Scott Arthur

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the six week consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities.

The Parliamentary process for laying the Code in Parliament is set out in the Equality Act 2006. The Government will consider the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the minister will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have 40 sitting days to consider the Code, at which point it will be published.

This Government’s position is that conversion practices are abuse. Such practices have no place in society and must be stopped.

This is a complex issue, and it is imperative that we get this right.That is why, in collaboration with Ministerial colleagues, my officials and I are working hard to draft legislation that protects LGBT+ individuals from these abusive practices.

We remain committed to bringing forward a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, starting with publishing our draft Bill later this session for pre-legislative scrutiny.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the six week consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities.

The Parliamentary process for laying the Code in Parliament is set out in the Equality Act 2006. The Government will consider the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the minister will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the Code, at which point it will be published.

The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act
2010. The duty will require public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider
actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

We will work in partnership with public authorities, civil society and others in order to ensure that the implementation of the duty is as effective as possible.

As part of this, we have included questions in relation to the socio-economic duty in a call for evidence on equality law, which was launched on 7 April and will be open until 30 June. This will enable public authorities and others to input into plans in relation to the socio-economic duty at an early stage. We will update further on our work to commence the duty once the call for evidence has closed and responses have been analysed.

There is no place for misogyny in our society, which too often leads to violence. Tackling this is a top priority for this Government, with a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We will deliver a cross-Government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy to be published in the summer.

Education has an important role to play in reducing misogyny. The Department for Education is reviewing the RSHE guidance to ensure that it supports schools to tackle harmful behaviour, as this Government is determined to ensure that misogyny and sexual violence is stamped out and not allowed to proliferate in schools, or elsewhere.

The Government is also taking steps to tackle misogyny online through the Online Safety Act, as large social media providers are required to have systems in place to remove illegal and harmful content such as misogyny. Ofcom is currently consulting on draft guidance which sets out nine areas where technology firms should do more to improve women and girls’ safety by taking responsibility.

I understand that the first group of claims included victims from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Claimants who live in Scotland can receive legal support from firms with particular expertise in Scots law, if they wish, and I have been assured that as the scheme expands, the Authority will increase legal capability across all the UK.

I am informed that in January, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority handled 709 calls and responded to 832 emails. The Authority is taking the approach of having single points of contact for claimants, and I was pleased to learn how this has fostered positive relationships with many of those in the infected blood community.

No. As my Rt. Honourable friend the Minister for Defence Procurement has previously confirmed to the House, UK suppliers do not manufacture or export components that are exclusively used on the Israeli variant of the f-35 aircraft.

The Government recognises the crucial role of universities in the UK's innovation ecosystem and in delivering the skills needed to drive growth as part of the Industrial Strategy. Education policy is devolved in Scotland, and it is for the Scottish Government to consider the broader impact of developments in the education sector, including of any potential staff cuts in Scottish universities.

Accelerating the rate of innovation and increasing the adoption and diffusion of ideas, technologies, and processes is an essential step for growing productivity of our growth-driving sectors. My officials are working with the Scottish Government on how we can drive growth in Scotland and the wider UK within the context of our Industrial Strategy. This includes the role of innovation in helping us reach our shared growth objectives. This partnership will help make the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort and support the considerable sectoral strengths of Scotland.

The Government recognises the crucial role of universities in the UK’s innovation ecosystem and in delivering the skills needed to drive growth as part of the Industrial Strategy. My officials have discussed our Industrial Strategy plans with Universities Scotland.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper identified eight growth-driving sectors. All sectors can shape and will benefit from policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.

Advanced production machinery and robotics are central to increasing productivity across the manufacturing sector. The Made Smarter Adoption Programme is helping SME manufacturers adopt industrial digital technologies such as robotics and autonomous systems to increase their productivity and efficiency.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert offshore industry and workers to play a central role in the next generation of energy supply. Our commitments to deliver clean power by 2030 and to accelerate to net zero will guarantee our country’s energy security and create jobs, with gas continuing to play an important role in ensuring security of supply during the clean power transition.

Together, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, and the upcoming response to 'Building the North Sea's Energy Future' consultation provide a clear mission to drive investment certainty. These plans ensure the UK becomes a global leader in clean energy innovation, supply chains, manufacturing and deployment.

We have directly responded to the investment and regulatory barriers prohibiting growth for the sector. Measures include £5.8bn National Wealth Fund for high-cost infrastructure and ports investment; Clean Industry Bonus expansion; £1bn GBE Supply Chain Fund, planning and consenting reform; and targeted R&D funding.

The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert offshore industry and workers to play a central role in the next generation of energy supply. Our commitments to deliver clean power by 2030 and to accelerate to net zero will guarantee our country’s energy security and create jobs, with gas continuing to play an important role in ensuring security of supply during the clean power transition.

