John Whitby

I recognise that the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) may require changes for some businesses, including sole traders and those selling engineering products to the EU.

We have published guidance for Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue to support businesses trading with the EU. Since October 2024, the UK Export Academy delivered eight free GPSR training sessions supporting over 5,000 users.

DBT's Export Support Service are now signposting businesses to verified external service providers specialising in GPSR via the Export Support Directory. These are paid for providers, so businesses should perform due diligence before entering commercial relationships.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting small businesses to export and access the EU market.

UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk, including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network with teams based across the EU, and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers. Unlock Europe is an Export Academy webinar series designed to help UK businesses strengthen relationships with European customers and increase their exporting potential to the EU.

At the coming UK-EU summit, we aim to make progress on tackling barriers to trade and securing outcomes that will help more UK businesses export to our European neighbours.

The Government is supporting small businesses across the UK to understand and comply with the new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) and its application in Northern Ireland.

We have published information on GOV.UK regarding GPSR's application in Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue engaging directly with businesses. Firms exporting to the EU should note that EU guidance is now available and may also wish to contact the Government's Export Support Service. Since October, the UK Export Academy has delivered five free online GPSR training sessions to over 2,600 attendees.

The Clean Heat Market Mechanism is focused on developing the market and supply chain for upgrading homes with hydronic heat pumps – a core technology for the UK’s transition to cleaner heating since around 90% of UK homes have water-based central heating systems. The Government will keep the scope of the scheme under regular review.

The Government has published a response to the consultation on proposed Boiler Upgrade Scheme changes, confirming grants of £2,500 for air-to-air heat pumps in domestic properties, starting in 2026. This will increase consumer choice and support the UK’s transition towards low carbon heating systems.

The previous Minister of State for Industry met the MPS Trustees on 9 July and confirmed the Government’s commitment to considering their proposals regarding the future of the scheme. DESNZ will now engage HM Treasury with a view to agreeing a way forward.

Outdoor car parks provide potential to deploy solar canopies providing clean electricity, potential for electric vehicle charging and shelter for cars. As such, the government published a Call for Evidence, which closed on the 18^th June, to gather robust evidence from stakeholders across industry, local authorities and other relevant sectors to inform a carefully designed, evidence-based approach to increasing uptake. A Government Response will be published this year.

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero is working closely with Great British Energy (GBE), the Department for Health and Social Care, and the Department for Education to install rooftop solar panels on schools and hospitals.

In England £180 million in funding will support around 200 schools and 200 hospitals. This could lead to lifetime savings of up to £400 million over approximately thirty years.

Additionally, more than £1 billion is also being invested between now and 2028 through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and the Integrated Settlements with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Mayoral Combined Authorities, which supports the installation of solar on public sector buildings across England.

The government has also published Solar on the Government Estate: A senior Leader’s handbook. This sets out the guidance available to senior leaders in the public sector regarding solar on their estates.

Customers will not unexpectedly lose access to their heating and hot water after 30th June, and we will not allow widespread disconnection.

Suppliers must fulfil all of their legal obligations to their customers, and that any future, localised phase-out of RTS meters after 30th Junemust be controlled, planned, and communicated properly to all customers in order to proceed.

The government will do everything it can to ensure that all customers are protected, and will work with Ofgem to hold suppliers to account if required. We expect energy suppliers to be taking measures, such as deploying roaming teams of installers including in rural areas, to ensure consumers receive replacement meters in a timely manner.

Protecting children from harmful content like nude or explicit images is a priority for this government. The government welcomes industry innovation in developing new ways to keep children safe online, such as nudity detection software. We will continue to build evidence about the application and effectiveness of device level controls to ensure we take the action needed to protect children.

We will continue to focus on implementing the protective measures contained within the Online Safety Act, while considering the potential benefits and impacts of this technology and others like it in parallel. Any future interventions will be proportionate and evidence based.

The aim of the 2017 reforms was to encourage investment in digital networks and improve coverage and connectivity across the UK.

Our ambition is that all populated areas will have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to removing barriers to the digital infrastructure, including reviewing where planning rules could be relaxed to support the deployment of 5G.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the 2017 Electronic Communications Code reforms on the time taken for the roll out of 5G lasts in rural communities. However, analysis from the EU Commission showed 5G households' coverage in the UK at the end of 2024 (95%) was on par with India, China and ahead of France (94%) and the EU (94.3%), but behind South Korea (100%), Japan (99.2%), Norway, Iceland and Germany (all 99%) as well as USA (97.0%). Since this assessment, UK 5G coverage outside premises has increased to 96%.

Payments to suppliers for delivery under Project Gigabit contracts are made once a gigabit capable connection is available to the premises. Where a supplier fails, the supplier is required to repay any public money paid through the contracts for premises which do not reach this point.

