Maya Ellis

The public consultation to the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator asked whether there are unfair contractual practices in parts of the supply chain that are not covered by the Groceries Code or the Fair Dealing Regulations under the Agriculture Act 2020, but which are having a negative impact on grocery suppliers.

The government is currently considering responses to the consultation, alongside other evidence, and will publish a report on the findings of the review as soon as practicable.

The Government expects all UK companies to respect human rights, workers’ rights and the environment throughout their operations and supply chains in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). If there are concerns related to a multinational enterprise contravening the OECD Guidelines, a case can be raised with the Office for Responsible Business Conduct.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government also launched a review into the UK’s approach to RBC, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. This includes the fashion industry.

A worker who ‘blows the whistle’ (known as making a ‘protected disclosure’) on certain types of wrongdoing is entitled to protections under the Employment Rights Act 1996 from detriment or dismissal as a result of blowing the whistle, and a route to redress through Employment Tribunals if those protections are infringed.

The Government’s Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure. This will mean an employee making a protected disclosure about sexual harassment will be entitled to protection from being subjected to detriment or being dismissed by their employer for speaking out.

The government offers various support for business to transition to clean energy source, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for low carbon heating.

We also know that it is important that businesses have access to reliable information and advice to help them take action to reduce their emissions. We support the UK Business Climate Hub which provides advice to support business, particularly SMEs, to act. It is run by the Broadway Initiative, in partnership with government and a coalition of business organisations.

Government recognises the importance of diversifying the AI talent pool, and we will support this goal this through the design and delivery of our skills and talent programmes.

DSIT is standing up the new TechFirst programme that will reach 1 million young people across the UK with AI and tech educational opportunities. This will also support more of our most promising home talent into scholarship and PhD routes that they would not otherwise have accessed.

To further strengthen the UK’s AI skills base we are launching the prestigious AI Spärck scholarships and are expanding the Turing AI Fellowships. We are committed to ensuring that these programmes offer opportunities to a diverse range of participants.

UKRI is the primary funder of data science research and innovation in the UK. They required to show how they will ensure diversity of recruitment and support inclusion within their operations.

Government recognises the importance of diversifying the AI talent pool and we will support this goal this through the design and delivery of our skills and talent programmes.

DSIT is standing up the new TechFirst programme that will reach 1 million young people across the UK with AI and tech educational opportunities. This will also support more of our most promising home talent into scholarship and PhD routes that they would not otherwise have accessed.

We support initiatives such as the AI and Data Science Conversion Courses, which have successfully attracted a higher proportion of women than comparable STEM programmes.

To further strengthen the UK’s AI skills base we are launching the prestigious AI Spärck scholarships and are expanding the Turing AI Fellowships. We are committed to ensuring that these programmes offer opportunities to a diverse range of participants.

UKRI is the primary funder of data science research and innovation in the UK. They required to show how they will ensure diversity of recruitment and support inclusion within their operations.

We want to support local leaders to unlock their regions’ innovation potential – ensuring everyone benefits from innovation-led growth. Regardless of whether they have a Mayor or are a local authority. That’s why UK Research and Innovation invests in innovation across the UK, including through the £316 million Strength in Places Fund and £80 million Launchpads programmes. These are bolstering clusters in areas with and without devolution agreements. UKRI has awarded £85,000 to Ultraframe UK in the Ribble Valley, to develop high quality retrofit solutions.

The Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a vital role in informing local communities, and that public notices play an important role in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.

However, we are also aware of concerns from some sectors about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. In this context, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.

DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of public notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place public notices in print local newspapers. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.

Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 four arts and cultural organisations in the Ribble Valley constituency received Arts Council England funding totalling £81,281. For the same period, three museums and 114 arts and cultural organisations received Arts Council England Funding in Lancashire, with awards totalling £11,721,145.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Ribble Valley and Lancashire. The Government understands the important work that local news does across the UK, including outlets such as the Lancs Live and the Lancashire Telegraph. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.

We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors to discuss our planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has now been set up to consider the issues in more detail and we will announce more in the coming months.

