Sojan Joseph

As set out in the King’s Speech in July, the government is committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers. These measures will be part of the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which will be published in draft in this parliamentary session

We will shortly be consulting on our proposals to help us shape the legislation and will announce further details on timing in due course.

This Government is committed to building on the historic achievements of the Equal Pay Act 1970 and Equality Act 2010 and tackle pay discrimination. The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers and extend the right to make equal pay claims to ethnic minority and disabled people. Additionally, as set out in the Plan to Make Work Pay, we will put in place measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay and improve enforcement by establishing an Equal Pay Regulatory and Enforcement Unit. These changes will strengthen and expand the existing legislative framework.

We are also committed to protecting the ability to draw on equal pay comparators where workers' terms and conditions can be attributed to a single source, ensuring those provisions that were previously derived from EU law remain enshrined in UK law.

The Department is introducing heat network regulation in January 2026 which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations.

Ofgem is being appointed as heat network regulator and will have powers to investigate and intervene where prices appear disproportionate or unfair.

We are exploring options on further price protections including potentially capping connection costs within heat network zones.

We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure heat network regulation works alongside existing leaseholder and tenant protections.

The Online Safety Act has been designed to be technology neutral and applies to all services which support user-to-user interactions online, including game services. Where gaming services fall in scope, they will need to take appropriate measures to protect their users against illegal harms and harms to children.

As set out in the cross-government autism strategy (2021-2026), we want to improve understanding and acceptance of autism, and for public sector services to become more autism-inclusive.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) is the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector. It is committed to supporting, developing and enabling professionals and organisations to inspire our nation to become more active.

CIMSPA provides access to many resources and training programmes which explore how people with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) can be supported in sport and physical activity.

As set out in the cross-government autism strategy (2021 to 2026), the government wants to improve understanding and acceptance of autism and for public sector services to become more autism-inclusive.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations, including schools, are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

There is work underway in the department to improve autism awareness. High quality, evidence-based teaching is critical in ensuring that the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are met effectively.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. The department funds the £12 million Universal Services Programme, which helps the school and further education workforce to identify the needs of pupils with SEND earlier and more effectively. The programme includes autism training, delivered by Autism Education Trust training partners, to over 200,000 education professionals so far.

Also, following the recent review, the initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), which was published in January 2024, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

The department is committing to a full review of the delivery of the early career teacher (ECT) entitlement, including the content of the ITTECF, in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs based on the most up-to date-evidence. This review will focus on increasing support for mentors, as well as for teaching pupils with SEND.

In education settings, school staff can access a range of training as appropriate to their career stage. Training to support pupils with autism should include information on how to access health and social care as necessary.

The department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe, and to equip them for adult life so they achieve and thrive.

The statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance makes clear that teachers should be aware of common adverse childhood experiences, including bereavement, and understand when and how these may be affecting of their pupils. This will help teachers to tailor their lessons accordingly, taking decisions on appropriate resources and support to enable them to teach the curriculum effectively. Teachers are free to draw on the support and expertise of subject associations and other providers of curriculum support.

The RSHE statutory guidance, which sets out the specific topics pupils should be taught, is currently under review. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that children's wellbeing will be the government's priority, in light of which the department is looking carefully at the responses from the period of public consultation which ended on 11 July, engage with stakeholders and consider the relevant evidence before setting out next steps. As part of this process, the department will explore whether any more or amended content is required, including on death and bereavement.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There is already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the Reading Framework and an updated list of high quality phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

Ashford’s local English Hub is Kingsnorth. Further information is available here: https://www.kingsnorth.kent.sch.uk/english-hub.

Following the inspection of Kent’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January 2019, inspectors reported nine significant areas of weakness, requiring the local area to produce a Written Statement of Action.

A revisit by Ofsted and CQC took place in September 2022. The report was published on 9 November 2022 and judged that the local area had not made sufficient progress in addressing any of its significant weaknesses, which were:

(i) A widely held concern of parents that the local area is not able, or in some cases not willing, to meet their children’s needs.

