Peter Lamb

The Government recognises that labelling AI-generated content can improve transparency for consumers by helping them understand when content has been created using AI. That is why we are launching the AI Labelling Taskforce. The Taskforce will gather evidence and consider technical solutions for the labelling of AI-generated content online, including on social media platforms. It will put forward proposals for government on best practice for labelling AI-generated content. We expect the Taskforce to be operational by the end of the year, ahead of publishing its final recommendations to the government next year.

The government is taking robust action to tackle AI-generated intimate image abuse. Building on existing offences covering the sharing of intimate images without consent, we have introduced offences criminalising the non-consensual creation of AI intimate images, in addition to banning so-called “nudification” tools and making the sharing of such content a priority offence.

Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must swiftly remove illegal content, and regulated providers will soon be required to remove reported intimate image abuse content as soon as reasonably practicable, and no later than 48 hours.

This Government is committed to supporting local journalism and our Local Media Action Plan will help ensure a healthy and plural local media for the benefit of communities across the UK. Our actions will help local newsrooms across the country innovate and adapt their business models for the online world, while incentivising and encouraging the production of high-quality, trustworthy news.

Through the Local Media Action Plan, we are:

• Investing up to £12m in a new Local News Fund to help local media outlets adapt to commercial and technological changes and revive a local news presence in areas where it has retreated.

• More than doubling our community radio funding to £1m a year, helping to support nearly 400 stations at the heart of our regions and encouraging the sector’s development in underserved areas.

• Launching a new campaign to encourage more young people into journalism careers, initially in the North West.

• Promoting take-up of the ‘Newspapers for Schools’ platform, to encourage the reading of more trustworthy local and national news in schools.

• Creating a new Regional Media Forum in the West of England as a test-case in improving reporting on local decision-making and public services.

• Making the best use of local media in government advertising campaigns, where this helps us reach our target audience and is a good fit for each campaign, and working with our media buying agency to pilot the use of hyperlocal news titles in campaigns.

• Conducting a review of all types of statutory notice, to ensure better transparency of local decision-making.

Bidding for the first year of the Local News Fund launched on 7 July, and closed on 7 August. Any extension of the Fund beyond 2027/28 will be subject to affordability and the impact of the Fund in its first two years. We will conduct a robust evaluation to help inform our decisions.

This Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future. Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025; taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan; and setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan.

More widely, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has appointed a Menopause Employment Ambassador who will work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause.

The Office for Equality and Opportunity are taking the first steps towards legally requiring large employers to publish action plans alongside their gender pay gap figures; detailing the steps they are taking to narrow their gap and support employees during the menopause.

No. These records are subject to regular review in line with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1958.

The Government recognises the importance of aviation and aerospace to local economies across the UK. Through our modern Industrial Strategy, we are supporting investment, innovation and high-skilled employment in sectors including advanced manufacturing and clean aviation. At the last Spending Review, the Government committed up to £2.3 billion over 10 years to the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme, supporting innovative research and development, strengthening UK aerospace supply chains and encouraging industrial investment. We are also working across government and with local partners to attract investment and support sustainable economic growth in communities with significant aviation and aerospace activity.

We have reset our relations with the EU and will continue engagement at EU level and bilaterally to build relationships that benefit Britain. While we have agreed with the EU the second Summit will not go ahead on 22 July as originally planned, we remain fully committed to this process, to deepening our economic ties with the EU, and to holding the next summit at the earliest opportunity.

We continue to work closely with partners across Europe to reduce barriers to trade and secure major export wins, like Sweden’s recent decision to select Rolls-Royce as its partner to deliver small modular reactors.

The Department for Business and Trade has engaged with business representative organisations and trade unions on the measures within the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025, including through tripartite discussions. These discussions have successfully supported policy development in areas such as unfair dismissal.

The government will continue to engage with stakeholders, including businesses and trade unions, as it takes forward the implementation of the ERA.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is being implemented in phases over a two-year period to give businesses, and in particular small businesses, time to plan and prepare.

We are providing support and guidance to help businesses get ready. We have launched a dedicated website offering practical guidance on what the changes mean and how to comply, alongside wider communication, engagement and educational activity to raise awareness. We will continue to consult with businesses, trade unions and civil society throughout implementation to make sure we get the detail right.

