Helen Maguire

Following the general election, the Prime Minister was clear that he wanted national renewal and a return of politics to public service.

The Government is committed to ensuring the public has diverse opportunities to take part in our vibrant democracy. The Government is taking steps to ensure meaningful public involvement in the work of government, including as part of mission-driven government and the broader toolkit for policy development and public engagement.

In addition to regular national and local elections, the public can engage in our political system and the policy-making process through various avenues. These include writing to their MP or to a government department, attending constituency surgeries, signing a petition which may end up the subject of debate in Parliament, taking part in a consultation (see the GOV.UK website for current consultations) or a parliamentary call for evidence, and of course taking part in politics directly by, for example, standing for office. The public are also encouraged to come and visit the UK Parliament to meet with their representatives and see the work of politics in action.

Section 31 of the Postal Services Act 2011 outlines the minimum requirements of the universal postal service and includes the requirement that free-of-charge postal services are provided to people who are blind or partially sighted.

Earlier this year, I met representatives of Ofcom, who reasserted their commitment to ensuring that the universal postal service meets the reasonable needs of users. The Government has no current plans to change the minimum requirements set out in the legislation.

This Strategy, co-produced with young people and the youth sector, will better coordinate youth services, bringing power back to young people and their communities, and rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector.

Over the coming months, we will be developing our plans in partnership with young people and with organisations within the youth sector, engaging closely with them to fully understand their needs and the issues they consider to be most crucial in addressing. This National Youth Strategy will cover youth services and policy at local, regional and national levels, and will outline a long-term vision for how all young people can realise their potential, with choices and chances, and be empowered and active members of society. It will also look to empower local areas and communities, moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches.

We will be holding a series of youth-led roundtables and we will set up a youth advisory board to work alongside us, influence our work and challenge us every step of the way. We will ensure this is an accessible engagement period that reaches as many young people as possible.

We will be publishing the Strategy in 2025.

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, breaking down the barriers to opportunity.

Educational psychologists play a crucial role in the support available to children and young people, including those with SEND. Local authorities, as the employers of educational psychology services, are responsible for ensuring that their services are adequately staffed.

However, the department is taking measures to support local authorities by investing in building the pipeline. We are investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.

To support retention, following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this requirement has increased to three years.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to learn and to prosper.

The Ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce will harness all available levers to drive forward action across government to reduce child poverty. More detail on the approach and priorities for the strategy is set out in the publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which was published on 23 October and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.

The Children’s Wellbeing Bill will put children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems, and make sure every child has a fulfilling childhood, enabling them to achieve and thrive.

Breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring primary school children, no matter their circumstance, are well prepared with a supportive start to the school day. This will help to drive improvements in behaviour, attendance and attainment, and provide families with more affordable childcare choices. This will also support families, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This government sees the early years as central to our mission to give every child the best start in life and in the 2025/26 financial year expect to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, to help even more families access affordable, high quality childcare and early education. We have also announced a new £75 million expansion grant, to be allocated later this year, to support nurseries, childminders and other providers to deliver the 35,000 additional staff and 70,000 places required to meet demand for next September.

High quality early education leads to better outcomes for all children, but is particularly impactful for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), where early identification of needs and support can help them to thrive.

Families of 2 year olds in receipt of certain benefits can access 15 hours of early education and care per week, over 38 weeks a year, and all 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for 15 hours of early education. Further support for disadvantaged children is available through Early Years Pupil Premium. This government will also be delivering the largest ever uplift to the Early Years Pupil Premium, increasing rates by over 45% to up to £570 per eligible child per year. This unprecedented increase is an investment in quality early education for those children who need it most, in the areas that need it most.

To respond to parents’ concerns about the cost of school, as committed in the King’s Speech, we will legislate to limit the number of costly branded items of uniform schools can require, ensuring uniforms make children smarter not families poorer.

In addition to free school meals (FSM), schools continue to receive the pupil premium grant, worth over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Also this year, all 153 local authorities in England have continued to deliver the Holiday and Activities Food programme during Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. The programme provides heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. It is primarily targeted at children who receive benefits-related FSM, however local authorities also have the flexibility to use some of their funding to target other vulnerable children.

Now that the department has been given its overall budget, we are working through the details of the budget settlement. Departmental budgets for 2025/26 will be confirmed in due course, including the exact funding available to support children, young people and families during the holidays.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent.

