Jenny Riddell-Carpenter

The Government recognises that renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) could play a role in heating. As it is a limited resource, the Government expect sustainable biomass to be prioritised where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation. RLHFs are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, including the introduction of any obligation, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.

The Government’s recent consultation on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector closed on 2^nd May and we are currently analysing responses. A Government response will be published in due course.

The Warm Homes Plan will support investment in households, including oil-heated homes, to install energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating to save families money on their bills.

The Government has committed £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency. This includes the new Warm Homes: Local Grant, which will provide support for low-income households living in privately owned EPC band D-G homes, including in rural communities, in England.

We are taking steps to make heat pumps more efficient and easier to install which includes increasing funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to £295 million for the 2025-26 financial year, removing outdated planning rules and consulting on product efficiency standards.

If a student is unable to sit an exam or assessment for a qualification for an acceptable reason, but has completed at least one other exam or assessment in that subject, schools and colleges may be able to apply for special consideration.

When in post-16 education, students can agree a study programme with their institution that meets their needs. 16 to 19 funding is flexible in supporting a wide range of study programmes, though these need to include English and mathematics if students have not yet achieved a GCSE grade 4 in these subjects.

The 16 to 19 funding formula allocates additional funding to support students who need to continue with English and mathematics, and funding to help with the more general additional costs incurred for teaching and supporting students who have low prior attainment.

When learning programmes are designed to enable students to re-sit or retake examinations and assessments these are not generally eligible for funding as the activity has already been funded. However, when there are exceptional circumstances outside the control of the student or institution then the retake delivery hours for individual students may be included in the funded study programme hours.

In the guidance ‘16 to 19 funding: information for 2025 to 2026’, published 5 March 2025, the department announced additional 16 to 19 education funding in the 2025/26 financial year on top of the £300 million announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-information-for-2025-to-2026. This means that we will be spending over £400 million more to ensure enough funding is available given the very significant increase in student numbers and other pressures on the system.

The department does not fund local authorities to cover the costs associated with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) first-tier tribunal hearings. Local authorities fund their legal costs from their operational budgets.

The department does not fund local authorities to cover the costs associated with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) first-tier tribunal hearings. Local authorities fund their legal costs from their operational budgets.

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.

Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Of that total, Suffolk County Council is being allocated over £124 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £10.3 million on this year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is a 9% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.

As also announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is receiving compensation in recognition of the increase in National Insurance contributions paid by schools and other state-funded SEND provision. That funding is additional to the £1 billion increase in high needs funding. Due to timing constraints, it will be provided as a separate grant, alongside the 2025/26 DSG for local authorities. The department will provide further information on the allocations as soon as possible.

Academies are a crucial and valued part of our school system.

This government is proud of the change the academies movement has delivered for children. The government's mission is to break down the barriers for all children. We’re building on the academies programme to ensure that all children and every family has a core entitlement to a high standard curriculum taught by qualified, expert teachers, with space for innovation and flexibility beyond this.

The department wants high quality trusts to continue to grow where schools wish to join them and there is a strong case for them to do so.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Suffolk in November 2023. Its report, which was published on 30 January 2024, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.

The department provides support and challenge to the Suffolk local area partnership by monitoring progress against its Priority Action Plan and improvement plan, and by providing advice and guidance through a SEND expert adviser. The partnership has also established an independently chaired SEND Improvement Board, to oversee progress.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, and to ensure that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The department publishes statistics on all children with special educational needs (SEN) in schools here, which can be viewed at local authority level: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

The department also publishes statistics on all children and young people that have an education, health and care plan which ranges from ages 0-25 here, which can also be viewed at local authority level: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

The Environment Agency’s recently published National Framework for Water Resources sets out the pressures on each of the water using sectors, including the food industry. It sets out how we are engaging with the sector and promotes actions to support the sector as it adapts to growing pressure on water resources. This includes establishing collaborative Water Abstractor Groups, helping to identify options to improve water supply resilience and the promotion of smart farming.

The Environment Agency’s National Framework for water resources highlights a number of actions that will help farmers and growers improve water supply resilience. These include:

• Promoting and facilitating the establishment of Water Abstractor Groups to enable a better understanding of future pressures and of business risks around access to water.

