James Cartlidge

Information about the remuneration of special advisers will be published in the Annual Report on Special Advisers.

All special advisers are employed under the terms of the Model Contract for Special Advisers, available on GOV.UK.

My Rt Hon Friend the Defence Secretary represents veterans at Cabinet. He is supported by my Hon Friend the Member for Birmingham Selly Oak, a former distinguished Royal Marine Officer, whose appointment as Minister for Veterans and People reflects this Government’s commitment to delivering for veterans alongside the wider Defence community. This Government will work to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.

There are over 11,500 post office branches in the UK – over half are in rural areas – which the Government supports through an annual £50m network subsidy to ensure the viability of rural and community branches.

Government further works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens.

While publicly owned, Post Office, as a commercial business with its own Board, operates at arm’s length from the Government. Therefore, the issue around exceptional payments is an operational matter for the Post Office.

The Post Office has however informed my officials that they have taken the decision to pause making further changes to exceptional payments until later this autumn.

The Post Office is an essential service in communities across the country. The Government is committed to finding ways to strengthen the Post Office, through consulting with sub-postmasters, trade unions and customers. This will include supporting the development of new products, services and business models, such as banking hubs, that will help reinvigorate the high street.

Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy funding to support the delivery of a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria.

More than two years since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK continues to stand resolutely with the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression.

£3.5 billion is the total capacity UK Export Finance (UKEF) has to support transactions with Ukraine. It is already in place for support for eligible transactions, including any future transactions entered into under the new treaty. All transactions are subject to UKEF’s regular due diligence and approvals processes.

More than two years since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK continues to stand resolutely with the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression.

£3.5 billion is the total capacity UK Export Finance (UKEF) has to support transactions with Ukraine. It is already in place for support for eligible transactions, including any future transactions entered into under the new treaty. All transactions are subject to UKEF’s regular due diligence and approvals processes.

The analysis of an onshore reinforcement (i.e. overhead pylons) for Western Green Link was conducted 16 years ago and cost estimates for alternative options are not available.

As the option of an onshore reinforcement for Eastern Green Link 1&2 did not meet the timeline for delivery, it was not progressed to the cost benefit analysis stage. As such, an estimate was not made for that option. Analysis of further stages of Eastern Green Link will be available in the future.

Ofgem reviews proposed project costs and ensures that network companies spend efficiently. Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce system costs.

Ofgem identified a net lifetime benefit for Western Link, due to lower project and constraint costs compared to alternatives. [1] The system operator set out the project need case in 2007.

Ofgem’s analysis [2]of Eastern Green Link 1 and 2, noted that onshore reinforcements would not achieve required delivery dates resulting in increased constraint costs.

^[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/transmission-investment-incentives-consultation-minded-position-western-high-voltage-direct-current-hvdc-link-western-bootstrap

^[2]https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/eastern-hvdc-consultation-projects-initial-needs-case-and-initial-thinking-its-suitability-competition

As part of the feasibility work for the coordination proposal explored through the Offshore Coordination Support Scheme, independent analysis by Arup and the Electricity System Operator (now the National Energy System Operator) identified an increase in development costs by up to £890 million, and additional constraint costs of greater than £1.5 billion over the project lifetime. While these costs would be expected to be recovered from consumer electricity bills, the interactions with other bill components mean there are uncertainties preventing a precise estimate of the impact.

New network infrastructure is essential to meet the rising demand for electricity and connect new renewable generation.

Ofgem estimates that the Western Link and Eastern Green Link will increase consumer bills by an average of £6.50 per annum over a 60-year period, taking inflation into account.

Ofgem approves electricity network build options that are efficient and provide an overall benefit to the consumer. Please see Ofgem’s cost benefit analysis of Western Link^[1] and Eastern Green Link^[2] for more details.

^[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/transmission-investment-incentives-consultation-minded-position-western-high-voltage-direct-current-hvdc-link-western-bootstrap

^[2] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/eastern-hvdc-consultation-projects-initial-needs-case-and-initial-thinking-its-suitability-competition

Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce overall system costs. For both the Western Link and the Eastern Green Link projects, decisions to proceed were based on robust cost-benefit analyses, approved by Ofgem. Ofgem review proposed project costs and ensure that network companies spend efficiently, protecting consumers from unduly high costs.