The government’s Modern Industrial Strategy outlined our commitment to provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028-29 and set out plans to deliver more opportunities for people at all stages of life to learn and earn in our high-growth sectors. The government has since published the Post-16 Education & Skills White Paper, driven forward our Plan to Make Work Pay, and set out additional support for young people through the Youth Guarantee. We are working with business to develop sector Jobs Plans for all growth-driving sectors identified by the Industrial Strategy. The first Jobs Plan, the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, was published last year.

The Government expects energy suppliers to refund customers promptly where money is owed. Ofgem already requires automatic compensation in specific cases, including where final bills or credit balance refunds are delayed following a switch.

The Government supports Ofgem’s ongoing review of Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) payments including proposals for inflation-linked compensation. A further consultation on this work is expected in the coming months as part of Ofgem’s Consumer Outcomes package.

More broadly, through its review of Ofgem and its consultation on faster and fairer redress for consumers, the Government has set out reforms to strengthen the regulator as a consumer champion, including stronger powers to enforce consumer law directly and help ensure customers receive what they are owed.

The disposal of radioactive waste in the sea was banned globally in 1993. The UK had already ceased disposal at sea voluntarily under the 1972 London Convention.

The first Nuclear Ocean Dump Site Survey and Monitoring (NODSSUM) international mission in 2025 mapped the locations of containers on the seafloor. The expedition found no significant environmental contamination.

The current NODSSUM project focuses on collecting samples of sediment and biota around some of the containers, to determine the levels of radionuclides that might have been released from the low-level radioactive waste to the surrounding marine environment.

The Department has not yet carried out an assessment of current NODSSUM expedition because the analysis of samples is still ongoing by researchers of the project.

Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Government has been working with airlines, airports, fuel suppliers and international partners to monitor supplies and keep flights operating. UK airlines are clear that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel. It is typically bought in advance, with airports and their suppliers keeping stocks of bunkered fuel to support their resilience. As part of our contingency planning, we have also been engaging with refineries to understand how they are increasing their supply of jet fuel.

For too long, British families have paid the price for our nation’s energy insecurity and energy bills remain too high. The Warm Homes Plan will tackle fuel poverty, helping lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030 through public investment and new minimum energy efficiency standards for private and social landlords. Benefiting households up and down the country, including in Crawley constituency.

Nuclear is a key part of the government's national mission to be a clean energy superpower. The government believes that Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) could play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs.

DESNZ is aware of and monitors the progress of a wide range of advanced reactors in design development by companies around the world, including Thorium Molten Salt reactors.

Government ministers and officials regularly discuss online safety matters with stakeholders including online platforms such as Meta.

Under the Online Safety Act’s ‘illegal content duties’, social media platforms including Meta have duties to implement measures to tackle animal abuse content and remove it from their services. Ofcom is the UK’s independent regulator for online safety responsible for regulating services and taking enforcement action as appropriate. It has published recommendations for how providers should fulfil their illegal content duties in codes of practice and documentation. These include specific provisions about animal abuse content. These duties took effect on 17 March.

Animal abuse content is horrific, and social media companies must do more to tackle it.

Social media platforms and search services have duties to tackle animal abuse content and implement safety-by-design features under the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom – the independent regulator - has published recommendations for how providers should tackle such content under their ‘illegal content duties’.

These duties took effect on 17 March and Ofcom have strong enforcement powers to hold companies accountable for failing to meet their obligations.

Following the consultation in 2021 on the renewal of digital terrestrial television (DTT) multiplex licences to which my honourable friend refers, Parliament legislated to secure the future of DTT until at least 2034. No decision has yet been made about the future of the DTT platform beyond this point.

The Government believes that too many sports, whether that is boxing or rugby league, have been overlooked for far too long, and we are determined to bring them back into focus. Boxing brings joy to millions of people, and it ought to be celebrated.

The Government will continue to champion grassroots boxing. I have met with the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Boxing, and recently met with both Southend Amateur Boxing and recently opened the South Cheshire Amateur Boxing Club.

The National Archives has not amended its policies regarding either the disclosure or reclosure of public records.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Crawley to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 33578.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Crawley to the answer of 3 September 2026 to Question 19464.

To improve affordability for disadvantaged students, we will future proof our maintenance loan offer by increasing maintenance loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. Maintenance loans will increase by 2.71% in the 2026/27 academic year, in line with forecast inflation, following a 3.1% increase in 2025/26. Additionally, care leavers, some the most vulnerable in our society, will also be automatically eligible for the maximum maintenance loan.

