Sarah Hall

The recent announcement of the Civil Society Covenant marks a new era of partnership between Government and civil society that will drive forward plans to foster closer collaboration in tackling some of society’s most pressing issues. The Covenant, which will launch in the New Year, seeks to establish a new relationship with the third sector and will support the delivery of the Government’s missions as well as our ambitious project of reform to public services so they deliver for working people.

UK product safety law requires all products to be safe before being placed on the market. The Office for Product Safety and Standards coordinates targeted and intelligence-led interventions at our ports and borders with Local Authority Trading Standards, HMRC, and Border Force to prevent unsafe products entering the UK. In 2023-2024, this resulted in more than 2.4m goods being blocked from entry.

Government has introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to update our product safety framework. Following Royal Assent, we intend to consult on the duties of e-commerce businesses, so that consumers and compliant businesses are even better protected.

Regardless of employment status, individuals who had their Horizon-related convictions overturned, or were prosecuted but not convicted, are eligible to apply for redress through the Overturned Convictions Scheme or Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme. Postmasters who were part of the 2019 group litigation against the Post Office are eligible for redress via the Group Litigation Order Scheme, whilst those not in any of these groups who suffered mainly shortfall losses may seek redress via the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS).

Individuals who were employees of the Post Office, or those who were employed by a business partner of the Post Office or a postmaster in branch, unfortunately are not eligible for redress under the HSS. This is because they did not have a direct contract with the Post Office. We are, however, continuing to look actively at potential gaps in the provision of redress which may prevent individuals who were affected by the Horizon scandal from being able to claim redress.

Under the umbrella of the recently announced Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.

DBT is piloting an enhanced partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, taking a targeted place-based approach to accelerate small business growth through exporting across the region. This will be rolled out to other regions across England over the next 12 months.

The numbers of businesses that UK Export Finance (UKEF) supported in the financial years in question are shown in the table below:

Further information is available in UKEF’s annual report and accounts, available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024.

The UK Export Academy is here to support all businesses to grow by giving attendees the confidence and know-how to land overseas deals, and it is reaching more micro-businesses than ever before. Already this year, more than 3,700 micro-businesses have registered so far to attend the free training sessions, which is an increase on 2023/24 where 3,639 micro-businesses registered. To make the UK Export Academy more accessible, we are piloting video-on-demand and a catch-up service has been launched so micro-business owners can access session recordings at a time that suits them, online, and from anywhere across the UK.

The skills passport is an industry-led project that seeks to support Oil and Gas workers to transition into roles in the Offshore wind sectors. Currently there are no plans to transition such workers into the nuclear sector through this passport. However, the passport will provide a solid foundation for either expansion into other sectors such as nuclear in the coming years, to make such a transition possible.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has the necessary skills needed to deliver our nuclear ambitions including through supporting the industry led National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills. The Plan is delivering fifteen projects supporting various aspects of the nuclear sector skills demand including two projects to attract and retain people from other industries, including Oil and Gas. The Destination Nuclear national communications campaign promotes the opportunities available in the sector and acts a centralised job board for the industry; and the Career Switchers project will provide nuclear upskilling support for those entering the sector with relevant engineering, trades support and business skills.

Standing charges cover the costs energy suppliers take on to provide consumers with electricity, which vary by location, and although these levies are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them.

The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving some supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. Ofgem's publication can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/call-for-input/standing-charges-domestic-retail-options.

We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.

Fan ownership can be a model of success for many sporting clubs and organisations, as can other models incorporating appropriate fan engagement.

The Government is committed to supporting investment into sports clubs and organisations, whether that is fan ownership, private ownership or some combination of the two.

Many fan owned clubs and organisations are operated by co-operative or community benefit societies). Charitable community benefit societies do not have to pay certain taxes as they have to meet certain requirements about how they operate as a society. These are tax measures aimed to support societies to support their local communities, including fan owned or community owned sports clubs.

‘Safe standing’ has been a licensing option for all professional football grounds currently subject to the all-seater policy since July 2022.

The department is always working to improve adoption services, and particularly the work of Adoption England, which we fund to improve local adoption services. The department collects quarterly statistics on the main adoption indicators of performance and Ofsted inspects local authority performance through their inspection programme.

