Suella Braverman

The collection of any data with regard to breaches of the Civil Service Code would be a matter for individual departments.

The collection of any data with regard to breaches of the Civil Service Code would be a matter for individual departments.

Impartiality, and in particular political impartiality, is one of the values of the Civil Service Code. It is a contractual obligation for civil servants to abide by the Code. Impartiality means civil servants must serve the Government, whatever its political persuasion, to the best of their ability.

The Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles explain the legal requirement that selection for appointment to the Civil Service must be on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Civil Service takes adherence to these principles very seriously. The Civil Service Commission publishes data regarding compliance and their most recent annual report for 2023/24 showed a 13% reduction in breaches compared to 2022/23.

For the centrally managed Senior Civil Service, departments are able to address flight risk with Pivotal Role Allowances (PRAs) for those delivering critical programmes and those responsible for implementing government priorities. All PRAs require the approval of the Cabinet Office and the Treasury and are assessed against strict eligibility criteria, including the business criticality of the role, the impact should the incumbent leave, the skills required and the level of flight risk. For grades below the SCS, departments have delegated authority to determine their own pay arrangements to reflect their recruitment and retention needs.

Project Lunar is an internal policy that the Co-op is introducing and is not a matter that DBT can comment on.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has the policy lead for regulation of workplace health and safety in Great Britain. The primary responsibility for managing risk to health and safety lies with employers. An employer is the person or organisation that is legally responsible, under health and safety law, for managing and controlling risks created by their work activities. It is for the employer to determine the best way to manage those risks taking account of the circumstances of their business and work activity. There may be greater risks for lone workers without direct supervision or someone to help them if things go wrong, and an employer must identify the risks to lone workers and put control measures in place to protect them.

HSE provide guidance on lone working: Lone working: Protect those working alone - HSE.

The Government considers the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) when setting the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. Each year, the Government’s remit to the LPC asks it to take into account the impact on businesses, including small businesses, as well as the wider economy. To inform its recommendations, the LPC undertakes extensive consultation, research and data analysis.

The Government has published an Impact Assessment for the 2025 rates, which sets out the potential impacts on small businesses and the range of mitigations and policy measures in place to support them.

The Government published an Impact Assessment (IA) for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage (NLW) rates, which includes a breakdown of the expected impacts by sector. The IA also sets out the economic literature to date, which shows that increases to the NLW have had a limited impact on labour demand, as measured by employment levels and hours worked.

The Government published an Impact Assessment (IA) for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage (NLW) rates, which includes a breakdown of the expected impacts by sector. The IA also sets out the economic literature to date, which shows that increases to the NLW have had a limited impact on labour demand, as measured by employment levels and hours worked.

Ofgem review the price cap level every three months and ensure that it reflects wholesale prices as well as other costs incurred by suppliers. This includes network costs, for example the building, fixing and repair of pipes and wires to transport energy.

Energy suppliers are bound by a universal service obligation under standard condition 22 of the gas and electricity Standard Licence Conditions. This means they are required to offer terms to any domestic consumer who asks, ensuring consumers have access to energy.

For customers on a domestic contract, the mechanism for ensuring fair pricing is Ofgem’s Price Cap, which allows suppliers to recoup genuine costs with a small allowance for profits.

For domestic customers who receive energy via non-domestic contracts, there is legislation which sets a maximum price that can be charged for electricity and gas which has already been bought from a licensed supplier.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues.

AI generated child sexual abuse images are illegal material. It is an offence to produce, store or share any material that contains or depicts child sexual abuse, regardless of whether the material depicts a real child or not. The government engages regularly with the tech sector, including AI companies, to support them in making their platforms safer for children.

The Online Safety Act places new duties on companies that provide user-to-user services and search services to address priority illegal content, such as child sexual exploitation and abuse. The strongest protections in the Act are for children.

AI generated child sexual abuse images are illegal material. It is an offence to produce, store or share any material that contains or depicts child sexual abuse, regardless of whether the material depicts a real child or not. The government engages regularly with the tech sector, including AI companies, to support them in making their platforms safer for children.

