Olly Glover

Recruitment practices are a matter for individual employers, provided that they comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, including the age discrimination provisions. We would encourage larger employers to monitor their recruitment patterns in the context of relevant protected characteristics, as a useful indicator of the strength of their compliance with the 2010 Act. There are currently no plans to make such data collection a requirement.

It is really important that parents are able to spend sufficient time with their children without it negatively affecting their careers.

The Parental Rights Survey found that 70% of employee fathers took Paternity Leave.

More work needs to be done to support working parents, and we have committed to a review of the parental leave system. Work is underway planning its delivery.

The Employment Rights Bill will make Parental and Paternity Leave ‘day one’ rights, bringing 1.5 million parents into scope for Parental Leave, and 32,300 into scope for Paternity Leave.

I appreciate that for some businesses, the updated EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) will require changes, and we take these concerns seriously. The Government is supporting medium-sized and other businesses to understand GPSR and engaging directly with businesses to assess the regulation's impact.

We have published guidance on GPSR's application in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review. The responsibility for interpreting EU legislation lies with the European Commission. The Commission have published their own business guidance and impact assessment of the regulation.

Businesses exporting to the EU may also wish to contact the Government's Export Support Service.

On 22 May 2023 the Trade Remedies Authority initiated transition reviews of the existing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy trade remedy measures on electric bicycles originating from China.

As both reviews remain ongoing, I cannot comment further. The Trade Remedies Authority will publish relevant information on the public file as the review progresses.

The Government is working to accelerate network infrastructure build, which will reduce constraints on the network by allowing low-cost renewables onto the system more quickly.

We are also taking steps outlined in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan to support deployment of electricity storage technologies, including domestic and grid-scale batteries, which allow excess renewable generation to be saved up for when the system most needs it.

The government welcomes the overall thrust of the National Infrastructure Commission’s study and its focus on supporting strategic investment in the distribution network. We are reviewing the detail of the study with our key delivery partners and will publish a response to the individual recommendations this spring. This will include how current policy work is addressing the recommendations and how we will build on this in the future.

The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer and healthier lives.

The Government is reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy for England, and has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years.

Multiple energy efficiency schemes support fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount provides bill support to eligible low-income households.

We aim to achieve nationwide gigabit capable coverage by 2030, connecting a minimum of 99% of premises across the UK. The regulatory regime has helped create a competition-friendly environment in commercially viable areas, supporting market entry and expansion by alternative network operators. Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market. We continue to monitor commercial rollout plans and adapt Project Gigabit plans accordingly. We are aware pockets of unconnected premises remain in urban and suburban areas and continue to assess the best approach to addressing these

The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that in the Didcot and Wantage constituency, over 52% of premises have access to full fibre broadband, and 86% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).

To improve this further, Gigaclear is currently delivering two contracts as part of Project Gigabit that will bring gigabit-capable broadband to approximately 10,000 eligible premises across Oxfordshire, including in the Didcot and Wantage constituency.

I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.

I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.

I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.

This government values physical education (PE) and sport as a way to improve not only the health, but the wellbeing and lives of all children and young people. Existing government-funded programmes look to address this with the primary PE and sport premium and the School Games Organisers.

To address specific barriers, we have recently launched an open procurement for a new grant programme for up to 3 financial years (from April 2025 to March 2028 at up to £300,000 per year) to develop and deliver a programme that improves and increases PE, school sport and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND. The inclusive education hub, funded by the department through the inclusion 2024 programme is an online platform of bespoke resources to help schools make PE and sport more inclusive.

This government values physical education (PE) and sport as a way to improve not only the health, but the wellbeing and lives of all children and young people. Existing government-funded programmes look to address this with the primary PE and sport premium and the School Games Organisers.

To address specific barriers, we have recently launched an open procurement for a new grant programme for up to 3 financial years (from April 2025 to March 2028 at up to £300,000 per year) to develop and deliver a programme that improves and increases PE, school sport and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND. The inclusive education hub, funded by the department through the inclusion 2024 programme is an online platform of bespoke resources to help schools make PE and sport more inclusive.

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors including blue spaces for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. This is why we have set out our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, expanding access to the great outdoors. We are currently developing policy to improve access to nature, including onto unregulated inland waterways, working closely with other government departments and key stakeholders to reduce barriers preventing people from accessing green and blue spaces.

Under the Conservatives, our sewage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers’ money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders. The public are right to be angry after they have been left to pay the price of Conservative failure.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Now whilst it is never wanted, customer bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways.

Given these challenges, in the first week of office the Secretary of State secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. Where money is not spent this will be returned to customers.

