Peter Lamb

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.

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.

This government increased Plan 2 repayment thresholds in April 2025 and again in April 2026, to protect lower-earning graduates and keep more money in their pockets. Between 2012 and 2024, then governments only increased repayment thresholds twice throughout that period.

The government recently capped interest rates on Plan 2 loans at a maximum of 6% and is considering a range of options to make the system fairer. In order to be fiscally responsible, consideration must be taken regarding how any change would be funded.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

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 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 Department does not hold this information. The Rail Delivery Group and individual TOCs hold the data.

My Department works with industry to identify any skills gaps to ensure their workforce is resilient. There are three main approaches Government is taking to support the pipeline of talent:

- Encouraging opportunities for all with the ‘Generation Aviation’ programme raising the profile of aviation careers, removing barriers to access and attracting diverse and talented people to tackle new technologies, decarbonisation and other emerging trends. This includes the Reach for the Sky fund supporting outreach projects that only last week I announced the winners for 2025.

- Making it easier to train engineers and pilots of the future by transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners. As well as encouraging industry to fully funded pilot training programmes and applaud effort of companies such as TUI and British Airways which have established sustainable pipeline for budding aviators.

- Following EU exit, my Department sympathises with the difficulties faced by stakeholders in the aviation industry and establishing an effective personnel licensing regime that supports UK aviation remains a priority for us.

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.

We expect to publish the first phase of the evaluation of the Get Britain Working Trailblazer programme in due course, which involved developing Theory of Change models and system maps to describe how Trailblazer areas intend to address the aims of the programme.

The Department commissioned a full evaluation of the Get Britain Working Trailblazer programme in January 2026. This will use a range of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness of the programme and is expected to be published in due course.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of migraine on employment and economic inactivity. This information isn’t available as the Labour Force Survey, the primary source for data on labour market participation and economic inactivity, only reports figures by long‑term health condition and does not include a category for migraines.

National Health Services are free at the point of use for those ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, except for certain charges, such as NHS prescriptions in England and dental charges across the UK.

Many schemes are available to help reduce barriers for adults on lower incomes attempting to access NHS care. This includes charges exemptions for specific groups, support through the NHS Low Income Scheme, and prescription prepayment certificates to cap costs. Patients on a low income may also be able to get help with other necessary health-related costs, for example through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, subject to eligibility.

The Department recognises that delays in diagnosis and treatment can affect individuals’ quality of life and may lead to greater symptom burden and wider impacts on education, employment, and wellbeing.

Clinical management of migraine is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which has published guidance on the diagnosis and management of headaches. This guidance helps clinicians to diagnose migraine more promptly and to provide appropriate acute and preventive treatments based on individual clinical need.

NHS England is supporting improvements in migraine care through national programmes such as the RightCare headache and migraine toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time neurology programme. These initiatives are focused on reducing unwarranted variation in care, improving diagnostic accuracy, particularly in primary care, and ensuring patients can access specialist services where appropriate.

Responsibility for commissioning migraine services rests with integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes access to primary care, specialist neurology services, and newer treatments where clinically indicated.

There are currently no plans to establish a national champion for migraine. The Department continues to engage with NHS England, clinical experts, and patient groups to understand the challenges faced by those living with migraine and to consider how services and support can be improved.

More broadly, the Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people with long-term conditions through ongoing system reform, workforce expansion, and a focus on earlier diagnosis and better community-based care.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including eating disorders.

Through the NIHR, the Department jointly funds the Eating Disorders Clinical Research Network, an initiative to build a coordinated, United Kingdom wide research infrastructure that strengthens evidence, improves care, and accelerates high‑quality studies across eating‑disorder services. Other projects recently funded by the NIHR include an investigation into how restrictive practices are used in the care of children and young people with eating disorders, with a focus on co‑produced solutions to reduce their use and improve patient experience.

NHS England has recently updated guidance for children and young people’s eating disorder services, strengthening early identification and ensuring care is joined up across schools, primary care, and specialist services, with faster access to treatment where an eating disorder is suspected.

NHS England expects to publish the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework shortly. The mental health personalised care framework sets out the approach and related principles and actions for delivering personalised care for adults and older people with severe mental health problems.

In addition, a modern service framework for severe mental illness, including eating disorders, is being developed to improve the quality and consistency of care across the whole pathway.

As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has established 15 Adult Eating Disorder Provider Collaboratives across England to oversee specialised adult eating disorder services. In addition to delivering inpatient care, these collaboratives are supporting the development of intensive community and day treatment models, helping more people receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and reducing reliance on inpatient admission and geographical variation, while implementing improved processes supporting earlier discharge from hospital.

The Government recognises that the views of service users and people with lived experience are essential to the design and delivery of mental health services.

We are committed to working closely with experts by experience to ensure their perspectives are at the heart of our work. This includes shaping our new cross Government mental health strategy for England, which is being informed by a Call for Evidence, alongside targeted engagement on key policy topics, and meaningful engagement with people with lived experience.

As part of this wider programme of reform, the Severe Mental Illness Modern Service Framework is helping to put these principles into practice. We have established a third co-chair, Jo Lomani, a national mental health co-production lead and expert by lived and living experience. Jo has been brought on board to support the implementation of our lived-experience involvement and co-production strategy on the modern service framework, helping to ensure that people who use mental health services stay at the centre of everything we do.

More broadly, we are putting patient feedback and outcomes front and centre of mental health services, improving transparency and using people’s experiences to drive improvements in quality, safety and accountability.

Our reforms also support co production and person centred care, ensuring that people with lived experience are directly involved in the design and delivery of services. For example, community based models such as mental health centres and neighbourhood approaches bring together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector partners, embedding collaboration with people with lived experience and local communities in service design and delivery.