Sarah Dyke

We want everyone, including LGBT+ people, to have fair access to high quality care, which is respectful and inclusive.

The government recently introduced a new qualification to improve our training offer to social care staff on being supportive and caring of everyone.

We’ve launched an Independent Commission into adult social care which will work with people from all backgrounds drawing on care and their families, to build a National Care Service that meets the needs of the whole population.

It is essential that everyone living in a care home is kept safe, including those who may be more likely to experience discrimination, such as LGBT+ people. They must be treated with dignity, listened to and have their needs understood and met by their local authority.

The Government recently launched a new Adult Social Care Qualification to provide those working in care with the skills and knowledge they need to support people well. This includes guidance on how to provide appropriate care which covers being sensitive to an individual's sexuality or gender identity.

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme includes Care and Financial Loss awards, which recognise the past and future care needs and associated costs for infected people.

All support scheme beneficiaries, when undergoing their compensation assessment from IBCA, can choose between the ‘core’ and ‘adjusted’ route. Choosing the core route would mean accepting their compensation as a lump sum, or periodic installments. Choosing the adjusted route, would mean a smaller lump sum, and continuing to receive support payments for life.

If someone chooses to continue receiving support scheme payments, their Care and Financial Loss awards (under the core route) will be offset against their support scheme payments.

This means that regardless of which option an infected person chooses, they will receive a form of payment that recognises their increased living, medical, and care costs, associated with their infection.

Those currently on the Infected Blood Support Schemes will continue to be able to apply for discretionary payments until they receive a compensation offer from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.

Though our Trade Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and Small Business Plan, we are putting in place the policies, support, and services needed to drive export-led growth. For the first time, DBT has integrated its support for SMEs across all sectors in a single, accessible platform - the Business Growth Service - designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally.

From tailored market advice and free Export Academy training to UK Export Finance and our on-the-ground network around the world that facilitate trade missions, we are making it easier for businesses to navigate global markets. We continue to review how we can improve our support, including how we connect firms to new opportunities, and build the capability to seize them.

The agri-tech sector, covering agricultural machinery and technology, was identified in the Industrial Strategy as a high-growth area with strong export potential. The sector is expected to grow with global demand increasing for technologies to support economical resilience. To support manufacturers and suppliers, a bespoke Agri-Tech Export Accelerator Programme is under development, which will match high-growth potential businesses with the most promising markets and upskill companies to build resilient supply chains.

Additionally, the Government will invest £200 million in the Farming Innovation Programme by 2030 to drive agricultural innovation. These initiatives, shaped by the Industrial Strategy, aim to boost global competitiveness for this highly innovative sector.

Government is committed to providing redress to individuals affected by the Horizon scandal as quickly as possible. We continue to seek options to speed up redress, in discussion with the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board. For example, on the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme we have recently committed to providing offers on fully completed claims within 40 working days in 90% of cases, in line with our commitment on the GLO scheme. As of 30 September 2024, approximately £363 million has been paid to over 2,900 claimants across the available schemes.

Setting a target of March 2025 for every sub-postmaster affected by failures in the Horizon Scandal to receive compensation in full could put pressure on vulnerable postmasters who may need more time to finalise their claim with their legal representatives, or to respond to offers. It could also rule out new potential claimants, who are still coming forward.

Businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, can access support through their local Growth Hubs. DBT is committed to helping rural businesses to boost exports, improve access to finance, stamp out late payment practices and compete for public procurement contracts.

The Government is committed to ensuring justice and financial redress is delivered as swiftly as possible for postmasters affected by the Horizon IT Scandal, whether that is through the redress schemes that are already operating or the new scheme which we intend to launch before the end of this month for those whose convictions have been overturned by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act and the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act.

The Government is determined to ensure that, where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they benefit from it directly.

We recently published a working paper on community benefits, in which we proposed making it mandatory for developers to provide community benefit funds. The working paper was also a call for evidence about whether/how to expand shared ownership of renewable generation technology. We are currently analysing responses and will issue a response in due course.

In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the industry trade body, will publish a voluntary community benefit protocol later this year.

No such assessment has been made. However, the Government believes our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.

The Government is looking to facilitate and promote extensive deployment of rooftop solar on industrial and commercial property.

Commercial rooftop solar panel installations, which includes agricultural buildings, already benefit from permitted development rights. This mean there is no limit to the capacity of a solar installation or a requirement for planning permission, though prior approval is required for installations greater than 50kW.

The UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the government’s Warm Homes Plan strategy later this year.

Ofcom is responsible for assessing the 4G coverage improvements delivered by the Shared Rural Network. Its latest published figures show that 4G now reaches over 95% of UK landmass. This means that the Shared Rural Network met its overarching target a year ahead of schedule. The delivery of the programme was always due to continue until January 2027, at which point Ofcom will assess further coverage improvements from the publicly-funded parts of the programme.

It is shocking that the last government published no digital inclusion strategy for 10 years. This Government is determined to remedy that and I hope to be able to say more soon.

The latest published data shows that between April 2022 and March 2023, 90% of premises benefiting from publicly-subsidised broadband rollout, including Project Gigabit, were rural.

Almost £2 billion of contracts have been signed to connect over a million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These are premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout, and fall predominantly in rural areas.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to robustly estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having on issues such as horseracing and tax revenues. This is a priority area of research for the Gambling Commission. We will continue to monitor the latest evidence in this area to improve our understanding of the illegal market.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to robustly estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having on issues such as horseracing and tax revenues. This is a priority area of research for the Gambling Commission. We will continue to monitor the latest evidence in this area to improve our understanding of the illegal market.

Gallantry awards, amongst them Victoria and George Crosses, honour exceptional acts of bravery and courage. The stories they tell form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, which houses a significant number of these medals, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010 and has been invaluable to the public’s understanding of these acts of heroism.

The Government recognises the importance of these medals and their significance to the recipients, their families and the wider public. The Imperial War Museum has delayed the original date of the Gallery closure until the end of September to allow visitors to see the collection of medals for as long as possible. Following the closure at the end of this month, the Imperial War Museum plans to redisplay their own collection of Victoria Cross and George Cross medals at their sites across the country, meaning public access to them will be maintained and new audiences will be able to engage with these stories.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on ensuring heritage delivers on this Government's core missions including planning reform. Ministers and officials have regular engagement with MHCLG on topics such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government’s review of Statutory Consultees, and wider planning reform.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy with young people and the sector to better target support and provide opportunities to young people, no matter who they are or where they live.

In 2025/26, DCMS is investing over £145 million in youth funding. This investment will provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can access opportunities, as we transition to the National Youth Strategy.

Additionally, the government announced that £132.5 million of dormant assets funding will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

The government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and young people are taught about and understand sustainability and the circular economy, which is why this topic can already be covered across a range of subjects, including science and design and technology. The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own school curriculum.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report is due to be published this autumn, along with the government’s response. The Review is looking at where the evidence suggests that curriculum and qualifications content needs to be updated to reflect rapid social, environmental and technological change, including a greater focus on sustainability.

The loan for living costs is a contribution towards a student’s living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support for students who need it most.

The government recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. All funding decisions must be carefully balanced to ensure the system targets students who need support the most, while also making it sustainable.

The government has increased maximum loans for living costs for full-time and part-time undergraduate students by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. A 3.1% increase is in line with forecast inflation based on the RPIX inflation index.

I refer the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton to the answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 71911.

From summer term 2025, 750 state funded primary schools will be funded as early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that includes food.

The department aims to test and learn with as many different types of schools as possible.

On 24 February 2025, the department published the list of early adopter schools here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme.

Defra is continuing to follow an eradication strategy against Yellow Legged Hornet (also known as Asian Hornet) to prevent this invasive non-native species from establishing in GB. Contingency action is delivered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). As of 23 October 2025, the APHA have found and destroyed a total of 155 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

Since 2016 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) have responded to incursions of Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) into Great Britain. The NBU has developed a fine-tuned and effective response which allows them to find and destroy nests to prevent YLH establishing. During 2025 the NBU has drawn on support from other members of staff within APHA and used new technology to deliver the response. For tracking, the inspectors have been trialling Robor Nature Units which use a handheld device to add tiny trackers to hornets. The tracker is then used to follow the hornet and find the nest so it can be destroyed and removed. For monitoring, field tests have been carried out using VespAI, a visual monitoring system developed by the University of Exeter which uses artificial intelligence to carry out surveillance for YLH. As of 23 October 2025, the NBU have found and destroyed a total of 155 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

The Deposit Return Scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres. Materials included are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers. Glass drinks containers across the UK are included in the scope of the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging scheme, to make sure it is appropriately and efficiently recycled.

Only DRS containers placed on the market after 1 October 2027 will carry a deposit on them. Containers placed on the market before 1 October 2027 can still be recycled via kerbside collections.

Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that will better target the SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. Information and plans for the next iteration of the scheme will be published in due course.

The Seasonal Worker visa route is hugely important for the horticulture sector, including the apple and pear industry. Government made a total of 43,000 seasonal worker visas available for horticulture in 2025.  The Government has also announced a 5-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route to provide stability and certainty to the horticulture sector, and we can confirm that 41,000 visas will be available for 2026 for the horticulture sector.