Matt Bishop

The government is committed to a sustainable universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

The government is committed to a sustainable universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

Pubs and hospitality businesses, including those in rural areas and Forest of Dean, are at the heart of our communities and are vital for economic growth. That is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses from 2026-27 and extending the current relief for 1 year at 40%.

The government is also reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, representing an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year.

Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Digital inclusion is a priority for me and for Government. It means everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in a modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. Work is ongoing to develop our approach to tackling digital exclusion and we hope to announce more on this soon. We look forward to working closely with the third sector, business and local authorities across the UK, including Gloucestershire, to ensure interventions are targeted to and based on individual needs.

The government has allocated £87.5 million of dormant assets funding to the Community Wealth Fund and is committed to ensuring it delivers meaningful benefits to communities across England. DCMS and MHCLG are working to shortly publish the government response, this will set out the final design of the Community Wealth Fund, including further information on how beneficiary communities will be selected, and other elements of its delivery.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Forest of Dean to the answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19139.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Forest of Dean to the answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21170.

The department recognises the importance of children in kinship care getting the support they need to thrive in school. Where children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the department would expect them to receive appropriate support from their school and, for those with complex SEND, also from the relevant local authority.

Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion.

In addition, since September 2024, the role of virtual school heads (VSH) has been expanded to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school.

The department anticipates all children in kinship arrangements, which is estimated to be over 130,000, will benefit from the adaptation of the strategic VSH role.

This could include ensuring different kinds of kinship arrangements are visible in training for schools and working with education settings to strengthen how they address barriers to educational progress for kinship children.

We will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how we will allocate the department’s budget for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the adoption and special guardianship support fund are being made as part of these discussions.

An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

The department is providing over £2.9 billion of pupil premium funding in 2024/25 to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in England.

The criteria for pupil premium eligibility are:

• Pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals or who have been eligible in the past six years.
• Pupils who have been adopted from care or have left care.
• Children who are looked after by the local authority.

The portion of funding for looked after children and previously looked after children is often referred to as pupil premium plus and these pupils attract funding at a higher rate.

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils and schools do not have to spend this funding so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. Schools can direct spending where the need is greatest, including to pupils with other identified needs, such as children in kinship care. Schools can also use pupil premium on whole class approaches that will benefit all pupils such as, for example, on high-quality teaching.

The department will continue to keep eligibility under review to ensure that support is targeted at those who most need it.

We are supporting businesses to capitalise on strong global demand for UK food and drink products by breaking down barriers to trade and maximising access to export markets. Since Labour took office, the UK now has a network of sixteen agrifood and drink attachés covering all continents who are breaking down these barriers and creating new opportunities for the sector. We have had notable recent market access wins across the farming sector including relisting sites to export pork to China estimated by industry to be worth £80 million and securing for the first time access for UK beetroot exports to the USA.

The Government is committed to developing a trade strategy that will support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production. We have been clear that we will protect farmers from being undercut by low welfare and low standards in trade deals. Europe remains a priority market, and we are seeking to negotiate a veterinary/Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the EU to boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers on both sides. The Government is ambitious and wants to move forward at pace, but delivering new agreements will take time.

The Government inherited flood assets in their worst condition on record following years of underinvestment by the previous Government – just 92.1% of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high consequence assets are currently at required condition.

To ensure we protect the country from the devastating impacts of flooding, we will invest £2.4 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by building, maintaining, and repairing flood defences.

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

That is why we have committed £2.4 billion to invest over the next two years to bolster the nation’s resilience, which is vital if we are to protect homes and business across the country.

As part of this investment, we are prioritising repairing and restoring critical assets to get our defences back on track and our new Flood Resilience Taskforce will play a key role in coordinating national and local flood preparation ahead of the winter flood season.

The government is committed to improving public transport services so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. On 1st October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.

On 17th December, the government introduced a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including for disabled people. The Bill includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive.

Ensuring the rail network is also accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We know that the experience for disabled people when traveling by rail too often falls short of what is expected and what passengers deserve. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of Great British Rail.

The government wants everyone to have access to public transport and is   committed to improving services so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. On October 1st, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.

The government will also shortly introduce a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including disabled people.

It is already a requirement that cycles have white front and red rear lights lit when being ridden at night. Under The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 cycles must also be fitted with a red rear reflector and amber pedal reflectors (if manufactured after 1 October 1985). Rule 60 of The Highway Code explains these requirements, the enforcement of which is a matter for the police. The Government has no plans to require cyclists to have lights on their cycles in daylight hours.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This is so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This is an anticipatory duty, meaning providers should not wait to be asked before acting, but should expect that some of their customers will be disabled and require adaptations.

The Government welcomes steps some retailers are taking to introduce sensory friendly hours for customers who may find busy or loud shopping environments overwhelming.

Encouragingly, many establishments are already adopting practices like offering "quiet hours" or optimising acoustics for a more welcoming atmosphere.

The National Autistic Society has produced guidance for businesses on how this can be implemented: Autism Hour guidance (including tips for social distancing).pdf

This government believes there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits across Great Britain so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work, and to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today. The system must also work to reduce poverty for disabled people and those with health conditions and support disabled people to live independently.

We want to engage with disabled people, and others with expertise and experience on these issues, to consider how to address these challenges and build a better system. We are working to develop proposals for reform and will set them out for consultation and engagement in a Green Paper in spring 2025. This government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals with disabled people and representative organisations.

All DWP colleagues are trained to support our most vulnerable customers and have access to a wide range of guidance and signposting to support them. Where further specialist help is required, DWP has a national network of Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders who can provide additional advice and support through the local networks they have built with external partners and organisations. This could include those who can offer digital and other support to access our services.

