Markus Campbell-Savours

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport leads on volunteering policy, and the responsible Minister is Stephanie Peacock MP and Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth. The Cabinet Office owns the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), which provides the overarching legal framework for emergency preparedness in the UK. It creates the conditions for effective multi-agency working at the local level when responding to emergencies, including search and rescue arrangements.

However, the legal and operational framework that underpins search and rescue means that in practice, a number of Ministers and Government departments determine policy relevant to their areas of expertise.

The term ‘Search and Rescue’ covers a broad range of capabilities provided by civilian, military, and voluntary responders in the urban, rural, mountain, and maritime domains. As such, individual departments sponsoring these various services are responsible for policy in those areas. These departments include MHCLG, Home Office, DfT, and MOD, alongside relevant departments in devolved governments.

The government recognises that volatile energy prices remain a concern for small businesses in Cumbria and across the country. We are monitoring the impact of international energy markets on businesses and stand ready to respond.

The Chancellor recently announced the government would cut energy bills by up to 25% for over 10,000 manufacturers from April 2027 through the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS). BICS will be expanded by 40%, with one-off additional payment in 2027 rolled out to an extra 3,000 businesses, from 7,000 to 10,000 businesses.

Government is also working with Ofgem to reform the non‑domestic energy market, improving transparency and complaint handling.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) does not have a marketing budget specifically related to promoting UK businesses’ engagement in the Saudi or other individual markets.

Details of UKEF’s overall expenditure on marketing for the current financial year will be included in the department’s annual report and accounts.

• This answer is provided at a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East region more generally, is facing material challenges given the ongoing regional conflict.
• Given that the press release names specific companies, it is for those companies to update as to the current situation and would be commercially sensitive and inappropriate for us to do so.
• The two main job-creating Saudi companies mentioned, Alfanar and International Investment Gate, are however well-known to the British Embassy in Riyadh and the Office for Investment. Their UK ambitions are in line with our Modern Industrial Strategy and, I understand, are progressing well.

The 12-month transition period commenced on 18 November 2025. More than 1.4 million people have already completed the first phase of identity verification through GOV.UK One Login. 47,867 people started their journey online and selected the Post Office option. Only 40,639 people went on to attend a Post Office to verify their identity.

Approximately 220,000 people have verified their identity though an Authorised Company Service Provider (ACSP). Over 15,000 ACSPs have been registered and a list of 392 consenting ACSPs has been published to support the public in identifying and obtaining ACSP services.

The Government intends to protect business and household consumers by appointing Ofgem to regulate third‑party intermediaries as part of the Energy Independence Bill. The Energy Independence Bill has now been announced in the King’s Speech and will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Levels of standing charges in the non-domestic market are a commercial decision for suppliers, who typically set their prices based on network charge differences, leading to regional variations in electricity standing charges.

Nonetheless, the Government understands that for too many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges and is committed to lowering the cost of standing charges. Ofgem have recently launched a Cost Allocation Recovery Review to review how ‘fixed’ costs should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether costs could be recovered from consumers, including businesses in more progressive and fairer ways.

Government is accelerating the deployment of low-cost renewable electricity technologies to reduce our reliance on international fossil fuel markets.

The existing Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme has been successful in bringing forth new renewable assets at fixed, competitive prices. These CfDs are already beginning to decouple electricity and gas markets, protecting consumers from higher electricity bills when gas prices increase.

In April, Government announced plans to offer legacy low-carbon generators – which provide around 30% of our power today – the option of a fixed price CfD. These contracts will build on the success of existing CfDs, further delinking electricity generation from volatile gas prices.

Through our Clean Power 2030 mission we are accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown electricity to shield end-users from the volatility of fossil fuel prices and to deliver reliable, affordable energy to every part of the UK economy.

We are already taking action to expand the British industry supercharger from April to reduce costs for the most energy-intensive businesses, and a significant proportion of businesses are on fixed-term contracts that shield them from market volatility for the contract duration. However, we recognise that at the point of contracting, businesses are exposed to international fossil fuel markets, and clearly, for both businesses and consumers, much will depend on the length of this crisis.

Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government is absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act.

Wildlife crimes, including those involving the use of catapults/slingshots, are not notifiable to the UK Home Office so there are no official statistics or identifiable trends relating to these crimes.

Any decision to make wildlife offences notifiable would sit with the Home Office, not Defra.

Defra does, however, take crimes against wildlife seriously and is aware of the ongoing and horrific misuse of catapults against wild animals.

Defra is supportive of the multi-agency Operation Lakeshot, led by the League Against Cruel Sports, which aims to reduce the number of crimes against wildlife using catapults.

The Government is committed to setting stronger adaptation objectives to improve preparedness for climate impacts, supporting an ambitious fourth National Adaptation Programme in 2028. These objectives will be underpinned by evidence in the Climate Change Committee’s independent assessment of climate risk and the Well Adapted UK Report.

Wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the impacts of wildfire. That is why, in September 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021, restricting unnecessary burning on all upland deep peat without a licence, to enhance protection and improve the resilience of our moorlands.

Defra is encouraging landowners and land managers to adopt good quality wildfire management plans, use sustainable methods to manage habitat and restore their peatland.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of lowering the age on social inclusion, the economy or the environment.

Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

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. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in local areas to support the local economy and environment.

For details on the average processing time for Access to Work grant applications from April to June 2025, please refer to the answer I gave on 3 July 2025 to Question UIN 63906.

We are committed to reducing waiting times for new applications and have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims. Applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for monitoring the impact of its regulatory activity through inspections, ratings, and ongoing assessment of providers.

The Department oversees the effectiveness of the legislative framework, including through statutory postimplementation reviews. The CQC is accountable to Parliament, with its performance and impact subject to scrutiny by select committees and independent reviews. Together, these arrangements ensure that both the delivery and effectiveness of regulation are regularly assessed.

Requirements to register with the CQC depend on whether an organisation is carrying on regulated activities in England. In certain circumstances, exemptions may apply, including where activities are carried out under the direction or control of a Government department.

The CQC is engaging with both land and maritime search and rescue teams to help minimise any impact to those services. The CQC recognises the urgency of this issue and is working to reach a confirmed position as soon as possible.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for monitoring the impact of its regulatory activity through inspections, ratings, and ongoing assessment of providers.

The Department oversees the effectiveness of the legislative framework, including through statutory postimplementation reviews. The CQC is accountable to Parliament, with its performance and impact subject to scrutiny by select committees and independent reviews. Together, these arrangements ensure that both the delivery and effectiveness of regulation are regularly assessed.

Requirements to register with the CQC depend on whether an organisation is carrying on regulated activities in England. In certain circumstances, exemptions may apply, including where activities are carried out under the direction or control of a Government department.

The CQC is engaging with both land and maritime search and rescue teams to help minimise any impact to those services. The CQC recognises the urgency of this issue and is working to reach a confirmed position as soon as possible.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for monitoring the impact of its regulatory activity through inspections, ratings, and ongoing assessment of providers.

The Department oversees the effectiveness of the legislative framework, including through statutory postimplementation reviews. The CQC is accountable to Parliament, with its performance and impact subject to scrutiny by select committees and independent reviews. Together, these arrangements ensure that both the delivery and effectiveness of regulation are regularly assessed.

Requirements to register with the CQC depend on whether an organisation is carrying on regulated activities in England. In certain circumstances, exemptions may apply, including where activities are carried out under the direction or control of a Government department.

The CQC is engaging with both land and maritime search and rescue teams to help minimise any impact to those services. The CQC recognises the urgency of this issue and is working to reach a confirmed position as soon as possible.

The publication from the Office of National Statistics in February 2025 on the labour market impacts of endometriosis provided the first robust national evidence in England quantifying its impact on earnings and employment. The analysis provides evidence that endometriosis is associated with persistent reductions in earnings and employment following diagnosis, which likely reflects movement into lower paid roles, reduced working hours, and ongoing health-related productivity constraints.

The Government does not currently have plans to respond to the Office for National Statistics’ findings directly. The findings from this analysis have fed into the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April 2026, and helped inform the actions committed to in it.

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions, including endometriosis, where women experience unacceptably long delays to diagnosis, pain being dismissed, and fragmented care.

Clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain, including endometriosis, will be redesigned to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals, and long waits.

Women with endometriosis will also benefit from single points of access for gynaecology referrals and a shift away from hospital only care towards neighbourhood and community settings.

Menstrual problems, including those caused by endometriosis, are prioritised as one of the first pathways to be delivered through community-based services and the new virtual hospital, NHS Online.

NHS England is progressing work to collect metrics on endometriosis through its wider women’s health data improvement and reporting programme. As a starting point, NHS England is establishing which measures can be collected in a consistent and quantifiable way across the system. This includes investigating whether diagnosis is the optimum measure of timely access for women with suspected endometriosis or whether an alternative metric based on data that is or can be reliably and consistently collected would give a more accurate picture of access and outcomes. This work will inform how endometriosis is reflected in national reporting as the data improvement programme develops.

Women who receive a hospital diagnosis of endometriosis will have this coded accordingly, and this data can in principle be extracted, but it is not routinely reported. A diagnosis of endometriosis does not currently link to time to referral, and referral reasons for gynaecological conditions are not routinely reported.

NHS England is working to improve the reportability and data capture of pelvic pain diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, which includes endometriosis. Before any metrics or outcome measures can be implemented, it is necessary to ensure that data is being captured consistently and in a reportable way across the country.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions including endometriosis where women experience unacceptably long delays to diagnosis, pain being dismissed, and fragmented care.

Clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain, including endometriosis, will be redesigned to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals, and long waits.

