Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Government is considering additional interim support for rural households and businesses that remain without access to gigabit-capable broadband while awaiting connection through Project Gigabit contracts; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) temporary voucher expansion, (b) support for alternative wireless technologies and (c) targeted assistance for communities facing delivery delays beyond originally indicated connection timelines.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to ensuring at least 99% of premises receive gigabit broadband coverage by 2032. As of January 2026, Ofcom report that 88% of UK premises have access to a gigabit-capable connection.

In the interim, most premises can access superfast fixed wired connections (available to 98% of UK premises), and connectivity via fixed wireless and satellite connections is also available in many areas. We continue to monitor and support the development of the satellite market and further suppliers are expected to enter it this year.

Building Digital UK (BDUK) works with Project Gigabit suppliers to avoid delivery delays wherever possible. Where these do occur, recovery plans or alternative delivery solutions are put in place to bring delivery back on track as quickly as possible and mitigate any impacts that might arise.

The last date for claims under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is March 2028. There are no plans to extend the scheme beyond this date as low volumes mean that it would not offer value for money.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care is implemented consistently by local integrated care boards; and when his Department plans to publish the interim statement on that Framework.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will publish an interim update on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn.

The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services, with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving support for Service children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I have engaged with Department for Education (DfE) Ministers, including my hon. Friend, the Minister for Early Years Education (Olivia Bailey). We have discussed SEND support for children from Armed Forces Families and how the launch of the DfE’s Best Start Family Hub (BSFH) programme has specific reference to Armed Forces families. One of the key areas of delivery provided by the BSFH will be early intervention support for families with children (0-five years old) with SEND and offer SEND support for children and young people up to the age of 25.

Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials have collaborated with the DfE leading up to the launch of the Best Start Family Hub (BSFH) programme, resulting in the BSFH guidance for local authorities including specific reference to supporting Armed Forces Families. The MOD have also been working with the Local Government Association, who have been commissioned to deliver the BSFH toolkits for the local authorities to base their delivery around.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of electricity pricing arrangements on (a) small and medium sized enterprises and (b) other non domestic consumers; and what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses with their energy costs.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We are closely monitoring the impact of energy prices on businesses caused by the instability in the middle east, and much will depend on the length of the ongoing crisis. We are increasing the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant for properties heated by oil and LPG, taking the total grant to £9,000. This will help SMEs in England and Wales most impacted by rising energy prices to electrify their heating and provide greater certainty over energy bills.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made on reforming the business rates system to support small businesses and maintain community infrastructure in rural areas.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Rural Rate Relief (RRR) provides 100 per cent business rates relief for certain properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000.

At the Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. This includes the Supporting Small Business scheme, which supports ratepayers who have lost eligibility for certain reliefs, including RRR. This means most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15% or less in 2026/27, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. The Government has also introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27, on top of the existing support package announced at the Budget. For the following two years, their bills will be frozen in real terms.

Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefitting from reduced bills as this relief tapers. At the Budget, the Government introduced an additional two years of SBRR for businesses expanding into a second property to support small businesses to grow and expand.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered introducing tapered arrangements for Rural Rate Relief to mitigate the loss of relief where rateable values increase marginally above the eligibility threshold.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Rural Rate Relief (RRR) provides 100 per cent business rates relief for certain properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000.

At the Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. This includes the Supporting Small Business scheme, which supports ratepayers who have lost eligibility for certain reliefs, including RRR. This means most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15% or less in 2026/27, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. The Government has also introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27, on top of the existing support package announced at the Budget. For the following two years, their bills will be frozen in real terms.

Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefitting from reduced bills as this relief tapers. At the Budget, the Government introduced an additional two years of SBRR for businesses expanding into a second property to support small businesses to grow and expand.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the most recent business rates revaluation on small rural businesses in receipt of Rural Rate Relief, with particular reference to community pubs.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Rural Rate Relief (RRR) provides 100 per cent business rates relief for certain properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000.

At the Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. This includes the Supporting Small Business scheme, which supports ratepayers who have lost eligibility for certain reliefs, including RRR. This means most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15% or less in 2026/27, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. The Government has also introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27, on top of the existing support package announced at the Budget. For the following two years, their bills will be frozen in real terms.

Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefitting from reduced bills as this relief tapers. At the Budget, the Government introduced an additional two years of SBRR for businesses expanding into a second property to support small businesses to grow and expand.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the effectiveness of existing support schemes, including the Supporting Small Business scheme, is being evaluated in relation to businesses that have lost eligibility for Rural Rate Relief following revaluation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Rural Rate Relief (RRR) provides 100 per cent business rates relief for certain properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000.

At the Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. This includes the Supporting Small Business scheme, which supports ratepayers who have lost eligibility for certain reliefs, including RRR. This means most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15% or less in 2026/27, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. The Government has also introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27, on top of the existing support package announced at the Budget. For the following two years, their bills will be frozen in real terms.

Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefitting from reduced bills as this relief tapers. At the Budget, the Government introduced an additional two years of SBRR for businesses expanding into a second property to support small businesses to grow and expand.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to support local pubs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that pubs play a vital role in supporting local economies and communities across the UK.

That is why the Government announced business rates support for pubs. As of April 2026, every pub received a 15% cut to new business rates bills, followed by a two year real-terms freeze.

A new three-year £10m Hospitality Support Scheme will help improve the resilience of hospitality businesses, including helping pubs in rural areas diversify their community offer. Pubs will also be able to extend opening hours for Home Nations matches in the later stages of the Men’s Football World Cup 2026.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Property Value Protection Scheme in meeting its objectives in communities affected by proposals for a Geological Disposal Facility; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the scheme provides adequate assurance and protection for homeowners.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) Property Value Protection (PVP) scheme is a discretionary property support scheme designed to assist eligible homeowners who have a compelling need to sell but are unable to do so other than at a substantially reduced price as a result of the GDF siting process in their community. It draws on comparable schemes used for major infrastructure projects.

