Helena Dollimore

Given the importance, breadth and complexity of this area of law – and as I set out in Committee on the Product Regulation and Metrology Act – the Government has asked the Law Commission to conduct a full review of product liability legislation. This includes considering the time limits for bringing claims. Following a wide consultation that will begin soon, I expect the Law Commission to make recommendations later next year.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was created in February 2023, so no data is held for prior to this time.

There has been no spend on either (a) media or (b) voice training for Ministers between February 2023 and 4^th July 2024 in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

DSIT was created on 7 February 2023. Between 7 February 2023 and 5 July 2024, we have spent no money on (a) media or (b) voice training for Ministers.

The government will not be increasing grant in aid funding for the Bayeux Tapestry display at the British Museum.

The British Museum will use the ticketing revenue from the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition to support the costs of putting on this major exhibition for the visiting public, along with the accompanying public programmes. The British Museum offers concessionary tickets, including free entry for under 16s to all of its exhibitions.

The government will not be increasing grant in aid funding for the Bayeux Tapestry display at the British Museum.

The British Museum will use the ticketing revenue from the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition to support the costs of putting on this major exhibition for the visiting public, along with the accompanying public programmes. The British Museum offers concessionary tickets, including free entry for under 16s to all of its exhibitions.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent anything on media or voice training for Ministers since 4 July 2024. We are not aware of any expenditure on media or voice training for Ministers under the previous government between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.

The department’s records show there has been no budget spent on media and/or voice training for Ministers between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.

Departmental officials are working closely with trustees at the University of Brighton Academies Trust on the actions they are taking to address concerns raised by staff and parents.

This includes an ongoing review into a number of organisational changes that are planned over the coming months. I will continue to monitor progress on these discussions.

I am pleased that the trust has made a number of changes already, including the appointment of new trustees to the academy trust’s board, a review of the trust’s financial management, and the appointment of an Executive Director of Change.

Academy trusts are the responsible, accountable body for all the money allocated to their individual academies, and the 2023 Academy Trust Handbook permits academy trusts to amalgamate academies’ General Annual Grant (GAG) to form one central fund. This allows academy trusts to direct funds in line with improvement priorities and needs across their schools.

The handbook also sets out that, where a trust decides to pool GAG, it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy. The academy trust must also have an appeals mechanism in place. If an appeal is not resolved, an appeal can be escalated to Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

Academy trusts are the responsible, accountable body for all the money allocated to their individual academies, and the 2023 Academy Trust Handbook permits academy trusts to amalgamate academies’ General Annual Grant (GAG) to form one central fund. This allows academy trusts to direct funds in line with improvement priorities and needs across their schools.

The handbook also sets out that, where a trust decides to pool GAG, it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy. The academy trust must also have an appeals mechanism in place. If an appeal is not resolved, an appeal can be escalated to Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

Ofwat’s independently set Regulatory Capital Value (RCV) was £99.3 billion in 2024 and is £106.7 billion in 2025. RCV is recognised as the best proxy for the sector’s “enterprise value” – encompassing equity and debt.

Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, the Department spent £2,292 on media training for members of the Ministerial team. No spend on voice training for Ministers was incurred during this period.

The Secretary of State has already met with CEOs of all 16 water companies, including Southern Water, setting out his expectations from government going forward. He will have further conversations with water company chief executives in due course, including with Southern Water, on a range of issues, and will be sure to raise the experiences of those impacted by flooding and supply interruptions and scrutinise their plans to improve.

The Secretary of State has already met with CEOs of all 16 water companies, including Southern Water, setting out his expectations from government going forward. He will have further conversations with water company chief executives in due course, including with Southern Water, on a range of issues, and will be sure to raise the experiences of those impacted by flooding and supply interruptions and scrutinise their plans to improve.

The Secretary of State has already met with CEOs of all 16 water companies, including Southern Water, setting out his expectations from government going forward. He will have further conversations with water company chief executives in due course, including with Southern Water, on a range of issues, and will be sure to raise the experiences of those impacted by flooding and supply interruptions and scrutinise their plans to improve.

The Government is keen to see the reinstatement of international rail services in Kent and recognises the benefits that international connectivity brings to local economies and to the UK.

The Government is engaging with Kent stakeholders, including MPs, councillors and representative organisations to discuss this issue and is committed to continue to explore all potential solutions including the reinstatement of these services by potential new operators.

For the period requested, there was NIL spend on these types of training.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited condition that causes cancerous and non-cancerous tumours to grow along the nerves. It affects everyone in a different way. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance does not address NF1 specifically but does state that people with certain genetic conditions should be referred to a geneticist to consider their risk, and that people aged between 40 and 50 years old may qualify for annual scans of their breasts.

