Helen Whately

The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) works with government departments and public bodies to understand and reduce the impact of fraud and error against the public sector. The PSFA is expected to surpass its 2024-25 target of recovering and preventing £250m of fraud - ensuring public money is out of the hands of fraudsters.

Since the Authority’s launch in 2022, the PSFA has started the pilot of the new Enforcement Unit for government, which began fraud investigations in May 2024.The Enforcement Unit is actively investigating cases of fraud, and will seek to use relevant civil powers to recover funds stolen by fraudsters. To date, the PSFA has not applied to any county court for a recovery order regarding the assets of people found to have committed fraud.

This government is taking tough action to reduce public sector fraud. In January, we introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, giving us more tools to combat fraud, allowing government to investigate fraud, recover public money and sending fraudsters a clear message: you won’t get away with stealing public money.

I refer the Honourable Member to PQ 9328 of 22 October 2024.

In April 2025, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for workers aged 18 to 20, workers under 18, and apprentices will increase significantly – narrowing the gap between those rates and the National Living Wage.

The impact of wage levels on youth employment and on incentives to remain in education and training is a key consideration of the Low Pay Commission when it makes recommendations. This Government is committed to removing pay bands in a way that does not have a detrimental impact, and the Impact Assessment for annual rises will consider this issue.

The Employment Rights Bill Impact Assessments was published on October 21 and can be found here. It illustrates that the provision of better-quality work, more family friendly employment protections and flexible working rights could increase the range of jobs and working patterns that suit individuals. Further, the Impact Assessment finds evidence that the Bill could particularly benefit those who are currently inactive or intermittently working due to childcare responsibilities, long term illness or disabilities. The Impact Assessment also deemed the risk of significant unemployment effects as a result of the Bill to be ‘low’.

In April 2025, the National Living Wage, payable to eligible workers who are 21 years old and over, will increase by 6.7% to £12.21 per hour. The impact of wage levels on youth employment, unemployment and inactivity (usually defined as 16-24-year-olds) and on incentives to remain in education and training is a key consideration of the Low Pay Commission when it makes recommendations.

This Government is committed to setting the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates in a way that does not have a detrimental impact, and the Impact Assessment for annual rises will consider this issue.

Battery safety was considered during the Examination of the development consent application and in the Secretary of State’s decision letter (in particular paragraphs 4.139 and 4.148 to 4.176). Requirement 3 of the Cleve Hill Solar Park Order 2020 made Swale Borough Council responsible for approving a Battery Safety Management Plan, after consulting with the Health and Safety Executive and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Following an appeal by the developer, on 5 July 2024 the Battery Safety Management Plan was approved on behalf of the Secretary of State by the Planning Inspectorate.

The issues raised are matters for Swale Borough Council acting in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive and Kent Fire and Rescue Service as set out in Requirement 3 of the Cleve Hill Solar Park Order 2020. Following an appeal by the developer, on 5 July 2024 the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, approved the Battery Safety Management Plan after Swale Borough Council had refused an application for its approval.

Under Requirement 3 of the Cleve Hill Solar Park Order 2020 the matters raised are matters for Swale Borough Council after consulting with the Health and Safety Executive and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Following an appeal by the developer, on 5 July 2024 the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, approved the Battery Safety Management Plan after Swale Borough Council had refused an application for its approval.

Requirement 3 of the Cleve Hill Solar Park Order 2020 made Swale Borough Council responsible for the regulation of the Battery Safety Management Plan. The plan was informed following consultation with the Health and Safety Executive and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Swale Borough Council will be responsible for providing regulation and oversight of the construction and operation of the development.

Requirement 3 of the Cleve Hil Solar Park Order 2020 made Swale Borough Council responsible for approving the Battery Safety Management Plan after consulting with the Health and Safety Executive and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. There is no requirement for Swale Borough Council to consult with the Environment Agency. Following an appeal by the developer, The Battery Safety Management Plan was approved by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State on 5 July 2024 after Swale Borough Council refused an application for its approval.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have not funded any specific projects on pay per-mile road charging.

Local authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for children in their area. The department engages with local authorities on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional primary and pre-16 secondary school places, and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department offers support and advice.

The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. Nearly £1.5 billion of allocations have been confirmed to support local authorities to create school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.

Developer contributions are also an important way of helping to meet demand for new school places when housing developments are increasing pupil numbers. It is for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to secure developer contributions through section 106 agreements or through the Community Infrastructure Levy, and to decide on the local infrastructure needs that this contribution should support. The department would encourage LPAs to secure significant contributions for new school places and to work closely with colleagues planning school places in their area, including county councils when the local authority responsible for education is not the LPA.

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities and provide access to schools and other services. This government has set out an action plan to deliver better bus services and drive opportunity across the country-served regions. The government will introduce the Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services in the hands of local leaders to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government knows that increases in mathematics and English skills also benefit family life, children’s development and education, civic participation, and have a positive impact on relationships between employees and employers.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18. This is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy, including curriculum and social inequality. The review will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve. In particular, children who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, or with special educational needs or disabilities.