These reinforcements are designed to help balance the GB grid, bringing renewable generation in Scotland to demand centres further south. While they have significant build costs, they will help reduce balancing costs, bringing overall savings to consumers.

Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market without subsidy.

It is not possible to specify the proportion of Project Gigabit funding that will be allocated to rural and urban areas, as this depends on suppliers’ commercial rollout, which is subject to change. Funding will continue to be provided where it is needed. However, between April 2022 and March 2023, 90% of premises benefiting from government broadband schemes were in rural areas.

Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market without subsidy.

It is not possible to specify the proportion of Project Gigabit funding that will be allocated to rural and urban areas, as this depends on suppliers’ commercial rollout, which is subject to change. Funding will continue to be provided where it is needed. However, between April 2022 and March 2023, 90% of premises benefiting from government broadband schemes were in rural areas.

Future Government spending is a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.

The building project for Ormiston Sudbury Academy is in the procurement stage of the process. The project team is working with the school and contractor and the planning submission is on track to be submitted by the end of the year. Works are estimated to start in summer 2025 with a planned handover around 2028.

Defra will consult in the new year on a new simpler and more flexible approach to floods investment that maximises value for the taxpayer and supports nature-based solutions. This will include a review of the floods funding formula.

This Government is incentivising farmers to take part in rewilding schemes, soil health restoration and improving biodiversity through Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers to carry out actions that can help with the long-term productivity and resilience of the soil to benefit food production. These actions can also provide environmental benefits, such as increased biodiversity.

Countryside Stewardship (CS) provides financial incentives for farmers, foresters and land managers to look after and improve the environment. CS Mid-Tier is primarily focused on improving habitats and biodiversity; the mid-tier offer has now been merged with SFI for new entrants to schemes from 2024, but existing Mid-Tier agreements are not affected by this merge. CS Higher Tier supports farmers to deliver objectives including protection and enhancement of the natural environment, increase of biodiversity, and improvement of habitats.

Landscape Recovery supports farmers and land managers who want to take a large-scale, long-term approach to nurture wilder landscapes and wildlife-rich habitat. It supports objectives such as restoring ecological or hydrological function across a landscape, peatland restoration, woodland management, or habitat restoration.

Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) was detected in the EU for the first time in autumn 2023 and it will take time to fully understand the impacts of this disease on the sector. We continue to investigate all reports of suspicion of disease and are monitoring the evidence of impacts domestically and on the continent.

In the meantime, we continue to attempt to prevent its spread. We acted quickly to contain disease when the first case this season was detected on 26 August, implementing zones with movement controls on susceptible livestock to prevent spread in East Anglia, and more recently in East Riding.

Defra has also permitted the use of vaccines for BTV-3 in the high-risk counties of south-east England.

Defra and APHA continue surveillance of susceptible animals and epidemiological assessments, remaining vigilant for any changes, and will continue to work closely with key industry stakeholders to respond to developments and ensure that keepers have the information they need.

The Government is committed to supporting rural economies and ensuring the UK has a thriving and diverse economy that promotes local jobs and boosts growth.

The English wine sector is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors, which continues to attract domestic and foreign investment. Defra works closely with the sector to support its ambitions and drive growth and exports. This in turns helps to provide high-quality jobs in rural communities.

The police manage all incidents on the A14. National Highways is informed by the police of all incidents on the A14 and provides traffic officer support for serious incidents when a unit is available to attend.

Changes to shipping schedules and ports of call is standard practice within the shipping and ports market, with changes to shipping alliances being cyclical. At this time, it is not clear that the relocation of Maersk’s 2M Alliance operations away from Felixstowe will lead to any overarching change in cargo volumes, as their 2M partner, MSC, undertook many of the services and continues to call at the port. Additionally, some cargo is route based and does not automatically move when a shipping provider does. Finally, the potential opening of capacity at the port provides commercial opportunities for other shipping lines. Until there has been a period of re-adjustment within the market it is too early to understand the impacts on road links serving Felixstowe. The Department and National Highways will always consider relevant wider impacts in the operation, maintenance and plans for future enhancements on specific key infrastructure serving our ports.

Despite its public statements of support, the previous government made no funding available for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) or upgrades to Haughley Junction.

The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. The Transport Secretary is conducting a thorough review of the previous government's transport plans to ensure that our transport infrastructure portfolio drives economic growth and delivers value for money for taxpayers. Decisions about EACE and upgrades to Haughley Junction will be informed by this review process and confirmed in due course.

