Lee Pitcher

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1st June is attached.

The government will be backing the Scotland and England teams all the way as they seek glory at the FIFA World Cup.

The current pattern of bank holidays is well established. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy is considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2 billion.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon Friend the Member for South Derbyshire (Samantha Niblett) on 2^nd July 2026 to Question 14090.

As set out in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, the government is exploring the possibility of a long-term methane capture scheme alongside suitable transitional arrangements. DESNZ will shortly consult on proposals for a possible transitional scheme, including an anticipated delivery timetable.

The government recognises that many businesses across the country will see the global events and be concerned about the impact on their fuel bills. We are monitoring the situation closely and actively engaging with industry and trade associations to understand what support may be needed.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has written to the heating oil industry setting out our expectations that they adhere to the industry’s Code of Practice.

We have also requested the CMA undertake a detailed examination of the heating oil market and we will work closely with the CMA to understand their findings and develop options to increase consumer protection.

The department has no plans to review the current legal and regulatory framework governing the domestic use of CCTV, which can play a useful role in making householders feel safe and helping the police to prevent crime.

Individuals that use CCTV to film outside their property boundary have to comply with the UK’s data protection laws. This means that any personal data captured, such as images, recordings and footage of identifiable individuals, should be processed fairly, lawfully, transparently, and securely.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent regulator for data protection, has published practical guidance to help people concerned about intrusive use of CCTV: Home CCTV systems | ICO. Regardless of whether or not the use of CCTV falls within the data protection legislation, the ICO recommends that people use it responsibly to protect the privacy of others.

Where the use of a domestic camera system constitutes harassment or stalking, other, criminal laws will apply.

Under the Act, both Ofcom and in-scope companies will have duties relating to freedom of expression, for which they can be held to account. Platforms will not be able to arbitrarily remove content and users will have access to effective complaints procedures to appeal instances when content is unduly taken down. This will ensure that UK users can express themselves freely online and participate in pluralistic and robust debate.

Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Our goal is for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032, ensuring at least 99% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection.

More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These premises fall predominantly in rural areas.

However, our expectation is that some remote premises will remain too expensive to build a gigabit connection to. We continue to consider what can be done to further enable alternatives to fibre connections.

The Department has not engaged with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency or the Gambling Commission regarding this matter. However, DCMS officials worked with the Gambling Commission to develop their Customer Interaction guidance and vulnerability statement, which sets out how operators should support vulnerable customers, including those who are taking medication which may increase risk-taking.

The Department has not made an assessment of the ability of places of worship to reclaim VAT following the ending of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will have a budget of £23 million per year. The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will award grants for projects to cover capital works, rather than just the VAT element of a project, as is the case with the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. In some cases the amount granted could be greater than just the VAT element currently funded.

While we have confirmed the extension of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme until 31 March 2026, the future funding of the scheme after this date is being assessed and considered as we work through the output of the Spending Review and the Departmental business planning process.

Improving the cost and availability of childcare is a priority for this government. Families can receive support with costs through Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit Childcare and the Flexible Support Fund.

The government has committed over £600 million to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme from 2026/27, providing children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with free meals and enriching activities during school holidays. In a recent survey of 20,000 parents and carers, more that 90% said HAF helped them worry less about money during the holidays and made it easier for them to work.

The department has not assessed the cost of holiday childcare. This year, we are providing £12.9 million to support local authorities with school-age childcare. To monitor this, we are collecting termly data to provide us with a broad picture of the availability of holiday childcare.

The PE national curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The department has made changes to the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance for schools to ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for the high animal welfare standards we have in this country; they are one of the selling points of our British farming industry and are greatly valued by consumers both at home and abroad.

As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, the department will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards. Defra recognises concerns about methods of production, such as sow stalls and battery cages, which are not permitted in the UK. While production methods vary in line with different climates, diseases and other contextual reasons, we will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, the Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors.

The Government recognises that recycled water e.g. from rainwater or domestic greywater showers play a key role in helping non-household users and businesses meet the statutory water demand reduction target of 20% by March 2038. We encourage water companies and developers to move from potable water to recycled sources where possible.

To enable reuse in households, we are working to support the water sector to supply treated, non-potable water, including rainwater, for certain water demands such as toilet flushing. To support this, Ofwat consulted on environmental incentives for developers which considered where recycled water could be integrated into buildings and developments, and acknowledged the importance of recycled water to reducing pressure on the water system

The data below accounts for all relevant commercial licence types and relates to pilots who reached the age of 65 during the relevant report year and held a valid commercial licence and valid medical certificate as of 1 January of that year.

