Tom Gordon

This Government believes that hard work deserves fair pay and is determined to deliver a genuine living wage for all that takes account the impact on business, competitiveness, the labour market, the wider economy and the cost of living.

Our Ministers value feedback received from businesses across the country, details of the meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade and its predecessor the Department for International trade are available on transparency pages of gov.uk and are released as part of the Government's transparency agenda.

Our Plan to Make Work Pay represents the biggest upgrade of workers' rights in a generation.

The Government does not condone the exploitation of workers in any form and we are committed to strengthening protections for workers. Individuals' entitlement to employment rights is determined by their employment status. Delivery drivers can fall under any one of the three statuses: employee, limb (b) worker, or self-employed.

This Government recognises the complexity of the current employment status framework and we remain committed to reviewing it.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) addressed variation in regional road fuel pricing as part of their Road Fuel Market Study which was published in July 2023. The CMA published its latest report on 31 March 2025 and plans to release a more comprehensive report in the future, which will focus extensively on regional pricing differences.

The Government will implement Fuel Finder, a statutory open data scheme for fuel prices, to increase price transparency and help drivers make more informed decisions on where to buy petrol and diesel. This will increase pressure on retailers to compete strongly to attract consumers by lowering prices. Subject to legislation and Parliamentary time, we aim to launch Fuel Finder by the end of 2025.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) received statutory information gathering powers on 1 January 2025 through the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumer Act 2024 so it can monitor and scrutinise fuel prices. Once launched, Fuel Finder will provide the CMA with the appropriate data to adequately consider issues such as regional pricing variations.

The Government will implement Fuel Finder, a statutory open data scheme for fuel prices, to increase price transparency and help drivers make more informed decisions on where to buy petrol and diesel. This will increase pressure on retailers to compete strongly to attract consumers by lowering prices. Subject to legislation and Parliamentary time, we aim to launch Fuel Finder by the end of 2025.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) received statutory information gathering powers on 1 January 2025 through the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumer Act 2024 so it can monitor and scrutinise fuel prices. Once launched, Fuel Finder will provide the CMA with the appropriate data to adequately consider issues such as regional pricing variations.

The Department has worked with the insulation industry and lending community to address concerns relating to spray foam. Protocols were published in March 2023 to support surveyors to assess spray foam, provide reassurance to lenders, and inform consumers.

While the Department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending. Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey. Recent indications are that most mortgage lenders no longer have blanket policies on spray foam insulation.

Any borrower seeking to take out a mortgage may find it useful to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker to find the best possible product for them.

The department does not hold the Trustmark complaint data regarding the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme.

We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the sector and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk. We will provide further updates to the House soon.

The Gambling Commission is responsible for the implementation of a number of the regulatory reforms set out in the white paper, such as introducing new regulations to make online games safer and financial vulnerability checks aimed at reducing cases of unaffordable losses. It has consulted on and implemented the majority of these reforms.

​The government recognises that the misuse of reasonable force and restrictive interventions can have a significant and long-lasting effect on pupils, staff members and parents.

The department is currently consulting on revisions to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, published in 2013. The consultation is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/use-of-reasonable-force-and-other-restrictive-interventions-guidance-proposed-amendments. The revised guidance will provide advice for schools on creating environments that minimise the use of reasonable force and restrictive interventions, and, where necessary, support staff to use reasonable force and restrictive interventions safely, appropriately and within the law.

The revised draft guidance defines reasonable force and other restrictive interventions, and outlines the general risks associated with their use. This approach ensures that the guidance can be applied regardless of specific terminology that a school may use and allows school staff to confidently apply the advice in order to minimise the use of restrictive practices.

The department recognises the importance of recording and reporting the use of force. This is why we will be enacting Section 93a of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, making recording and reporting incidents of reasonable force to parents a legal duty. This will be enacted to coincide with the publication of the updated ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, to ensure that schools have adequate advice on how they should be recording and reporting any incidents where reasonable force, including restrictive interventions, is used.

​The government recognises that the misuse of reasonable force and restrictive interventions can have a significant and long-lasting effect on pupils, staff members and parents.

The department is currently consulting on revisions to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, published in 2013. The consultation is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/use-of-reasonable-force-and-other-restrictive-interventions-guidance-proposed-amendments. The revised guidance will provide advice for schools on creating environments that minimise the use of reasonable force and restrictive interventions, and, where necessary, support staff to use reasonable force and restrictive interventions safely, appropriately and within the law.