The Online Safety Act places new duties on companies that provide user-to-user services and search services to address priority illegal content, such as child sexual exploitation and abuse. The strongest protections in the Act are for children.

The Secretary of State was clear in her statement to Parliament that the scenes from the Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury were utterly appalling and unacceptable. This Government will not tolerate antisemitism – it has absolutely no place in our society and we will be unrelenting in our work to root it out and it should not be given a platform.

The BBC is editorially independent, and decisions on what content to broadcast, and how they broadcast that content, are a matter for the BBC. However, it is right that the BBC has acknowledged that the livestream of the performance should have come off air and that they are reviewing their guidance. There remain very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are implemented.

As set out to Parliament, the Secretary of State has spoken to both the BBC Director General and Chair directly and has written to the Chair to ask for an urgent and detailed explanation about what immediate steps they intend to take. We expect answers to these questions without delay and expect lessons to be learned and rapid action to be taken.

Ofcom is also in the process of obtaining further information from the BBC as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.

Charter Review will consider editorial standards for the BBC. The Government will also build on the Media Act and Ofcom’s Public Service Media review by taking action to support public service media and the wider television ecosystem. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government will update the policy and regulatory framework to respond to the changing market and promote a more level playing field, while maintaining universal access to distinctive and trusted public service content. This work will complement the BBC Charter Review.

The Secretary of State was clear in her statement to Parliament that the scenes from the Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury were utterly appalling and unacceptable. This Government will not tolerate antisemitism – it has absolutely no place in our society and we will be unrelenting in our work to root it out and it should not be given a platform.

The BBC is editorially independent, and decisions on what content to broadcast, and how they broadcast that content, are a matter for the BBC. However, it is right that the BBC has acknowledged that the livestream of the performance should have come off air and that they are reviewing their guidance. There remain very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are implemented.

As set out to Parliament, the Secretary of State has spoken to both the BBC Director General and Chair directly and has written to the Chair to ask for an urgent and detailed explanation about what immediate steps they intend to take. We expect answers to these questions without delay and expect lessons to be learned and rapid action to be taken.

Ofcom is also in the process of obtaining further information from the BBC as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.

Charter Review will consider editorial standards for the BBC. The Government will also build on the Media Act and Ofcom’s Public Service Media review by taking action to support public service media and the wider television ecosystem. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government will update the policy and regulatory framework to respond to the changing market and promote a more level playing field, while maintaining universal access to distinctive and trusted public service content. This work will complement the BBC Charter Review.

The Secretary of State was clear in her statement to Parliament that the scenes from the Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury were utterly appalling and unacceptable. This Government will not tolerate antisemitism – it has absolutely no place in our society and we will be unrelenting in our work to root it out and it should not be given a platform.

The BBC is editorially independent, and decisions on what content to broadcast, and how they broadcast that content, are a matter for the BBC. However, it is right that the BBC has acknowledged that the livestream of the performance should have come off air and that they are reviewing their guidance. There remain very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are implemented.

As set out to Parliament, the Secretary of State has spoken to both the BBC Director General and Chair directly and has written to the Chair to ask for an urgent and detailed explanation about what immediate steps they intend to take. We expect answers to these questions without delay and expect lessons to be learned and rapid action to be taken.

Ofcom is also in the process of obtaining further information from the BBC as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.

Charter Review will consider editorial standards for the BBC. The Government will also build on the Media Act and Ofcom’s Public Service Media review by taking action to support public service media and the wider television ecosystem. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government will update the policy and regulatory framework to respond to the changing market and promote a more level playing field, while maintaining universal access to distinctive and trusted public service content. This work will complement the BBC Charter Review.

The Secretary of State was clear in her statement to Parliament that the scenes from the Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury were utterly appalling and unacceptable. This Government will not tolerate antisemitism – it has absolutely no place in our society and we will be unrelenting in our work to root it out and it should not be given a platform.