The number of pilots that will reach the mandatory age of 65 in the next 10 calendar years can be found on the Civil Aviation Authority’s published data on pilot licence holders by age and sex, which can be found here: https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/approved-persons-and-organisations/personnel-licensing-statistics/pilot-licence-holders-by-age-and-sex/ . The data for 2025 will be published in the next few months.

The table below shows the number of pilots that received their first UK commercial pilot licence from the Civil Aviation Authority by year of issue and includes all relevant commercial licence types.

This information is not held.

Data on deaths and injuries in reported road collisions is based on information reported to the Department by police forces in Great Britain via the system known as STATS19.

STATS19 does not collect information about whether a driver involved in a road casualty collision has been prescribed or taken a dopamine agonist. Additionally, STATS19 does not assign blame to any of the participants in road casualty collisions, so it is not possible to provide the number of collisions where the at-fault driver was taking any drug.

The Department does receive coroner and procurator fiscals’ reports for some deceased drivers involved in road collisions. A feasibility study has been published using this data and STATS19 data to provide some insight into what type and levels of drugs are detected in deceased drivers. This is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-drug-driving-statistics.

Data concerning contributory factors and road safety factors which provide some insight into why and how road collisions occur are published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/road-safety-statistics-data-tables#road-safety-factors.

The quickest way to transact with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its online services. The DVLA’s target is to dispatch 95 per cent of straightforward online driving licence applications within three working days and 90 per cent of paper applications within ten working days.

The DVLA’s target for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated is to make a decision on average within 50 working days. In the interests of road safety, the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.

The DVLA has seen an increase in both the volume and complexity of medical driving licence applications, which has increased waiting times for some people. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system, and a new medical services portal, so more people can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account.

These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls are delivering real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.

We regularly review and publish passenger demand levels and work closely with operators to ensure they provide sufficient capacity to meet demand wherever possible. We have been clear with operators that they should meet demand in a manner that supports overall performance improvement and minimises the net subsidy taxpayers pay for rail.

The Government has committed to review the parental leave and pay system.

In 2022, the department ran a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the Disability Confident scheme has had on their organisations. Metrics in the survey included members’ recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people, awareness of the benefits of Disability Confident membership, plans for membership renewal, and perceived impact of Disability Confident on the organisation. The findings of the survey can be accessed from: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK.

DWP is working with stakeholders, including disabled people, the Devolved Governments, local authorities, disability organisations, employers and sector experts to strengthen the scheme. This includes reviewing the current offer of an interview commitment and exploring how we can work with employers to improve transparency and accountability against scheme criteria.

The Government has announced ambitious plans to reform the CMS.

Moving all cases to a single service, where payments are collected and transferred will provide an improved service, quickly identifying and tackling missed payments and lifting more children out of poverty.

The Government has also been undertaking a review of the child maintenance calculation and announced its intention to publish a consultation.

The Department continues to optimise digital channels, delivering services more efficiently and effectively.

The Government recognises the significant impact that migraine can have on individuals’ quality of life and is committed to improving care and outcomes for people living with this condition.

NHS England is supporting improvements in migraine care through national programmes such as the RightCare headache and migraine toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time neurology programme. These initiatives support earlier diagnosis, more effective management in primary care, and better access to specialist services where needed, helping to reduce unwarranted variation in care and improve patient outcomes.

To support consistent, high-quality care, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published clear, evidence-based guidance on the diagnosis and management of headaches, including migraine. This guidance helps clinicians to diagnose migraine more promptly and provide appropriate acute and preventive treatments based on individual clinical need.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including complex headache services.

Over the last five years, a new class of drugs, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, has been made available on the National Health Service for the prevention and treatment of episodic and chronic migraines. Atogepant is the latest CGRP inhibitor to be recommended by NICE for use as a prevention and acute treatment of migraine.

The Government is committed to working collaboratively to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people affected by migraine. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions’ Joint Work and Health Directorate was established to co-ordinate Government activity to help disabled people and people with health conditions get good work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions have a range of specialist initiatives, including those joining up health and employment support around the individual through programmes such as Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and WorkWell, as well as support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Ministers and officials have regular conversations with regard to employment support for people whose ability to work is affected by a health condition.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration. The plan outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health, and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work and deliver holistic care that leads to better employment outcomes for all.

