Mike Martin

A reliable and affordable universal postal service that works for customers, workers and communities is crucial to the UK businesses that help drive growth across the country.

The universal service obligation is a legally binding commitment on the designated universal service provider and its ongoing provision is required irrespective of the ownership of the business.

The department laid the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 on 22 May which ensures that students who have been granted leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme will qualify for student support in England and home fee status from the 2024/25 academic year, without requiring them to meet the normal three year ordinary residence requirement. This is in line with those granted leave under the other Ukraine schemes.

The Student Loans Company will make the necessary amendments to guidance in time for when the scheme opens.

Nature and catchment-based solutions in the water sector have an important role to play. Natural flood management (NFM) is a key part of our approach to mitigating flood risk, and can involve floodplain meadows when designed and located appropriately

Natural England support the role of nature-based solutions (NBS), like water meadows in resolving multiple pressures on the water environment. NBS are a core pillar of Natural England’s five-year aims.

The Environment Agency is increasingly looking to nature to enhance ecosystem services, reduce risks, and build resilience in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters. Using NBS involves protecting existing natural functions, restoring ecosystems, and recreating landscapes. NBS benefit wildlife, food security, and resilience to floods and droughts. Restoring floodplains and water meadows reduces pollution from intensive agriculture while improving aquifer recharge, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity (CIEEM, 2022). Projects like Mires for Moors show how peatland restoration and upland reforestation reduce runoff, prevent sewer overflows, and mitigate flooding, as seen in the Ullswater Catchment.

On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

The scope of the commission is detailed in its terms of reference, available on GOV.UK. It includes specific mention of enabling the greater use of nature-based solutions where these represent good value for money.

The commission will provide a report to the Government by Q2 2025 with recommendations to the Secretary of State and Welsh ministers. Once the commission has made recommendations, both Governments will respond and consult on proposals, including potential legislation.

The Environment Agency (EA) continues to regulate Southern Water (SW) in the Tunbridge Wells area, including through the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). The EA also monitor SW’s permit compliance to drive required improvements. More widely, The Environment Agency are working with the wider community through the Medway Catchment Partnership to improve the quality of waterways in Kent.

As Southern Water’s proposals for the next five-year Asset Management Period (AMP8) have not yet been agreed with Ofwat, the Environment Agency are unable to comment on future plans in the area. The Environment Agency will however make assessments of future schemes as appropriate.

Stansted Airport’s noise contour limit has been set through a local planning agreement. Enforcement of local planning conditions at Stansted Airport is a matter for the local authority, Uttlesford District Council.

National Highways’ South Central Route Strategy recognises the current pressures and future needs of the A21 in Kent particularly around journey time reliability and safety. National Highways will consider the case and priority for further improvements to the route as part of its future investment planning.

Regarding hedgerow maintenance, National Highways regularly inspects the A21 to ensure safety and maintain vegetation. Hedge maintenance and clearance are carried out on a schedule to balance safety and environmental needs. For hedgerows, work is typically done outside the bird nesting season, from October to February. Shrubs are maintained every three years, and woodland is managed every seven years. Where responsibilities for maintenance falls to landowners, National Highways intends to raise awareness about vegetation clearance with residents living along the A21.

The A21 Safety Package is a series of schemes to improve safety along the route which includes among others junction improvements, changes to speed limits, improved signage and road markings, and improvements to road visibility. On the issue of visibility, where this was identified as a risk during the design stage, the interventions being delivered will address that. For example, work has been undertaken to improve visibility at Vinehall School, where visibility was identified as a factor to the conflicting movement at the exit/entrance of the school. National Highways undertook clearance works to improve the visibility splay, which was completed in the last financial year. In November 2024 National Highways undertook vegetation clearance at Riverhill lay-bay to help make the lay-bay more visible to the users.

Finally, as with all the safety measures, National Highways will carry out a post implementation analysis to evaluate the safety interventions undertaken on the A21. Post analysis normally includes a road safety audit which provides an effective, independent review of the road safety implications of the interventions for all road users. Evaluation usually happens 12-18 months after the intervention and the metrics measured will vary depending on the type of intervention.

National Highways’ South Central Route Strategy recognises the current pressures and future needs of the A21 in Kent particularly around journey time reliability and safety. National Highways will consider the case and priority for further improvements to the route as part of its future investment planning.