The revised draft guidance defines reasonable force and other restrictive interventions, and outlines the general risks associated with their use. This approach ensures that the guidance can be applied regardless of specific terminology that a school may use and allows school staff to confidently apply the advice in order to minimise the use of restrictive practices.

The department recognises the importance of recording and reporting the use of force. This is why we will be enacting Section 93a of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, making recording and reporting incidents of reasonable force to parents a legal duty. This will be enacted to coincide with the publication of the updated ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, to ensure that schools have adequate advice on how they should be recording and reporting any incidents where reasonable force, including restrictive interventions, is used.

The department does not collect information centrally on families that have experienced adoptions that break down.

The department publishes information on whether children starting to be looked after in any given year were known to have been previously adopted. The latest information available relates to the year ending 31 March 2024 and is in the table ‘CLA starting during the year by characteristics – National’ of the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical release which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/92f77d0d-7e95-45a1-f1db-08dd5cc661f7. This includes information on any known previous permanence arrangement for a child starting to be looked after.

Information for the year ending 31 March 2025 will be published in autumn 2025.

​As part of my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Transformation Fund announced in the Spring Statement and building on the £15 million investment in the Autumn Budget 2024, the department will provide an additional £25 million over two years, beginning in the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years, for foster care as part of Children’s Social Care Reform. We expect this funding to help recruit an additional 400 fostering families, provide better peer to peer support for foster carers, and ensure more children in care have stability through ensuring a foster care placement is available to them when needed.

​Currently, there are ten fostering regional programmes active across England, collaborating with 64% of all local authorities to recruit, retain and support foster carers. The department plans to move towards full national roll-out in the next financial year. This supports retention and support for carers through the recruitment of short break foster carers, who provide high quality care for children while their usual foster carers take a break.

This programme also includes an expansion of ‘The Mockingbird Family Model’, an innovative evidence-based approach involving six to ten families grouped into a constellation around a hub home carer. Mockingbird includes peer support, respite and training. It was found to substantially improve retention by an independent evaluation, which showed that participating households were 82% less likely to deregister than households who did not participate.

The department also funds Fosterline, a free independent source of advice and support to current and prospective carers.

To improve retention, the department is also acting on areas that matter to foster carers. The allegations process is a key contributor to high levels of foster carer deregistration, and the department is committed to improving practice and guidance in this area. The department has also begun conversations with the sector about proposed changes to delegated authority, ensuring that all foster carers have delegated authority by default in relation to day-to-day parenting of the child in their care.

Financial support plays a role in retaining and supporting foster carers. The National Minimum Allowance (NMA) was introduced by the Labour government in 2007 and has kept pace with inflation over time. Current levels of the NMA have been uplifted by 3.55% for the 2025/2026 financial year and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/support-for-foster-parents/help-with-the-cost-of-fostering.

Finally, we encourage fostering services to adopt the Fostering Network’s ‘Foster Carer Charter’, which sets out clear principles of what support should be available to foster carers.

Regarding ‘unsuccessful’ placements, the department publishes statistics for children looked after in England only, not Wales. Statistics for other countries in the UK are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

The department does not collect information on whether placements for children looked after were successful or not. These placements can end for a wide range of reasons and there is no specific category recorded as an ‘unsuccessful placement’.

The latest information on the main reason for placement changes during the 2023/24 reporting year is published in the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical release at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c3ae926d-83e8-4ec9-3213-08dd6b9d125f.

​As part of my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Transformation Fund announced in the Spring Statement and building on the £15 million investment in the Autumn Budget 2024, the department will provide an additional £25 million over two years, beginning in the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years, for foster care as part of Children’s Social Care Reform. We expect this funding to help recruit an additional 400 fostering families, provide better peer to peer support for foster carers, and ensure more children in care have stability through ensuring a foster care placement is available to them when needed.

​Currently, there are ten fostering regional programmes active across England, collaborating with 64% of all local authorities to recruit, retain and support foster carers. The department plans to move towards full national roll-out in the next financial year. This supports retention and support for carers through the recruitment of short break foster carers, who provide high quality care for children while their usual foster carers take a break.

This programme also includes an expansion of ‘The Mockingbird Family Model’, an innovative evidence-based approach involving six to ten families grouped into a constellation around a hub home carer. Mockingbird includes peer support, respite and training. It was found to substantially improve retention by an independent evaluation, which showed that participating households were 82% less likely to deregister than households who did not participate.