From September 2024, eligible working parents of children aged nine months and above can access 15 hours government funded childcare a week over 38 weeks a year. From September 2025, this will be extended so eligible working parents will be able to access 30 hours per week (over 38 weeks a year) for children from the age of 9 months to when they start school.

The government has committed to continue to roll out the expanded childcare entitlements for eligible working parents of children aged from nine months. The department is also growing the provision of wraparound before and after school provision of childcare for primary school children.

In 2024/25, the department expects to provide over £1.7 billion to support local authorities and providers to deliver the childcare expansion. In Surrey, the hourly rate for government funded childcare entitlements for 3 to 4 year olds is £6.77, which is an increase of 5.8%. For two year olds, this figure is £9.61 per hour and for under 2’s, £13.04 per hour.

The government has also committed to upgrading unused space in primary schools to create much needed places in 3,000 nurseries by working in partnership with all parts of the sector and local authorities.

In addition to the entitlements, parents may also be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit. Parents can check what childcare support they are entitled to via the Childcare Choices website.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing, including supporting them through its childcare delivery support contract where appropriate.

The government is committed to delivering a modern childcare system from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school, providing every child with a firm foundation which sets them up for life and ensures parents are able to work the jobs and hours they choose to effectively break down the barriers to opportunity for every family.

Surrey had their Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Local Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in September 2023 which identified inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The report, published on 24 November 2023, included four areas for improvement.

The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the areas for improvement found by inspectors and the progress made by children and young people with SEND. Surrey County Council are committed to working closely with the department to improve services.

Surrey County Council entered into a Safety Valve agreement with the department in March 2022 with a view to addressing the effectiveness and financial sustainability of the local high needs system.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage system both now and for future demand and expects water companies to plan their infrastructure appropriately to meet new growth.

As part of the Environment Act 2021, water companies in England are required to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances. These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues.

The Government is committed to the protection and restoration of our cherished chalk streams. We have taken immediate action to clean up our waterways, including a new Water (Special Measures) Bill to ban the payment of unfair bonuses to polluting water bosses, and bring criminal charges against those who persistently break the law. In October we launched an independent commission into the water sector regulatory system to deliver transformative change to the water system.

We are investing in initiatives to improve chalk streams including 55 projects this financial year through the Water Environment Improvement Fund. As part of the Water Resources Chalk Partnership Fund, this financial year, the Government will contribute £1m for chalk stream projects with partners on 30 projects, aimed at safeguarding these rare and irreplaceable habitats.

We are committed to ending damaging abstraction of water from rivers and groundwater wherever possible. We will make full use of our existing powers to amend abstraction licences to protect and improve the environment and make sure water companies deliver the improvements in their current business plans, including licence reductions of around 100 million litres per day in chalk streams.

Through the Price Review 2024, Ofwat will set out the next cycle of planned water company investment covering 2025-2030, which will include further actions to restore chalk streams. The exact funding is currently being determined by Ofwat, with final determinations due to be published on 19 December. Environmental requirements for abstraction reductions to improve chalk streams flows are part of the environmental planning scenarios that Regional Water Resources Groups and water companies have included in their planning to 2050.

The Government is committed to making EV charging infrastructure affordable and accessible.

Energy suppliers providing energy to EV chargepoints are regulated by Ofgem. Ofgem does not currently set a limit for the price that can be charged for the resale of electricity through EV chargepoints. We continue to work with DESNZ and Ofgem on measures to keep EV charging affordable.

Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, all chargepoint operators must display the price of charging using a common metric of p/kWh and make their data on pricing available freely. This allows drivers to easily compare the price of charging and find the best chargepoint for their needs.

There are already specific criteria in place to assess the need for a Blue Badge for children under three years old who require the use of bulky mobility aids. The Department has no plans to amend the current eligibility criteria.

Department officials have regular conversations with the operator seeking to improve accessibility across South Western Railway’s fleet. Improvements include the new fleet of Class 701s with fully accessible toilets replacing the Class 455s which do not have toilets, an App with Artificial Intelligence generated British Sign Language and a planned rollout of improved Passenger Information Screens on services between Waterloo and Exeter. South Western Railway also has guards on all of its fleet providing assistance for all passengers who require it.

Given the current cost of living it is essential for individuals to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage their finances. DWP invests in upskilling their staff to increase their confidence in guiding customers through conversations about enhancing their financial skills and understanding the advantages of doing so.

DWP supports customers to improve their financial skills by signposting them to MoneyHelper in order to help them make better financial choices. MoneyHelper operates across the UK, however, as financial skills is a devolved matter, additional support is available in Scotland and Wales.

DWP is consistently striving to enhance the services provided to our customers, ensuring they receive the most effective guidance by directing them to bodies that can assist in improving their financial skills.

The extra costs disability benefits are not means–tested, paid regardless of any income or savings and worth up to £9,580 a year, tax free.

They were uprated by 6.7 per cent from April and will be uprated by 1.7 per cent from next April subject to Parliamentary approval.

We have made no such estimate and are not able to do so as we do not collect specific data on veterans over pension age receiving benefits and pensions.

Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged 80 and over.

This means that the Winter Fuel Payment will be better targeted to low-income pensioners who need it. The UK Government wants those eligible for Pension Credit but not currently claiming it to receive the benefits they are entitled to, including their Winter Fuel Payment.

Youth services play a vital role in supporting the Government’s prevention agenda and for achieving positive outcomes for public health. These services provide early intervention and support that can prevent the development of more serious health and social issues, including mental health challenges, substance misuse, and physical health problems.

The Department recognises the importance of youth services in promoting healthy behaviours, building resilience, and improving mental and physical wellbeing among young people. In the context of mental health, the Government’s commitment to improving outcomes for babies, children, and young people is outlined in the publication Improving the mental health of babies, children, and young people, which highlights the value of preventative approaches and the role of youth-focused interventions. Further information on this publication is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-the-mental-health-of-babies-children-and-young-people/improving-the-mental-health-of-babies-children-and-young-people-a-framework-of-modifiable-factors

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history.

The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. An important part of this will be alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty, through supporting families and enhancing public services.

The National Health Service also makes a central contribution to tackling inequalities, in access to services, patient experience, and healthcare outcomes. For example, the 2024/2025 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance makes explicit the requirement to address the inequalities of healthcare facing children and young people.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs, including kidney patients, and where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.

Local authorities further have a duty to shape their care markets and commission a diverse range of care and support services that enables people to access quality care.

We recognise that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people, including kidney patients where appropriate, can be confident in accessing high-quality mental health support when they need it.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.

The 10-Year Health Plan will ensure a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. On 21 October, we launched a national conversation on the future of the NHS, inviting views from across the country on how to deliver a health service fit for the future. Patients, staff, and organisations, including those with experience of or expertise in kidney disease, can make themselves heard by logging onto the online portal, which is available at the following link:

www.change.nhs.uk

NHS England published the Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/

In addition, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the management of faecal incontinence in adults, which healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take fully into account when delivering services for people with bowel incontinence.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation across the United Kingdom. The Department works closely with NHSBT to identify opportunities to encourage people to record their wishes on the Organ Donor Register, as we know that approximately nine in 10 families support organ donation going ahead when they know that it is what their loved one wanted. Current examples include building registration into the UK driving licence application and passport renewal process, as well as providing links to the Organ Donor Register in the NHS App. Partnerships like these account for approximately 90% of registrations.

NHSBT runs high profile, year-round campaigns, including Organ Donation Week, World Sight Day, and World Kidney Day, in partnership with a wide range of charities and community groups. NHSBT also funds a network of Organ Donor Ambassadors and provides grants to community groups who raise awareness at a local level.

The Prime Minister has set out the Plan for Change for this government, with early intervention at the centre of the government's priorities, including giving children the best start in life, putting police back on the beat, and ending hospital backlogs.

The Chancellor also set out that prevention would be a key theme of the Spending Review. HMT will work with departments to develop proposals on prevention, including their social and economic impact, through phase 2 of the Spending Review.

The Computer Misuse Act (CMA) plays a vital role in ensuring that the UK has the right legislative framework to allow us to tackle cyber harms. The Government is committed to ensuring the CMA remains up to date and effective to tackle criminality.

As part of the Review, officials are scoping several areas of legislative reform to give law enforcement the tools and powers they need to investigate and prosecute cyber criminality.  Some of these areas are quite complex in nature and require further engagement with stakeholders to ensure we get them right.

