Munira Wilson

With apologies to the hon. Member, a response has now been issued.

The Cabinet Office is currently working to update the Government Property Strategy. The existing strategy will remain in place until a new strategy is published.

Information on the disposal of surplus assets by public bodies is not held centrally.

Government organisations including the Government Property Agency must follow the provisions for the disposal of surplus government property established in guidance issued by HM Treasury, specifically that disposal decisions should take account of wider social costs and benefits and should form part of any appraisal, and when appropriate it may be justifiable to choose an option that does not generate the highest Exchequer receipt, for example to support a wider government policy objective such as regeneration.

HMT guidance sets out the method for calculating wider social, economic and environmental benefits in policy and project appraisal, and how to treat disposals at less than market value.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) publishes updated figures every month.

As of 14 March, IBCA had invited 255 people to start their compensation claim, and 214 of those had started the claim process. 63 offers of compensation had been made, totalling over £73 million, and so far 40 people had accepted their offers with more than £44 million paid in compensation.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.

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

Ofcom is investigating Royal Mail’s performance in the 2024-25 financial year for failing to meet its regulated targets. The government expects that Ofcom will continue to closely monitor Royal Mail’s performance and take action where appropriate.

The government recognises that small businesses are critical to our communities and essential to our economic success. We are committed to hardwiring the voice of small business into everything we do and collaborating with businesses and workers to kickstart and rebuild our economy.

The universal postal service ensures that SMEs have access to an affordable service, both in the UK and internationally.

Ofcom, as independent regulator for the postal sector, is responsible for securing the provision of a universal postal service. In its 2023-24 Post Monitoring Report, Ofcom found that overall three-quarters (74%) of SMEs were satisfied with the quality of service they receive from Royal Mail, while overall satisfaction with other providers stood at 81%.

All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

On 2 September we took decisive action, suspending certain licences for exports of items for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) that might be used in military operations in Gaza – whether such licences covered military or dual-use goods – and we continue to review licence applications on this basis.

We welcome the publication of the report and the contribution to the evidence base used to inform our trade policy. Our number one priority is growing the UK economy, and a positive trading relationship with both the US and with our European partners are part of that approach.

The Government continues to consider ways in which consumers can be supported in accessing redress and regularly reviews how standards of consumer protection within the construction sector could be improved.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 contains measures to improve Alternative Dispute Resolution in consumer markets by raising standards of consistency and quality, and encouraging business take up.

The Government-funded Citizens Advice consumer service offers free advice to consumers on their rights and how to take complaints forward. A list of Alternative Dispute Resolution bodies and their related sector is available on the Chartered Trading Standards Institute website.

The sixth carbon budget will include the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping (IAS) emissions for the first time, in line with the previous administration’s announcement in April 2021. The sixth carbon budget has already been set at 965 MtCO2e in the Carbon Budget Order 2021, which reflects that this will include IAS.

Including IAS in the carbon budget from a legal perspective means making regulations under s.30 of the Climate Change Act 2008. This Government intends to legislate for IAS inclusion at the earliest possible opportunity, subject to Parliamentary scheduling.

The £610m Faraday Battery Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK, supports mission-led academic research on battery recycling technologies through the Faraday Institution’s (FI’s) ReLiB project. ReLiB researchers at the University of Leicester have recently demonstrated algae-derived water miscible anode blinders that can be fully recovered at the end of the batteries life, and are looking to demonstrate an “all” water-soluble binder system that will simplifying battery recycling by the Summer 2025.

ReLiB researchers at the University of Birmingham have also been collaborating with a leading supplier of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder on the use of “green” solvents for binder recovery from used batteries. They have also recently demonstrated a new process to recover and reuse PVDF binders in new cells.

The Government is actively coordinating its efforts to ensure a just transition, enabling workers to benefit from the economic opportunities arising from our shift to net zero. To support this, it has established the Office for Clean Energy Jobs, which aims to assist workers and communities at risk of economic displacement by focusing on skill development and training in the clean energy and net zero sectors. The Government’s primary goal is to create quality jobs in Britain’s industrial heartlands, ensuring a fair transition for industries based in the North Sea.

This Government is committed to restoring the UK’s global leadership on climate and nature. We are honouring the existing commitment on our pledge to spend £11.6bn in International Climate Finance between April 2021 and March 2026 including at least £3bn on nature, from which £1.5bn will be dedicated to protecting and restoring forests. In doing so, we can encourage member states at COP29 to follow our example. Public finance will continue to be key, but we cannot act alone. A concerted and sustained global effort to boost finance from all sources is necessary.

We know that to achieve net zero, we must look at how we can accelerate the potential of all low carbon technologies including geothermal. The Government understands that geothermal can play a role in our decarbonisation ambitions particularly as a low carbon source for heat via heat networks. We have commissioned research into the potential costs of geothermal heat in the UK and will use this to understand how the government can support the sector to achieve its potential.

The Department attaches great importance to providing timely responses to correspondence and is working hard to improve our processes, including through greater digitisation. A response to this letter was regrettably delayed by administrative error, for which the Department sincerely apologises. We issued a full response on 16 May 2025.

The Government received over 11,500 responses to the consultation on copyright and AI. It is now carefully considering these responses, and a Government response will be published when this work is complete. Government amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill commit the Government to publishing a full report on some of the issues covered in the consultation within 12 months of Royal Assent.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with ARIA on a range of matters. As set out in ARIA’s Framework Agreement, ARIA has unique operational freedoms, including over its research and project choice and its procedures. This independence allows ARIA to take bold steps to better understand the world we live in, and the Government supports ARIA exploring critical areas like this.