The government provides financial support to creative professionals through DCMS funding programmes, grants from arm’s length bodies and wider government support, including through InnovateUK.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out an ambitious target to increase annual investment in the Creative Industries from £17 billion to £31 billion by 2035 and delivers £380 million of targeted spending in the sector over the next Spending Review. This builds on the £40 million in funding announced earlier this year, supporting cross-sector initiatives plus programmes in music, video games, film and TV.

​​The Best Start in Life Parent Hub website launched on 1 September as the department’s first step in developing the Best Start digital service. The site has been designed based on insights from extensive user research with parents and brings together content from across government under the Best Start in Life banner, aligning with the campaign launch and Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life.

​The department is ambitious for the digital service and as we move into the next stage, building new, rather than existing content, we will work with families and organisations such as local authorities, the Local Government Association, and the NHS to ensure the service fulfils parents’ needs.

The department is supporting the sector to attract talented new staff to join the workforce, as well as encourage skilled and qualified staff to return to early years roles by creating conditions for improved recruitment.

The department has been running a pilot that tests whether offering an incentive payment would increase recruitment levels in 20 local authorities. New starters in early years settings, and those returning to the sector, were required to have started in an eligible provider and meet certain eligibility criteria in one of these local authorities in order to receive a £1,000 payment.

Delivery on the scheme ended in March 2025. Data on the number of recruits receiving financial incentives will be included in the evaluation report, which will be published in due course.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with the Scottish Government over a range of important matters.

Eligible undergraduate students from England, who are attending a course in nursing at a university in Scotland, qualify for the same student support package from Student Finance England as English students studying in England, which includes a fee loan for meeting the full costs of their tuition, a partially means-tested loan for living costs and, for students with adult or child dependants, means-tested dependants’ grants. In addition, students with disabilities may qualify for non-means-tested Disabled Students’ Allowance.

The government has increased maximum grants and loans for living and other costs for students from England by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with forecast inflation, based on the RPIX inflation index.

Students studying on nursing courses also qualify for additional support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. However, this is only available to students who study at English Universities, regardless of where they are domiciled.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Ribble Valley to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55746.

​​The Best Start in Life website, launched on 1 September. This is accessible at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

​As development continues, the department is committed to ensuring the service is designed, positioned, and delivered in a way that meets the needs of parents and families. To date, discussions have taken place with officials across Whitehall and parents have been engaged directly through user research. We will broaden this engagement, including with local authorities and other key stakeholders, and continue to conduct further user research to ensure the service is responsive, effective and accessible to those who will benefit most.​

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified.

In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and other stakeholders continue to work in partnership with local communities to deliver innovative and alternative flood risk management practices. This includes Natural Flood Management measures, demonstrated most notably in Ribchester with an £80,000 investment. Advice and support are given to flood action groups, and the Environment Agency continue to issue flood warnings to residents. Collectively, all these measures serve to reduce the risk of flooding for households within the Ribble Valley.

Defra officials have engaged extensively with local authorities and representative bodies such as the Local Government Association and the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee on the introduction of the Simpler Recycling reforms to both workplaces and households. Through Simpler Recycling, every household and workplace across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic, paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only). This includes some items which are not currently widely collected for recycling, such as cartons. From 31 March 2027, this will also include kerbside plastic film collections.

Alongside Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme, these reforms should guarantee a consistent supply of recyclable materials. This should provide certainty, increasing investor confidence and unlocking investment in waste infrastructure.

We are working with the waste management sector to explore opportunities for infrastructure development and how we support them to create these conditions. We recently published a Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis in partnership with WRAP, setting out the size of the investment opportunity. Those looking to invest in waste management infrastructure are encouraged to engage with the National Wealth Fund.

In advance of establishing Great British Railways, the Government is developing a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, which will be the first for over 30 years. The strategy will set out our assessment of the likely long-term future rolling stock needs, and how those needs can best be met.

Passengers will be at the heart of the strategy. It will move us towards more consistent and accessible train designs that meet the needs of the passengers that use them, including families.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.

Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.