Regarding hedgerow maintenance, National Highways regularly inspects the A21 to ensure safety and maintain vegetation. Hedge maintenance and clearance are carried out on a schedule to balance safety and environmental needs. For hedgerows, work is typically done outside the bird nesting season, from October to February. Shrubs are maintained every three years, and woodland is managed every seven years. Where responsibilities for maintenance falls to landowners, National Highways intends to raise awareness about vegetation clearance with residents living along the A21.

The A21 Safety Package is a series of schemes to improve safety along the route which includes among others junction improvements, changes to speed limits, improved signage and road markings, and improvements to road visibility. On the issue of visibility, where this was identified as a risk during the design stage, the interventions being delivered will address that. For example, work has been undertaken to improve visibility at Vinehall School, where visibility was identified as a factor to the conflicting movement at the exit/entrance of the school. National Highways undertook clearance works to improve the visibility splay, which was completed in the last financial year. In November 2024 National Highways undertook vegetation clearance at Riverhill lay-bay to help make the lay-bay more visible to the users.

Finally, as with all the safety measures, National Highways will carry out a post implementation analysis to evaluate the safety interventions undertaken on the A21. Post analysis normally includes a road safety audit which provides an effective, independent review of the road safety implications of the interventions for all road users. Evaluation usually happens 12-18 months after the intervention and the metrics measured will vary depending on the type of intervention.

National Highways’ South Central Route Strategy recognises the current pressures and future needs of the A21 in Kent particularly around journey time reliability and safety. National Highways will consider the case and priority for further improvements to the route as part of its future investment planning.

Regarding hedgerow maintenance, National Highways regularly inspects the A21 to ensure safety and maintain vegetation. Hedge maintenance and clearance are carried out on a schedule to balance safety and environmental needs. For hedgerows, work is typically done outside the bird nesting season, from October to February. Shrubs are maintained every three years, and woodland is managed every seven years. Where responsibilities for maintenance falls to landowners, National Highways intends to raise awareness about vegetation clearance with residents living along the A21.

The A21 Safety Package is a series of schemes to improve safety along the route which includes among others junction improvements, changes to speed limits, improved signage and road markings, and improvements to road visibility. On the issue of visibility, where this was identified as a risk during the design stage, the interventions being delivered will address that. For example, work has been undertaken to improve visibility at Vinehall School, where visibility was identified as a factor to the conflicting movement at the exit/entrance of the school. National Highways undertook clearance works to improve the visibility splay, which was completed in the last financial year. In November 2024 National Highways undertook vegetation clearance at Riverhill lay-bay to help make the lay-bay more visible to the users.

Finally, as with all the safety measures, National Highways will carry out a post implementation analysis to evaluate the safety interventions undertaken on the A21. Post analysis normally includes a road safety audit which provides an effective, independent review of the road safety implications of the interventions for all road users. Evaluation usually happens 12-18 months after the intervention and the metrics measured will vary depending on the type of intervention.

National Highways’ South Central Route Strategy recognises the current pressures and future needs of the A21 in Kent particularly around journey time reliability and safety. National Highways will consider the case and priority for further improvements to the route as part of its future investment planning.

Regarding hedgerow maintenance, National Highways regularly inspects the A21 to ensure safety and maintain vegetation. Hedge maintenance and clearance are carried out on a schedule to balance safety and environmental needs. For hedgerows, work is typically done outside the bird nesting season, from October to February. Shrubs are maintained every three years, and woodland is managed every seven years. Where responsibilities for maintenance falls to landowners, National Highways intends to raise awareness about vegetation clearance with residents living along the A21.

The A21 Safety Package is a series of schemes to improve safety along the route which includes among others junction improvements, changes to speed limits, improved signage and road markings, and improvements to road visibility. On the issue of visibility, where this was identified as a risk during the design stage, the interventions being delivered will address that. For example, work has been undertaken to improve visibility at Vinehall School, where visibility was identified as a factor to the conflicting movement at the exit/entrance of the school. National Highways undertook clearance works to improve the visibility splay, which was completed in the last financial year. In November 2024 National Highways undertook vegetation clearance at Riverhill lay-bay to help make the lay-bay more visible to the users.

Finally, as with all the safety measures, National Highways will carry out a post implementation analysis to evaluate the safety interventions undertaken on the A21. Post analysis normally includes a road safety audit which provides an effective, independent review of the road safety implications of the interventions for all road users. Evaluation usually happens 12-18 months after the intervention and the metrics measured will vary depending on the type of intervention.

The Rodenticides Stewardship Scheme was developed by The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK to promote responsible use and is overseen by the Government Oversight Group for Rodenticide Stewardship (GOG), chaired by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The GOG is conducting a review of rodenticide stewardship, under which it will consider all appropriate evidence. The detailed work of this review is expected to be completed in 2025.