The government is not in favour of using Solar Radiation Modification. ARIA is an independent research body and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of its risks and impacts. The government supports ARIA’s mission to fund transformational research programmes with long-term benefits.

For further detail on ARIA’s ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme specifically, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I provided on 2 May 2025 to Question UIN 47970.

DSIT published an impact assessment for the Online Safety Act which contains estimates on the number of firms in scope. DSIT has not made a specific estimate in these areas nor has set specific targets.

The Act will require in-scope services to prevent all users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content including illegal eating disorder content, as well as protecting children from legal content which encourages, promotes or provides instruction for suicide, self-injury or eating disorders online.

Ofcom, responsible for the Act’s implementation, will provide guidance or codes of practice relating to the safety duties.

DSIT is developing a framework to evaluate the Act’s implementation and core outcomes.

DSIT published an impact assessment for the Online Safety Act which contains estimates on the number of firms in scope. DSIT has not made a specific estimate in these areas nor has set specific targets.

The Act will require in-scope services to prevent all users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content including illegal eating disorder content, as well as protecting children from legal content which encourages, promotes or provides instruction for suicide, self-injury or eating disorders online.

Ofcom, responsible for the Act’s implementation, will provide guidance or codes of practice relating to the safety duties.

DSIT is developing a framework to evaluate the Act’s implementation and core outcomes.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is leading the Government’s contribution to the VE and VJ Day 80 and is working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to ensure appropriate representation at official events. The guest list for the commemorations has not been finalised.

Ofcom, the independent regulator, is responsible for drafting and maintaining the Broadcasting Code, which outlines standards for television and radio broadcasting in the United Kingdom. The Government has no plans to make an assessment of the potential impact on the protection of children by including online podcasts in the Broadcasting Code.

The Government has no plans to widen the scope of the Broadcasting Code to include all online podcasts.

The government wants to see remuneration arrangements that create the right conditions for sparking and driving innovation and investment, whilst rewarding creators for their work.

The governments response to the CMS Committee’s report on Creator Remuneration acknowledges the challenges facing creatives. In responding, the government has committed to exploring the case for a Freelance Commissioner and highlights the new provisions in the Employment Rights Bill. The government is also committed to finding the right balance between fostering innovation in artificial intelligence and ensuring protection for creators and investment in the creative industries. We intend to proceed carefully but with a degree of urgency in this area and hope to announce next steps soon.

On music streaming specifically, the government believes all artists and creators should be appropriately remunerated for the use of their works, as this is what allows them to invest their time, effort, and money into creating music. That is why this government is engaging with music stakeholders, including through a working group to pursue industry-led actions on remuneration from music streaming. We will continue to bring industry and creator representatives together to address issues and find solutions.

At the 2025 Spending Review, the department announced that funding for schools will increase by £4.7 billion per year by 2028/29 compared to the 2025/26 core schools budget, which was published in the Spring Statement 2025.

This additional funding will enable us to transform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to make mainstream education more inclusive and improve outcomes for children with SEND.

Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform, including how we will ensure children get the support they need earlier, will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

We do not expect local authorities to use their future high needs funding allocations to pay down their historic deficits.

At the 2025 Spending Review, the department announced that funding for schools will increase by £4.7 billion per year by 2028/29 compared to the 2025/26 core schools budget, which was published in the Spring Statement 2025.

This additional funding will enable us to transform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to make mainstream education more inclusive and improve outcomes for children with SEND.

Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform, including how we will ensure children get the support they need earlier, will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

We do not expect local authorities to use their future high needs funding allocations to pay down their historic deficits.

The department is providing £1.4 billion to support schools with their increases to employer National Insurance contributions and staff pay awards in the 2025/26 financial year. Following the spring Spending Review, this level of funding will continue, and we announced additional funding that will take core school budgets to £65.9 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. Schools have autonomy over how they use their core funding to best meet their priorities, including any decisions on staffing.

More information on core funding allocations for 2026/27 will be announced in the autumn, as part of the usual national funding formulae process. Costs such as pay for future years are currently uncertain and subject to the outcomes of separate pay processes.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained FSM eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. Following our expansion of eligibility from September 2026, it is our intention to end all protections.

Schools will receive an increase in funding as a result of the change in FSM policy. We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections.

There will be no impact of the removal of FSM protections on the pupil premium or related disadvantage funding during the spending review period. Pupils that are currently protected will remain so for 6 years after they receive FSM under the "FSM6" categorisation.

Over the longer term, we are reviewing how we allocate pupil premium and related funding to schools and local authorities to ensure it is targeted to those who need it most, while maintaining the overall amount we spend on these funding streams.

100,000 children will be lifted out of poverty by the end of this Parliament, through the extension of free school meals (FSM) to all households on Universal Credit. Children who meet the new, higher threshold for FSM from September 2026 will not automatically be entitled to ‘extended rights’ home to school travel. The government’s overriding priority is to tackle child hunger.

Children will continue to be eligible for ‘extended rights’ home to school transport if they live in a household with an income below the existing FSM threshold and meet the eligibility criteria relating to the distance between their home and school. Further information about a new mechanism for assessing eligibility for ‘extended rights’ home to school travel will be available shortly.