Through the national DWP Visiting Service the Department provides additional face-to-face support across all service lines to customers who cannot access DWP services in any other way. A visit can be arranged for a customer if they need extra help to claim benefits, for example because they have complex needs, are disabled, are a vulnerable young person making a claim for the first time, have nobody else to support them or cannot claim benefits in any other way. There is also work underway to look at how we can enhance our Visiting service further so that it is even more flexible to support customers differing needs.

In close collaboration with the Advanced Customer Support team, the Digital Group is driving efforts to standardise how the Department captures and records the needs of our most vulnerable customers, introducing consistency in areas such as accessibility markers.

We are also looking at a re-launch of our Strategic Video Service at the end of 2025, to bring more choice for those customers who struggle to access a physical location. In addition, we have developed an external-facing Application Programming Interface (API), which enables Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to obtain real-time confirmation of a customer's entitlement to relevant benefits and allows eligible customers to take up a social tariff for their broadband, supporting low-income families by reducing their costs and enabling them to stay connected.

Information on local plans to tackle staff shortages is not collected centrally by the Department. National Health Service organisations are responsible for their own recruitment, and develop their own workforce plans based on service needs.

At a national level, we are committed to training the staff the NHS needs and will work closely with partners in education to do this. NHS England continues to lead a range of initiatives to boost the retention of existing staff and ensure the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits.

Repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that health capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing record levels of capital investment into healthcare.

This includes over £1 billion to continue to tackle dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance, repairs, and upgrades across the NHS estate.

Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.

As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England, Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.

We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week during our first year in Government, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. The Government announced £1.5 billion of new capital investment in the Autumn Budget, including investment for new diagnostic scanners and surgical hubs. This investment in scanners will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.

To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and in the provision of services for people living with arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, with both pieces of guidance available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226

The Department funds research into MSK conditions, including arthritis, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Through this route, the Department spent approximately £26.3 million on MSK research in 2023/24, and £79.2 million since 2019/20. In particular, the Leeds Biomedical Research Centre aims to improve treatment for osteoarthritis. The NIHR, in collaboration with Versus Arthritis, also funds a dedicated UK Musculoskeletal Translational Research Collaboration, aligning investment in MSK translational research and creating a United Kingdom-wide ambition and focus to drive cutting edge research and improve outcomes for patients.

In order to improve awareness and understanding of arthritis amongst primary care professionals, including general practitioners, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning module on inflammatory arthritis, in partnership with the British Society of Rheumatology.

Waiting lists for those referred for support are too high including those in rural communities.

People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve and need, which is why we will fix the system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.

In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICB) to commission care to meet the needs of their local population.

Waiting lists for those referred for support are too high including those in rural communities.

People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve and need, which is why we will fix the system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.

In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICB) to commission care to meet the needs of their local population.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department of Health and care invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23.

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the NIHR directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours. In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, including facilities, services and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total, NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

The government is determined that everyone has access to suitable insurance products at the right price.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry, including firms providing travel insurance. Under FCA rules, insurers must offer products that provide fair value. This means that the price a consumer pays for a product or service must be reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive. The FCA has robust powers to act against firms that fail to comply with its rules.

Under FCA rules introduced in 2021, if a travel insurance customer is declined cover, offered cover with an exclusion, or charged a significantly higher premium based on their pre-existing medical condition, insurers are required to signpost consumers to a directory of specialist providers who may be better placed to provide cover.

The National ANPR infrastructure is governed by national standards which are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-anpr-standards. Prior to the deployment of ANPR cameras an assessment must identify a need, which could include the impact on local crime, community confidence, serious organised crime, or national security.

Police Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies are responsible for ensuring additional static ANPR cameras within their area are appropriate in line with national standards and the Data Protection Act. The Home Office has no plan to alter this arrangement.

There are many differences between the 2015 CARE police pension scheme and the legacy police pension schemes, including the age at which benefits can normally be drawn. The main public service pension schemes – including the police pension schemes – were reformed following the recommendations of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.

The 2015 scheme offers valuable pensions, improves affordability and sustainability, and is fairer to lower and middle earners. It is backed by the taxpayer, index-linked, and offers guaranteed benefits on retirement.

There are also valuable protections for the benefits that members have accrued in their legacy schemes, including the point at which they can draw benefits.

Chief Constables have operational responsibility for consideration of firearms licensing applications and the allocation of resources to firearms licensing units.

However, we expect police forces to ensure that all applications for firearm certificates, whether new applications or those for renewal, are dealt with as efficiently as possible subject to addressing public safety risks.

My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after Storm Bert, flooding is a devastating experience for those affected.

Government support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. On this occasion, the Flood Recovery Framework was not activated following Storm Bert, due to the localised nature of the flooding. Overall, the scale of impacts was similar to that seen in many local areas this autumn and was not sufficiently significant for Government to intervene and for the Framework to be activated.

My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after Storm Bert, flooding is a devastating experience for those affected.

Government support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. On this occasion, the Flood Recovery Framework was not activated following Storm Bert, due to the localised nature of the flooding. Overall, the scale of impacts was similar to that seen in many local areas this autumn and was not sufficiently significant for Government to intervene and for the Framework to be activated.

NHS Wales and NHS England have a Statement of Values and Principles that underpins the arrangements for treatment for patients living on the Wales England border. This supports better patient outcomes and avoids fragmentation of care for those people living either side of the border. Further detail on the statement is in the link below.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cross-border-statement-of-values-and-principles.pdf