To support basic literacy from the early years, we are investing over £20 million in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme. This programme targets reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help them make four months of additional progress, and seven months of additional progress for those eligible for free school meals.

Additionally, programmes such as the English Hubs and Maths Hubs aim to improve the teaching of literacy and mathematics, as the department knows that the quality of teaching is the biggest educational factor in determining children’s outcomes. All eligible year 4 pupils in England are required to take the multiplication table check which is an on-screen assessment testing pupils' ability to fluently recall their knowledge of multiplication tables up to 12 x 12. 29% of eligible children scored full marks in 2023 and the average attainment score was 20.2 marks out of 25.

The department’s ‘essential skills’ legal entitlements funded through the adult skills fund provide the opportunity for fully funded study for eligible adults who do not have essential literacy and numeracy skills, up to and including Level 2.

The government is committed to helping children and young people, including young carers, thrive and wants the best for every child and family. This department, the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England work closely together, along with other government departments and key stakeholders, to ensure support is provided for young carers across all aspects of their wellbeing, education and development and are currently giving careful consideration to the recently published report by the Carer’s Trust: ‘Caring and classes: the education gap for young carers’. This report can be accessed here: https://carers.org/downloads/young-carers-in-education-reportfinal.pdf.

Young carers as a specific group within the education system were added to the school census in the 2022/23 academic year. Ofsted has committed to developing and consulting upon a revised schools’ inspection framework for September 2025. This will support the new school report card, which will also be in place from that time. A consultation on the framework and report card is scheduled to launch early in the new year.

The department and Ofsted are engaging closely to take this forward and will consider how schools are to be assessed in the future in terms of their contribution to inclusion, bearing in mind the government’s mission to ensure that all children, including young carers, can achieve and thrive at school.

The Children’s Social Care National Framework, issued in December 2023, is statutory guidance for local authorities. It provides clarity on the outcomes that leaders and practitioners should achieve when supporting children, young people, and families, including young carers. Safeguarding partners, and other relevant agencies including education, should read and engage with the National Framework as they have an important role in supporting positive outcomes and improving access to opportunities.

The department is clear that everyone working within children’s social care should use the National Framework to understand how they can improve the outcomes and breakdown barriers for opportunity for children, young people, and families. Specific expectations have been included in the framework for practice for senior leaders, practice supervisors and practitioners to draw on the range of expertise from virtual school heads, designated safeguarding leads or designated teachers when providing help to children, young people and families, including young carers.

The government is committed to helping children and young people, including young carers, thrive and wants the best for every child and family. This department, the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England work closely together, along with other government departments and key stakeholders, to ensure support is provided for young carers across all aspects of their wellbeing, education and development and are currently giving careful consideration to the recently published report by the Carer’s Trust: ‘Caring and classes: the education gap for young carers’. This report can be accessed here: https://carers.org/downloads/young-carers-in-education-reportfinal.pdf.

Young carers as a specific group within the education system were added to the school census in the 2022/23 academic year. Ofsted has committed to developing and consulting upon a revised schools’ inspection framework for September 2025. This will support the new school report card, which will also be in place from that time. A consultation on the framework and report card is scheduled to launch early in the new year.

The department and Ofsted are engaging closely to take this forward and will consider how schools are to be assessed in the future in terms of their contribution to inclusion, bearing in mind the government’s mission to ensure that all children, including young carers, can achieve and thrive at school.

The Children’s Social Care National Framework, issued in December 2023, is statutory guidance for local authorities. It provides clarity on the outcomes that leaders and practitioners should achieve when supporting children, young people, and families, including young carers. Safeguarding partners, and other relevant agencies including education, should read and engage with the National Framework as they have an important role in supporting positive outcomes and improving access to opportunities.

The department is clear that everyone working within children’s social care should use the National Framework to understand how they can improve the outcomes and breakdown barriers for opportunity for children, young people, and families. Specific expectations have been included in the framework for practice for senior leaders, practice supervisors and practitioners to draw on the range of expertise from virtual school heads, designated safeguarding leads or designated teachers when providing help to children, young people and families, including young carers.

All the schools selected for the School Rebuilding Programme have been notified of indicative start dates and are either in delivery or ensuring they are prepared for when they do start delivery.

For Plants and Plant Products, APHA will aim to inspect consignments within four hours of them being presented for a physical inspection.

However, a small minority of fruit and vegetables are subject to 100% inspection due to the level of pest and disease risk and may be held in the event that the goods are not available for inspection.

The time taken to conduct checks is subject to a ‘Service Level Agreement’ (SLA), details of which are available on Gov.uk. Our teams have been working closely with traders to ensure checks are completed effectively and swiftly to avoid delays. We are confident BCP capacity, including staff resource, and opening times are sufficient for the current volume of checks. We continue to work with traders to ensure their documentation is accurately filled out before starting their journey and have published guidance to traders and drivers on the requirements of BCP inspections to help reduce waiting times.

