Grahame Morris

Under the Better Regulation Framework, the Department would be expected to produce an Impact Assessment estimating the costs of an additional, permanent bank holiday if the Government proposed one. However, since the current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established and widely accepted, the Government has no such plans.

The best available indication at present is from the impact assessment undertaken by the previous Government in 2022, estimating the cost of the one-off Platinum Jubilee bank holiday.

The Government recognises the sacrifices made by so many veterans and the profound debt of gratitude owed to those who have served our country.

We regularly receive requests for additional bank and public holidays to mark a variety of occasions. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2 billion.

The current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established and widely accepted. The Government has no plans to change it.

The Government recognises the sacrifices made by so many veterans and the huge debt of gratitude owed to those who have served their country.

The current pattern of UK bank holidays is well established and accepted. Whilst an additional bank holiday may benefit some sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2bn.

The water from coal mines shows good potential as a renewable source for heat networks.

The government’s capital schemes for heat network construction, the Heat Networks Investment Project and its successor, the Green Heat Network Fund, have supported heat networks that use mine water.

To date, the Gateshead District Energy Scheme and the Seaham Garden Village network in County Durham have both received funding.

The ninth application round of the Green Heat Network Fund is currently open and projects which aim to use mine water are welcome to apply.

The Government response to the road fuels consultation published on 30 October 2024 confirmed that the Government will implement the recommendation made by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in its Final Road Fuel Market Study to set up a statutory open data scheme for fuel prices, called Fuel Finder.

Fuel Finder will increase price transparency and help drivers easily compare prices and find the best deals. This will increase pressure on fuel retailers to compete strongly to attract customers. Subject to legislation and parliamentary timings, we aim to launch Fuel Finder by the end of 2025.

Further work on the future of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme will require close working with the scheme Trustees.

I met with the Chair and Trustee representatives of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) on 16 December where they outlined their proposals for changes to the Scheme. We will work with the BCSSS Trustees to consider their proposals once the new Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme arrangements have been agreed.

I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on this matter and we will continue to work closely with His Majesty’s Treasury on aspects related to the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.

The safety and wellbeing 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.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) worked with relevant stakeholders to develop the first ever set of shared concussion guidelines for grassroots sport across the UK, which were published in April 2023, marking a significant step forward for safety in sport.

DCMS also provides funding to Sport England, its Arm's-Length Body for grassroots sport. Sport England 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. This totalled £330,917 and £527,525 respectively in 2024/25.

The department has been consulting on proposed changes to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) regulations in view of the recent reclassification of further education colleges as public sector by the Office for National Statistics. The extension of the Fair Deal provisions will allow those workers who are covered by the regulations to retain access to the TPS where that work is transferred to a private sector provider. That may include prison education providers. The consultation process involved discussion with the TPS Advisory Board.

The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children, and the role local authorities have in supporting them.

The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to ten local authorities, to test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of supporting the child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends.

The department will share further details on the process for selecting local authorities in due course.

Latest figures for the 2023/24 academic year show that there have been 50 starts on the Level 2 Seafarer (deck rating) apprenticeship standard.

This government has not made a formal assessment of the cost of providing free school meals to all primary school children.

The department is separately committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school to ensure children are set-up for the day and ready to learn.

The department is committed to working in partnership with local government to support children in care, whether they are being looked after by their community of wider kinship care, foster carers and adoptive parents, or being cared for in children’s homes, if this is the best place for them to be. The department recognises many challenges kinship cares experience, including the financial challenges that many kinship carers face. The government is considering how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system so that it can deliver better support and outcomes for children and families. This will include considering how best to support kinship carers and children in kinship care.