Noah Law

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.

On 23 March 2025, the government announced a construction support package worth over £600 million to tackle the acute shortage of skilled workers in the construction sector. This investment is a key part of our wider strategy to support national infrastructure projects, meet ambitious housing targets, and enable the transition to a clean energy economy.

The package includes funding for a range of initiatives, such as expanding construction courses, launching additional skills bootcamps and foundation apprenticeships, providing more industry placements, and establishing ten new Technical Excellence Colleges.

Skills England will engage and work closely with the devolved administrations to ensure alignment and coherence in addressing skills needs across the UK.

The department are keen to work closely with Mayoral Combined Authorities and local leaders who will be essential to delivering the devolved elements of this package, including adult skills funding.

Additional information regarding allocations at regional and provider level will be shared in due course.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to success and opportunity. Too many children and young people today do not have access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers, suffer from poor mental health and, in some cases, end up being drawn into crime rather than going on to achieve and thrive. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.

As part of the development process, we are engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities, and other key stakeholders to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. The Autumn Budget 2024 committed to launching early adopter Hubs in 2025/26. The number of Hubs, their specific locations, and their reach are still being determined, and we will share further information on the timing of their rollout in due course.

All state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of statutory health education, which is taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). This includes basic first aid training and how to deal with common injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, including, for example, how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. Schools can teach topics beyond those covered in the statutory guidance and have flexibility to respond to local issues.

The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance for schools. As such, the government will look carefully at the consultation responses, discuss with stakeholders and consider the relevant evidence before setting out next steps.

Meeting the skills’ needs of the next decade is central to delivering the government's missions across all regions and nations. Skills England will provide an authoritative assessment of England’s national and regional skills’ needs now and in the future, combining the best available statistical data with insights generated from employers and other key stakeholders.

Skills England will also ensure that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills’ gaps and what employers need. As part of this, it will identify which training should be available via the new growth and skills levy.

Skills England will work together with regional and local governments, employers, education providers, trade unions, and regional organisations (for example Employer Representative Bodies) to ensure that regional and national skills’ needs are met at all levels from essential skills to those delivered via higher education, in line with the forthcoming industrial strategy.

The Industrial Strategy identifies eight growth-driving sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean energy industries, creative industries, defence, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services. When published in Spring 2025, it will include ambitious and targeted plans for each of these sectors, designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions, experts, and other stakeholders. Skills England is providing skills needs analyses that will feed into each of these plans.

Skills England has already published the first of its reports which considers key skills’ gaps and future skills’ needs, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66ffd4fce84ae1fd8592ee37/Skills_England_Report.pdf.

Many sources of data exist on labour market jobs and skills which facilitate national and local measures of demand. Skills England has produced one such measure, the occupations in demand index, to support its skills’ needs’ assessment. This index uses information from seven indicators across the labour market, including wage growth, online job adverts and visa applications to index demand for occupations.

Producing these assessments and ensuring they are understood, recognised by and accessible to all parts of the skills system will provide greater clarity on which occupations and sectors are facing existing and emerging skills’ gaps, where need for skills is set to grow in the future and what actions should be taken to meet these needs.

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) has not sent non-compliance warning letters to licence holders with non-reporting devices. On 16 May, ‘for information only’ letters were sent by MMO to 291 licence holders with I-VMS devices on vessels it knows to have been actively fishing, and where the device had not been transmitting data. These letters were not warning letters and stated a desire to work with vessel owners to help them achieve compliance.

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.

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.

We are committed to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of the UK fleet and work closely with the fishing industry and coastal communities to understand their concerns and the impacts of current fishing arrangements under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

Under the TCA the UK grants access to 154 EU registered vessels to fish in the 6-12 nautical mile zone for England and Wales. A list of EU vessels with access to the UK 6-12 nautical mile zone is published by the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA).

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a mandatory requirement in the planning process, and developments (unless exempt) need to submit information to the relevant local planning authority to demonstrate how they intend to deliver a 10% ‘net gain’ calculated using the statutory BNG metric. This could be through measures taken on-site, off-site or by purchasing government issued credits as a last resort. Any significant on-site (and any off-site) gains must include a legal agreement (covering at least 30 years) and a habitat management and monitoring plan as part of their application.

Internationally, Defra is one of the largest donors to and supporters of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), providing funding to enable voluntary market adoption and to address knowledge, capacity-building and data needs of market participants.

Domestically, Defra is funding the TNFD’s UK National Consultation Group – convened by the Green Finance Institute - to support UK companies and financial institutions in building awareness and capacity on nature and the TNFD, building the case internally for TNFD-aligned reporting and collecting feedback on the recommendations.

HMG has backed the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to develop standards that provide globally comparable and decision-useful information for investors regarding sustainability-related financial disclosures. Following ISSB’s consultation on future priorities, we welcomed and look forward to the results of their work to research disclosures on risks and opportunities associated with biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services – drawing on the work of the TNFD. I met recently with the Director of Sustainable Finance for the Financial Conduct Authority to discuss these matters.

This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Great Britain and Northern Ireland has access to nutritious and fairly priced food. Defra also regularly engages with supermarkets and food producers about a number of issues, including their partnership with British farmers in producing food for the nation, but the sourcing of food within supply chains is ultimately a commercial decision.

Our ambitious food strategy will set and deliver clear long-term outcomes that create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system. Making the most of technological innovations will be key to this. We will not be starting from scratch but will be building on analysis and work that already exists, including the Dimbleby report as we work together to develop a food strategy that delivers for everyone, and insights from leading organisations from across the food supply chain.

The food sector is seen as a world leader in quality, productivity and innovation and is an attractive destination for investment. We will join up work on food across government Missions on Health and Growth, and Industrial Strategy and the Child Poverty Taskforce. This will ensure policy coherence, amplify impacts, and create the conditions for partnership with industry.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) provides guidance on obtaining consent before euthanasia. The person presenting the animal is required to sign a consent form attesting to the fact they are the owner or are authorised by the owner.

Defra has worked closely with the veterinary profession to provide greater assurance that alternatives to euthanasia are explored before a healthy dog or cat is put down. Following these discussions, the RVCS agreed to incorporate the principle of microchip scanning before euthanasia into the guidance that underpins their Code of Professional Conduct.