• Supporting farmers and growers with a Defra-funded programme of Local Resource Option studies to help them identify, screen and rank options to improve water supply resilience. These are costly investments, and we want to take time to make sure the support is targeted at the most effective solutions.

• Supporting the implementation of “smart farming”, where technology is used to:

o understand near-real time water availability, to enable abstractors to take water when it is there.

o improve irrigation scheduling and sensors to optimise water use.

Drought has caused an early harvest with reduced crop quality and yields. Livestock farmers face risks with forage and winter feed supplies.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) measures to support farmers include:

• Improving water access outside of licenced conditions

• Supporting Water Abstractor Groups to enable water rights and infrastructure sharing

• Local Resource Option studies driving scheme collaboration.
  

The EA’s upcoming Autumn prospects report will help inform farmers, improve resilience and planning for next year.

Defra assesses the potential impacts of water shortages on food supply as part of the National Risk Register (NRR) cycle. We work closely with Defra Water colleagues, the Cabinet Office (which leads on the NRR) and with the wider resilience and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) community across Government to ensure that risks to food supply are fully considered in national risk assessments and contingency planning.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Defra undertook a post-implementation review of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, which was published in December 2024. The Government is considering the findings, as well, as the recommendations in the EFRA select committee’s report into pet welfare and abuse and the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on canine breeding.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

The welfare of racing greyhounds in England is covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010. The 2006 Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. This includes during greyhounds’ racing careers and after they have retired. Specific welfare standards at all greyhound racing tracks in England are also required by the 2010 Regulations, including having a vet present while dogs are running (with all greyhounds inspected by the vet before being allowed to run).

In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), enforces welfare standards (including those in the 2010 Regulations) at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as at GBGB licensed trainers’ kennels. Independent, external oversight of GBGB’s regulatory work at tracks and trainers’ kennels is provided by the UK’s National Accreditation Body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

The GBGB has also undertaken a number of welfare reforms, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The strategy focuses not only on reducing risks of injury but also developing and implementing new management practices to improve the welfare of greyhounds throughout their lives, including after they have retired.

The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering the strategy and should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once there is sufficient clarity on the Parliamentary timetable.

Work is ongoing to determine the best approach to deliver the manifesto commitment to ban trail hunting. We have committed to running a consultation to ensure those with an interest can input. We will share further details in due course.

We have agreed to establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Zone, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper.

Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, you will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

It’s important that we get the right agreement for the UK, so we’re not putting an arbitrary deadline on negotiations. We will provide more information on pet passports valid for travel to the EU in due course.

The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally important. It is already a requirement that mandatory food information must be easily visible, clearly legible and where appropriate indelible, in addition to there being a required minimum font size for mandatory information.

We are aware of moves by some retailers to provide information on food in braille format, and the government is interested in seeing how this works.

Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride and boost public health and wellbeing, but too many across the country are left without access to the great outdoors. That is why the last Labour Government expanded public access by introducing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which provided the public a right of access to large areas of mountain, moor, heath, down, registered common land and coastal margin in England.

We are continuing to increase access to nature for families to enjoy, for example through our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new National River Walks, plant three new National Forests, and empower communities to create new parks and green spaces in their communities with a new Community Right to Buy.

In addition, the Government has made the decision to repeal the cut-off date for the registration of historic rights of way, preventing the loss of hundreds of miles of unregistered paths. This will ensure that these paths remain available to the public for future generations.

We are committed to supporting all farming sectors to increase levels of productivity whilst increasing their sustainability and resilience. We are looking carefully at how to position further investment and support to enable the delivery of this Government's objectives.

We plan to simplify and rationalise our grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. We will confirm any future grant rounds in due course.

Protecting all communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities.

This Government set up the first ever Floods Resilience Taskforce, on 12th September. The Taskforce marks a new approach to preparing for flooding, and working between national, regional and local government.

As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will invest £2.4 billion over two years to improve flood resilience and better protect communities across the country, including from coastal erosion.

Shoreline Management Plans are developed and owned by the local councils and coastal protection authorities. These provide long-term strategic plans which identify approaches for managing the flood and coastal erosion risks at every stretch of coastline.

Shoreline Management Plans have recently been refreshed with updated action plans. This follows several years of collaborative work between the Environment Agency and coastal groups.