First elected: 16th June 2016
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Rosena Allin-Khan, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Rosena Allin-Khan has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Rosena Allin-Khan has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Rosena Allin-Khan has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Pavement Parking Bill 2024-26
Sponsor - Marsha De Cordova (Lab)
Smoking Prohibition (National Health Service Premises) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Tracy Brabin (LAB)
Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018
Sponsor - Steve Reed (LAB)
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.
The new Procurement Act contains measures that help British businesses and manufacturers by creating a simpler and more transparent system that will deliver better value for money, giving small businesses greater access to £385 billion of annual spend.
Our new National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider how procurement can foster economic growth, support small businesses, strengthen UK supply chains and drive delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and missions.
We have also recently announced a package of further measures to demonstrate how central government will implement the NPPS, further helping British firms succeed.
Furthermore, our modern Industrial Strategy will set out how public procurement can support growth and investment in key sectors of the economy by encouraging innovation and the development of new technologies.
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses, ensuring they have maximum opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.
The new Procurement Act contains measures that help British businesses and manufacturers by creating a simpler and more transparent system that will deliver better value for money, giving small businesses greater access to nearly £400billion of yearly spend.
Our new National Procurement Policy statement also encourages contracting authorities to consider how procurement can foster economic growth, support small businesses, strengthen UK supply chains and drive delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and missions.
The government continues to monitor the impact of flexible working. There are numerous benefits of flexible working, which apply to both the public and private sectors.
Flexible working is essential in helping people achieve a better work life balance, which can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees. This is good for employees and good for businesses. Flexible working can help make work more accessible to several groups by helping people to balance work with other responsibilities and needs in their personal lives. This includes those with disabilities, parents, and others with caring responsibilities.
Starting with the Employment Rights Bill, we will put in place legislation that makes it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave, and mothers who return to work for a six-month period after they return - except in specific circumstances. The Government will also make flexible working the default, except where it is not reasonably feasible. This will benefit employees returning to work from maternity leave by making it easier to balance work and childcare needs.
These changes will apply to eligible employees, regardless of whether they work in the public sector or elsewhere.
Ofcom is the independent regulator of postal services, and the Government does not collect or hold information concerning service issues in specific areas.
However, Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. In November, I met with Royal Mail’s CEO, Emma Gilthorpe, and stressed the importance of a reliable postal service.
The additional consumer rights provided to travellers under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (“PTRs”) have played an important role in ensuring consumers are supported through supplier insolvencies. The Department is currently working with stakeholders and consumer representatives to review the framework and identify whether it can be further strengthened. This has taken the form of:
Our conclusions from this evidence gathering will be published in due course. Separately, the Department for Transport is continuing work with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) exploring how the ATOL scheme should operate in the future.
The rights provided under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangement Regulations 2018 (PTRs) have been key to resolving many consumer issues in recent years- including supplier insolvencies. DBT is looking to expand options for businesses to protect consumer deposits, while working with stakeholders and consumer organisations to identify whether the framework can be further strengthened.
In relation to ATOL, the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Transport. The ATOL Regulations have provided valued protection to consumers for over 50 years. The Department for Transport is continuing work with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) exploring how the ATOL scheme should operate in the future.
DBT supports broader government efforts to tackle fraud through its funding of Citizens Advice and National Trading Standards to advise on and enforce consumer law, including fraud.
DBT is also implementing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, which strengthens consumer law enforcement powers and introduces significant new monetary penalties to better deter wrongdoers.
Through the Consumer Protection Partnership, Citizens Advice run an annual Scams Awareness campaign to give consumers the skills to identify scams, share their experiences and gain the confidence to report scams. The next campaign, focusing on financial scams launches on 21 October.