Employers are also crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, such as migraines, to thrive in the workforce. To encourage employers to create disability inclusive workplaces, the Government continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme. This provides resources such as the Disability Confident Manager’s Guide, which includes guidance on flexible working and workplace adjustments, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-and-cipd-guide-for-line-managers-on-employing-people-with-a-disability-or-health-condition

The Government’s offer to employers also comprises tailored guidance on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace through its Support with Employee Health and Disability service. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disabilities, plus guidance on legal obligations and making reasonable adjustments. Further information on the Support with Employee Health and Disability service is available at the following link:

https://www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/support-with-employee-health-and-disability

Additionally, in November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Review, setting out recommendations to reshape how the Government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes through creating healthier, more inclusive workplaces. The Government is now working with volunteer employers, providers, and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches to help disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions, including people affected by migraine, receive the support they need to remain and thrive in employment. Alongside the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Department for Business and Trade, National Health Service organisations are already participating in the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase to design a healthy working lifecycle standard and the accompanying Workplace Health Provision.

The Government is committed to working collaboratively to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people affected by migraine. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions’ Joint Work and Health Directorate was established to co-ordinate Government activity to help disabled people and people with health conditions get good work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions have a range of specialist initiatives, including those joining up health and employment support around the individual through programmes such as Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and WorkWell, as well as support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Ministers and officials have regular conversations with regard to employment support for people whose ability to work is affected by a health condition.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration. The plan outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health, and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work and deliver holistic care that leads to better employment outcomes for all.

Employers are also crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, such as migraines, to thrive in the workforce. To encourage employers to create disability inclusive workplaces, the Government continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme. This provides resources such as the Disability Confident Manager’s Guide, which includes guidance on flexible working and workplace adjustments, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-and-cipd-guide-for-line-managers-on-employing-people-with-a-disability-or-health-condition

The Government’s offer to employers also comprises tailored guidance on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace through its Support with Employee Health and Disability service. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disabilities, plus guidance on legal obligations and making reasonable adjustments. Further information on the Support with Employee Health and Disability service is available at the following link:

https://www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/support-with-employee-health-and-disability

Additionally, in November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Review, setting out recommendations to reshape how the Government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes through creating healthier, more inclusive workplaces. The Government is now working with volunteer employers, providers, and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches to help disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions, including people affected by migraine, receive the support they need to remain and thrive in employment. Alongside the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Department for Business and Trade, National Health Service organisations are already participating in the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase to design a healthy working lifecycle standard and the accompanying Workplace Health Provision.

The Office for National Statistics collects information on health conditions through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is based on interviews with people resident in households in the United Kingdom. The LFS covers this in two relevant ways. It asks respondents about their general health, including any specific conditions and whether these are long-term conditions that limit their ability to work. It also asks about periods of absence from work on health grounds, including which health condition caused that absence.

The general health section of the survey contains a range of impairment categories, informed by the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Impairment harmonised standard. However, this list does not currently identify headache or migraine-related disorders as a separate category. Such conditions would most likely be categorised as “other health problems or disabilities”. Under the current survey design, it is therefore not possible to identify people whose long-term work-limiting illness is specifically related to headaches or migraines. The GSS Harmonisation team is currently reviewing the disability and impairment standards, including the review of disability data harmonised standards, which is available at the following link:

https://analysisfunction.civilservice.gov.uk/policy-store/review-of-disability-data-harmonised-standards-findings-from-phase-2-of-our-research/

Any recommendations from that review would be considered when assessing future updates to the impairment categories collected through the LFS.

Meanwhile, the section about periods of absence from work on health grounds includes an option for headaches and migraines. Analysis using this classification is published regularly as part of an article on Sickness absence in the UK labour market, which is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket

As the question is linked to specific periods of absence, it cannot be used to estimate the number of people who may be affected by migraine or headache related disorders. Instead, it looks at the number of days lost from work through different reasons for sickness absence, including headaches and migraines, along with the number of occurrences of sickness absence.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of migraine on employment and economic inactivity. This information isn’t available as the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the primary source for data on labour market participation and economic inactivity, only reports figures by long‑term health condition and does not include a category for migraines.

However, LFS data shows that working-age people with a long-term health condition are less likely to be in employment than those without a long-term health condition, at 64.1% compared with 81.6%, and are around twice as likely to be economically inactive, at 31.5% compared with 14.6%. The data is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourmarketstatusofdisabledpeoplea08