Yuan Yang

To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or ’a recognised connection’ to the UK, and in the case of persons with settled status, be ordinarily resident in the UK for three years.

UK nationals are settled in the UK once they return from abroad, and therefore qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have resided in the UK for three years prior to the start of their course.

The three year lawful residence rule is a long established feature of the student support system. It applies irrespective of nationality or country of origin, and it applies to all the eligibility categories in the Student Support Regulations with the exception of those with a protection based need. It ensures that the support provided by the taxpayer is targeted at those who have a substantial and recent connection with the UK.

Hong Kong British National Overseas status holders qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have acquired settled status in the UK, which is usually after five years of residence. Most persons who acquire settled status in this way will automatically meet the three year ordinary residence requirement for student finance.

Most airports in the UK are managed and operated as private businesses. The provision of and charging for car parking at airports, including drop-off and pick-up charges, is a matter for the airport operator as a commercial business.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while reducing car practical driving test waiting times.

Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers, include buying back annual leave from driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays and recruiting more DEs.

In its most recent recruitment campaign, DVSA had two successful candidates in Slough and three in Reading, and it has made offers to these prospective DEs. DVSA launched its latest recruitment campaign in September 2024 and is working to recruit three DEs in Farnborough, four in Slough and five into Reading DTC, which serves the areas of Earley and Woodley.

The estimated number of individuals in families benefitting from the uprating of benefits in the financial year 2025/26 in each region of the UK and the UK overall can be found here Benefit uprating: estimated number and type of families and individuals in families benefitting from the uprating of benefits in financial year 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

An assessment cannot be made at a constituency level however official statistics for the number of people in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit, Universal Credit and other benefits uprated at the Budget are published regularly on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by various geographical areas, including Westminster parliamentary constituency.

The latest statistics are available to September 2024 for Universal Credit, and February 2024 for the other benefits listed above. Universal Credit statistics to October 2024 are due to be published on 12 November 2024, and for the other benefits to May 2024 on 28 November 2024. In February 2024 the Accredited Official Statistics for State Pension were suspended due to issues with processing data from the new Get Your State Pension (GYSP) system. The Accredited Official Statistics for State Pension will be reinstated in the release of statistics on 28 November 2024.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

No reductions in sickness benefits were announced at the Budget.

The Department does not hold constituency-level information about the specific Work Capability Assessment descriptors met by claimants, so we are unable to estimate impacts for individual constituencies robustly.

As a result of intensive work, some issues with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines have resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

However, whilst supply of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets has improved, issues persist. We are continuing to work to resolve these remaining issues by engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to build further capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. The Department is also working with new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to improve supply and resiliency for the United Kingdom market.

We are supporting an ADHD taskforce established by NHS England to examine ADHD service provision. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education and justice, to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines.

The Department has worked with NHS specialists to develop advice on prescribing alternative ADHD medications. We expect that ADHD service providers should follow this guidance and offer rapid responses for urgent advice, especially for high-risk patients. To aid decision-making at the point of prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medicines, we continue to update a list of available ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published on 28 February 2025 and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-rare-diseases-action-plan-2025

This action plan includes details of how we have continued to progress actions introduced in the 2024 action plan.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the United Kingdom’s expert committee that advises the Government on immunisations programmes.

In June 2023, JCVI advised on introducing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programmes to protect older adults and infants at greatest risk of harm from RSV infection.

Following a competitive tender and in line with JCVI advice, the new RSV vaccination programmes began in England on 1 September 2024 for pregnant women and adults aged between 75 and 79 years old. Both programmes use Pfizer’s Abrysvo® vaccine, which is approved only for use in pregnant women from 28 weeks, for infant protection, and older adults, following clinical trials in these groups.

When advising the introduction of an RSV vaccination programme for adults aged between 75 and 79 years old, the JCVI considered that there was less certainty about how well the vaccine works in people aged 80 years old and over, as there were not enough people of this age in the clinical trials to be able to see if the vaccines are protective in this age band.

The structure of an immunisation programme is dynamic and the JCVI will continue to keep evidence under review. The Department will consider any further JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation in due course.

The Government has not made an assessment. The Government does not set the terms, conditions, or prices for insurance policies. Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing based on their assessment of the relevant risks.

The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator of the insurance industry, requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value. The FCA has stated that it will monitor firms to ensure they provide products that offer fair value and will take action if necessary.

In 2022, the FCA introduced rules that require firms to offer a renewal price that is no greater than the equivalent new business price the firm would offer to a new customer. The FCA estimated that these new rules would save consumers £4.2 billion over ten years.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) has observed falling response rates, resulting in increased volatility in labour market data [1]. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is undertaking work to address these quality issues and continuing to develop the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS) as the long-term solution for collecting labour market data. In July 2024, the ONS have provided the latest update on its plans for labour market transformation [2].

While these improvements are underway, LFS estimates are currently designated as ‘official statistics in development’, and the ONS advise caution when interpreting changes in headline LFS rates.

In line with ONS recommendations [3], LFS estimates are used alongside a number of other ONS labour market indicators, including Workforce Jobs (WFJ), Claimant Count data, and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI), to support policy-making.

The ONS’ ambition for the TLFS is to allow a more adaptive and responsive survey to meet user needs, which will improve the quality of the labour market statistics [4] that the Department uses to support the development of policy.

[1] LFS performance and quality monitoring report: July to September 2024

[2] Labour market transformation – update on progress and plans - Office for National Statistics

[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/november2024

[4] Labour market transformation – update on progress and plans - Office for National Statistics

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) has observed falling response rates, resulting in increased volatility in labour market data [1]. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is undertaking work to address these quality issues and continuing to develop the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS) as the long-term solution for collecting labour market data. In July 2024, the ONS have provided the latest update on its plans for labour market transformation [2].

While these improvements are underway, LFS estimates are currently designated as ‘official statistics in development’, and the ONS advise caution when interpreting changes in headline LFS rates.

In line with ONS recommendations [3], LFS estimates are used alongside a number of other ONS labour market indicators, including Workforce Jobs (WFJ), Claimant Count data, and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI), to support policy-making.

The ONS’ ambition for the TLFS is to allow a more adaptive and responsive survey to meet user needs, which will improve the quality of the labour market statistics [4] that the Department uses to support the development of policy.

[1] LFS performance and quality monitoring report: July to September 2024

[2] Labour market transformation – update on progress and plans - Office for National Statistics

[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/november2024

[4] Labour market transformation – update on progress and plans - Office for National Statistics

The parliamentary constituency of Earley and Woodley is a newly configured constituency that was created after the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. Therefore, data for the number of estates subject to IHT in this constituency for the tax years 2019/20-2021/22 is not available.

Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) remains subject to a number of quality concerns following a fall in response rates, which fell from 47.9% in June to August 2013 to 14.6% in June to August 2023.

The ONS is undertaking work to address these quality issues through improvements to its data collection and methodology. The ONS is also continuing to develop the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS) as the long-term solution for collecting labour market data.

While these improvements are underway, LFS estimates are currently designated as ‘official statistics in development’, and the ONS advise caution when interpreting changes in headline LFS rates.

Physical abuse, violent or threatening behaviour often form part of controlling or coercive behaviour. As set out in the statutory guidance under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 on controlling or coercive behaviour, this can involve use, or threats of use, of ‘weapons’, such as knives, and coercing the victim into carrying out criminal behaviour such as carrying weapons.

This government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency. As part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, we will ask the police to relentlessly pursue those perpetrators who pose the greatest risk to women.

We are clear that this is not a problem that can be solved by one government department, by one piece of legislation, or by one agency. It will require focused, coordinated, and joined up long-term action between all our key partners.

In December 2024, the Government published the 2025-26 provisional police funding settlement, which proposed funding of up to £19.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales.

Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement.

In 2025-26, Thames Valley will receive up to £622.4 million, an increase of up to £35.8 million compared to 2024-25.

Funding allocations for all forces in England and Wales were confirmed via Written Ministerial Statement: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament