Mary Glindon

The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the EU allows for travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. This may require a visa and/or permit.The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

The Government’s plans to widen the definition of a Public Interest Entity were announced in the King’s Speech as part of the announcement on the draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill.

Companies whose securities are traded on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and banks, building societies and insurers are required to have an audit committee. Other private companies are not required to have an audit committee, but may choose to have one. Outside of the regulated financial sector, companies are not required to have an internal audit function. The Government plans to extend the scrutiny of the largest private companies’ external audits through the draft Audit and Corporate Governance bill and will set out full details of what that will include in due course.

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

As announced in the King’s speech, the Government intends to publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill in due course. We expect the Bill to include further details on the proposed directors’ enforcement regime, including in respect of the scope of the regime.

The Plan to Make Work Pay set out a commitment to review the implementation of Carer’s Leave, and that work is now underway. To deliver on this, we are bringing forward the Post Implementation Review of this legislation to complete before the end of this parliament.

Our ambitious Clean Energy Mission will be an incredible opportunity for jobs and investment all across the country, supporting the Growth Mission. The Office for Clean Energy Jobs will support workers from high carbon sectors to move to clean energy jobs by targeting skill interventions to reskill and upskill workers. We will continue to coordinate our approach to ensure a just transition across Government, including working closely with Skills England.

The Government will introduce a new Industrial Strategy to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth - through securing investment into crucial sectors of the economy. The Industrial Strategy will be key in identifying levers to ensure that we continue to build strong domestic supply chains for green industries and are able to capitalise on the growth opportunities of the net zero transition.

Additionally, we have established the Office for Clean Energy Jobs within DESNZ. The Office is dedicated to ensuring that clean energy jobs are not only abundant but also of high quality, focussing on fair pay, favourable terms, and good working conditions.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of means testing the Winter Fuel Payment on levels of fuel poverty in winter 2024-25. A statistical publication estimating the rate of fuel poverty for those in receipt of Winter Fuel Payment in 2023, and the proportion of households who would be in fuel poverty under new eligibility criteria, will be published in due course.

The Government is implementing the October 2023 Government Policy Framework for Greater Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Resilience, which will provide greater resilience for the PNT services that the UK relies upon in the event of any disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS and Galileo. The UK public and businesses still have access to the Galileo Open Service, though the UK no longer participates in Galileo, and the UK armed forces have access to the US GPS secure service. The Government will consider participation in EU programmes on a case by case basis where participation would meet the UK’s interests.

I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport and the barriers around this for those from lower socio-economic groups.

In the 2024/25 Financial Year, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency received £102,947 from Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for local communities. Sport England also recently announced Gateshead and South Tyneside as two of their new 53 Place Partnerships, which will receive support to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions, including for children and young people.

More widely, the Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable offer for local communities, including children and young people.

I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport and the barriers around this for those from lower socio-economic groups.

In the 2024/25 Financial Year, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency received £102,947 from Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for local communities. Sport England also recently announced Gateshead and South Tyneside as two of their new 53 Place Partnerships, which will receive support to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions, including for children and young people.

More widely, the Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable offer for local communities, including children and young people.

The government has announced £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s (ACE) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund (SGMF) for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40k to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.

ACE has made a number of SGMF awards within the Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency, including Women Are Mint, a grassroots festival that takes place in Newcastle, along with Brave Exhibitions Festival, The Tyne Bank Brewery and Cobalt Studios.

There are also a number of organisations within the ACE national portfolio that engage people in grassroots music activity within this constituency, including Generator, a creative and cultural talent development agency focused on artist development and skills.

The Government and the live music industry are working together to drive progress on an industry-led levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to support grassroots music. We welcome commitments by artists and the wider industry to implement the ticket levy, and steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the levy.

The Government has taken a range of steps to provide funding to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in the North East.

The Government recently committed up to an additional £2.8 million for the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, which is designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness. The Government has also committed up to an additional £1 million for the Social Enterprise Boost Fund, a fund which provides business support and grant funding to social entrepreneurs. These place-based programmes will continue delivering funding to the VCSE sector in the North East, specifically Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, County Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland, as well as other areas in England until March 2026.

This government recognises the vital role that charitable organisations and community groups play in providing crucial support to families and individuals across the country. These organisations, as well as the wider Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, are integral to the Government’s vision for national renewal and delivery of the five national missions.

DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the VCSE sector and are aware of their concerns about the National Insurance contributions (NICs) changes. We recognise the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change this year.

We continue to promote availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways, including delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the ‘Know Your Neighbourhood Fund’. Support for charities is also available through social investment which provides access to grants, repayable finance and a blend of the two. In particular, this government is continuing to look at how dormant assets can be used to support the availability of finance to facilitate VCSEs becoming more entrepreneurial and financially resilient. An estimated £350 million will flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme between 2024-28, with details on how this money will be distributed to be provided in due course.

I can confirm that a response has been submitted to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend to Question 53853.

To maintain the UK higher education (HE) sector's world-leading status, universities need a stable financial footing. This government is committed to securing our universities’ future, which is why we have acted quickly to address the sector’s financial challenges.

The Office for Students (OfS) continues to dedicate significant resources to ensure the sector's financial sustainability. The department has appointed Professor Edward Peck as OfS Chair, where he will play a key role in strengthening this commitment. Additionally, we made the difficult decision to uplift tuition fee limits by 3.1% (in line with inflation) from the 2025/26 academic year. The department will publish its plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper this summer.

We also recognise that research funding is integral to universities’ financial sustainability. This government has committed to record funding of research and development (R&D). The Department for Science, Technology and Innovation’s (DSIT) R&D budget has increased in real terms by 8.5% from 2024/25 to 2025/26, and DSIT's allocation to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is £8.8 billion, sustaining unprecedented levels of investment to support the UK’s R&D ambitions.

This government is determined to work with the sector to transition to sustainable research funding models, including by increasing research grant cost recovery, as announced by UKRI in March.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for the overall policy on maternity pay and leave, but how it applies in schools specifically is covered by the Burgundy Book, a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisations.

Further information can be found on the Local Government Association website. The Department for Education currently has no authority or responsibility for the Burgundy Book.

However, the department has engaged with the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) on other challenges that could support teachers who find it difficult to combine work with family life, as in the oral contribution referenced. In the recently concluded 2024/25 pay round, we asked the STRB to make an assessment of any changes to flexibilities around Teaching and Learning Responsibility payments, concerning the existing pro-rata rule. We subsequently accepted in full the STRB’s recommendations. The government’s full response can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-05-22/hcws664.

From September 2026, these additional payments will be paid based on the proportion of responsibility a teacher carries out rather than their contracted hours. Early adoption is also encouraged from September 2025. This will improve equality of opportunity for part-time workers, better enabling them to move into leadership roles.

Alongside this, the department will be promoting flexible working in schools by adding reference into the school teachers’ pay and conditions document for the first time. This will make clearer to schools the expectation that they should be aiming to support flexible working requests where operationally feasible. This will better support teachers to stay in the profession, where they otherwise may have left.

The vast majority of children with special educational needs (SEN) have always been taught in mainstream schools and the Children and Families Act 2014 sets a presumption in law that all children, including those with SEN, should be taught in mainstream settings where possible.

The department recognises that some children and young people will need specialist support or a different environment.

Children and young people should only be educated in special schools where they have complex needs requiring an education, health and care (EHC) plan, and the needs assessment process identifies that specialist provision is required. The most recent data shows that, of all the new EHC plans issued in 2023, 74.9% named a mainstream school and 10.5% named a special school.

The department has been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive. We want more children and young people to receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local mainstream school.

This government is committed to strengthening the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system for all children and young people to ensure they receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department is working closely with experts on reform, including a Strategic Advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider next steps.

An education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment must identify a child or young person’s special educational needs, together with any relevant health or social care needs. If a needs assessment determines that it is necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person, the local authority must prepare an EHC plan.

Local authorities have seen an increase in EHC needs assessment requests. Latest data shows that there are 576,000 children and young people with EHC plans, as of January 2024.

The department knows that parents have struggled to get their children the support they need and deserve, through long and difficult EHC plan processes.

