Noah Law

The investment in solar power and complementary decarbonisation technologies totalling £180 million, announced by the Government and Great British Energy (GBE) in March, is for schools and hospitals for the 2025/26 financial year. Beyond 2025/26, we expect future decisions on funding and investment to be made by GBE as it becomes fully operational.

The UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the government’s Warm Homes Plan strategy later this year. It will provide long-term regulatory clarity for industry and unlock considerable UK and foreign investment in commercial buildings driving economic growth.

In the UK, mandatory climate-related financial disclosure requirements are set under the Companies (Strategic Report, Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Regulations 2022 and the Limited Liability Partnerships (Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Regulations 2022. The requirements are aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). The regulations apply to the following groups with more than 500 employees: listed companies, banks and insurance companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), and Alternative Investment Market-listed companies. They also apply to companies and LLPs who are not included in the list above, which have more than 500 employees and more than £500m turnover.

Under UK Listing Rules, listed companies must disclose in their annual report whether their climate-related disclosures are consistent with TCFD recommendations, or explain why not.

UK pension schemes whose relevant assets are £1 billion or more at the end of the scheme year must also disclose climate-related information in line with TCFD recommendations, under the Occupational Pension Schemes (Climate Change Governance and Reporting) Regulations 2021.

Under the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK Government and EU agreed to give serious consideration to linking our respective carbon pricing schemes and to cooperate on carbon pricing. As part of our reset with the EU the Government continues to explore all options to improve trade and investment.

DCMS has no direct responsibility for regional airports such as Newquay, but they play a critical role in supporting an efficient aviation sector that in turn supports tourism, business travel, and the wider UK economy.

DCMS recently established the Visitor Economy Advisory Council to bring together industry leaders, regional voices and expert advisers to inform policy and ensure that the sector's growth is inclusive and sustainable. DCMS’ upcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will consider how best to support the sector’s development, including the role of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) - ensuring a coordinated approach to driving growth across destinations and sectors.

The Government is committed to continued collaboration with the DfT and other relevant authorities to address challenges and continued improvement of the aviation sector for England's regional airports, and that the UK continues to be an attractive destination for international visitors and businesses alike.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set by MHCLG as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.

The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

Future funding of community sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Admission arrangements are set and applied locally by a school’s admission authority, which for academies is the academy trust and for maintained schools is either the governing body or the local authority.

Admission authorities must determine the criteria that they will use to allocate places if a school receives more applications than it has places available. These must be fair, clear and transparent, and comply with the statutory School Admissions Code.

Admission authorities are already able to prioritise applications on the basis of distance to the school, including through the use of designated catchment areas. In setting such criterion, admission authorities must ensure they are reasonable and clearly defined, including making clear how distance from the child’s home to the school will be measured.

Where a school is not oversubscribed, every applicant must be offered a place.

The government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day.

From the start of summer term 2025, the department has funded 750 schools to deliver a free breakfast club to early adopters.

We are currently working through the outcomes of the latest spending review and the departmental business planning processes. Further details will follow in due course.

Home education is a proactive choice made by parents. In electing to home educate they choose to leave the state school system and the associated support and access to facilities which are available as part of having a school place.

Special educational needs (SEN) support, including access to therapies, is not conditional on the child being in school. Children are able to gain access to SEN support and mental health support when educated not in school.

Non-school based SEN and mental health support can be accessed through the local authority, via an education, health and care plan, and the NHS. Access to services is determined based on individual need, not how a child is educated.

Home education is a proactive choice made by parents. In electing to home educate they choose to leave the state school system and the associated support and access to facilities which are available as part of having a school place.

Special educational needs (SEN) support, including access to therapies, is not conditional on the child being in school. Children are able to gain access to SEN support and mental health support when educated not in school.

Non-school based SEN and mental health support can be accessed through the local authority, via an education, health and care plan, and the NHS. Access to services is determined based on individual need, not how a child is educated.

The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Topics related to geology can be taught within the geography and science curricula.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review for England, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published an interim report on 18 March, and the final report with recommendations will be published in the autumn.

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this. Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A final decision on this matter will be made in the coming months.

In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards, making clear that SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity.

The Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will invest £360 million over the next 12 years to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities. We will work with the industry to target investment where it matters most, for example considering investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet. We will provide more detail on this in due course. In the meantime, England’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme is open for applications and provides grant funding for electric and hybrid refrigerated vehicles.

Prospective changes to the List of Waste in England will be considered as we develop proposals for our Circular Economy Strategy. Any specific regulatory changes should be subject to consultation.

Prospective changes to the List of Waste in England will be considered as we develop proposals for our Circular Economy Strategy. Any specific regulatory changes should be subject to consultation.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) regularly assesses the progress of I-VMS uptake by the fishing industry and receives regular updates from the type-approved device suppliers, alongside marine engineer device installation paperwork and validation of successful installation from the suppliers. This information has allowed the MMO to tailor and target communication with the fishing industry throughout the roll-out and support industry be prepared for the forthcoming Statutory Instrument. The choice of supplier is a matter for the individual vessel owner and the MMO is not party to this relationship.

Accessibility improvements at stations are delivered in a variety of ways, in addition to those funded via the Access for All programme. Whenever the industry installs, replaces or renews station infrastructure, this must meet current accessibility standards. In addition, accessibility improvements can be developed and funded locally, in partnership with Network Rail and train operators.

If there are any sources of funding that can be identified locally, for example from s106 monies, that would also be a way of bringing accessibility at stations further forward.

Growth is this government’s top priority and formed a fundamental part of the analysis informing the Spending Review. Our significant investment in transport infrastructure will deliver a step-change in transport connectivity across the country, which is vital for economic growth. It boosts productivity by reducing travel time for businesses; widening access to markets and supporting trade; better matching workers’ skills to high quality jobs; and increasing the economic density of the country.