The BBC is editorially independent, and decisions on what content to broadcast, and how they broadcast that content, are a matter for the BBC. However, it is right that the BBC has acknowledged that the livestream of the performance should have come off air and that they are reviewing their guidance. There remain very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are implemented.

As set out to Parliament, the Secretary of State has spoken to both the BBC Director General and Chair directly and has written to the Chair to ask for an urgent and detailed explanation about what immediate steps they intend to take. We expect answers to these questions without delay and expect lessons to be learned and rapid action to be taken.

Ofcom is also in the process of obtaining further information from the BBC as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.

Charter Review will consider editorial standards for the BBC. The Government will also build on the Media Act and Ofcom’s Public Service Media review by taking action to support public service media and the wider television ecosystem. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government will update the policy and regulatory framework to respond to the changing market and promote a more level playing field, while maintaining universal access to distinctive and trusted public service content. This work will complement the BBC Charter Review.

The Secretary of State was clear in her statement to Parliament that the scenes from the Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury were utterly appalling and unacceptable. This Government will not tolerate antisemitism – it has absolutely no place in our society and we will be unrelenting in our work to root it out and it should not be given a platform.

The BBC is editorially independent, and decisions on what content to broadcast, and how they broadcast that content, are a matter for the BBC. However, it is right that the BBC has acknowledged that the livestream of the performance should have come off air and that they are reviewing their guidance. There remain very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are implemented.

As set out to Parliament, the Secretary of State has spoken to both the BBC Director General and Chair directly and has written to the Chair to ask for an urgent and detailed explanation about what immediate steps they intend to take. We expect answers to these questions without delay and expect lessons to be learned and rapid action to be taken.

Ofcom is also in the process of obtaining further information from the BBC as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.

Charter Review will consider editorial standards for the BBC. The Government will also build on the Media Act and Ofcom’s Public Service Media review by taking action to support public service media and the wider television ecosystem. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government will update the policy and regulatory framework to respond to the changing market and promote a more level playing field, while maintaining universal access to distinctive and trusted public service content. This work will complement the BBC Charter Review.

High-quality teaching has the strongest positive impact on pupil outcomes in schools, which is why this government has pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers, including in science subjects, backed by a near 10% pay award since July 2024.

To aid recruitment, the department is providing teacher training financial incentives worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax-free, in science subjects. We are also providing retention incentives for early career science teachers worth up to £6000, with 39 schools in Hampshire qualifying for these.

Schools that host trainee placements leading to qualified teacher status, including those studying a PGCE, can claim funding to help cover the time staff members spend mentoring, given the importance of peer-to-peer support. In 2024/25, the department welcomed over 23,100 new postgraduate trainee teachers, an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. In 2024/25, 399 trainees began postgraduate teacher training in Hampshire, compared to 317 in 2023/24.

The department’s interventions are having a positive impact, with the teaching workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. In the South East, the number of secondary school teachers increased by 221.

High-quality teaching has the strongest positive impact on pupil outcomes in schools, which is why this government has pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers, including in science subjects, backed by a near 10% pay award since July 2024.

To aid recruitment, the department is providing teacher training financial incentives worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax-free, in science subjects. We are also providing retention incentives for early career science teachers worth up to £6000, with 39 schools in Hampshire qualifying for these.

Schools that host trainee placements leading to qualified teacher status, including those studying a PGCE, can claim funding to help cover the time staff members spend mentoring, given the importance of peer-to-peer support. In 2024/25, the department welcomed over 23,100 new postgraduate trainee teachers, an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. In 2024/25, 399 trainees began postgraduate teacher training in Hampshire, compared to 317 in 2023/24.

The department’s interventions are having a positive impact, with the teaching workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. In the South East, the number of secondary school teachers increased by 221.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

The department engages with local authorities, including Hampshire County Council, on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional school places. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department offers support and advice.

The department also provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to secure sufficient school places. Hampshire has been allocated just over £22.2 million to support it to create the mainstream school places needed between May 2024 and September 2028.

