steps can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps

The Ministry of Defence has prioritised its support to Ukraine, including establishing processes to ensure equipment that is retiring, or is surplus to UK military requirements, is considered for donation to Ukraine. Similarly, the Ministry of Defence has enabled the transfer of donated equipment e.g. vehicles, to Ukraine from private organisations, or Other Government Departments such as the Home Office.

We will continue to support and enable donations of equipment.

We welcome support for Ukraine from across civil soceity. In coordination with the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) cohere donation offers from Industry and assists companies in achieving this goal. DBT regularly meets with defence and security trade associations to discuss requirements, based on Ukraine’s specific requests for equipment.

The quality of the public realm and the prosperity of high streets and town centres is of vital importance. The Government is supporting local efforts to reduce vacancy on high streets, including through High Street Rental Auctions, because of the damaging effect persistently empty shops can have on the vitality of town centres.

The Government also recognises public sentiment about the value of some high street businesses will be mixed. Occupation of vacant units must in general be preferred to the alternative, including because of the benefits to high street footfall. The government encourages local partnership working between landlords, local government, businesses and residents to develop a unique vision for their high street. The planning system provides some tools to support these efforts, including the emphasis placed on local plans and diversification of primary shopping areas in the National Planning Policy Framework.

The government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm, and free from damp and mould.

The Deputy Prime Minister made a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February (HCWS423) confirming that the government will be bringing Awaab’s Law into force for damp and mould in October 2025.

Awaab’s Law is vital legislation that will empower social tenants to hold their landlords to account using the full force of the law if they fail to investigate and fix hazards within their homes within set timescales. It will also allow tenants to access the Housing Ombudsman if their landlord does not adhere to strict timelines for action.

The government is also committed to consulting on a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards this year.