The department also funds Fosterline, a free independent source of advice and support to current and prospective carers.

To improve retention, the department is also acting on areas that matter to foster carers. The allegations process is a key contributor to high levels of foster carer deregistration, and the department is committed to improving practice and guidance in this area. The department has also begun conversations with the sector about proposed changes to delegated authority, ensuring that all foster carers have delegated authority by default in relation to day-to-day parenting of the child in their care.

Financial support plays a role in retaining and supporting foster carers. The National Minimum Allowance (NMA) was introduced by the Labour government in 2007 and has kept pace with inflation over time. Current levels of the NMA have been uplifted by 3.55% for the 2025/2026 financial year and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/support-for-foster-parents/help-with-the-cost-of-fostering.

Finally, we encourage fostering services to adopt the Fostering Network’s ‘Foster Carer Charter’, which sets out clear principles of what support should be available to foster carers.

Regarding ‘unsuccessful’ placements, the department publishes statistics for children looked after in England only, not Wales. Statistics for other countries in the UK are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

The department does not collect information on whether placements for children looked after were successful or not. These placements can end for a wide range of reasons and there is no specific category recorded as an ‘unsuccessful placement’.

The latest information on the main reason for placement changes during the 2023/24 reporting year is published in the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical release at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c3ae926d-83e8-4ec9-3213-08dd6b9d125f.

Defra funds, with UKRI, a large research consortium looking at the effects of climate change on mosquito-borne diseases in the UK. This programme includes the Vector-Borne disease RADAR programme, but there are other equally important vector borne diseases we also accept will be impacted by changes in our climate.

Risk assessments undertaken by the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group, for mosquito-borne diseases consider the likely changes with climate change.

The Vector-Borne RADAR programme includes a project run by UKHSA’s Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology team undertaking country-wide surveillance for mosquitos in 2025. Pools of any female mosquitos collected will be tested for several potential mosquito-vectored viruses. The sites being surveilled are suitable mosquito breeding sites. In 2024, mosquito traps were successfully deployed in almost all 50 km² grids across England, collecting nearly 1,000 individuals across 71 sites.

The Government inherited flood assets in their worst condition on record following years of underinvestment by the previous Government – 92.1% of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high consequence assets are currently at required condition

Lead Local Flood Authorities undertake formal investigations after significant floods and produce Section 19 reports, which include the number of properties affected. Not all floods require a Section 19 investigation. Criteria for investigation include the number of properties internally flooded, nature of flooding, frequency of flooding, and critical infrastructure affected.

Over the last year, there have been three periods when areas of North Yorkshire have experienced significant or prolonged flooding, including one in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency. North Yorkshire Council has 125 recorded reports of flooding since January 2024, over 50 of those in Knaresborough. Knaresborough experienced significant surface water flooding in May 2024, with over 50 homes and businesses affected.

Last winter, York and parts of North Yorkshire were affected by continued high river levels following prolonged wet weather and storms. Although widespread flooding was largely avoided, lower lying areas and communities were impacted. Storm Darragh recently affected communities in Derwent and Rye catchments in North Yorkshire, with 30-40 properties flooded. Villages such as Kirkby Mills, Kirkbymoorside and Marton were affected.

The Department has worked extensively with Network Rail and stakeholders on development and design of a scheme to deliver a third line between York North Throat and Skelton Junction. As the broader strategic benefits of the project would only be realised as part of a wider package of investment on the East Coast Main Line, the decision was taken at the Spending Review to pause the project until a long-term strategy for the route can be developed further. The scheme will remain under review to ensure it can be delivered in the most effective way as part of a holistic strategy of investment.

On 1 January, the government introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London until 31 December 2025. As part of the Spending Review, the government announced further funding to extend the £3 cap to March 2027. This will ensure millions of people can continue to access affordable bus fares and better opportunities all over the country.

The current terms and conditions for the £3 cap already require operators to demonstrate that they have not raised fares any higher than inflation.

The government is investing over £150 million to deliver the new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025 to help keep bus fares affordable, and as part of the Spending Review, we announced further funding to extend the £3 cap to March 2027.

Under the plans of the previous administration, the £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain a cap on bus fares beyond this point.

The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap was published on 12 February. An evaluation of the £3 fare cap is due to be commissioned shortly.

The Department for Transport conducted a review of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme which considered expanding statutory travel times for all passholders. We are currently considering next steps.