Wildlife crime is a matter for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh and Scottish Governments, and the Police. Bird of prey crime is identified by Defra as a national wildlife crime priority, and significant sanctions are available against proven perpetrators of the crime, including an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. HSE may also take action, where appropriate, in its role as a workplace health and safety regulator.

It is for sponsoring employers to decide what pension benefits they offer, provided these meet minimum standards. These benefits are set out in the scheme rules. It would not be appropriate for the Government to interfere in decisions made by individual schemes, beyond setting clear, affordable minimum standards that apply to all.

Pensions legislation does not usually apply new provisions retrospectively to rights that have already been accrued. It is generally seen to be unreasonable to add liabilities to pension schemes that could not have been taken into account in the funding assumptions that determined the contributions to be paid at the time. In some cases, the additional, unplanned liabilities could result in significant additional contributions from the sponsoring employer, and could ultimately threaten the future viability of some schemes.

It is important to achieve a balance between providing members with some measure of protection against inflation and not increasing schemes’ costs beyond a level that schemes and employers can generally afford.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice jointly consulted on proposals to provide coroners with new powers to investigate term stillbirths in 2019. In 2023, a factual summary of responses to the consultation was published. The Government will provide an update on next steps at the earliest opportunity.

Under the honours system of the United Kingdom, anyone can receive an award, and anyone can nominate someone if they demonstrate the exceptional contribution the person has made.

Recognition for those working in the private sector is primarily a matter for their employers.

The information is not held centrally in the format requested, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Kent and Medway ICB.

In the NHS Kent and Medway ICB, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics published by NHS England show that there were a total of 8,695 patients with an open suspected autism referral in September 2024, the latest available data, and a total of 3,015 patients with an open suspected autism referral in September 2020. The median waiting time of all patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 483 days in September 2024, and 139 days in September 2020.

Data on children and young people in this dataset is expected to be an underestimate and caution should be used when interpreting these statistics since they are experimental rather than official statistics.

It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

National Health Services may sometimes choose to use withheld numbers when contacting patients, including to protect patient privacy and confidentiality, but we appreciate the frustration that patients can feel when they are unable to contact clinical staff, especially following a call from a withheld number, and recognise the importance of patients being able to establish channels of two-way communication.

The Elective Reform Plan, launched as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure patients are seen on time, but also to improve their experience of care, which includes enhancing and improving two-way communication between patients and NHS services, whether through digital options such as an enhanced NHS App or non-digital routes.

I know firsthand how complex and debilitating long COVID can be.

Since 2020, specialist long COVID services have been made available in England, and NHS England is now completing a stocktake of these services.

This will provide an accurate national picture, identify key challenges and make strategic recommendations for future service improvement, development and assurance.

We have also invested over £57 million in long COVID research.

Over 3.6 million people have fled Sudan since the current conflict began in April 2023; many more (8.8 million people) have been internally displaced. Those fleeing Sudan in need of international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach - that is the fastest route to safety. The UK continues to use all diplomatic means possible to bring the warring parties to the table to end this conflict - the surest way to ensure people can stay safely in Sudan. The UK continues to provide significant support to those fleeing Sudan, most recently with the Foreign Secretary announcing a major aid increase of £113 million on 17 November 2024 to support people affected by the conflict, including in neighbouring countries, such as Chad and South Sudan. The Minister for International Development and HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh witnessed the impact of the crisis on people in neighbouring countries first-hand during their respective visits to South Sudan and Chad last year.

The FCDO takes the opinions of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention seriously. We continue to provide consular assistance to Mr Cornelius and his case has been raised at senior levels, highlighting the Government's support for his appeal for clemency.

The UK is deeply concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Pakistan, including in Balochistan province. The British High Commission regularly raises these issues with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level, including the need to address allegations of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. I discussed our human rights concerns with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Azam Tarar, on 4 September and 19 November. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee individuals' rights as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. The Shawcross Report was commissioned by the previous government as an internal report drawing on a series of private and confidential conversations. We will keep decisions on publication regarding the Shawcross Report under review.

If the UK sanctions an individual, their UK assets are frozen. Sanctioned individuals cannot access frozen funds or obtain any financial benefit (including from ownership of interests in UK companies) without HMT/OFSI granting a licence.

Additionally, the National Security and Investment Act allows HMG to intervene in transactions that threaten national security.