Furthermore, we understand the financial pressures hardworking families are facing and are pushing the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. The Government expects water companies to put robust support measures in place for customers to ensure vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Water companies therefore have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs, from 4% to 9% by 2030, and the Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure customers are sufficiently supported.

Under the Conservatives, our sewage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers’ money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders. The public are right to be angry after they have been left to pay the price of Conservative failure.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Now whilst it is never wanted, customer bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways.

Given these challenges, in the first week of office the Secretary of State secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. Where money is not spent this will be returned to customers.

Furthermore, we understand the financial pressures hardworking families are facing and are pushing the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. The Government expects water companies to put robust support measures in place for customers to ensure vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Water companies therefore have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs, from 4% to 9% by 2030, and the Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure customers are sufficiently supported.

Pet insurance providers are private businesses and are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as peatlands. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities.

We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, and going forwards will be primarily funded through Environmental Land Management schemes, such as the Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship schemes.

Private finance will also be vital if we are to meet our peatland restoration ambitions. To support peatland restoration, the Government is implementing a range of policies that will mobilise private investment. These include working with the IUCN to attract investment via carbon credits through the Peatland Code.

The England Peat Action Plan was published under the previous Government.

CrossCountry performance was not good enough in 2024. A Remedial Agreement was in place from August 2024 to March 2025 when the operator took steps to improve services. The operator was monitored closely. In 2025 CrossCountry cancellations are now lower and punctuality better. The operator is aware there is more to do, particularly on Sundays.

Based on the most recent information available, CrossCountry has been meeting its contractual benchmarks since 5 January 2025.

The Department is working to bring together and update the Manual for Streets and Manual for Streets 2 to ensure the advice within them is still relevant and enables those designing streets to do so in a way that contributes to sustainable, healthy and active communities. A date for publication has not been set.

The Department’s officials are scoping out options for the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, and the Department will say more on this in due course. The Department will consult stakeholders before the publication of the Strategy, as required by the 2015 Infrastructure Act, and will also report to Parliament later this year on the delivery of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

The below table sets out capital and revenue funding allocations to (a) local authorities (LA) and (b) non-government organisations (NGO), alongside funding for Active Travel England’s (ATE) operating costs from financial year 20/21 to 23/24. Final payments may differ from funding allocations.

We're delivering a once in a generation overhaul of the railways and will establish Great British Railways, a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and freight customers, and catalysing growth across the country.

We’re looking at options for GBR branding and what the roll out options are, taking into account value for money for taxpayers and ensuring minimal disruption to services.

We are committed to reducing wait times for Access to Work, and we have deployed additional staff to process claims and streamlined our delivery processes. We prioritise applications from customers starting a job in four weeks, and renewals.

Access to Work continues to be in high demand and we recognise that further work is needed to ensure that it is providing a timely and effective service for customers.

The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.

For many years, the Special Rules applied to people who have 6 months or less to live, they have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.  Changes to the Special Rules mean that thousands of people nearing the end of life are now able to claim fast-tracked financial support from the benefits system six months earlier than they were able to previously.

My office has been in touch to arrange a meeting, and I look forward to it taking place soon.

We recognise how important it is for individuals with bipolar to get the right care and support they need. NHS England commissions training for staff working in early intervention in psychosis services to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy for both psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Mental health professionals are required to complete core training as part of their roles, which includes information on awareness of bipolar disorder and how it presents. The comprehensive assessment of at-risk mental states is an assessment tool used by mental health professionals and researchers to identify individuals who are at high risk of developing psychosis.

An individual is detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 if they pose a serious risk to themselves or others and they require care in a hospital setting. Detentions are not made based on diagnoses of severe mental health conditions.

NHS England is currently exploring a methodology to analyse diagnoses of individuals detained under the Mental Health Act and initial results are expected to be published in May 2025. Therefore, the information requested is not available for the last five years.

Early Intervention in Psychosis services provide evidence-based, specialist interventions, and treatment for individuals presenting with psychosis. These services recognise that bipolar disorder diagnoses can be uncertain and are therefore available to individuals irrespective of their diagnosis, including individuals experiencing bipolar 1 and bipolar 2.

The aim is for individuals who experience psychosis as part of a manic episode to be seen by an early intervention in psychosis service within two weeks of referral. If an individual experiences mood disturbance over time, bipolar disorder may be identified and treated.

Early Intervention in Psychosis services are not affective disorder services. It would therefore not be appropriate to extend services to individuals who are not experiencing psychosis. Individuals with bipolar 2 who do not experience mania or psychosis will receive support and treatment from primary care and community mental health teams as appropriate.