Adoption England published a three-year strategy in 2024 that the government supports. It sets out a wide range of work to develop services across the country, in partnership with those with lived experience. This includes the introduction of national standards, improving the recruitment of adopters and timely matching of children and family support. The strategy can be accessed here: https://adoptionengland.co.uk/sites/default/files/2024-04/Adoption%20England%20Strategy.pdf.

For 2025/26, the department has provided £8.8 million for Adoption England and I recently set out my priorities for this funding in a letter to Sarah Johal, Adoption England’s National Strategic leader. The letter can be accessed here: https://adoptionengland.co.uk/sites/default/files/2025-04/FINAL%20JD%20LETTER%20TO%20SARAH%20JOHAL%20-%20030425.pdf. Departmental officials and I regularly meet with Sarah to discuss progress on improvements to adoption services.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children. This includes children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of their special educational needs (SEN), disability or mobility problem.

We know that challenges in the wider SEN system are creating pressure on home-to-school travel. We have committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. The Spending Review announcement on 11 June confirmed significant new funding to support special educational needs and disabilities reform and a White Paper with further details on plans will be published in the autumn. This will reduce the pressure on home-to-school travel over time leaving it better able to meet the needs of those that continue to need it.

For too many families, the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. ​This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.​​

Departmental research has found the average expenditure on uniform reduced as the range of outlets from which parents could purchase items increased. Average spend was significantly lower where all items could be purchased from anywhere (£227.29), than where all had to be purchased from a designated shop or from a school (£283.90).

For some items, the survey found that parents buying from a designated shop or from school had paid twice that of parents able to buy from anywhere. The data also show that 8% of parents had, at some point in the past, been discouraged from applying to enter their child into a particular school due to the cost of uniform, rising to 26% among parents who had experienced financial hardship as a result of purchasing school uniform items. This research is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.

Whilst savings to families from less affluent backgrounds will vary depending on schools' current practices, we estimate that requiring fewer branded items from designated suppliers could save some parents over £50 per child during the back-to-school shop from September 2026.

The government takes the issue of missing children extremely seriously. The existing statutory guidance, ‘Children who run away or go missing from home of care’, outlines what local authorities and their partners must do to prevent and protect missing children.

For example, it mandates that local authorities must offer an independent return home interview to all children who go missing from home or care.

The department is updating its guidance on Child Sexual Exploitation, including how this affects children who go missing. We are investing over £500 million in the national rollout of the families first partnership programme which will implement family help and multi-agency child protection to ensure children have the right support at the right time, including those who go missing.

The government takes the issue of missing children extremely seriously. The existing statutory guidance, ‘Children who run away or go missing from home of care’, outlines what local authorities and their partners must do to prevent and protect missing children.

For example, it mandates that local authorities must offer an independent return home interview to all children who go missing from home or care.

The department is updating its guidance on Child Sexual Exploitation, including how this affects children who go missing. We are investing over £500 million in the national rollout of the families first partnership programme which will implement family help and multi-agency child protection to ensure children have the right support at the right time, including those who go missing.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

This will build on the support already available through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, which includes access to testing for priority diseases and advice to continually improve the health, welfare and productivity of farmed animals through funded vet visits.

The Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to this end.

We expect water companies to put robust support in place for vulnerable customers and keep current support schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported. 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 launched an Independent Commission in October 2024 to examine the water sector and its regulations. The Commission forms the next stage in the Government’s long-term approach to ensuring we have a robust and stable regulatory framework. The Independent Water Commission: interim report was released on 03 June 2025. Final recommendations will be published this summer and presented to both the UK and Welsh Governments. Both Governments will then respond and consult on proposals, including potential legislation.

Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products, and the Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Central to this is our work to improve contractual practices in agriculture, where we are introducing ‘Fair Dealings’ regulations using powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.

Fair Dealings regulations have already been introduced for the UK dairy and pig sectors, and further regulations are in development for the egg and fresh produce sectors too. The Government also recently announced the launch of a new review into issues facing the combinable crops sector. We will conduct a statutory review into the effectiveness of these regulations in due course.

