Oliver Dowden

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th February is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th February is attached.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. However, we are clear that disguised employment practices such as false self-employment are unacceptable. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid their own legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.

The Government is committed to tackling false self-employment and HMRC will investigate evidence suggesting businesses have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. The Government has also set up a forum with the hair and beauty industry to support compliance in the sector.

This Government recognises the significant economic and social value of the hair and beauty industry.

That is why we have committed to reforming business rates from 2026-27 with a permanently lower multiplier for retail, leisure and hospitality properties, including hair and beauty salons.

The Government will also protect the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance contributions (NICs) at all and employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.

We will also transform the existing Apprenticeship Levy into a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy to support business and boost opportunity.

We know this is a difficult time for businesses and workers alike, the Low Pay Commission are independent experts who conducts extensive consultation, analysis and evidence gathering when recommending the minimum wage rates.

We asked the LPC to make progress in extending the National Living Wage to more adults than ever before, by continuing to narrow the gap between the 18-20 rate and the NLW.

We do recognise that the 18-20 band are more vulnerable to unemployment, and therefore any impacts on employment - as well as incentives to remain in training or education - must be monitored carefully, as we proceed.

The Government’s Industrial Strategy will prioritise the creative industries.

We will ensure that the sector can continue to drive growth, boost opportunities and help people to fulfil their creative potential across the UK, including in Hertsmere. Our support includes:

• Providing £1 million in funding for 2025/26 for the British Film Commission, which has previously provided support for both Elstree Studios and Sky Studios Elstree in Hertsmere;

• Expanding the global reach of independent content through with a further £7 million for the UK Global Screen Fund in 2025/26;

• Building on the success of the screen sector tax reliefs, by introducing the enhanced Independent Film Tax Credit, and a new 5% uplift on the rate of relief for visual effects.

Opportunities to drive growth in our screen sectors exist across the whole of the UK, with seven established film production hubs and many more areas brimming with potential and ambition. The film industry also benefits from two major UK Research and Innovation programmes run by the Arts and Humanities Research Council: the £75.6 million CoSTAR programme and the £56 million Creative Industries Clusters programme

In addition, the British Film Institute has committed £34.2 million National Lottery funding over 2023-2026 for education and skills programmes. This includes £9 million to develop skills clusters, one of which has been set up to cover the Metro London area, which includes Hertfordshire, led by Film London.

The Government’s Industrial Strategy will prioritise the creative industries.

We will ensure that the sector can continue to drive growth, boost opportunities and help people to fulfil their creative potential across the UK, including in Hertsmere. Our support includes:

• Providing £1 million in funding for 2025/26 for the British Film Commission, which has previously provided support for both Elstree Studios and Sky Studios Elstree in Hertsmere;

• Expanding the global reach of independent content through with a further £7 million for the UK Global Screen Fund in 2025/26;

• Building on the success of the screen sector tax reliefs, by introducing the enhanced Independent Film Tax Credit, and a new 5% uplift on the rate of relief for visual effects.

Opportunities to drive growth in our screen sectors exist across the whole of the UK, with seven established film production hubs and many more areas brimming with potential and ambition. The film industry also benefits from two major UK Research and Innovation programmes run by the Arts and Humanities Research Council: the £75.6 million CoSTAR programme and the £56 million Creative Industries Clusters programme

In addition, the British Film Institute has committed £34.2 million National Lottery funding over 2023-2026 for education and skills programmes. This includes £9 million to develop skills clusters, one of which has been set up to cover the Metro London area, which includes Hertfordshire, led by Film London.

My Department meets regularly with representatives of the BBC on a range of matters.

The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the Government. As the external independent regulator of the BBC, Ofcom is responsible for ensuring BBC coverage is duly impartial and accurate under the Broadcasting Code and BBC Charter.

Allocations of high needs funding for the 2025/26 financial year will be published as soon as possible now that overall budgets for next year have been announced. The department will take longer to consider changes to the funding formula that is used to allocate funding and which creates the variations in funding levels between local authorities across the country. The department fully recognises the importance of establishing a fair education funding system, that directs funding to where it is needed.

The department is providing schools with extra funding of almost £1.1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, to support schools with overall costs, including the costs of supporting their pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Following the Budget, schools funding will be increased by a further £2.3 billion in 2025/26. Of this overall increase, nearly £1 billion is for children and young people with complex needs and will bring high needs funding to a total of £11.9 billion next year. As overall funding for the 2025/26 financial year has been announced later than normal, allocations calculated through the high needs and schools national funding formulae have not been published to the usual timescales. We will publish further information as soon as possible.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. We are committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with SEND in Hertfordshire in July 2023. Its report, published on 10 November 2023, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.