In May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) and Full Fibre mutually agreed to terminate the Project Gigabit contract for the Peak District, which included some premises in the Derbyshire Dales constituency. This contract did not reach a stage where gigabit-capable connections were being delivered and therefore there was no requirement for any funding to be repaid by the supplier.

Project Gigabit is designed to adapt in the event a contracted supplier can no longer complete its planned delivery, utilising a mix of contracts and interventions to enable us to continue to bring fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach premises across the UK. This process is intended to mitigate the potential impact of contract terminations on rural communities and to ensure that delays to the rollout of Project Gigabit are minimised.

In May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) and Full Fibre mutually agreed to terminate the Project Gigabit contract for the Peak District, which included some premises in the Derbyshire Dales constituency.

BDUK is now engaging with suppliers to review alternative options for extending coverage in this region. The coverage that can be provided, and the timescale for its delivery, will depend on what suppliers are able to offer within the public funding that can be made available, and we are keen to ensure this happens as quickly as possible.

Project Gigabit is designed to adapt in the event a contracted supplier can no longer complete its planned delivery, utilising a mix of contracts and interventions to enable us to continue to bring fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach premises across the UK. This process is intended to mitigate the potential impact of contract terminations on rural communities and to ensure that delays to the rollout of Project Gigabit are minimised.

In May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) and Full Fibre mutually agreed to terminate the Project Gigabit contract for the Peak District, which included some premises in the Derbyshire Dales constituency.

BDUK is now engaging with suppliers to review alternative options for extending coverage in this region. The coverage that can be provided, and the timescale for its delivery, will depend on what suppliers are able to offer within the public funding that can be made available, and we are keen to ensure this happens as quickly as possible.

The registration scheme will make short-term let providers aware of their legal responsibilities, particularly around safety, helping to raise standards of accommodation, build consumer confidence, and support fair competition.

National Parks are vital assets for tourism, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors each year and supporting local economies through recreation, hospitality, and cultural heritage. To encourage more visitors, the Government has led a once-in-a-generation reform of regional and local destination management: 41 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships have now been accredited across England, creating a high-performing network across the Visitor Economy working with local authorities and businesses at a local level - encouraging new levels of collaboration between regions and empowering domestic tourism for places of tourist interest such as National Parks.

DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience. VisitBritain’s new GREAT-funded international marketing campaign, ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural destinations, landmarks and National Parks.

The department wants to ensure that children leaving care have stable homes, access to health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships, and are engaged in education, employment and training.

We recognise the importance of financial skills, such as those provided through the Stepladder Plus programme, in achieving this aim. The department currently supports the use of this programme through its contract, for the provision of Junior ISA savings accounts to children in care, with the Share Foundation. We do not currently have any plans to assess the merits of match-funding.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Derbyshire Dales to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54948.

The government recognises the challenges some schools are facing due to falling pupil rolls.

Local authorities hold the statutory place planning function, ensuring there are sufficient schools in their area to meet the needs of pupils. It is for local authorities, in collaboration with academy trusts and other local partners, to balance the supply and demand of school places, in line with changing demographics, as they have done for many years.

We expect local authorities and their partners to consider options for the utilisation of space, including repurposing space for early years, where primary schools can play a crucial role in the delivery of new places, and special educational needs and disabilities provision, as well as options for the reconfiguration or merging of provision where appropriate.

Local authorities may also set aside some of the ‘schools block’ funding of their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to support falling rolls. This is intended to support schools where planning data shows that the surplus places will be needed in future years. The department has allocated £176 million in Growth and Falling Rolls funding to local authorities in 2025/26 through the DSG. The responsibility for how Growth and Falling Rolls funding is allocated rests with the local authority.

Apprenticeships are jobs with training, and it is for employers in the hair and beauty sector to decide how they use apprenticeships to meet their skills needs.

The sector has developed several apprenticeship standards, including the level 2 hairdressing professional standard. To support smaller employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care.

Employers can benefit from £1,000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Employers can choose how they spend these payments. Employers are also not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, where they earn less than £50,270 a year.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is coming to England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027 and will focus on increasing recycling and reducing littering.

A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will run the scheme. It’s a not-for-profit group, led by businesses. They were officially appointed in May 2025 (England & NI) and June 2025 (Scotland).

Once the DRS is introduced, the Deposit Management Organisation will be required to reach a return rate of 90% in year 3 of the scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is coming to England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027 and will focus on increasing recycling and reducing littering.

A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will run the scheme. It’s a not-for-profit group, led by businesses. They were officially appointed in May 2025 (England & NI) and June 2025 (Scotland).

Once the DRS is introduced, the Deposit Management Organisation will be required to reach a return rate of 90% in year 3 of the scheme.

International DRSs have seen recycling rates increase to over 95%.

Defra does not plan to issue specific guidance on sorting requirements for Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs).