In terms of those who supply large retailers, the Government also supports the work of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), which enforces the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) and regulates the relationship between the largest grocery retailers and their direct suppliers.

Evidence from previous statutory reviews of the GCA and from annual supplier surveys suggest that the adjudicator has been highly effective in enforcing GSCOP. The Government recently launched the fourth statutory review of the GCA’s effectiveness and has an ongoing public consultation open which closes on 5 August. We encourage anyone interested to respond to the review’s consultation and will carefully consider the views received.

Labour introduced National Parks 75 years ago, and introduced the Rights of Way Act that secured public access and preserved natural beauty.

A thriving natural world underpins our economy, health and society. That’s why this Government is investing £400 million to protect and restore nature, including in our Nationals Parks.

This Government is committed to making Protected Landscapes, such as the Lake District National Park which contains Windermere, greener, wilder and more accessible. We have just announced our intent to strengthen legislation when parliamentary time allows. We will develop the details of the new legislation with partners, with the intention of ensuring that public bodies deliver better outcomes for people and nature in Protected Landscapes.

The Government is committed to taking action to address water pollution in Lake Windermere and in National Parks. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the Government’s commitment to put water companies under special measures. The Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

Ofwat has recently published final determinations on PR24. United Utilities’ will invest approximately £200 million in Lake Windermere, with improvements planned at all six storm overflows and nine wastewater treatment works impacting the lake.

Ofwat are also supporting a reduction in phosphorous in Lake Windermere by United Utilities. This includes ensuring United Utilities engage third parties to reduce the phosphorus entering the catchment and improve the water quality.

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

The Government is committed to driving economic growth across all regions through a better-connected, more reliable and greener transport network.

As part of our long-term plan for transport, Warrington Borough Council has been allocated over £33 million from the £2.3 billion Local Transport Grant between 2026/27 and 2029/30. This streamlined funding will support local priorities such as easing congestion, enhancing public transport, and expanding active travel options, helping to boost economic growth, improve access to jobs and support local development.

Warrington is also in line to benefit from the Government’s £24 billion investment in road infrastructure during this period, supporting faster, safer and more resilient journeys across the country.

The Department has also provided over £600,000 to support work on the regeneration and masterplanning of Warrington Bank Quay station, which will play a key role in unlocking housing and economic opportunities. We are continuing to work with stakeholders on this and, as announced by the Chancellor in Parliament, we will set out this government’s plans for taking forward our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the coming weeks.

Together, these investments reflect the Government’s commitment to improving local transport in Warrington South and supporting long-term economic growth.

The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.

Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.

The Chancellor has recently announced £616 million for Active Travel England up to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure. In addition, this Government will provide nearly £18 billion to local authorities through the Transport for City Region settlements and the Local Transport Grant, supporting them to invest in their local transport priorities, including walking and cycling.

Active Travel England works with local authorities to help design and deliver high-quality networks. The forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy we will help to ensure that active travel is safe, accessible and integrated with other modes to encourage more people to cycle, walk and wheel.

As announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget, which can be accessed on the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-budget-2024, the Government is maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail by progressing planning and design works to support future delivery, building upon the Transpennine Route Upgrade. The Government will set out further details of its plans in due course.

Transport is an essential part of our mission to rebuild Briain, and the Government is committed to improving rail connectivity across the North. As announced in the Budget, the Government is progressing planning and design works to support future delivery of our plans for rail connectivity in the North and will set out further details in due course.

Under the current criteria a claimant to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) must score between eight and 11 points across the 10 daily living activities to get the standard rate of the daily living component, or 12 points or more for the enhanced rate. They also need to score between eight and 11 points across the two mobility activities for the standard rate of the mobility component and 12 points or more for the enhanced rate.  Anyone scoring below eight points for either component is not entitled to PIP.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting elderly or disabled relatives or friends. Sometimes unpaid carers will need to turn to the benefit system for financial support, so it is right that we keep Carer’s Allowance (CA) under review, to see if it is meeting its objectives, and giving unpaid carers the help and support they need and deserve.