The Government is supporting the development of battery-electric trains as they are an integral part of the plan to decarbonise the railway network by 2050. This includes innovative projects such as the Greenford fast-charge battery train trial, a recent battery trial on a TransPennine Express unit, as well as the full deployment of multi-mode trains with batteries by Transport for Wales and Merseyrail. We are progressing work on a whole systems approach to decarbonisation, ensuring both track and train are considered.

The Government published a Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, which sets out its approach for ensuring the secure supply of critical minerals for key technologies including batteries.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options, including possible changes to motoring offences.

PIP is an important, non-means tested benefit for disabled people and people with health conditions – regardless of whether they are in or out of work. However, the rate of increases in claims and expenditure is not sustainable and has outstripped the growth in disability prevalence. Changes are needed that will control the spend on the welfare bill, while continuing to support those people with higher needs relating to their long-term health condition or disability.

In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we will introduce a new eligibility requirement to ensure that only those who score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity will be eligible for the daily living component of PIP. This requirement will need to be met in addition to the existing PIP eligibility criteria.

This will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them. This means that people who have lower needs only in the daily living activities (scoring three or less for each activity) will no longer be eligible for the daily living component of PIP.

Our intention is that this change will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026.

The changes will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support.

Through the Green Paper we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like.

We will also work closely with the DHSC and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has regular discussions with Cabinet members, including in relation to benefit reform.

We do not outsource the assessment or administration of social security in any wholesale manner, although some elements of these services are outsourced to third parties.

Where these services have been outsourced, each arrangement is subject to individual scrutiny both at the planning and commissioning stages, where a number of steps are conducted:

• A Delivery Model Assessment (also known as a Make vs Buy assessment) to understand whether outsourcing is cost effective and able to offer value for money in the first instance;
• A Should Cost Model to enable us to understand what the potential costs of the services are, where this can be compared to an insourced model and used as a benchmark for any bids received, and;
• An assessment as part of the commercial process to ensure that bids are cost effective and offer value for money.

When we do decide to outsource, at the end of the commercial process a contract will be executed, which will capture the key requirements for provision of the service and the service levels expected of the provider to enable the anticipated value for money to be delivered. This will be managed closely by contract management practitioners accredited to, or studying towards accreditation, at Expert or Practitioner level (depending on the complexity of the contract) of the Contract Management Capability Programme managed by Cabinet Office. This enables and ensures that the department realises the best value for money possible from the third party services and the optimum cost effectiveness.

The Department is taking a number of steps to deliver the Youth Guarantee, to ensure all 18-21 year olds in England have access to quality education, employment and training opportunities.

The Get Britain Working White Paper announced £45 million of funding to test delivery of the Youth Guarantee in eight trailblazer areas that will start delivering support from April 2025. These are: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West of England, West Midlands, and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will be led by the Mayoral Strategic Authorities, providing learnings that will inform the future roll-out of the Guarantee across England.

The Guarantee will also be supported by our first national partnerships with The Premier League, Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company, who will generate a range of opportunities that engage young people and set them on the path to success.

There is already a range of existing provision available to young people, including the Department’s Youth Offer, which provides individually tailored Work Coach support for young people aged 16 to 24 and claiming Universal Credit.

The Government has set out its vision for Neighbourhood Health Centres in the 10-Year Health Plan, co-locating National Health Service, local authority and voluntary sector services and bring historically hospital-based services into the community. These should be part of a broader offer that is defined locally to meet the local population needs holistically, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

NHS England’s health building notes give best practice guidance on the design and planning of new healthcare buildings and on the adaption or extension of existing facilities, including for primary and community care services. These are available to both NHS trusts and integrated care boards, and are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/estates/health-building-notes/

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of severe illness, involving hospitalisation and/or death, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI’s advice for autumn 2024 noted that in the era of high population immunity to COVID-19, and with all cases due to highly transmissible omicron sub-variants, any protection offered by the vaccine against the transmission of infection from one person to another was expected to be extremely limited. On this basis, the JCVI did not advise offering vaccination to unpaid carers. The Government accepted the JCVI’s advice for autumn 2024, with both the advice and the Government’s response available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-accepts-advice-on-2024-autumn-covid-vaccine-programme

On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme covering vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026. In line with its advice for the autumn 2024 campaign, the JCVI does not advise COVID-19 vaccination for unpaid carers. This advice is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026#:~:text=the%20JCVI%20webpage.-,Advice%20on%20vaccination%20in%20spring%202025,care%20home%20for%20older%20adults

The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme. The Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.

The Government currently has no plans to exempt nurses from repaying student loans. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review in order to balance the use of finite financial resources with the level of support students require.

Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as the prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP).

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. Shared care is not part of the GP Contract and as such, participation is voluntary. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. A GP who has previously agreed to a shared care agreement but who can no longer support it must provide a clear rationale for their decision. Both the GP and the specialist clinician share responsibility for ensuring continuity of care for the patient.

The GMC has also issued guidance to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors to determine whether it is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

If a shared care agreement is not in place, the responsibility for ongoing prescribing remains with the specialist clinician, which applies to both NHS and private medical care.

Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as the prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP).

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. Shared care is not part of the GP Contract and as such, participation is voluntary. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. A GP who has previously agreed to a shared care agreement but who can no longer support it must provide a clear rationale for their decision. Both the GP and the specialist clinician share responsibility for ensuring continuity of care for the patient.

The GMC has also issued guidance to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors to determine whether it is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

If a shared care agreement is not in place, the responsibility for ongoing prescribing remains with the specialist clinician, which applies to both NHS and private medical care.