The introduction of companion passes for disabled passholders under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme would be an additional concession, introduced at the discretion of local authorities depending on their needs and circumstances. The Department for Transport therefore has no plans to produce an estimate of implementing this at a national level.

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing and can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Our Get Britain Working White Paper, backed by an initial £240 million investment in 25/26, will deliver the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation to help more people into work and to progress.

Children living in households where no adults work are around 4 times more likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. We are therefore considering how we can improve our support to help parents into work as part of our upcoming Child Poverty Strategy. We are listening carefully to the voices of children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND) and their families. We have also engaged with charities and organisations like Contact, ALLFIE, and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation to discuss the experience of disabled children living in poverty.

Carers on low incomes can claim Universal Credit at a higher rate through the carer element. An unpaid carer receiving UC who meets the eligibility threshold for receiving Carers Element is not required to undertake work-related activity but can access employment support on a voluntary basis. Support offered can include access to skills provision, referral to an employment support programme, for example the Restart programme, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry.

Support is also available through Carer’s Allowance (CA) which provides a measure of financial support and recognition for unpaid carers who are unable to work full time as a result of their caring responsibilities.

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 under review, to see if it is meeting its objectives, and giving unpaid carers the help and support they need and deserve.

In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. Currently, the Universal Credit carer element is £198.31 per monthly assessment period. The additional amount for carers in Pension Credit is £45.60 a week.

The Secretary of State undertakes a statutory annual review of benefit and pensions, and the level of Carer’s Allowance is protected by Up-rating it each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

Dr Dash’s review of patient safety across the health and care landscape was published in July 2025. The review recommends bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations, and the engagement functions of integrated care boards and providers, to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services.

In addition, as also recommended by the review, we are amalgamating the functions of Healthwatch England to a new directorate. Its strategic functions will be transferred to the new directorate for patient experience in NHS England, transferring, in due course, to the new structures in the Department. This directorate will be responsible for overseeing the collection of more informed feedback from both patients, service users and carers and significantly improving the complaints function across the National Health Service.

These changes will improve quality, including safety, by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sit at all levels of the system, and making it easier for staff, patients and users to directly feed into the system to improve quality of care. We believe that patients and users will have a stronger voice once it is heard inside the system.

The independent complaints advocacy service in the National Health Service is covered by a wider grant for Local Reform and Community Voices and is not a requirement of Healthwatch England or Local Healthwatch. This grant provides funding to local authorities which assists them in meeting statutory duties. This funding will continue to be provided. This grant has not been ringfenced to date and there are no plans to ringfence it, moving forward.

The abolition of Healthwatch England, the transfer of its functions and the changes to local Healthwatch require primary legislation. Timing of this is subject to the will of parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows. A full impact assessment would be produced in line with HM Treasury's Green Book standards and published on the Government website when legislation is introduced in Parliament. No assessment has been made at this time, although the expertise of Dr Dash and her critical review of patient safiety will continue to guide the Government’s policy in this regard.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert committee which reviews the latest data on COVID-19 risks, vaccine safety, and effectiveness and advises the government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has published advice for future COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in autumn 2025, spring 2026, autumn 2026, and spring 2027. The government has accepted JCVI advice for autumn 2025. The Government is considering the JCVI’s advice for 2026 and spring 2027 carefully and will respond in due course.

The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious disease (hospitalisations and deaths) arising from COVID-19. The JCVI assessment indicates that the oldest age cohorts and individuals who are immunosuppressed are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease.

Therefore, in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered to:

• adults aged 75 years and over;
• residents in a care home for older adults;
• individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book).

The JCVI has advised that more recent data are needed to assess whether any other population groups under the age of 75 years with specific clinical comorbidities, such as type 1 diabetes, are at similar risk of serious disease as those aged 75 years and over.

The JCVI continues to review evidence and may update its advice in future.

Young onset dementia is defined as dementia diagnosed under the age of 65.

The dementia diagnosis rate is not calculated for patients aged under 65 years old. This is because the numbers of patients known to have dementia in the sample population age groups comprising those aged between zero and 64 years old are not large enough for reliable estimates to be made.

The dementia diagnosis rate for patients aged 65 years old and over is calculated and published monthly via the Primary Care Dementia Data publication, which is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data

This publication does include a monthly count of the number of patients aged 65 years old and under who do have a dementia diagnosis on their patient record. This is expressed as a raw count and as a percentage of registered patients aged between zero and 64 years old.