Unpaid carers may be able to receive financial and/or employment support from the department depending on their circumstances. This includes CA and means tested benefits such as Universal Credit (UC). UC can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the additional amounts for carers. UC pays an extra £2400 a year to unpaid carers.

Carers (providing at least 35 hours per week) of severely disabled people may be eligible for benefit support as set out above. They are not required to undertake any work-related activity but can access employment support on a voluntary basis if they wish.

A part-time carer on UC (providing care for under 35 hours a week) would be supported to combine work and care. They will receive personalised employment support from their work coach, who tailors the number of hours a week they are expected to work or search for work to fit their caring responsibilities and take into account any other barriers to working full time, for example a health condition.

Employment support can include identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart and Connect to Work programmes.

We also know that some carers are keen to maintain contact with the labour market, so we want to encourage carers to combine some paid work with their caring responsibilities wherever possible, meaning they can increase their overall income (eligibility rules apply).

That’s why we have pegged the CA earnings limit to 16 hours work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The earnings limit increased to be £196 a week net earnings on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since CA was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive CA between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result.

DWP has also begun some scoping work to see whether an earnings taper in CA might be a feasible option in the longer term. This will require significant change to current DWP systems.

The Department does not hold the information to be able to answer this question.

There are no rules or regulations that make it a requirement for people with assistance dogs to have documentation to enter retail outlets, licensed premises or any other premises of businesses or service providers.

The Equality Act 2010 places a general duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people, including people with assistance dogs, access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act. It has published guidance - ‘Assistance Dogs: a guide for businesses and service providers’ - to help those bodies understand what they can do to meet their legal duties to assistance dog owners.

Duties and protections under the Equality Act are ultimately enforceable through the courts, and anybody who thinks that they have been discriminated against - including where access to an assistance dog has been refused - can take legal action to seek to resolve the issue. The EHRC will support people who have experienced discrimination through that process.

This Government fully supports the principle that guide dogs and assistance dogs should always be allowed access, except in the most exceptional circumstances.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

The Government has taken a critical first step towards a National Care Service by launching an independent commission into adult social care.

The commission will build national consensus to create a National Care Service that is productive, preventative, and gives people who draw on care, and their families and carers, more power in the system.

It will be for the independent commission to determine their approach, but we expect it will include engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience and unpaid carers, as well as building cross-party consensus. Further details will be set out by the commission in due course.

In the short-term, we are laying the foundations for a National Care Service by introducing legislation for the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for the care workforce, expanding the first-ever national career structure for the adult social care workforce, digitising care providers, and setting new standards for care technologies.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Warrington South constituency, this is the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.

ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB is expected to deliver 46,617 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We recognise the benefits and opportunities of modern methods of construction (MMC), including modular construction, faster construction times, cost savings, minimised disruption, higher quality and safety standards, and the use of sustainable materials and methods.

A toolkit has been developed to support MMC opportunities in healthcare and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-modern-methods-of-construction-assessment-tool-user-guide/

The NHS MMC assessment tool is recommended for use on all projects to inform the use of MMC of opportunities and is mandated for projects over £25 million to meet business case requirements of 70% new build and 50% refurbishment using MMC.

The New Hospital Programme is already transforming the way that hospital infrastructure is constructed by using a national standardised approach, called Hospital 2.0. Hospital 2.0 uses a standardised ‘kit of parts’ for hospital components, ranging from doors to full bathroom pods, that can be assembled into different size hospitals in an optimised, consistent, and repeatable way and with off-site manufacturing and assembly, reducing costs and accelerating construction. Taken together, MMC and Hospital 2.0 will accelerate the building process, improving productivity and maximising value for money.

The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.

We also recognise that care, including phlebotomy, should be more easily accessible, and located in the community where possible, which is more convenient for patients than going to hospital.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this parliament. The plan commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the RTT 18-week standard.

Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are supporting one of the Government’s top priorities for health, to shift care from the hospital to the community. CDCs offer local populations a wide range of diagnostic tests, including phlebotomy, closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken whilst also reducing pressure on hospitals. Latest management information data shows that CDCs have delivered over 3.7 million phlebotomy tests since July 2021.

Healthcare services provided by general practice, including phlebotomy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards based on population need.