We will update in due course on any proposals that we take forward.

The Home Secretary, alongside others, has received a Prevention of Future Deaths report from the Senior Coroner for Surrey regarding the deaths at Epsom College in February 2023. The Government will be responding to the Coroner’s recommendations in due course.

The Home Secretary, alongside others, has received a Prevention of Future Deaths report from the Senior Coroner for Surrey regarding the deaths at Epsom College in February 2023. The Government will be responding to the Coroner’s recommendations in due course.

The new Government inherited a crisis in recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retention.

Many factors affect the time taken to proceed through the recruiting pipeline. Many candidates proceed much faster than the average when they are well prepared and ready to move quickly. Others take longer, for reasons including:

• Delays in the receipt of primary healthcare records.
• Medical deferment for those requiring time to get medically fit.
• The need to align the start of basic of training with trade training.
• A candidate’s current domestic, employment and housing situation.
• A candidate’s choice regarding pace and level of engagement.

The requested numerical information is provided in the table below, noting that direct comparisons between each Service should be avoided due to the different processes in use; for example, recruits to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force must achieve a Security Check level of security clearance before joining.

Average Time of Flight taken between Application and Basic Training Starts for Regular Other Ranks UK Nationals in the 12 Months ending 1 October 2024

Notes:

1. Time of Flight is defined as the time passed in days between the date of application and the date of intake to the untrained strength.​
2. Average Time of Flight is expressed as the median number of days, meaning that Time of Flight for half of all candidates is shorter than the figures provided, and half is longer. For example, half of RN/RM candidates take up to 279 days, with half taking longer.
3. Application data is taken from the Defence Recruitment System and Recruitment IT System (RN and RAF) and matched to intake data from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system and should reflect time of entry to training.
4. Army figures differ from Recruiting Group (RG) information reported elsewhere due to differing methodologies. The RG figures are intended to support operational decision-makers monitoring operational and pipeline performance.
5. Applications from non-UK candidates are excluded, with Nationality as declared on JPA. Army figures include applications from Irish personnel but exclude applications from other countries and those applicants without a known nationality.
6. For a small number of Navy personnel, application date is recorded as after their intake date, likely due to outflowing and re-joining the Service. These personnel have been excluded from calculations.
7. When an individual has multiple applications to the RAF, the applications closest before their intake was used as the application submission date.
8. Where an application date is not held in the data or an application cannot be matched to intake, such as where there is no corresponding service number or National Insurance number, the case is excluded.

The table below shows the number of computers, USBs, phones and laptops which were either lost or stolen in each month in 2024. The data supplied below is only for incidents which have been closed.

We take the security of defence assets very seriously and have robust policies and procedures to prevent losses and thefts. Defence personnel are regularly reminded of their responsibilities to safeguard Defence assets.

Proportionate security controls are used to protect electronic devices according to the classification and nature of the information which the asset can hold.

This information is not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer within the allotted time frame. I will write to the hon. Member with an update in due course and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

We are currently reviewing the civil service workforce required to deliver Defence’s strategy, and to align with the Chancellor’s announcement on public spending and the recent budget. We are committed to having an agile and sustainable workforce with the right skills, whilst maximising value for the taxpayer.

The Strategic Defence Review will ensure our people are at the heart of Defence’s plans, supporting the security, economic growth and prosperity of the UK.

Over time the civil service workforce will be smaller, but also a team that is better able to deliver Defence outputs efficiently and effectively.

The number of reported incidents of damp and mould, fire, and flooding in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in each month in 2022 and 2023 is detailed in the tables below:

Damp and Mould reported in SFA:

Fire Incidents reported in SFA:

The figures for fires in SFA, include smells of burning or a melted plug and the figures for flooding in Service Family Accommodation include incidents that occur inside the property and includes garages and outhouses.

Flooding Incidents reported in SFA:

The number of reported incidents of damp and mould, in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in each month in 2022 and 2023 is detailed in the table below:

Damp and Mould in SLA:

The number of reported incidents of fire and flood, in SLA can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Data relating to incidents prior to April 2022 is not held as this predates the current Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts.

The figures for damp and mould include work orders raised and can include small amounts of mould where a bathroom has not been ventilated.

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including young people. We will consider youth homelessness as we develop our long-term cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country, to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.