(ii) A variable quality of provision and commitment to inclusion in schools.

(iii) That parents and carers have a limited role in reviewing and designing services for children and young people with SEND.

(iv) An inability of current joint commissioning arrangements to address known gaps and eliminate longstanding weaknesses in services.

(v) Poor standards achieved and poor progress made by too many children and young people with SEND.

(vi) The inconsistent quality of the education, health and care (EHC) plan process.

(vii) Weak governance of SEND arrangements across the EHC system at strategic and operational level.

(viii) Unacceptable waiting times for children and young people to be seen by some health services.

(ix) A lack of effective systems to review and improve outcomes for those children and young people whose progress to date has been limited by weaknesses in provision.

Every child and young person with SEND should have access to high quality services. Where a council does not meet requirements to provide appropriate support for these children, the department will take action to prioritise their needs and bring about rapid improvement. That is why Kent County Council (KCC) was issued with an Improvement Notice in March 2023, setting out the steps expected of them to raise standards in their SEND services.

After reviewing the actions that KCC has taken to improve its SEND services, the department lifted its Improvement Notice in August 2024 on the basis that KCC has met the conditions set out within it. The department continues to maintain close oversight of services and the further improvements KCC must make to ensure every child and young person with SEND has access to high quality services, including through regular review meetings, close working with NHS England, and the continued support of a department commissioned SEND Advisor.

The Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) regulations make producers responsible for the electrical products they place on the market when they become waste. As part of this producers can pay into the WEEE Compliance Fee fund that provides project funding for local authorities seeking to provide more recycling opportunities for local residents. It also funds consumer awareness campaigns highlighting the importance of properly disposing of their electrical waste. According to Material Focus, 100 local authorities in the United Kingdom operate Kerbside collection for small electricals.

Defra is continuing to engage closely with the Police, local authorities, and rescue and rehoming organisations to monitor the impacts of the XL Bully dog ban. These measures are vital to protect the public and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions.

The Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill will the first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector, reducing pollution and cleaning up our waterways. The Government has also launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, anticipated to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation.

With respect to the Ashford constituency, this year Environment Agency (EA) officers have inspected four permitted water company assets, with more planned in the coming months as part an increased programme of regulatory visits. No significant issues have been found so far. Where significant permit breaches or issues are identified, the appropriate enforcement response will be pursued according to the EA’s enforcement policy.

EA Agricultural Officers have been focusing their regulatory efforts in the Great Stour catchment this year. These inspections ensure farmers are operating in ways that reduce polluting inputs into watercourses.

The EA is also an active participant of the Kentish Stour Catchment partnership which identifies and commissions projects to improve water quality and river habitats across the catchment.

The Department has no plans to allow the temporary use of an expired Blue Badge. It is an offence to use an expired badge which should be returned to the issuing local authority.

Allowing the use of expired badges would undermine the effective enforcement of the scheme.

The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in Kent. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Kent County Council has been allocated over £23 million of this funding. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

There have not been recent discussions between the Secretary of State and National Highways on increasing the height of the railings on the A28 overbridge over the M20 between junctions 9 and 10. Both the Department and National Highways take the issue of safety very seriously and are committed to improving the Strategic Road Network (SRN) to provide a safer network. The raising of bridge parapets (safety barriers/railings along the edge of bridges) is not always a straightforward piece of work and can typically require complete replacement of the bridge structure. National Highways usually undertakes this type of work on a priority basis across the whole of the SRN.

This Government wants to focus on how transport can be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it – delivering on our pledge to put people at the heart of what we do on transport and enabling them to live healthy, fulfilling lives without barriers to opportunity.

The Government is committed to delivering a transport network which allows disabled people, including those with less visible impairments, such as autism, to travel easily and confidently, with dignity and without extra cost.

Having clear accountability and appropriately trained staff acting to support passengers, whether disabled or not, to make the journeys they want and need to make is essential. To support this, many staff working on our public transport network already undertake disability awareness training.