Women with endometriosis also will benefit from single points of access for gynaecology referrals and a shift away from hospital only care towards neighbourhood and community settings.

Menstrual problems, including those caused by endometriosis, are prioritised as one of the first pathways to be delivered through community-based services and the new virtual hospital, NHS Online.

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.

The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.

The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.

The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

Cumbria is at the forefront of the Government’s ambitious programme to drive growth by expanding devolution, with an election of a mayor due for the first time in 2027 as part of the Devolution Priority Programme.

Penrith will also benefit from the improvements to the A66, delivering a continuous 50-mile dual carriageway between the M6 and A1(M), improving safety, reducing congestion and strengthening connectivity between the North-East and Cumbria.

The Government recognises the value of positive investment that supports local economies and genuine small businesses. Concerns have been raised about Small Business Rates Relief being used by second homeowners whose main aim is not to operate a local business but to manage tax liabilities.

The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, sought stakeholder input on the tax treatment of short-term lets, such as self-catering accommodation. The Government is carefully considering representations received, and a Government response to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course.

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This means the majority of UK businesses are kept out of the VAT system.

As set out in the Plan for Change, the Government’s priority mission is to deliver strong, secure and sustainable economic growth to boost living standards in every part of the UK. Supporting businesses to grow is at the heart of this mission. The Government will be announcing further support for small businesses as part of the Small Business Strategy being published later this year.

National Savings and Investments’ (NS&I) core remit is to raise cost-effective finance for the Government. In setting the interest rate on its products, NS&I must adhere to its operating framework. Specifically, this is to balance the interests of savers by offering a fair rate; the taxpayer by delivering cost-effective financing; and the financial services sector by acting transparently and supporting a fair and competitive market.

Green Savings Bonds (GSB) are a fixed-term savings product where deposits contribute to green initiatives as selected by the Government. GSBs sit alongside Green Gilts issued by the Debt Management Office, funds from which count towards meeting the Green Financing remit. The interest rate on GSBs is kept under regular review and changes are recommended by NS&I to HM Treasury as appropriate. In setting the interest rate, NS&I – as outlined above – seeks to balance the interest of savers, taxpayers, and financial services sector.

Interest earned on savings accounts, with the exception of ISAs, are subject to tax. Along with some other competitor accounts, GSBs are designed to be held for the full term and savers can only access their money, including compounded interest, at the end of the fixed-term, which is when any tax is due. HMRC outlines that any tax is paid on maturity when the saver benefits from the interest earned on the fixed-term product.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences (including wildlife crimes) and anti-social behaviour incidents, recorded by the police in England and Wales.

This information is published on a quarterly basis by the ONS, and can be accessed here:

Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables - Office for National Statistics

However, it is not possible to separately identify those incidents in which a catapult or slingshot was used.

The 1987 Police Pension Scheme provides survivor benefits to widows, widowers, and civil partners of police officers who die. In line with most public service pension schemes of that era, these benefits cease upon remarriage or cohabitation.

With the introduction of the 2006 and 2015 Police Pension Schemes, all eligible officers were able to join a pension scheme that provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including for those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse.

The 1987 police pension scheme is a closed scheme and there are no plans at this time to make any further improvements to benefits accrued in it.

The government does not routinely assess the council tax bands that would apply if properties assessed for business rates were instead assessed for council tax and therefore does not have the assessment as requested.

The cost to local authorities of providing small business rate relief is compensated for in full via grant through the business rates retention system, so that authorities do not lose out as a result of provision of this relief.

The government does not routinely assess the council tax bands that would apply if properties assessed for business rates were instead assessed for council tax and therefore does not have the assessment as requested.

The cost to local authorities of providing small business rate relief is compensated for in full via grant through the business rates retention system, so that authorities do not lose out as a result of provision of this relief.

The government does not routinely assess the council tax bands that would apply if properties assessed for business rates were instead assessed for council tax and therefore does not have the assessment as requested.

The cost to local authorities of providing small business rate relief is compensated for in full via grant through the business rates retention system, so that authorities do not lose out as a result of provision of this relief.

Annually the Department collects from local authorities an estimate at the start of the year and actual at the end year of their business rates data. The data includes the amount of revenue forgone by billing authorities as a result of mandatory business rate reliefs and the amount reimbursed to those authorities through Section 31 grant payments under the business rates retention system and is available here, including the most recent data collected for 2026-27.

Local authorities are compensated for those mandatory reliefs they award locally, given these reliefs reduce the business rates a local authority would otherwise have retained.

Since 2026-27, local authorities are compensated for all mandatory reliefs foregone fully via section 31. Before 2026-27 mandatory reliefs that were in existence when the business rates retention system was set up were funded via an adjustment to top-up and tariff funding allocations for each local authority and as new or amended mandatory reliefs were introduced they were compensated for via s.31 grant.

The government intends to lay the Private Parking Code of Practice and its associated compliance framework in Parliament in autumn 2026.