We are working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support MRF readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements. We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment and upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. WRAP is developing interventions to support local authorities with the procurement of new MRF contracts, determine the potential future composition of dry mixed recyclable waste streams and the associated financial implications.

Those MRF operators engaged with us are aware of their obligations and are working hard to upgrade their facilities to ensure they can separate the target materials as required by Simpler Recycling.

The Government remains committed to ensuring agricultural tenancies are fair and collaborative. Agricultural tenancy agreements grant tenant farmers statutory protections. Where tenancies end, all parties are encouraged to employ the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice, which sets out expected standards for constructive tenancy negotiations.

There is no single group responsible for grassland policy, as policies affecting grasslands cut across several Defra policy areas. These include Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs), National Biodiversity, Protected Sites and Protected Landscapes. There are also a range of habitat and species specialists in Natural England, including for grasslands.

This Government is committed to delivering our legally binding biodiversity targets which includes our habitat target to restore or create 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of protected sites by 2042. We are delivering this target over a wide range of habitats, including wildlife-rich grasslands.

Protected Landscapes (National Landscapes, National Trails and National Parks) work together through the Big Chalk partnership, which seeks to protect and restore our nature-rich chalk grasslands.

As the UK’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonising transport will play an important role in meeting economy-wide carbon budgets. Transport emissions reduced by 10% between 2019 to 2023, but emissions must fall faster to achieve our legal targets. The Government will deliver an updated delivery plan for meeting legislated carbon budgets later this year, with policy detail for all sectors provided up to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037.

The government is committed to delivering better, more frequent and more reliable bus services for passengers. We have already made significant progress, introducing the Bus Services Bill to help give local leaders the powers they need to take control of their local services if they choose to do so, and announcing investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply.

The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, the treatment of earnings in Housing Benefit is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.

Changing the current rules would require a fiscal event and funding at a Budget. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

In line with its published Strategy 2022 to 2032, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) focuses on the most effective and efficient ways to improve the health and safety performance of all industries in Great Britain, including farming.

Between 2018 and 2024, in partnership with the industry, HSE ran a campaign to offer farmers free health and safety training which was then followed up by an inspection to a selection of those farms invited to take the training.

HSE will continue to visit farms where they have intelligence to suggest risk is not being managed adequately and investigate incidents in line with their published selection criteria.

As well as appropriate site visits, HSE continues to engage with farming through a variety of other methods including delivering industry talks; webinars and presentations; engaging with the media and publishing targeted articles for farmers; producing industry notifications which include safety messaging; and producing awareness raising campaigns. It also produces a range of freely available guidance to enable farmers to comply with health and safety law and keep themselves and others safe.

HSE’s commitment to working with the agricultural industry through stakeholders such as Britain’s Farm Safety Partnerships (FSPs) remains strong. The most recent activity includes supporting the FSPs with a campaign on safe use of quad bikes.

The Government believes that enforcement of Statutory Sick Pay is vital in ensuring that employees receive the correct amount of Statutory Sick Pay they are due. Guidance to both employers and employees is provided on Gov.uk. HMRC also operates a dispute resolution process through its Statutory Payments Dispute Team for individuals who believe they have been wrongly denied Statutory Sick Pay.

However, the Government wants to go further in supporting employers and improving compliance with Statutory Sick Pay obligations. That is why it will be included in the Fair Work Agency which will bring together existing state enforcement functions into one place, so employment rights, including Statutory Sick Pay, are enforced more effectively and efficiently. The Fair Work Agency will provide better support to businesses to comply with the law and will also work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) which already provides guidance for employers and workers.

The national maternity and neonatal investigation is operationally independent of the Department and, therefore, we do not hold this information.

The Government acknowledges that pregnancies for twins and multiples are associated with significantly higher risks for stillbirth, neonatal death and preterm birth.

Cases of twin and triplet deaths will be looked at as part of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation where they fall within the scope of the terms of reference. These terms are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation-terms-of-reference/national-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation-terms-of-reference

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025. The Investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in Spring 2026.

The Government fully supports the use of mobile breast screening units where they are deemed appropriate. Mobile units support reduction of health inequalities by providing access to screening in areas where local people have difficulty accessing static screening units.

Prior to 2023/24, there was no specific dental budget allocation and dentistry formed part of a wider budget including community pharmacy and optometry. Since 2023/24, there has been a specific dental ringfence allocation for integrated care boards. This includes primary, secondary and community dentistry and is set net of patient charges.

The attached table sets out actual spend on different aspects of primary care for 2013/14 onwards, with previous comparable figures not being available as they predate the creation of NHS England.

The Department settlement announced at the 2025 Spending Review means that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, a £53 billion cash increase, by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the Spending Review period.

The details of budget allocations within departments are still being determined. The Department is working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans, including for NHS dentistry.

NHS planning guidance for 2025/26 confirms that dental budgets are ringfenced. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.