Developers of transmission projects and all nationally significant infrastructure projects in England and Wales must assess the impacts of their proposals. This includes conducting assessments of projects’ impacts on the environment through Environmental Impact Assessments. Additionally, developers engage with statutory and non-statutory stakeholders through consultations to ensure their feedback is considered and incorporated into project proposals. These assessments are considered as part of the consenting process by the Secretary of State. Scottish planning requirements are a devolved matter but also require due and proper consideration of environmental and other impacts and the opportunity for public scrutiny within the planning process.
Under the Online Safety Act all in scope services, including Meta, will be required to have systems and processes to enable users and other affected persons to report instances of the types of content the services have responsibility for. This includes illegal content, and, where relevant, content that is harmful to children (where services are likely to be accessed by children).
The Act also requires Ofcom to review the efficacy of content reporting and complaints mechanisms once the above duties have been implemented.
The Government wants all areas of the UK, including London, to benefit from reliable and good quality mobile coverage. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025.
Vodafone, Virgin Media O2 and BT/EE have all launched standalone 5G services in London.
We work closely with the mobile industry and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market.
The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope services to swiftly remove illegal content as soon as they become aware of it. This includes content that intentionally encourages or assists suicide and self-harm, including eating disorder behaviours. User-to-user services which are likely to be accessed by children must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children encountering this material.
Search services also have targeted duties that focus on minimising the risk of all users encountering illegal suicide and self-harm search content, and children from harmful but legal suicide and self-harm content.
The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope services to swiftly remove illegal content as soon as they become aware of it. This includes content that intentionally encourages or assists suicide and self-harm, including eating disorder behaviours. User-to-user services which are likely to be accessed by children must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children encountering this material.
Search services also have targeted duties that focus on minimising the risk of all users encountering illegal suicide and self-harm search content, and children from harmful but legal suicide and self-harm content.
The Government has no plans to make a formal assessment. However, while the case highlighted relates to legal proceedings in the United States, we take seriously the implications for UK rights holders. The unauthorised use of copyright works, particularly at industrial scale, is unacceptable and not permitted under the UK copyright framework, which is a vital part of our support for the creative industries, which in turn make a substantial contribution to our economy and national identity.
The government recognises the importance of the UKs copyright regime to the economic success of the cultural and creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We also recognise the basic principle that rights holders should have control over and seek payment for their work, including when thinking about the role of AI. The current UK Copyright Framework enables creative right holders to prevent the use of protected works, but we are aware that this can be very difficult to implement in the context of AI, especially for individual firms and creators.
Responses to our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime, which was published on 17 December and closed on 25 February, will inform our approach to the design and delivery of a solution to these issues. Our aim is to clarify the copyright framework for AI – delivering certainty through a copyright regime that provides creators with real control and transparency, and helps them licence their content, while supporting AI developers' access to high-quality material.
The consultation was published alongside an accompanying options assessment. The consultation sought to gather further evidence on the potential impact on the creative industries of both AI and any change to the copyright regime. We will now consider the full range of responses we have received through our consultation and if legislative changes are needed, a full economic impact assessment will be undertaken.
On 1 April, the department announced that the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) would continue into 2025/26, with a budget of £50 million. A further announcement about arrangements for applications will be made as soon as possible. We remain committed to supporting families, who play an essential role in providing stable and loving homes for children in need. This funding will enable eligible families to apply for support in the coming year.
The ASGSF provides support for adopted children and those under special guardianship or child arrangement orders. The only group of foster carers and foster children who can access the ASGSF are those on the ‘foster to adopt’ pathway, where the plan is for the foster carer to adopt the child they are caring for if the court makes a placement order. Foster carers who obtain a special guardianship order can also ask that an application be made to the fund for a child they previously fostered.
Since 2021, the end-to-end process for becoming a teacher has been managed through the department’s digital services. This means that we have access to real-time recruitment data which allows us to identify the challenges that candidates are facing. From this data, we know that the longer it takes for an initial teacher training (ITT) provider to respond to a candidate, the more likely they are to drop-out.