We are reintroducing maintenance grants from the 2028/29 academic year. These grants will support students from low-income households studying full-time courses aligned with the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy, funded by a levy on providers for international students.

The government remains committed to providing additional grant support for students with adult and child dependants and those with disabilities. Full-time students with adult or child dependants can apply for fully means-tested dependants’ grants and students with disabilities can apply for non-means tested disabled students’ allowance.

Effective early identification and intervention is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

In an inclusive system, settings should be confident in recognising a full range of needs, including where high ability coexists with additional needs in dual or multiple exceptionalities, and in meeting these through evidence‑based approaches.

Many settings already identify needs effectively. We will build on this by strengthening the evidence base and supporting practitioners to recognise complex profiles, including pupils who may be both gifted and require special educational needs support, ensuring strengths are not overlooked and barriers are addressed early.

We are introducing clearer statutory expectations on schools to identify and meet needs as early as possible, monitor progress closely, and put timely support in place.

To underpin this, we are developing National Inclusion Standards through an independent expert panel, providing practical, evidence‑informed tools for identifying and supporting diverse needs.

In addition, we are investing over £200 million to deliver a landmark inclusion training package, including strengthened Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) content on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

The department does not provide specific, ring‑fenced funding to further education (FE) colleges in response to individual input cost pressures such as changes in steel prices. The department provides support to the FE sector both through revenue and capital funding. Funding settlements provide overall funding levels, and FE colleges are responsible for managing their own budgets and procurement decisions.

Funding for 16–19 education and adult skills is designed to contribute towards the delivery of programmes, including the cost of materials required for vocational courses.

In academic year 2026-27, we are providing nearly £9 billion in 16-19 programme funding. The 16-19 funding formula recognises that some courses including those with their primary activity in ‘engineering’ and ‘building and construction’ cost more to deliver, and additional funding is allocated through programme cost weightings.

In addition, the department is providing significant capital investment to the sector, with £1.3 billion allocated through the FE College Condition Allocation between 2026 and 2030, including £307 million in 2026–27. This funding supports colleges to maintain, improve and ensure the suitability of their estates, with discretion to prioritise spending over a three-year period.

We continue to monitor cost pressures facing the sector, including inflation, and keep funding under review as part of wider spending decisions.

We raised the upper limit for fixed penalties for littering offences to £750 and published statutory litter enforcement guidance for local authorities.

The Government is aware of the strong public feeling on the culling of male chicks. The Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published in December 2025, sets out that the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and is committed to encouraging industry to end the practice. The Government pays close attention to international precedent when formulating its policies.

We will agree a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. Details of the agreement remain subject to negotiation.

However, we expect that under the Agreement, catering waste from flights originating within the EU will no longer be classified as ‘international catering waste’, and therefore will be subject to a lesser degree of regulation in the future under the SPS Agreement.

The department expects all train operators, including Greater Thameslink Railway, to maintain ticket retailing equipment to an appropriate standard so that passengers can purchase tickets conveniently and reliably. Operator performance is monitored through established contractual and operational arrangements such as the Service Quality Regime, which audits the functionality of a sample of station ticketing facilities in each Reporting Period.

Under this regime, Greater Thameslink Railway achieved a pass rate of 91.78 per cent, compared to an industry average (year to date) of 87.53 per cent.

The department expects DfT Operator to continue monitoring operator performance through these arrangements and engage with Greater Thameslink Railway if any concerns are identified.

The Government is working with the rail industry to tackle ticketless travel, while ensuring passengers who make genuine mistakes are treated fairly and consistently.

We have committed £33.4 million to new and improved ticket gates across England, targeted at fare evasion hotspots. We are also working with the rail industry to improve data sharing, prosecutions and the consistency of revenue protection activity.

Responsibility for enforcement on London Underground rests primarily with Transport for London and the British Transport Police.

Network Rail has considered the use of blue lighting at stations, including its potential application to trespass, anti-social behaviour and suicide prevention. Previous trials and wider research have produced mixed results, and there is currently insufficient robust evidence to demonstrate that blue lighting is an effective standalone measure for reducing trespass or anti-social behaviour.