The driving test centres that serve candidates in the Ribble Valley are Blackburn, Nelson, Skipton and Preston. Blackburn and Nelson are part of the same cluster of centres. From recruitment campaigns, DVSA has recruited two new entrant driving examiners (DE) and offered a further four DEs a position for this cluster. Following successful completion of training the new entrant DEs will be in post late autumn. A further DE has also been offered a post in Skipton. After successful completion of training, they will also be in post by late autumn.

All drone operators in the UK must adhere to the Drone and Model Aircraft Code, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This includes protections for privacy. For a drone operator to undertake operations under 400ft they must successfully apply for an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.

Government is currently reforming Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS or drones) Regulations, which should come into force from 1 January 2026 and will enhance the safety, security and manufacturing standards for drones. These reforms will include the requirement for Remote Identification (a system that allows drones to be tracked and identified in real time) for all drones over 250g, which will enable law enforcement to identify non-compliant operators.

The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex; they interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We do however work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) on homelessness are considered.

The Secretary of State considers LHA rates annually at Autumn Budget. Decisions on LHA will be taken in the round considering a range of factors such as rental data, the Government’s missions, its goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context.

LHA rates were restored to the 30th percentile of local market rents from April 2024 for one year, costing £1.2bn in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) can be paid by local authorities to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. DHPs include a ring-fenced pot for the most rural areas

In developing a Child Poverty Strategy, the Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. The UK Government is committed to tackling child poverty across the UK where progress is contingent on reserved, devolved, and local levers. The Child Poverty Strategy will be UK-wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with Devolved Governments, recognising the progress that has been made on their poverty strategies and policies, and in England, with mayors and other local leaders.

Local authorities are a key part of our approach to learning directly about the experience of poverty in different communities and solutions already underway. Both the Taskforce and officials in the Child Poverty Unit have engaged with local communities regularly throughout the development of the strategy. This includes through a ministerial taskforce meeting with local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway. The Child Poverty Unit also consulted local authorities across England through a virtual webinar in December 2024, allowing authorities to feed into the development of the strategy. and visits to Manchester, Ashton-Under-Lyme, Cheshire and Merseyside.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty including an expansion of Free School Meals and a £39 billion investment in social and affordable housing. At the 2025 Spending Review we also announced a new March 2025 £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including the first ever multi-year settlement to transform the Household Support Fund into a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This longer-term funding approach enables local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assist people when faced with a financial crisis.

In developing a Child Poverty Strategy, the Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. The UK Government is committed to tackling child poverty across the UK where progress is contingent on reserved, devolved, and local levers. The Child Poverty Strategy will be UK-wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with Devolved Governments, recognising the progress that has been made on their poverty strategies and policies, and in England, with mayors and other local leaders.

Local authorities are a key part of our approach to learning directly about the experience of poverty in different communities and solutions already underway. Both the Taskforce and officials in the Child Poverty Unit have engaged with local communities regularly throughout the development of the strategy. This includes through a ministerial taskforce meeting with local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway. The Child Poverty Unit also consulted local authorities across England through a virtual webinar in December 2024, allowing authorities to feed into the development of the strategy. and visits to Manchester, Ashton-Under-Lyme, Cheshire and Merseyside.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty including an expansion of Free School Meals and a £39 billion investment in social and affordable housing. At the 2025 Spending Review we also announced a new March 2025 £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including the first ever multi-year settlement to transform the Household Support Fund into a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This longer-term funding approach enables local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assist people when faced with a financial crisis.

In developing a Child Poverty Strategy, the Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. The UK Government is committed to tackling child poverty across the UK where progress is contingent on reserved, devolved, and local levers. The Child Poverty Strategy will be UK-wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with Devolved Governments, recognising the progress that has been made on their poverty strategies and policies, and in England, with mayors and other local leaders.