The Government expects Local Authorities and Transport Operators to lead this process and we want to empower them to do this. That is why we are bringing forward the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, and undertaking wider reform on our railway, including the establishment of Great British Railways with a customer-focused culture.

The Department will publish its findings shortly.

Linking Winter Fuel eligibility to Pension Credit and other means tested benefits for pensioners, ensures the least well-off pensioners still receive the help they need; this includes people with a terminal illness who are eligible. There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria.

The Department supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods. In most cases they receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules have applied to people who have six months or less to live and have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.

The forthcoming Youth Guarantee is testament to our commitment to do more to help young people achieve their potential and how we intend to maximise the role of as wide a range of local partners as possible in helping us to achieve this goal.

Ashford Jobcentre has had several meetings with Ashford Borough Council with the Welfare team and the Economic Development Manager where they have been discussing the developments in Ashford and changes in the labour market and how the youth cohort can find employment.

Recent examples of positive collaboration in Ashford include strong support for Southeastern rail apprenticeships to close the skill gaps in that sector, and the Jobcentre is also looking for solutions with the local authority around transportation links.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish the child poverty strategy in the Spring.

Our publication on 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we will develop the Strategy, harnessing all available levers to deliver a reduction in child poverty this Parliament.

The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Taskforce will hear directly from experts on each of the Strategy’s themes including children and families living in poverty and work with leading organisations, charities, and campaigners.

To support struggling families, we have already boosted the Household Support Fund by a further £421 million in England. The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage.

The Department manages medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Kent is not held centrally.

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Previously there has been issues with the supply of a limited number of these products, primarily driven by very sharp increases in demand. Following the Department’s intensive engagement with industry, the supply position has improved considerably. As part of this we have met with suppliers on a very regular basis and have held seven HRT supply roundtables since April 2022, with the most recent in September 2024, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply position and actions being taken to address them, to share data, and to discuss relevant policy developments and potential impacts.

We are aware of the supply issues affecting Estradot (estradiol) 50 microgram/24 hour, 75 microgram/24 hour, and 100 microgram/24 hour patches, for which we have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service, including Serious Shortage Protocols allowing community pharmacists to supply the equivalent strength patch of an alternative brand without the need for a new prescription. Alternative brands of estradiol patches remain available. There are also shortages for Indivina^® 1mg/2.5mg and 1mg/5mg tablets until mid-April and a discontinuation of Tridestra^® tablets which we have also communicated to the NHS. Alternative combined continuous and cyclical preparations of oral HRT products remain available.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps all vaccine programmes under review and will continue to update its advice as new evidence emerges. In October 2024, the JCVI agreed that it would need to formally review, in detail, the evidence for a potential extension to the programme for the very elderly and risk groups in those aged less than 75 years old. This review would be undertaken by the JCVI respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sub-committee.

The Department will consider any future JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation. Once published, minutes of JCVI meetings are available on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation#sub-committee-membership-and-minutes

The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service during the winter period and the impact this is having on accident and emergency waiting times, including in hospitals in East Kent.

We are committed to supporting the NHS to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution but must be clear that there are no quick fixes.

However, we are determined to turn things around through investment and reform. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £25.6 billion of additional healthcare funding over the next two years, and we will set out an urgent and emergency care improvement plan shortly, as well as a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

As of 1 December 2024, 49 appeals linked to COVID-19 vaccinations have been escalated to tribunal. Eight of these appeals have now concluded, with zero resulting in a payment being awarded.

Between 1 November 2021 and 1 December 2024, the total spent by the NHS Business Services Authority on behalf of the Department to defend against appeals within the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was £104,005.05. As of December 2024, 49 appeals linked to COVID-19 vaccinations have been escalated to a tribunal.

