Graham Leadbitter

The Government regularly engages with its counterparts in Scotland on fireworks. These discussions include antisocial use and the impact of noise. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property.

No assessment has been made in bringing forward legislative proposals to protect wildlife parks and zoos from the impacts of fireworks. To inform any future decisions on fireworks policy I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts with fireworks, including on animal welfare.

The Government regularly engages with its counterparts in Scotland on fireworks. These discussions include antisocial use and the impact of noise. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property.

No assessment has been made in bringing forward legislative proposals to protect wildlife parks and zoos from the impacts of fireworks. To inform any future decisions on fireworks policy I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts with fireworks, including on animal welfare.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent body responsible for regulating advertising in the UK across traditional forms of media (print, radio, TV) and online. The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations of the ASA, are responsible for codifying the standards for advertising to the marketing industry as part of their CAP and BCAP Codes. The government is not involved in these codes, nor in the investigations and enforcement delivered by the ASA.

However, as part of the Gambling Commission’s licence conditions, gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising Codes. The ASA has the power to take action where there is evidence of advertising in breach of the Codes, wherever it appears, and the ASA can and does refer operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission for possible regulatory action.

The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment.

Requirements for the export of hazardous chemicals are agreed at the international level under the Rotterdam Convention. In GB, the export of certain hazardous chemicals is regulated through the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation.

The regulatory requirements under GB PIC are the same as under the EU PIC Regulation but the UK now makes its own decisions under PIC and other chemicals legislation.

We continue to monitor developments in other countries and learn from their experiences.

This Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. To deliver on this commitment, the UK Government has formed a cross-government Taskforce on motor insurance, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury, which met for the first time on 16th October.

The Taskforce is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and by the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The Taskforce is supported by a separate Stakeholder Panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 November, there are over 71,000 publicly available charging devices in the UK, supporting drivers to switch to EVs.

Alongside support for public charging, for those without off-street parking, the Government offers the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking. Eligible applicants can get up to £350 off the cost of installing a domestic chargepoint, when paired with a cross-pavement solution.

The Government is committed to making EV charging infrastructure more affordable and accessible, particularly for those without off-street parking. The Government confirmed in the October 2024 Budget that it will continue to support the uptake of EVs by investing over £200 million in 2025/26 to further accelerate chargepoint rollout.

Alongside support for public charging, the Department is also supporting the installation of cross-pavement charging solutions through the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking. Eligible applicants can receive 75% off the cost of purchasing and installing a socket, up to a maximum of £350 when installed alongside a cross-pavement solution.

To support the electric vehicle transition more charging infrastructure will be needed across the country. The exact number in a location will depend on a variety of factors such as availability of off-street parking, future charging behaviour and local driving patterns.

Alongside support for public charging, for those without off-street parking, the Government offers the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking. Eligible applicants can get up to £350 off the cost of installing a domestic chargepoint, when paired with a cross-pavement solution.

The Government’s Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking provides up to £350 off the cost of purchasing and installing a chargepoint, when paired with a cross-pavement solution.

The Government keeps all grants for chargepoint infrastructure under review.

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, which 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.

The UK Government is absolutely committed to pushing the Government of India for faster progress in resolving Jagtar Singh Johal's case. The Foreign Secretary raised concerns on multiple occasions with the Government of India, including regarding Mr Johal's allegations of torture. Most recently, he raised Mr Johal's case with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on 24 July during his first official visit to India in this role. Consular staff regularly visit Mr Johal to check on his welfare, most recently on 21 August.

The installation of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose benefits from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027. Following a Call for Evidence (CfE) last year, electrical storage batteries were one of the technologies added to the relief. However, as set out in the Government response to the CfE, at that time, the Government was unable to identify sufficient independent data regarding the efficiency of heat batteries. As such, they do not currently qualify for VAT relief.

EV charge points were also proposed to be added to the ESMs VAT relief by CfE respondents. However, they were not added to the relief, because their primary purpose is not to save energy or reduce carbon emissions, meaning EV charge points don’t meet the objectives of the relief.

The Government currently has no plans to add further technologies to this VAT relief. Nevertheless, the Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. Changes to the tax system are announced at fiscal events in the usual way.

The government recognises the vital role charities plays in supporting individuals and communities, delivering a huge range of services up and down the country.

The government continues to support the sector and encourages people to volunteer. However, introducing a new tax code and tax incentives, or increasing the Personal Allowance to incentivise individuals to volunteer would make the system more complicated and difficult for taxpayers to navigate.

The government must prioritise ensuring the tax system supports strong public finances. Given the current state of the public spending inheritance, difficult choices are necessary. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has emphasised that sound fiscal policy is crucial for economic stability and growth, which are essential for keeping taxes as low as possible, while continuing to deliver high-quality public services.

The government is working to improve living standards for everyone across the country, which is why growth is a key priority. This is why we have got to work straightaway implementing planning reform and establishing the National Wealth Fund and Great British Energy.

The approach of this government will centre on fostering good work. This government will reform employment support to offer more people the dignity and purpose of meaningful employment.

We have begun supporting households with the cost of living by launching a Ministerial Taskforce on child poverty and updating the Low Pay Commission's remit to reflect the cost of living when making recommendations on the National Living Wage.

Any further steps will be set out in due course.

The Chancellor’s July ‘Public Spending: Inheritance’ speech forecasted an overspend of £21.9 billion above limits set by the Treasury in the Spring. We understand that will have caused uncertainty about the status of some projects and the challenge that presents locally. We must, however, ensure that we are making responsible decisions on public spending. Decisions that have fallen on this government to take. In this context, the Chancellor has set out a path to confirming plans for this year and next at the forthcoming Budget on October 30th.

This Government is committed to delivering growth in every corner of the country, by empowering communities to find local solutions to national priorities. However, as you will appreciate, the Government has inherited an extremely difficult fiscal environment and has a responsibility to fix the foundations of our economy, to ensure economic stability.

The department will set out further details on funding, next steps, and confirmation of the revised timelines in due course.