Local authorities are a key part of our approach to learning directly about the experience of poverty in different communities and solutions already underway. Both the Taskforce and officials in the Child Poverty Unit have engaged with local communities regularly throughout the development of the strategy. This includes through a ministerial taskforce meeting with local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway. The Child Poverty Unit also consulted local authorities across England through a virtual webinar in December 2024, allowing authorities to feed into the development of the strategy. and visits to Manchester, Ashton-Under-Lyme, Cheshire and Merseyside.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty including an expansion of Free School Meals and a £39 billion investment in social and affordable housing. At the 2025 Spending Review we also announced a new March 2025 £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including the first ever multi-year settlement to transform the Household Support Fund into a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This longer-term funding approach enables local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assist people when faced with a financial crisis.

The Department is not currently able to provide constituency data on Pension Credit applications and awards.

Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes, for Great Britain only, were published on 29^th May 2025. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, and outstanding, from week commencing 3^rd April 2023 up to week commencing 19^th May 2025: Pension Credit applications and awards: May 2025. The next quarterly release of Pension Credit applications and awards statistics for Great Britian has been announced for late-August 2025: Pension Credit Applications and Awards Statistics: August 2025 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.

The NHS Long Term Plan and the accompanying guidance, Universal Personalised Care, made commitments to deliver choice and personalised care in maternity services. The NHS Long Term Plan and the Universal Personalised Care guidance are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/comprehensive-model/

The Maternity Programme supports local maternity systems to improve choice and deliver personalised care for women and their families.

NHS England has published guidance which sets out the four birthing choices: home birth; birth in a unit run by midwives; hospital birth; and unassisted birth. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/preparing-for-the-birth/where-to-give-birth-the-options/

The provision of arrangements for home birth and information on how this is provided is the responsibility of local National Health Service trusts, who are directed as appropriate by their integrated care board.

The NHS Long Term Plan and the accompanying guidance, Universal Personalised Care, made commitments to deliver choice and personalised care in maternity services. The NHS Long Term Plan and the Universal Personalised Care guidance are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/comprehensive-model/

The Maternity Programme supports local maternity systems to improve choice and deliver personalised care for women and their families.

NHS England has published guidance which sets out the four birthing choices: home birth; birth in a unit run by midwives; hospital birth; and unassisted birth. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/preparing-for-the-birth/where-to-give-birth-the-options/

The provision of arrangements for home birth and information on how this is provided is the responsibility of local National Health Service trusts, who are directed as appropriate by their integrated care board.

The NHS Long Term Plan and the accompanying guidance, Universal Personalised Care, made commitments to deliver choice and personalised care in maternity services. The NHS Long Term Plan and the Universal Personalised Care guidance are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/comprehensive-model/

The Maternity Programme supports local maternity systems to improve choice and deliver personalised care for women and their families.

NHS England has published guidance which sets out the four birthing choices: home birth; birth in a unit run by midwives; hospital birth; and unassisted birth. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/preparing-for-the-birth/where-to-give-birth-the-options/

The provision of arrangements for home birth and information on how this is provided is the responsibility of local National Health Service trusts, who are directed as appropriate by their integrated care board.

We know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we recognise that British farmers, and others living and working in isolated communities, may face particular challenges in accessing the mental health services that they need.

We are working with NHS England on a refreshed workforce plan, which will revolve around the three shifts to deliver our 10-Year Health Plan: moving more care from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it, including in rural and agricultural communities.

Specifically in relation to farmers mental health and wellbeing, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is supporting access to farmer mental health support services by funding the Farmer Welfare Grant. This aids organisations in delivering projects which will support mental health and build resilience in local farming communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource provides business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression, and suicide.

Defra is also developing options in consultation with communities, farming support organisations, and experts across Government, as to how it can further support the investment in mental health interventions for those in agricultural communities.

A number of interventions specifically aimed at addressing maternal and neonatal inequalities are underway. These include the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, delivery of an inequalities dashboard, and projects on removing racial bias from clinical education and embedding genetic risk equity. Additionally, all local maternity and neonatal systems have published Equity and Equality actions plans to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas.

An important aspect of both the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce announced in June 2025, is to address inequalities in maternal and neonatal care and promote health equity in the delivery of those services.

The Government remains committed to setting an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap, and is taking an evidence-based approach to ensure that any targets set are women and baby-centred.