Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much special grant funding her Department plans to provide to each police force in England and Wales.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Police Special Grant has an allocated budget of £49.6m in 2026-27, and increase of £0.6m compared to 2025-26.

Decisions regarding applications for the coming financial year will be communicated to recipients in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 111896, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on mobilisation of the UK workforce between now and 2028.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have interpreted ‘mobilisation of the UK workforce’ to mean moving economically inactive or unemployed individuals into employment.

We are aiming for a fully operational, nationwide, transformed service from 2028/29, with ongoing improvement thereafter. We already provide support to help people into employment through our current Jobcentre offer which will continue and improve as we transition to the new Jobs and Careers Service. We have developed an enhanced employer offer and employer strategy and grown the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in priority sectors. We have also announced the integration of the careers service in England from October this year, which will provide a more joined up service for customers. In April 2025, we launched our first Pathfinder in Wakefield in April 2025 which is testing elements of the new service including new ways of delivering employment support.

We are also supporting people into employment through wider initiatives including the 17 youth and inactivity trailblazers, NHS Health and Growth Accelerators, Connect to Work programme and the Pathways to Work guarantee. In addition, the national rollout of the Youth Guarantee Gateway will start in April 2026 and follow a phased implementation to ensure adequate provision and infrastructure are in place to meet demand.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that the implementation of the the recommendations of the 2025 Nuclear Regulatory Review complies with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Taskforce recommendations on the environment seek to deliver better environmental outcomes compared with the existing regime, through a simpler regime which is less burdensome and disruptive for nuclear projects. We will present a full implementation plan shortly, taking account of our international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111895, what plans his Department has to engage with the private sector on delivery options for the digital element of the new Jobs and Careers Service.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. These opportunities will be published on Find a Tender in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111898, what the evaluated costs are for delivering and operating the digital elements of the Jobs and Careers Service in-house compared with using private-sector technology.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 10th December to PQ 96593.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111895, what delivery options his Department is considering for the digital elements of the Jobs and Careers Service.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department is considering a wide range of delivery options for the Jobs and Careers Service.

Currently several elements of the Jobs and Careers new digital service have already been assessed and the decision taken to build some of these elements in house. For other digital elements, the Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of digital products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. The outcome of this engagement will help inform the future delivery strategy for the Jobs and Career Service.