Together, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, and the upcoming response to 'Building the North Sea's Energy Future' consultation provide a clear mission to drive investment certainty. These plans ensure the UK becomes a global leader in clean energy innovation, supply chains, manufacturing and deployment.

We have directly responded to the investment and regulatory barriers prohibiting growth for the sector. Measures include £5.8bn National Wealth Fund for high-cost infrastructure and ports investment; Clean Industry Bonus expansion; £1bn GBE Supply Chain Fund, planning and consenting reform; and targeted R&D funding.

The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert offshore industry and workers to play a central role in the next generation of energy supply. Our commitments to deliver clean power by 2030 and to accelerate to net zero will guarantee our country’s energy security and create jobs, with gas continuing to play an important role in ensuring security of supply during the clean power transition.

Together, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, and the upcoming response to 'Building the North Sea's Energy Future' consultation provide a clear mission to drive investment certainty. These plans ensure the UK becomes a global leader in clean energy innovation, supply chains, manufacturing and deployment.

We have directly responded to the investment and regulatory barriers prohibiting growth for the sector. Measures include £5.8bn National Wealth Fund for high-cost infrastructure and ports investment; Clean Industry Bonus expansion; £1bn GBE Supply Chain Fund, planning and consenting reform; and targeted R&D funding.

The Government is introducing new strategic spatial planning processes, at national level (the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan) and regional level (Regional Energy Strategic Plans), to help ensure energy infrastructure meets future demand, including that of transport. The Government is encouraging transport stakeholders, such as the Freight Energy Forum (an expert advisory body led by the Department for Transport), to engage with the producer of these plans (the National Energy System Operator) and Ofgem to provide clarity and evidence on transport and electric vehicle requirements.

The Government is committed to attracting top global talent to the UK. We are working with the Home Office and the Home Secretary to deliver the Immigration White Paper, ensuring that the very highly skilled can come to the UK. The Life Sciences sector already attracts talent through routes including the Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas and the recently published Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out clear actions HMG will take to attract international Life Sciences talent.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan (LSSP) sets out a ten-year vision for enabling world-class R&D, making the UK an outstanding place for investment in life sciences, and driving healthcare innovation in the NHS. The plan received input from over 250 organisations including clinicians, NHS leadership, industry experts and charities (including cancer-related charities). The Office for Life Sciences Cancer Healthcare Goals Programme established the UK Cancer Research Strategy Forum (UKCRSF) to bring together the UK’s major cancer research funders to ensure coordination of strategic priorities in cancer research. The UKCRSF facilitated discussions relating to the cancer commitments of the LSSP.

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) plays a key role in delivering oceanographic science and innovation across the UK. It provides access to a wide range of data, infrastructure, and research services to universities, government departments, and other partners nationwide.

NOC’s activities are designed to reflect and serve the whole of the UK. It collaborates with regional and national partners, including the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). SAMS is a key delivery partner in the NOC-led Marine Science National Capability programme, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. This partnership ensures that marine science infrastructure, data, and services are accessible to researchers and stakeholders across Scotland.

NOC’s performance and use of public funding are subject to regular review and evaluation and is overseen by an independent board to ensure accountability and alignment with national priorities.

The UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership sets out how the UK and Ukraine build long-term military, economic and cultural ties. This includes through science, technology and innovation collaboration – both to drive mutual growth and support Ukraine’s R&D sector. Since 2022, we have supported over 100 pairs of UK and Ukrainian universities through the University Twinning Programme, providing over £5 million of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Research England funding to work together. We also support UK and Ukrainian Innovators to work together through the UK-Ukraine Techbridge and over 170 Ukrainian researchers to continue their research at UK universities through the Researchers at Risk Programme.

The Government is committed to making the UK the destination of choice for top international talent, who have an important impact on innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK. Their impact is particularly noticeable in the UK’s leading startup ecosystem; a quarter of Tech Nation-endorsed Global Talent Visa (GTV) holders are founders, and 39% of the UK’s fastest growing start-ups have at least one foreign born co-founder. In addition to providing a pipeline of entrepreneurs, international talent contributes significantly to innovation in key growth-driving sectors, and makes up 37% of higher education research staff.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impact on introducing an annual cap of £25,000 per place of worship for the 2025/26 financial year.

The changes to the scheme were necessary given the level of fiscal challenges we inherited and the pressures on other parts of the heritage and cultural sectors. Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications will be unaffected by the change, as most claims are under £5,000.

In January this government announced that we would extend the Listed Places of Worship Scheme for one year with an overall budget of £23 million, coming into effect from April 2025. Previous to that the budget for the scheme was up to £42 million, with an average spend of £29 million per year between 2017 and 2024. However, to ensure the £23 million budget remains affordable, claims are now capped at £25,000 per place of worship.