To alleviate this, the department has set out the need for timely responses to candidate applications in the ITT criteria and we encourage providers to respond to candidates within 30 working days. The department’s digital services have also made it quicker and easier for ITT providers to manage and process their applications.
Additionally, the department has implemented changes to encourage providers to make more timely decisions. Now, if a candidate does not receive a response to their application within 30 days, they will be allowed to apply to a different ITT provider. We have also developed weekly performance reports, which allow providers to compare their recruitment performance to national averages.
The department is aware that large volumes of applications can impact a provider’s ability to respond to applications quickly. That is why we implemented functionality last cycle, to prevent candidates from applying to courses that they are ineligible for.
The department will act to address the persistent gaps for different student groups and to break down the barriers to opportunity.
The government introduced postgraduate loans which, alongside other sources of funding, are a contribution to the cost of postgraduate level study to stimulate take-up.
Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and that the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.
The department will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.
From 1 October 2025, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is increasing the minimum stipend they pay to PhD students by 8% to £20,780. This is the largest real terms increase in the stipend for UKRI funded students since 2003.
Skills England will reset the government’s approach to skills in England, making sure skills are prioritised in government decision making. Shadow Skills England is currently bringing together up-to-date analysis and engagement with key partners to identify and fill skills gaps at all levels of education, including at postgraduate level, particularly for under-represented groups, with the aim of breaking down the barriers to opportunity and driving growth.
Ensuring that parents are able to access affordable and high quality childcare is a priority for this government. Our focus in reforming the system will be to ensure that there are greater and more equal opportunities to access early education for every family, and that there are greater opportunities for children to thrive and develop. As an initial step, we are progressing work to deliver new places in 3,000 nurseries through upgrading space in primary schools.
Families that are not eligible for the childcare entitlements for working parents may be entitled to other forms of support, including the 15 hours entitlement for disadvantaged two year olds and the 15 hours universal entitlement for three and four year olds. The universal entitlement is available to all parents of three and four year olds, regardless of income or immigration status. In terms of the disadvantaged two year olds entitlement, parents do not need to work to claim this entitlement. However, they will need to be claiming certain benefits and have a household net income of less than £15,400 per year. All two year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, those in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and looked after children are eligible regardless of household income. Some two year olds with ‘no recourse to public funds’ immigration status may also be eligible subject to different income thresholds.
Working families claiming universal credit can also claim up to 84% of the childcare costs back through Universal Credit Childcare. This offer can be used alongside the entitlements set out above.
We will be undertaking a comprehensive evaluation programme of the expansion of childcare entitlements for working parents which will explore how families not eligible for the new entitlements experience finding and accessing childcare, including the associated costs. Further, the impact evaluation will assess how the expansion has impacted upon the quality of childcare provision and children’s development, for all children, and wider family outcomes. As per Government Social Research guidelines, evaluation findings will be available within 12 weeks of the projects being finalised. We expect the first to be available from spring 2026.
Maintained nursery schools (MNS) are a valuable part of early years provision. There are 381 MNS as at January 2024. They are predominantly located in disadvantaged areas.
Additional supplementary funding is provided to local authorities for MNS in their areas. In the 2024/25 financial year, the initial budget for MNS supplementary funding is £82.6 million, subject to final budget update. The national average hourly rate for MNS supplementary funding is £5.27, the minimum supplementary funding rate is £4.64 and the cap on the hourly rate is £10.
Ensuring that parents are able to access affordable and high-quality childcare is a priority for the department. This includes delivering new nursery provision in primary schools to help deliver the expansion in childcare entitlements and ensuring that a variety of different types of provision are available that suit the needs of different parents. The department is continuing to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places.
The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. The department’s Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey shows that the number of places available has remained broadly stable since 2019. Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area.
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department will discuss what action they are taking to address those issues, and where needed, the department will support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
Where a MNS does close, or is merged with a school, what replaces it must be of equal quantity, preserve expertise and specialisms, and it must be more accessible and convenient for local parents. The department has not received any reports on sufficiency challenges in Wandsworth.