We have listened to parents, local authority colleagues and partners across education, health and social care and are considering carefully how to improve access to support for children with SEND. We are also reflecting on what practice could or should be made consistent nationally.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

The Government remains committed to reducing both the frequency and duration of storm overflow spills, in line with the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP). The SODRP will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050.

The Water (Special Measures) Act is introducing independent monitoring of every sewerage outlet, with water companies required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows. Discharges will have to be reported within an hour of the initial spill. This will match the pre-existing duty for storm overflows. This will meet the Government commitment to ensure monitoring of every outlet.

Furthermore, the Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector. The Independent Water Commission: interim report was released on 03 June 2025. Final recommendations will be published this summer and presented to both the UK and Welsh Governments.

As part of Price Review 2024 (2025-30), Northumbrian Water is investing £1.1 billion to reduce storm overflow spills by 28% by investing in 159 spill reduction schemes. As part of this cycle, 23 investigations and asset improvements are planned across the Newcastle upon Tyne and Wallsend constituency.

The Government offers Plug-in Vehicle Grants for eligible vans, trucks, taxis, motorcycles, and wheelchair accessible vehicles. These grants help to lower upfront vehicle costs and make zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) more accessible to consumers. ZEVs also benefit from favourable tax rates, such as generous company car tax incentives and a 0% Van Benefit Charge. ZEVs also receive preferential first year rates of Vehicle Excise Duty at £10 until FY 2029-30, in comparison to the most polluting vehicles.

Most drivers in the UK buy used vehicles, with 80% of all cars bought and sold in 2024 having been through the used vehicle market. Industry intelligence suggests that some EVs on the used market are now similar in price to their petrol and diesel equivalents. The Government will continue to monitor the health of the market and keeps all policies under review.

The legislation which introduced E10 across Britain in September 2021 is the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) and the Biofuel (Labelling) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021.

The impact assessment accompanying these regulations estimates that moving from E5 to E10 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 .8%, saving around 750,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from petrol vehicles. Ethanol contains less energy than fossil petrol and so increasing the ethanol content of petrol increases fuel consumption. The impact assessment estimates E10 will decrease the energy content of petrol by 1.7% compared to E5 and assumes fuel consumption will increase by that amount.

The cross-government third National Adaptation Programme sets out plans to tackle the effects of climate change. For transport, this means working closely with transport infrastructure operators to take meaningful and measurable action to address risks posed by our changing climate.

The Department for Transport has plans in place to adapt to and address the risks of climate change. The Department consulted in April 2024 on a draft strategy to enhance climate change adaptation planning and action across the transport sector. The responses to this consultation are being considered.

No estimate has been made.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 April 2025 to question number 47657. The answer can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Monthly statistics for the number of People and Households sent a Migration Notice for Move to Universal Credit in Great Britain by geography including by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency and by legacy benefit type are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore - Log in

People invited to Move to Universal Credit statistics are currently available from July 2022 to December 2024 in the People invited to Move to Universal Credit dataset. Households invited to Move to Universal Credit statistics are also available in the Households invited to Move to Universal Credit dataset.

In addition there are a number of ready-made tables by various breakdowns available in the Move to Universal Credit tables.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access Introduction to the Stat-Xplore User Guide on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide - GOV.UK

We strongly value the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, in addition to representative organisations that support them, and that is why we have brought forward this Green Paper and the consultation.

The consultation welcomes the views of voluntary organisations, and we hope many will respond before the consultation closes on the 30 June 2025. Our programme of accessible public events will further facilitate input, including in-person and online, and will help us hear from disabled people and representative organisations directly.

We are also exploring other ways to facilitate the involvement of stakeholders in our reforms. In addition to the consultation, we will establish ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups of people together for specific policy development areas and our wider review of the PIP assessment will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience.

As we develop proposals further, we will consider how to best to involve voluntary and community organisations in the planning and implementation of reforms, including in our employment support package.

No such assessment has been made. The Universal Credit system permits Department of Health and Social Care to check a citizen’s entitlement to Healthy Start vouchers, and Department for Education to check eligibility for Free School Meals.

We announced our intention to record assessments as standard in the Pathways to Work Green Paper as a valuable tool to improve people’s trust in the health assessment process. We are developing our plans to implement this measure and will set out further details in a White Paper later this year.