Blue lights were trialled by Network Rail at only a few stations, including Gatwick Airport station, over a decade ago, with some positive results in respect of reducing trespass and vandalism. However, when this trial was expanded to other stations, the train operators were not able to demonstrate any direct benefits, therefore the initiative was closed.

There is currently limited demand for a further trial of blue lighting given the significant challenges in demonstrating direct correlation between the introduction of the technology and any effect that may then occur in reductions of trespass and vandalism.

Network Rail therefore does not currently advocate its widespread deployment for these purposes, although targeted use could be considered where justified by local risk and appropriately evaluated.

Our approach remains to use evidence-based and proportionate interventions alongside established station safety, security and lighting standards, and we continue to work with international partners through the International Union of Railways to consider the evidence base for blue lighting.

The provision and charging of car parking at airports, including drop-off charges is a matter for the airport operator as a commercial business to manage and justify. Government expects fees to be set in a way that is both fair and transparent.

We have committed to legislate to address the issues raised in Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We want to achieve two outcomes; the first is ensuring we have consistently high safeguarding standards. The second is that there is no unintended reduction in the availability of licensed taxi and private hire vehicle services, which could disproportionately impact women and girls and disabled people, who rely on these services the most. We are considering all options – including out-of-area working, national standards, enforcement and transferring licensing to local transport authorities - seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance issued by the Department on actions they should take on licensing matters, including safety. All licensing authorities have reported that they require the highest level of criminal background checks for taxi and private hire vehicle driver licence applicants – an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s and adults’ barred lists. Where key safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, licensing authorities will be held to account.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regularly reviews and refines the models and risk assessment tools that underpin its land use planning advice. HSE is currently undertaking a programme of research to ensure its modelling approach remains robust, evidence based and fit for purpose across a range of hydrogen applications.

Primary research is continuing into the financial year of 2027/28. The outcomes of this research will inform whether updates to HSE's modelling methodologies, including those relating to hydrogen are required or if further research is required.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is developing and validating hydrogen risk modelling tools to support the safe assessment of hydrogen storage and handling activities. This work draws on peer-reviewed scientific literature and experimental data at a range of scales, including experiments conducted using HSE’s specialist capabilities and facilities at its Science and Research Centre. The modelling approaches and outputs are subject to internal and external peer review, helping to ensure that HSE’s hydrogen risk models are based on robust and reliable evidence.

By the end of April 2026, around 1.1 million individuals had started on the Restart Scheme. 280,000 participants have subsequently achieved a job outcome. This is against a (minimum) contractual expectation of 240,000 job outcomes. The current number of job outcomes therefore represents 118% of the minimum performance level.

The 2024 Qualitative Evaluation has indicated that the Restart Scheme has supported participants to achieve positive employment outcomes. This includes not only sustained employment, but also a range of wider benefits such as improved wellbeing, the attainment of qualifications, increased proximity to the labour market, and enhanced job-searching skills. Findings from a longitudinal cohort study suggest that participation in the scheme is associated with improved employment outcomes. Specifically, 35% of Restart Scheme participants were in work compared with 26% of a comparable group of non-participants.

A quantitative impact assessment of the Restart Scheme is underway and is due for publication later this year.

The Restart Scheme is designed to provide tailored and intensive support to help people move closer to, and into, sustained employment.

The value delivered by providers is not limited to matching participants with a specific vacancy. Providers work with individuals to address barriers to work and improve their employability through activities such as careers advice, CV development, interview preparation, skills training and confidence building.

The scheme is underpinned by a robust performance framework and Customer Service Standards (CSSs), which providers are contractually required to meet. These standards ensure that participants receive the high-quality, personalised support required by DWP.

The outcome payments have been calibrated at a scheme level to account for the fact that in some cases outcomes will occur partially or fully because of factors other than the support delivered by the provider, like support provided by Jobcentre Plus or independent job search by the participant.

Government committed at Spending Review to continued employment support for the Long Term Unemployed. DWP have already announced a future employment service for out of work Universal Credit claimants in four eligible groups – long-term unemployed people, young people, lone parents and lead carers, and disadvantaged groups. The estimated go-live date will be in February 2028. Further detail can be found in the pipeline notice, published 2^nd April 2026: Future Employment Support - Find a Tender and market engagement notice, published 28^th April 2026: Future Employment Support - Find a Tender.

Details of any extension to the Restart Scheme contracts will be published on Contracts Finder Restart Scheme - Contracts Finder in the normal way.