Businesses must notify the competent authorities in advance of a consignment arriving in GB when it contains High risk or Medium A risk plants and plant products as they are subject to phytosanitary controls. Upon completion of the notification an initial risk assessment is provided detailing whether an inspection is required. Drivers and notifiers are informed in one of two ways.

1. If the transporter uses the Goods Movement Vehicle Service (GVMS), drivers should use the ‘check if you need to report for an inspection’ option, to find out what they need to do. Drivers should check this service again before they reach the point of entry.
2. If the transporter does not use GMVS, Imports of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) will provide an initial risk assessment telling the importer/agent if their consignment needs SPS checks when they submit their import notification. If the consignment does need checks, the importer/agent will also receive a text and email message 2 hours before the transporter’s estimated time of arrival in GB. The message will confirm what the transporter needs to do. They can also check their IPAFFS dashboard.

Changes to plant health import controls are communicated in-line with relevant international obligations, including those under the WTO-SPS agreement and International Plant Protection Convention. This includes submitting a notification to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the UK Chief Plant Health Officer writing to their counterparts in other countries. Details are also published on the UK Plant Health Portal.

Consultation with stakeholders on proposed, and up-coming changes to import controls is primarily through the UK plant health advisory forum.

In line with the WTO-SPS agreement DEFRA ensures that any changes to import controls have a proportionate lead in time to allow trade and trading partners sufficient time to prepare.

The Environment Agency (EA) does not directly regulate the batteries associated with solar power schemes; this is the remit of the Local Authority. The EA, under the planning processes, advises on various aspects associated with the building and operation of battery storage facilities to ensure that risks to the environment are appropriately managed. This includes site wide flood risk assessments and pollution prevention plans.

The EA are satisfied that drainage of the site, including the management of fire water, will prevent harm to the environment and that any recommendations have informed the Battery Safety Management Plan, approved by the Planning Inspector.

If a permit is required from the EA to undertake any part of the operation, the operator is expected to submit a permit application. Details of the proposal will be inspected and a permit granted, where it can be shown by the applicant that the proposal will not cause a risk to the environment. The EA inspects permitted sites to ensure compliance with permits.

If a pollution incident occurs, the EA will work with all other emergency services to ensure the environment is fully considered as part of the response.

The Environment Agency (EA) does not directly regulate the batteries associated with solar power schemes; this is the remit of the Local Authority. The EA, under the planning processes, advises on various aspects associated with the building and operation of battery storage facilities to ensure that risks to the environment are appropriately managed. This includes site wide flood risk assessments and pollution prevention plans.

The EA are satisfied that drainage of the site, including the management of fire water, will prevent harm to the environment and that any recommendations have informed the Battery Safety Management Plan, approved by the Planning Inspector.

If a permit is required from the EA to undertake any part of the operation, the operator is expected to submit a permit application. Details of the proposal will be inspected and a permit granted, where it can be shown by the applicant that the proposal will not cause a risk to the environment. The EA inspects permitted sites to ensure compliance with permits.

If a pollution incident occurs, the EA will work with all other emergency services to ensure the environment is fully considered as part of the response.

The Department welcomes the continuing work by the independent Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to assess the various access applications for Temple Mills Depot, including the Independent Capacity Assessment. We expect the ORR to publish its final determination of the various access applications by the end of the year.

The Government recognises the significant interest from a number of new entrants seeking to launch services and is working to establish a thriving and competitive market, which will ultimately benefit passengers.

Proposals to improve Brenley Corner on the A2 are being developed as part of the pipeline of projects to be considered for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy. Funding has been allocated for the development stages of the proposals only. If taken forward, the project would enter construction beyond 2031.

In July 2024, the Chancellor announced that the Transport Secretary would be undertaking an internal review of Department for Transport’s capital portfolio, informed by external experts. The review is ongoing and it will help inform the Secretary of State’s decisions as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review. The findings of the review will be internal. The Panel does not have any decision-making powers.

The A229 Blue Bell Hill Improvements scheme is being promoted and managed by Kent County Council. The Council plans to submit an Outline Business Case to the Department in summer 2026. If this is approved, under current arrangements the Department’s maximum funding contribution would be up to a maximum of 85% of the total estimated cost at Outline Business Case stage. This would be conditional on approval by government to a Full Business Case. The Council currently forecasts works starting in spring 2029.

The A229 Blue Bell Hill Improvements scheme is being promoted and managed by Kent County Council. The Council plans to submit an Outline Business Case to the Department in summer 2026. If this is approved, under current arrangements the Department’s maximum funding contribution would be up to a maximum of 85% of the total estimated cost at Outline Business Case stage. This would be conditional on approval by government to a Full Business Case. The Council currently forecasts works starting in spring 2029.