Personal imports of meat and dairy products from the European Union (EU) into Great Britain (GB) are subject to a transitional exemption from rules that apply to personal imports from outside the EU single market. As part of our national mission to protect our food sector and farmers, we have put in place a series of emergency safeguard measures banning personal imports of certain animal products into GB, in response to outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants, African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease in the European Union. The devolved governments in Wales and Scotland have put in place equivalent measures. Decisions on whether to lift safeguard measures on personal imports of animal products are based on expert risk assessments and advice from the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and the Chief Veterinary Officers in Wales and Scotland. We publish risk assessments on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.
Personal imports of meat and dairy products from the European Union (EU) into Great Britain (GB) are subject to a transitional exemption from rules that apply to personal imports from outside the EU single market. As part of our national mission to protect our food sector and farmers, we have put in place a series of emergency safeguard measures banning personal imports of certain animal products into GB, in response to outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants, African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease in the European Union. The devolved governments in Wales and Scotland have put in place equivalent measures. Decisions on whether to impose safeguard measures on personal imports of animal products are based on expert risk assessments and advice from the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and the Chief Veterinary Officers in Wales and Scotland. We publish risk assessments on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.
For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways.
Ofwat’s five-yearly ‘price review’ sets the price, investment and service package for water companies in England and Wales. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. This will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment through a £104bn upgrade for the water sector.
Government expects water companies to put robust support in place for customers that are struggling to pay their bills. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements.
The Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Bills must remain affordable, and customers cannot be expected to pay the price for years of underperformance in the past.
For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways.
Ofwat’s five-yearly ‘price review’ sets the price, investment and service package for water companies in England and Wales. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. This will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment through a £104bn upgrade for the water sector.
Government expects water companies to put robust support in place for customers that are struggling to pay their bills. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements.
The Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Bills must remain affordable, and customers cannot be expected to pay the price for years of underperformance in the past.
Defra officials are actively engaging with key stakeholders, including representatives from the BVA (British Veterinary Association), as well as the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), BVNA (British Veterinary Nursing Association), and the Vet Schools Council to review opportunities for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA). This core working group is looking at how changes to policy can support the profession, animals, and consumers in the future.
This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.
This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy, and will set out more details in due course.
The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with mental health conditions, with their employment journey. Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Government announced an 80% employment rate ambition in the Getting Britain Working White Paper.
Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. My department therefore is investing in a range of support for individuals to help them stay in work and get back into work, including several that join up employment and health systems.
Additional Work Coach Support, delivered through our Jobcentres, provides disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, with increased one-to-one personalised support from their work coach to help them move towards, and into, work. Support is now available in all Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales. This rollout has been informed by trialling in Jobcentres. This personalised support from Work Coaches aims to enable disabled people and people with health conditions, to access employment, wider support including our employment programmes earlier.
Work coaches receive specialist support from Disability Employment Advisers on how to tailor their support to help disabled customers move closer or into the labour market. Disability Employment Advisers can also offer “direct support” to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, including mental health conditions, where additional bespoke support would benefit the customer. We will continue to ensure that every Work Coach has access to support from a Disability Employment Adviser.
The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment. In 2023/24, 49,920 people were in receipt of a payment for an Access to Work element. Of those, 14,310 (29%) received one or more payments for the Mental Health Support Service element in the same period.
Work in partnership between the DWP and health systems, currently includes Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) a Supported Employment programme (using the place, train and maintain model) delivered in primary care settings and is aimed at people with physical or common mental health disabilities, both out of work who need help into work, and those needing support with their health issues to stay in work. IPSPC is integrated with an individual’s normal health treatment encouraging recognition of employment as an important driver of an individual’s health and wellbeing. We will be bringing this approach to all areas of England and Wales through the roll out of the Connect to Work Programme which will support 100,000 people a year from 2026/27. This complements the delivery of Individual Placement and Support for Severe Mental Illness which is delivered in secondary mental health services by the NHS in England.