An individual’s risk of breast cancer is based on a number of factors. These factors may vary throughout a lifetime which is why individuals are advised to seek advice from their health professionals. Most individuals with NF1 would be considered at moderate risk of breast cancer, which would mean they should be referred for annual scans by the clinician leading their care. This is not part of the breast cancer screening programme, but is the responsibility of local services to organise and commission.

There are a range of different sources of information for patients including the Childhood Tumour Trust and Nerve Tumours UK website. Nerve Tumours UK also includes guidance to general practitioners and have specialist nurse advisors across England. Information for individuals with NF1 is also provided on the NHS website at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/neurofibromatosis-type-1

Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a general practitioner (GP). We will end the 8:00am scramble for appointments, train more doctors, and will guarantee a consultation within 24 hours for those who need one. It is important that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country, which is why we have committed to reviewing the GP funding formula to ensure that resources are targeted where they are most needed.

We have also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an almost £1.1 billion uplift, the biggest increase in GP funding in over a decade, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources.

In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of 2,000 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care.

The Government will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and can play an important role in managing health conditions in patients.

The Department is aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. This includes asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets, and increase production. Through these discussions we have managed to secure additional volumes for 2025 for the United Kingdom. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.

The Department has issued management advice to healthcare professionals which directs clinicians to unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and which includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public facing page to include the latest update on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice for clinicians.

The Department will continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible, to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines.

We are not aware of any issues with the diagnosis or treatment of keratoconus. Keratoconus is usually identified during a routine sight test. The National Health Service provides over 13 million free NHS sight tests annually for eligible groups.

Patient with suspected keratoconus will be referred into the hospital eye service for a definitive diagnosis and any clinically necessary treatment. For mild cases of keratoconus, glasses or a range of contact lenses can be used to correct vision. The introduction of cross-linking treatment, a treatment that uses ultraviolet light and riboflavin eye drops to stiffen the cornea, in early keratoconus, has reduced the number of patients who go on to develop advanced keratoconus, which may require surgery.

Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, media training was received by Minister Caroline Johnson MP, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Public Health, and Lord Markham, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.

The requested information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. No money has been spent on voice training for Ministers.

Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, the Department spent £3.3k on media training for members of the Ministerial team. No spend on voice training for Ministers was incurred during this period.

The Directorate of Defence Communications and Top Office Group in the Ministry of Defence Head Office spend on media and voice training for Ministers between the 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024 is nil.

The £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods programme announced in March 2025 will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade into 75 communities, including Hastings. The programme will lay the foundations to help bring communities together, kickstart growth and drive-up living standards.

We look forward to receiving Hastings’ 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan for the local area. We have already provided £450,000 in capacity funding for Hastings Neighbourhood Board which they can use for high-quality community engagement the results of which we will want to see in their Regeneration Plan.

We want to support communities to take ownership of assets that are important to them. Community Right to Buy, introduced in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, will empower local people to bring community spaces back into community ownership and help to end the blight of empty properties on our high streets.

This new measure will give community groups the first option to purchase registered assets when they are put up for sale and a longer timeframe to raise funding to purchase the asset.

Investing in preventative services is critical for reducing the number of households and children in temporary accommodation. The Government has made the largest-ever investment in prevention services, increasing funding for homelessness services by £233 million to a total of £1 billion for homelessness and rough sleeping in 2025/26.

The Spending Review has protected this record level of investment for the next three years, and provided £100 million, including from the Transformation Fund, to fund increased homelessness prevention activity by local authorities.

Playgrounds are an essential part of social infrastructure and government is committed to improving access to safe play spaces. The provision of playgrounds in parks and public spaces is primarily a matter for local authorities. We support local government and recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places. In addition, the National Design Guide demonstrates how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive, with an integrated mix of uses that are accessible for all.

We will use our bold £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods to bolster a wide range of community assets, including play areas. Over the next decade, the plan will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support to each of 75 eligible communities across the UK, bringing together “neighbourhood boards” to develop local regeneration plans in partnership with local authorities: Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus - GOV.UK.

Playgrounds are an essential part of social infrastructure and government is committed to improving access to safe play spaces. The provision of playgrounds in parks and public spaces is primarily a matter for local authorities. We support local government and recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places. In addition, the National Design Guide demonstrates how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive, with an integrated mix of uses that are accessible for all.

We will use our bold £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods to bolster a wide range of community assets, including play areas. Over the next decade, the plan will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support to each of 75 eligible communities across the UK, bringing together “neighbourhood boards” to develop local regeneration plans in partnership with local authorities: Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus - GOV.UK.