This means there is a saving of approximately £6m per year.

The future of the grant scheme funding after March 2026 will be considered as we work through the results of the Spending Review and Departmental business planning process.

The Department has had various meetings with representatives of the Church and other stakeholders on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. In June 2025, the Heritage Minister met church leaders including Marsha de Cordova MP, who is the Second Church Estates Commissioner.

We are committed to implementing gambling white paper legislative measures and to evaluating these measures effectively. As part of this, we introduced a £2 online slots stake limit for 18-24 year olds in May this year, a targeted-harm reduction measure for a high risk product. We have committed to review these measures within five years, or earlier if there is evidence to do so.

We have also introduced a statutory gambling levy. 30% of levy funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention to help protect young people from gambling-related harm.

We are also assessing white paper measures through an ongoing evaluation, and will publish the final report on the impact of these measures in due course. In parallel we will continue to monitor the best available evidence to inform how we protect young people from gambling harm amongst children and young people.

We are supporting cinemas through permanently lower business rates multipliers for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure premises with rateable values under £500,000 from 2026/27.

Our Plan for Neighbourhoods will provide £1.5 billion to 75 towns across the UK over ten years. Places will be able to use their £20 million to enrich their cultural and media offering and could, amongst other opportunities, refurbish, restore, or develop cultural and heritage assets, including local cinemas.

The British Film Institute (BFI), a DCMS Arms Length Body, also provides support to the cinema sector. The BFI’s Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is a collaboration of eight film hubs, managed by leading film organisations and venues around the UK. Film hubs are centres of expertise and support that connect cinemas, festivals and creative practitioners including using lottery funding to support the independent cinema exhibition sector by enhancing skills and sharing best practice.

Further information about film hubs is available at: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bring-film-wider-audience/bfi-film-audience-network

Furthermore, we are actively considering the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's recommendation to deliver capital infrastructure funding for independent cinemas and what we can do to further recognise the importance of cinemas within their local area.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The Scottish Government is responsible for schools and teaching in Scotland, including any decisions about Global Citizenship Education programmes.

In England the national curriculum for citizenship education covers democracy, justice and human rights; media and financial literacy; and how citizens can influence decisions.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that equips young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive in life and work. The Review will publish its final report in autumn 2025.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The work of the department contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4.

Citizenship education provides a framework to prepare pupils to be active, informed and responsible citizens. The national curriculum for citizenship is mandatory at key stages 3 and 4, where pupils learn about democracy, politics, parliament and voting, as well as human rights, justice, media literacy, the law, and the need for mutual respect. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship following the non-statutory framework.

Climate change and the environment are included within the current national curriculum in geography and science, with an environmental science A level available. The department is also developing a new GCSE in natural history, which will equip young people to understand the protection and conservation of the environment and respect the natural world.

The department provides tools, guidance and support to help schools manage their spending:

• The Energy for Schools offer, helping schools to arrange the best deal on their energy contracts when their current contracts are up for renewal. Details can be found at: https://submit.forms.service.gov.uk/form/7281/register-your-interest-in-energy-for-schools/27000.
• The Sustainability Support for Education website, which guides users to design a climate action plan and provides signposting to resources which are customised to a school’s context. This is accessible at: https://www.sustainabilitysupportforeducation.org.uk/.
• The Climate Ambassadors Programme, which sees volunteers from industry and civil society work directly with schools to turn climate ambition into action. Nine regional hub managers coordinate local activity, build strong networks and host events across the sector. Details can be found at: https://climateambassadors.org.uk/.

This government welcomes international students who enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK. Our world-class higher education (HE) sector can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.

The Immigration White Paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base. This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on HE provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. We will set out more details around this in the Autumn Budget. Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. We will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

In March, Professor Edward Peck was appointed as substantive Chair of the Office for Students. Professor Peck will continue the excellent work of interim Chair, Sir David Behan, focusing on the sector’s financial sustainability and increasing opportunities in HE.

Moreover, in November, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. In return for the increased investment we are asking students to make, we expect the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for those students and for the country.

Alongside this, we expect all universities to have a sustainable business model. Our forthcoming plans for reform of the HE sector will set out how we will support universities in this regard.

This government welcomes international students who enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK. Our world-class higher education (HE) sector can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.

The Immigration White Paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base. This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on HE provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. We will set out more details around this in the Autumn Budget. Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. We will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

In March, Professor Edward Peck was appointed as substantive Chair of the Office for Students. Professor Peck will continue the excellent work of interim Chair, Sir David Behan, focusing on the sector’s financial sustainability and increasing opportunities in HE.

Moreover, in November, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. In return for the increased investment we are asking students to make, we expect the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for those students and for the country.

Alongside this, we expect all universities to have a sustainable business model. Our forthcoming plans for reform of the HE sector will set out how we will support universities in this regard.