The Employment Advice in Talking Therapies programme combines the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them. Employment Advisors support patients in NHS Talking Therapies irrespective of their employment or benefit status. People who are looking for work will be supported to improve the quality of their CVs, complete application forms and improve the quality of their performance in interviews. If the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies clients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences. This could include suggesting coping mechanisms empowering clients to have better conversations with their colleagues or manager, or through suggesting workplace reasonable adjustments or a graduated return to work.
WorkWell sites went live in 15 areas across England from October 2024, providing low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Each area designs and delivers an integrated work and health support offer, that brings together partnerships between Integrated Care Boards, local government, Jobcentres and community partners, including mental health services. People can be referred via their GP, Jobcentre, via other local services or can self-refer. By Spring 2026, WorkWell is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, to get into work or get on at work.
Furthermore, in March we announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.
As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.
The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with mental health conditions, with their employment journey. Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Government announced an 80% employment rate ambition in the Getting Britain Working White Paper.
Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. My department therefore is investing in a range of support for individuals to help them stay in work and get back into work, including several that join up employment and health systems.
Additional Work Coach Support, delivered through our Jobcentres, provides disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, with increased one-to-one personalised support from their work coach to help them move towards, and into, work. Support is now available in all Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales. This rollout has been informed by trialling in Jobcentres. This personalised support from Work Coaches aims to enable disabled people and people with health conditions, to access employment, wider support including our employment programmes earlier.
Work coaches receive specialist support from Disability Employment Advisers on how to tailor their support to help disabled customers move closer or into the labour market. Disability Employment Advisers can also offer “direct support” to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, including mental health conditions, where additional bespoke support would benefit the customer. We will continue to ensure that every Work Coach has access to support from a Disability Employment Adviser.
The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment. In 2023/24, 49,920 people were in receipt of a payment for an Access to Work element. Of those, 14,310 (29%) received one or more payments for the Mental Health Support Service element in the same period.
Work in partnership between the DWP and health systems, currently includes Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) a Supported Employment programme (using the place, train and maintain model) delivered in primary care settings and is aimed at people with physical or common mental health disabilities, both out of work who need help into work, and those needing support with their health issues to stay in work. IPSPC is integrated with an individual’s normal health treatment encouraging recognition of employment as an important driver of an individual’s health and wellbeing. We will be bringing this approach to all areas of England and Wales through the roll out of the Connect to Work Programme which will support 100,000 people a year from 2026/27. This complements the delivery of Individual Placement and Support for Severe Mental Illness which is delivered in secondary mental health services by the NHS in England.
The Employment Advice in Talking Therapies programme combines the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them. Employment Advisors support patients in NHS Talking Therapies irrespective of their employment or benefit status. People who are looking for work will be supported to improve the quality of their CVs, complete application forms and improve the quality of their performance in interviews. If the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies clients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences. This could include suggesting coping mechanisms empowering clients to have better conversations with their colleagues or manager, or through suggesting workplace reasonable adjustments or a graduated return to work.
WorkWell sites went live in 15 areas across England from October 2024, providing low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Each area designs and delivers an integrated work and health support offer, that brings together partnerships between Integrated Care Boards, local government, Jobcentres and community partners, including mental health services. People can be referred via their GP, Jobcentre, via other local services or can self-refer. By Spring 2026, WorkWell is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, to get into work or get on at work.
Furthermore, in March we announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.
As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.
Ensuring a decent foundation State Pension for pensioners is a priority for this Government. That is why we have set out our commitment to the Triple Lock, which will substantially improve outcomes for current and future pensioners.
There are already other benefits for those who are disabled, Attendance Allowance (AA) provides additional financial support towards the extra costs faced by those over State Pension age (SPa) with a severe disability who have care needs. It is neither means-tested, nor based on National Insurance contributions paid and recipients can choose how they wish to spend it.