The department provides support and challenge to the Hertfordshire local area partnership by monitoring progress against its priority action plan and improvement plan, and by providing advice and guidance via a SEND expert advisor. The partnership has also established a SEND Improvement Board, independently chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan to oversee progress and provide appropriate challenge.

As autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for tackling antisemitism on campus and should have processes in place to deal with unlawful abuse and harassment.

Universities, as well as Jewish groups and other stakeholders, have told us that the previous government’s Freedom of Speech Act prevented them from taking effective action. The department is stopping further commencement of the Act, in order to consider the options, including its repeal.

The department will continue to work closely with Jewish groups, including the Union for Jewish Students and the University Jewish Chaplaincy, to understand their concerns and what further action is needed.

We are not yet able to comment on next steps regarding Access for All projects at specific stations including at Radlett station. However, please be assured that we are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Further to my answer of 3 September 2024, we are not yet able to comment on next steps regarding Access for All. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models might help us achieve our objectives to Get Britain Working. Evaluation will be shared with a range of commissioners and stakeholders, including local authorities.

Local Get Britain Working plans will support areas in identifying and addressing labour market challenges, tackling inactivity, and increasing employment rates. They are a key element in tackling challenges in labour market participation across England and in achieving the long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.

Local government have been asked to lead a partnership of local labour market stakeholders and seek insights from a broader range of stakeholders. The guidance we published earlier this year included housing associations in the list of key partners to consider.

Drawing on the range of experiences and expertise of partners within the area, the partnership will ensure a comprehensive analysis of key labour market issues and priorities as well as setting short- and longer-term objectives specific to the needs of the labour market locally.

The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models might help us achieve our objectives to Get Britain Working. Evaluation will be shared with a range of commissioners and stakeholders, including local authorities.

Local Get Britain Working plans will support areas in identifying and addressing labour market challenges, tackling inactivity, and increasing employment rates. They are a key element in tackling challenges in labour market participation across England and in achieving the long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.

Local government have been asked to lead a partnership of local labour market stakeholders and seek insights from a broader range of stakeholders. The guidance we published earlier this year included housing associations in the list of key partners to consider.

Drawing on the range of experiences and expertise of partners within the area, the partnership will ensure a comprehensive analysis of key labour market issues and priorities as well as setting short- and longer-term objectives specific to the needs of the labour market locally.

The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models might help us achieve our objectives to Get Britain Working. Evaluation will be shared with a range of commissioners and stakeholders, including local authorities.

Local Get Britain Working plans will support areas in identifying and addressing labour market challenges, tackling inactivity, and increasing employment rates. They are a key element in tackling challenges in labour market participation across England and in achieving the long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.

Local government have been asked to lead a partnership of local labour market stakeholders and seek insights from a broader range of stakeholders. The guidance we published earlier this year included housing associations in the list of key partners to consider.

Drawing on the range of experiences and expertise of partners within the area, the partnership will ensure a comprehensive analysis of key labour market issues and priorities as well as setting short- and longer-term objectives specific to the needs of the labour market locally.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services, including council-commissioned care homes, to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Inspection reports on individual providers are made publicly available.

Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses a range of regulatory and enforcement powers to take action to ensure the safety of the people drawing on care and support.

This could include using requirement notices to highlight areas that need improvement, or placing adult social care providers into special measures to closely supervise the quality of their care. In cases of significant concern, the CQC can take action that could lead to the removal of a provider’s registration or, in the most serious cases, take criminal action.

The CQC also assesses local authorities’ delivery of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes the local authority’s duty to work closely with local providers to ensure high quality services that put the wellbeing of the people who draw on care at the centre of decisions. Local authorities should also keep contracts under review to confirm that care requirements are being met, and to seek to continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of services.

I recently met with Sir Julian Hartley on 14 March 2025, where we discussed the CQC’s recent challenges and how we will continue working closely together on key priorities.

The Drug Tariff is updated monthly and sets out reimbursement prices to be paid to pharmacy contractors for medicines dispensed. When the market price of a generic medicine suddenly increases, concessionary prices can be granted in that month, increasing the reimbursement price above the Drug Tariff price, with the aim of mitigating pharmacy contractors dispensing at a loss. If the medicine margin survey indicates that, despite a concessionary price, there was a significant under payment for a specific product, there is a provision known as a retrospective top-up payment for concessionary prices, which provides an additional payment to contractors for those products. A quarterly medicine margin survey also ensures that pharmacy contractors are reimbursed enough overall for the medicines they dispense.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.

Pharmacy First has built on existing services to increase the clinical scope of the treatment and advice patients can receive. The conditions treated under the Pharmacy First offer will continue to be kept under review.