The UK is deeply concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Pakistan, including in Balochistan province. The British High Commission regularly raises these issues with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

Pension abatement rules formed part of the overall design of most legacy Public Service Pension Schemes. These rules worked as part of an overall package to safeguard against undesirable practices and ensure propriety and value for money. Reformed schemes were introduced in 2014/15 and do not contain abatement provisions.

The government has no plans to review the abatement rules. It is generally not appropriate to retrospectively improve the terms of public service pensions, as this would place costs on current employers for benefits that were not envisaged at the time such pensions were accrued.

Training on mental ill health and autism is already integrated throughout the initial police learning programme which all new recruits must complete.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has produced an e-learning course on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.

This Government is committed to ensuring that the police have the resources they need to tackle crime effectively.

Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.

As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the settlement will increase the core government grant for police forces and help support frontline policing levels across the country.

Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.

Across all rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, and the Safety of Women at Night Fund, the Kent police force area has received just under £3.5 million, supporting 12 projects. This includes just over £760,000 through the latest, fifth round of funding to deliver three projects across various locations, including in Folkestone, Chatham, Sittingbourne and Sheerness, which have a focus on preventing anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls and neighbourhood crime.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in Kent has been allocated £1,568,614 to deliver the Hotspot Response programme in 24-25. This programme is a combination of additional, high visibility patrols targeted to the exact locations where they are needed most (‘hotspots’), and funding of problem-oriented policing tactics. Problem oriented policing aims to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions.

More broadly, this Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and we will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.

As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which includes getting thousands of neighbourhood police personnel back on the beat, giving local people a names officer who they can turn to when things go wrong, and cracking down on the street crime, shop theft and anti-social behaviour which makes communities feel less safe.

The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.

Across all rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, and the Safety of Women at Night Fund, the Kent police force area has received just under £3.5 million, supporting 12 projects. This includes just over £760,000 through the latest, fifth round of funding to deliver three projects across various locations, including in Folkestone, Chatham, Sittingbourne and Sheerness, which have a focus on preventing anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls and neighbourhood crime.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in Kent has been allocated £1,568,614 to deliver the Hotspot Response programme in 24-25. This programme is a combination of additional, high visibility patrols targeted to the exact locations where they are needed most (‘hotspots’), and funding of problem-oriented policing tactics. Problem oriented policing aims to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions.

More broadly, this Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and we will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.

As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which includes getting thousands of neighbourhood police personnel back on the beat, giving local people a names officer who they can turn to when things go wrong, and cracking down on the street crime, shop theft and anti-social behaviour which makes communities feel less safe.

The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.

Across all rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, and the Safety of Women at Night Fund, the Kent police force area has received just under £3.5 million, supporting 12 projects. This includes just over £760,000 through the latest, fifth round of funding to deliver three projects across various locations, including in Folkestone, Chatham, Sittingbourne and Sheerness, which have a focus on preventing anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls and neighbourhood crime.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in Kent has been allocated £1,568,614 to deliver the Hotspot Response programme in 24-25. This programme is a combination of additional, high visibility patrols targeted to the exact locations where they are needed most (‘hotspots’), and funding of problem-oriented policing tactics. Problem oriented policing aims to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions.

More broadly, this Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and we will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.

As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which includes getting thousands of neighbourhood police personnel back on the beat, giving local people a names officer who they can turn to when things go wrong, and cracking down on the street crime, shop theft and anti-social behaviour which makes communities feel less safe.

The Ministry of Defence has commissioned studies on the impact and value of the Cadet Forces to society and to schools. This independent research provides clear evidence that the cadet experience is not only engaging and fun but can, for some, be literally life changing.

We know that by participating in the cadets, young people can develop many important attributes and key life skills such as the ability to work well in a team, self-confidence, resilience and determination. All these contribute to positive health and wellbeing outcomes for the participants.

In fact, the research indicates that in terms of health and wellbeing alone participation in the Cadet Forces could yield significant annual returns on investment estimated as being in the region of £120 million each year. This being due to lifetime benefits accruing from increasing participation in further and higher education, fewer GP visits, and reductions in the use of mental health services.