Those already in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment when they reach SPa can continue to receive those benefits. They are not obliged to switch to claiming AA.
Disability benefits open the door to additional amounts in means tested support, receipt of a disability benefit can provide a passport to additional amounts in means-tested benefits (notably Pension Credit and Housing Benefit) for those on low incomes and to Carer’s Allowance for the person providing care for them.
The Motability scheme is open to recipients of enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payment, higher rate mobility Disability Living Allowance, War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement and Armed Forces Independence Payment.
Attendance Allowance does not have a mobility component for those whose needs arise after State Pension age. This is because it is expected that many older people will develop mobility issues as part of the ageing process. Eligible benefits such as DLA or PIP are awarded to individuals under pensionable age and, as long as entitlement conditions remain satisfied, the mobility component can continue to be paid beyond State Pension age.
There are no current plans to include Attendance Allowance as an eligible benefit for the Scheme.
The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive.
The Department is taking action to increase awareness and understanding of autism within health and adult social care services. From 1 July 2022, service providers registered with the Care Quality Commission are required to ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role, as set out in the Health and Care Act 2022. To support this, we are rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Over two million people have now completed the e-learning module, which is the first part of the training.
The Government has also committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity, including autism, in the workplace. An independent panel made of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity, including autism, has been launched to advise the Government on fostering more inclusive workplaces. This will build on the recommendations outlined in the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which related solely to autism.
The panel will advise employers and ministers on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work, including for autistic people. The panel will consider mechanisms for change, making recommendations in the summer.
Data on new birth health visitor reviews is officially recorded and published annually. In 2023/24, the most recent annual data available, 97.8% of newborns received a health visitor review within 30 days following birth, a statistic stable from the previous year. The same data shows that 81.8% of newborns received a six to eight week health visitor review by week eight, which is 2.2% higher than 2022/23, but 3.3% lower than the comparable figure from 2019/20. Meanwhile, 86.5% of children received a 12-month health visitor review by month 15. This 12-month review figure represents an increase of 3.9% from 2022/23. It also represents a 2.9% increase from 2019/20.
The Government laid out its commitment to strengthen health visiting services in the Plan for Change.
National Health Service mental health services can support adults who have experienced trauma as a result of childhood abuse.
The Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies. These offer well-governed, evidence-based, and effective psychological therapy services for common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress reactions. These services are available in every integrated care system through self-referral.
NHS Talking Therapies consistently meet the existing waiting time standards, which state that 75% of referrals should be seen within six weeks, and 95% of referrals should be seen within 18 weeks. NHS Talking Therapies continue to expand to deliver additional courses of treatment and to increase the number of sessions available. It is expected that an additional 384,000 people will access treatment by 2028/29.
Guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder should receive high-intensity interventions from the outset. The recent expansion focuses on the high-intensity workforce within NHS Talking Therapies, who receive training on how to support individuals impacted by abuse. This workforce includes therapists trained in trauma focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
National Health Service mental health services can support adults who have experienced trauma as a result of childhood abuse.
The Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies. These offer well-governed, evidence-based, and effective psychological therapy services for common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress reactions. These services are available in every integrated care system through self-referral.
NHS Talking Therapies consistently meet the existing waiting time standards, which state that 75% of referrals should be seen within six weeks, and 95% of referrals should be seen within 18 weeks. NHS Talking Therapies continue to expand to deliver additional courses of treatment and to increase the number of sessions available. It is expected that an additional 384,000 people will access treatment by 2028/29.
Guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder should receive high-intensity interventions from the outset. The recent expansion focuses on the high-intensity workforce within NHS Talking Therapies, who receive training on how to support individuals impacted by abuse. This workforce includes therapists trained in trauma focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
It's vital that the National Health Service is there when people need it, and that symptoms are investigated to provide a diagnosis promptly, to enable treatment.