The Schools Admissions Code also requires every local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol in place, to ensure that vulnerable children, and those who are having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible, minimising the time the child is out of school.

In the 2025/26 financial year, 10.6% (£5.1 billion) of the schools national funding formula (NFF) has been allocated through deprivation factors, as part of the 17.8% (£8.6 billion) allocated for additional needs overall. The most deprived schools continue, on average, to attract the largest per pupil funding amounts through the schools NFF. This helps schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps.

The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation, low prior attainment, or English as an additional language, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.

The government will keep the operation of the schools NFF for the 2026/27 financial year and future years under review.

Schools have the flexibility to organise the content and delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils and to suit their local contexts.

There is no prescription about the number of teaching hours for each subject, or about the format of lessons. It is for schools to decide how much time is spent on any subject.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

In 2024/25, we drove forward teacher recruitment and retention, backed by investment of around £700 million across schools and further education. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools where they are needed most. This includes 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers compared to last year.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Now whilst it is never wanted, bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways.

As the independent economic regulator, Ofwat independently scrutinise water company business plans, including Southern Water’s, and ensure the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030.

The Government is committed to taking action to address water poverty and help vulnerable customers with their water bills. All water companies have measures in place for customers who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, including measures such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support.

Furthermore, we expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

The Havant Thicket Reservoir was not one of the nine new reservoirs referenced in the press release.

Portsmouth Water’s Havant Thicket Reservoir will be the first reservoir built in over 30 years. The Havant Thicket Reservoir is under construction. It will have a capacity of 8.7 billion litres, supply an average of 21 million litres of water per day and is forecast to be operational in 2032. The reservoir will improve the resilience of local water supplies and protect iconic chalk streams.

Secondary poisoning of buzzards and red kites is often caused by improper use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Deliberate misuse is a criminal offence. Where wild birds of prey are killed illegally the full force of the law will apply to any proven perpetrators of the crime. Defra supports the National Wildlife Crime Unit which helps prevent and detect wildlife crimes such as illegal poisoning by obtaining and disseminating intelligence and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) rather than Defra has policy responsibility for rodenticides which are an essential tool in managing the danger and economic costs of rodents spreading diseases, damaging property and disrupting food supplies. Given the potential risks posed to the environment by rodenticides, they are subject to strict regulation.

A stewardship regime has been set up to promote responsible use of rodenticides. For professional users, verification of competence is required at the point of sale to ensure only those who are properly trained can use them. The stewardship regime is currently under review and the outcome is expected in 2025. Furthermore, as of 4 July 2024, it is no longer possible to purchase anticoagulant rodenticides for use outdoors in open areas.

As with all taxpayer funded programmes Access for All needs to demonstrate value for money.

The criteria used to assess nominations include station footfall, weighted by incidence of disability in the area, industry priorities, and the availability of third-party funding.  We also consider local factors, for example proximity to hospitals or stations with especially high numbers of interchange passengers. We also ensure that selected stations represent a fair geographical spread of projects across the national network.

As with all taxpayer funded programmes, stations projects need to demonstrate value for money, but this is not necessarily linked to size of station. In the case of the Access for All programme, station footfall is only one criteria used. Additional importance is placed on local incidence of disability, geographical location, industry priority and the availability of third party funding.

Network Rail and train operators will always be available to advise local authorities on how funding contributions could be used to support station accessibility upgrades. This can happen on both a stand-alone basis, and as part of national nomination processes for the Access for All programme.

As with all taxpayer funded programmes Access for All needs to demonstrate value for money and to benefit the maximum number of passengers. In addition to station footfall, we carefully consider local factors such as the incidence of disability or proximity to a school or hospital, geographical location, industry priority and the availability of third party funding are all taken into account when selecting stations.

This Government remains committed to improving railway accessibility and recognises the social and economic benefits it brings to communities.

There are no immediate plans to improve step-free access at Porchester station.

Train operators are required to provide assistance, free of charge, to enable disabled passengers to travel to and from every station in Great Britain that they have identified as accessible to them.