The 2022 Outline Business Case for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) forecast that the scheme would lead to 98,000 fewer lorry journeys every year, implying benefits to the Ipswich road network. Despite its public statements of support, the previous government made no funding available for EACE or upgrades to Haughley Junction.

The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. The Transport Secretary is conducting a thorough review of the previous government's transport plans to ensure that our transport infrastructure portfolio drives economic growth and delivers value for money for taxpayers. Decisions EACE and upgrades to Haughley Junction will be informed by this review process and confirmed in due course.

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce the Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs to the communities who rely on them, including in South Suffolk.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. Suffolk County Council has been allocated £8.7 million.

Annual statistics on the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients and households by local authority and by Westminster parliamentary constituency are made publicly available via GOV.UK. The latest release contains data on individual and household level statistics for winter 2022 to 2023. For Winter 2022 to 2023, 24,610 people received a Winter Fuel Payment in South Suffolk constituency.

No specific assessment has been made by the Department. The National Health Service keeps under review the range of services it offers patients and the Government understands that many trusts are using the radiotherapy late effects service as part of the care pathway for their cancer patients.

The Department is thoroughly reviewing the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and as part of that work, we have asked the CQC to improve the transparency of their ratings. The Department has not yet made a decision on changing the CQC’s ratings system.

We recognise the need for investment in our estate across the country, including at West Suffolk. As my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced, and as subsequently confirmed in the Chancellor’s statement on 29 July 2024, there is a full and comprehensive ongoing review of the New Hospital Programme, to provide a realistic and costed timetable for delivery. This will consider the urgent need to rebuild the seven hospitals built mostly using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete to protect staff and patient safety.

The Secretary of State will consider the findings and update Parliament on the outcome of the review reporting back to patients, clinicians, and local communities on the next steps for the New Hospital Programme. We will provide a clear and realistic timetable for delivery of the Programme and agree the investment needed to get patients the care they deserve.

The Government fully respects the calls for transparency. However, confirming these costs could affect the UK's ability - and that of our closest allies - to negotiate basing agreements in the future therefore putting secure operations at risk. We are not willing to jeopardise the UK's national security.

Further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny and treaty ratification in the usual way.

The Foreign Secretary met Maldives Foreign Minister Khaleel at the Commonwealth Heads of Government on 25 October. They discussed a range of issues, including matters relating to the British Indian Ocean Territory. Minister West also spoke with Foreign Minister Khaleel virtually on 14 October and met with the Maldivian High Commissioner on 30 September.

This Agreement will be underpinned by a financial package which will support a new era of economic partnership between the UK and Mauritius and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossian communities. Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the Government's fiscal framework.

I have met with members of the Chagossian community twice since 4 July 2024. There are a large number of Chagossian groups in the UK and internationally with a spectrum of views. We will continue efforts to engage the community.

The UK is committed to preventing and ending grave violations against children in conflict. We support affected children through our humanitarian funding and support to education in conflict and crisis. We also regularly raise the impact of armed conflict on children with other governments. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), ensuring effective scrutiny of conflicts where children are harmed and holding perpetrators to account.

Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027.

Transfers to spouses and civil partners are exempt from inheritance tax. This means death benefits paid to spouses or civil partners are unaffected.

The PWLB lending facility exists to provide cost effective loans to local authorities to support investments and service delivery. HMT keeps all PWLB rates under review, including the discounted rate for investment in social housing which we extended in Autumn Budget to the end of 2025-26 to give LAs certainty with their capital plans for the year ahead.

The Government will be supporting departments with the cost of additional employer national insurance contributions. This is in line with the Government’s usual approach to supporting the public sector, as was the case with the previous government’s Health and Social Care Levy. The allocation for the Ministry of Defence, along with all other departments, will be set out in due course.

The results of ‘Phase 1’ of the Spending Review, announced in July, were laid with the Autumn Budget on 30 October. 'Phase 1’ covers the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26. The Budget fixed the envelope for ‘Phase 2’ of the Spending Review, which will conclude in late spring 2025.

With regard to the UK’s disbursement of its £2.26bn contribution to the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme, the loan agreement and full terms remain in discussion and no decision has yet been made on what Ukraine will buy using this money. The UK intends to begin disbursing this money from early next year.