The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.

Pharmacy First has built on existing services to increase the clinical scope of the treatment and advice patients can receive. The conditions treated under the Pharmacy First offer will continue to be kept under review.

The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome

As confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Watford General Hospital is now part of wave two of the NHP. Construction of the main hospital build is expected to commence between 2032 and 2034.

In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that health capital spending will increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

The Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board received almost £65 million in operational capital funding in 2023/24, and the West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has also been allocated £50 to 60 million from NHS funding for planned care services at St. Albans City Hospital.

We welcome the fact that the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said there should be independent investigations into any misuse of its facilities by Palestinian armed militants, including Hamas. Following Catherine Colonna's Independent Review, UNRWA set out an action plan with detailed management reforms including stronger independent oversight, better detection systems, improved screening procedures, mandatory training for staff on humanitarian principles and more proactive donor engagement. As a result, we are assured that UNRWA is taking action to ensure it maintains the highest standards of neutrality. As the Minister for Development told the House on 28 January, she has discussed the issue of neutrality with UNRWA's leadership, including directly with Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. She also spoke to UNRWA staff members on their work to implement the recommendations of the Colonna report during her visit to the region on 3-5 December.

We welcome the fact that the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said there should be independent investigations into any misuse of its facilities by Palestinian armed militants, including Hamas. Following Catherine Colonna's Independent Review, UNRWA set out an action plan with detailed management reforms including stronger independent oversight, better detection systems, improved screening procedures, mandatory training for staff on humanitarian principles and more proactive donor engagement. As a result, we are assured that UNRWA is taking action to ensure it maintains the highest standards of neutrality. As the Minister for Development told the House on 28 January, she has discussed the issue of neutrality with UNRWA's leadership, including directly with Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. She also spoke to UNRWA staff members on their work to implement the recommendations of the Colonna report during her visit to the region on 3-5 December.

UNRWA plays a critical role in Gaza and the wider region, providing essential services, including healthcare and education, to Palestinian refugees.

Following the independent review by Catherine Colonna, UNRWA set out an action plan with detailed management reforms including stronger independent oversight, better detection systems, improved screening procedures, mandatory training for staff on humanitarian principles and more proactive donor engagement. We are now confident that UNRWA is taking action to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality, staff vetting and transparency.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

Changes to the VAT threshold have to be carefully balanced considering the potential benefits to small businesses, the economy as a whole and tax revenues.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

Changes to the VAT threshold have to be carefully balanced considering the potential benefits to small businesses, the economy as a whole and tax revenues.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations as well as an overview of the equality impacts.   
  
The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

HMRC is committed to ensuring that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently and creates a level playing field for compliant businesses. Most businesses pay what they owe but a minority fail to register with HMRC or only declare a portion of their earnings. This minority deprive our vital public services of funding, affect fair competition between businesses, and place unfair burdens on everyone else.

We are committed to tackling false self-employment and will investigate evidence suggesting businesses have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. In these cases, we will take steps to ensure they pay the right Income Tax and National Insurance contributions.

HMRC is making it increasingly difficult for businesses to hide their earnings and have an extensive range of powers, including information gathering powers, that help build a picture of risk and identify those who are trying to abuse the system. Our approach to tax compliance includes a range of activities that aim to both detect and tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. Their activities include national campaigns and specialist task forces that incorporate intensive bursts of activity in targeted sectors and locations across the UK. This includes providing customer education highlighting the importance of keeping accurate records. However, we will not hesitate to use stronger sanctions against customers who deliberately choose not to comply, including potential criminal prosecutions for the most serious cases involving tax evasion.

We recognise that some customers can find it hard to understand their tax obligations, so we are developing and testing new educational material to better explain the rent a chair model to make it easy for them to get things right and intervening early to reduce mistakes. We are planning for this to be ready for publication on GOV.UK in the spring. We are continuing to work on updates to the Taxable Persons manual and these will be published in due course.

On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boarding services provided by private schools. Any fees paid from 29 July 2024 relating to the term starting in January 2025 onwards will be subject to VAT.

A start date of January 2025 will have given schools and parents 5 months to prepare for the changes, and it is right that we introduce these changes as soon as possible in order to raise the funding needed to help deliver our education priorities.

The Government has carefully considered the impact that these changes will have on pupils and their families across both the state and private sector, as well as the impact they will have on state and private schools. Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October, and set out its assessment of the expected impacts of these policy changes in the normal way.

The Government recognises that some pupils may subsequently move into the state education sector. However, the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of these changes represents a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector.

The Government is confident that the state sector will be able to accommodate any additional pupils and that these policies will not have a significant impact on the state education system as a whole.