That is why we are committed to fixing the front door of the NHS and improving access to general practices (GPs). We are bringing back the family doctor, and incentivising continuity of care so that patients can see the same doctor at each appointment, which can play an important role in identifying and managing health conditions. Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, with a rising share of total NHS resources going to GPs. We are also currently consulting on key proposals to improve GP access and recruitment.
Cutting waiting lists for diagnostic tests is a key priority for the Government. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting over six weeks for a diagnostic test. Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding community diagnostic centres, and better use of technology.
Working with NHS England we continue to keep the selection process for all applicants to medical speciality training under review.
We are committed to ensuring that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where the need is greatest.
Working with NHS England we continue to keep the selection process for all applicants to medical speciality training under review.
We are committed to ensuring that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where the need is greatest.
On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week Referral to Treatment target by the end of this Parliament. Further information on the Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/
Part of the plan sets out funding to boost bone density scanning capacity, to support improvements in early diagnosis and bone health for conditions such as osteoporosis. This will provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) Musculoskeletal (MSK) Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with integrated care board leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with osteoporosis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures, and support the patients who sustain them. The Government is committed to ending the postcode lottery for access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which make decisions according to local need. This includes the NHS South West London Integrated Care Board.
Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services. This includes how best to support systems, who are responsible for commissioning.
The Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme, which includes a dedicated Fracture Liaison Service database, is a national clinical audit of fracture prevention care, delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. This includes reporting on individual Fracture Liaison Services, and supporting local and national service improvement.
The Government is taking action to improve the efficacy and efficiency of NHS Pathways across the health system.
The NHS Pathways clinical content and assessment protocols are consistent with the latest advice from the respected bodies that provide evidence and guidance for medical practice. In particular, NHS Pathways is concordant with the latest guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the UK Resuscitation Council, and the UK Sepsis Trust.
The NHS Pathways Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) is a triage product used to support urgent and emergency care in England, and is embedded in NHS 111 and 999 telephony service, and NHS 111 online. It is continuously reviewed to ensure it remains safe, effective, and efficient. The system is developed and maintained by a group of experienced National Health Service clinicians with an urgent and emergency care background. The safety of the clinical triage process is overseen by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the relevant royal colleges, and clinical professional groups endorse and approve the CDSS.
The NHS triages patients waiting for elective care, including surgeries, through clinical prioritisation, ensuring the order in which patients are seen reflects clinical judgement on need as well as taking into account overall wait time.
The Government is taking action to improve efficacy and efficiency of NHS Pathways across the health system. The recently published Elective Reform Plan commits to reforming outpatient care through clinical pathway transformation. Reform will include doing more activity in the community and increasing the opportunities for patients to be referred straight to diagnostic tests without the need to first see a consultant, reducing unnecessary follow-up appointments and freeing up clinical time for those who need it most. The Elective Reform Plan also makes changes to advice and guidance to support more patients being cared for outside of hospitals, avoiding 800,000 unnecessary referrals each year.
The Government is committed to National Health Service dental services being available for all those who need them. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet one of the following criteria:
Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/
The National Health Service contracts independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment. Dentists must make clear which treatments can be provided on the NHS and which can only be provided on a private basis, and the costs associated for each. If a patient decides to choose alternative private options, this should be included in their treatment plan.
The Department and NHS England do not control the cost of private dental or orthodontic treatment.
The UK National Screening Committee is currently reviewing the evidence surrounding breast density in screening.
Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for NHS England. To support early detection and diagnosis, the National Health Service carries out approximately 2.1 million breast cancer screens each year in hospitals and mobile screening vans, usually in convenient community locations.
The UK National Screening Committee is currently reviewing the evidence surrounding breast density in screening.
Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for NHS England. To support early detection and diagnosis, the National Health Service carries out approximately 2.1 million breast cancer screens each year in hospitals and mobile screening vans, usually in convenient community locations.