The scheme is delivered by NWS, and applications are assessed against clear eligibility criteria by an independent panel. There are opportunities to review the scheme as the programme progresses. NWS continues to engage with local communities to raise awareness and support potential applicants, helping to ensure the scheme operates fairly and consistently.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs in the Westmorland and Furness local authority area; and what timescales are expected for delivery.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

All local authorities, including Westmoreland and Furness, completed a Best Start in Life readiness survey in January 2026. In this survey, Westmorland and Furness indicated that they expected four Best Start Family Hubs to be established across the Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland, and Eden localities from April 2026, with a possible expansion to 15 hubs by March 2029. We expect the local authority to set out further detail on these planned hubs, including which may become network sites, in the Best Start Family Hub Delivery Plan, due in mid June.

The department works closely with local authorities to monitor implementation and ensure they are meeting programme expectations. Each local authority has a named contact responsible for overseeing delivery, and the department intends to work in close partnership with local authorities to review progress, share effective practice, and ensure areas are appropriately supported to drive improvements for children and families.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress her department has made on improving cyber resilience.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Enhancing the resilience of our economy to cyber attacks is a priority for the government, and we are taking positive action.

My department published the Government Cyber Action Plan (GCAP) in January, setting out how government will improve the cyber security and resilience of public services. The GCAP is backed by over £210 million of central investment. This funding establishes the Government Cyber Unit in my department and enables investment in scalable services, support, and response capability to accelerate transformation.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which proposes new laws to improve UK cyber defences and protect essential public services, has completed Commons Committee stage and will soon proceed to Commons Report stage.

The Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 has improved the security of consumer ‘smart’ devices, with recent testing showing 100% compliance with new requirements for stronger password protections.

My department has recently announced the Cyber Resilience Pledge which will launch in the summer. By signing the pledge, organisations from across the economy commit to take action to improve their cyber resilience by making cyber risk a board-level priority, signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Early Warning service, and requiring Cyber Essentials across their supply chains.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Valuation Office Agency is applying the statutory requirement to base Council Tax bandings on 1 April 1991 property values; and whether he will review the consistency and transparency of the Agency’s banding decisions to reassure residents they are not being overcharged due to incorrect or inflated banding decisions.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Valuation Office will assess the council tax bands of all domestic properties in England based on their capital value in 1991. Information on how the Valuation Office assesses the banding of individual properties is available here. They continue to carry out their work independently of central government.

Where residents believe banding may be inaccurate there is a process to challenge these bandings. The government has committed to consult further on improving the process for challenging bands.

The Valuation Office has been integrated into HMRC from 1 April 2026 and therefore no longer exist as an executive agency.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of local authority assessment delays on service children with special educational needs and disabilities who relocate frequently due to Armed Forces postings; and what steps she is taking to ensure continuity of support in such cases.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that Armed Forces life may present particular challenges for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). As part of our consultation on SEND reforms, I attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group to hear first-hand from armed forces families about these challenges.

In our consultation we included proposals for new National Inclusion Standards, setting out support that should be available in every mainstream setting. We also proposed a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages to provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs, underpinning education, health and care (EHC) plans to help end the postcode lottery in support. Additionally, EHC plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support service children by facilitating smoother transitions and improved information sharing when they move between schools or local authorities. We will confirm our intentions over reform in the light of consultation responses.

The SEND Code of Practice currently provides guidance on how to best support these children. For example, local authorities should use all relevant evidence when considering provision, including evidence of the support given during the previous posting. We will update the Code of Practice as part of the SEND reforms, including strengthening the material on supporting service children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on recognising existing diagnoses and statutory support plans for armed forces families with special educational needs and disabilities when families move to a new area.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that Armed Forces life may present particular challenges for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). As part of our consultation on SEND reforms, I attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group to hear first-hand from armed forces families about these challenges.

In our consultation we included proposals for new National Inclusion Standards, setting out support that should be available in every mainstream setting. We also proposed a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages to provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs, underpinning education, health and care (EHC) plans to help end the postcode lottery in support. Additionally, EHC plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support service children by facilitating smoother transitions and improved information sharing when they move between schools or local authorities. We will confirm our intentions over reform in the light of consultation responses.

The SEND Code of Practice currently provides guidance on how to best support these children. For example, local authorities should use all relevant evidence when considering provision, including evidence of the support given during the previous posting. We will update the Code of Practice as part of the SEND reforms, including strengthening the material on supporting service children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the portability of Education, Health and Care Plans for service children with special educational needs and disabilities when families move between local authority areas.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that Armed Forces life may present particular challenges for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). As part of our consultation on SEND reforms, I attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group to hear first-hand from armed forces families about these challenges.

In our consultation we included proposals for new National Inclusion Standards, setting out support that should be available in every mainstream setting. We also proposed a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages to provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs, underpinning education, health and care (EHC) plans to help end the postcode lottery in support. Additionally, EHC plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support service children by facilitating smoother transitions and improved information sharing when they move between schools or local authorities. We will confirm our intentions over reform in the light of consultation responses.

The SEND Code of Practice currently provides guidance on how to best support these children. For example, local authorities should use all relevant evidence when considering provision, including evidence of the support given during the previous posting. We will update the Code of Practice as part of the SEND reforms, including strengthening the material on supporting service children.