Zöe Franklin

Interfaith relations are vital for strong, cohesive communities.

That is why the Government funded Inter Faith Week last year and then commissioned a consultation on its future.

The consultation report was published in May and provides a strong evidence base for future planning and co-ordination of interfaith relations.

Government is currently finalising support for Inter Faith Week 2025.

Alongside this, MHCLG funds grassroots programmes such as Near Neighbours and Schools Linking which promote dialogue and understanding across communities.

In 2023-24, in the Surrey police force area, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted 487 cases flagged for domestic abuse and 41 cases flagged for rape.

The CPS uses thematic monitoring flags to track progress and performance surrounding certain types of cases within its case management system (CMS). "Flags " are identified and applied by lawyers and administrative staff. Monitoring flags currently exist within CMS for the following VAWG-related offences: rape; domestic abuse; so-called honour abuse / violence; forced marriage; and child abuse.

These figures for 2023-24 represent an increase from 434 and 30 in 2022-23, respectively.

The CPS has already produced a new operating model for the prosecution of rape based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria and launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing in November 2024. The early results of improvements in partnership working with policing under the plan have already led to modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements.

In September 2024, the CPS prosecuted the third conviction for female genital mutilation (FGM) and the first conviction of conspiring to commit FGM in England and Wales. This marks a significant milestone and demonstrates the growing effectiveness of prosecuting these cases.

However, more can be done to increase prosecution rates for VAWG, in Surrey and across the country. This Government’s ambition is to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, as part of our Safer Streets Mission, and delivering effective prosecutions is a key part of this.

To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and holistic needs of victims, the CPS is producing a new VAWG strategy which will be published in spring 2025.

Over two million individuals have successfully used the new systems. It is recognised that issues have arisen impacting some users. Companies House is working continuously to iterate services based on user feedback and experience.

Any enforcement action we take will be in line with our compliance and enforcement framework. Companies in default will have an opportunity to make representations. Where non-compliance can be attributed to technical issues outside of their control, then we will usually pause enforcement for a period of time.

Companies House is committed to providing robust digital services to its customers. Since April 2025, over two million individuals have successfully proven their identity and successfully received personal codes (referred to as Director Identification Numbers in this correspondence).

A small number of users have been impacted by technical issues. Companies House has worked closely to iterate services based on user feedback and experience. If the individual is continuing to experience issues, we would advise they contact Companies House directly so that their issues can investigated and supported accordingly.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

There are multiple targeted schemes to deliver energy efficiency measures to low-income and fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount schemes also provide a £150 rebate off bills to eligible low-income households across Great Britain.

The Government has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years.

We will consult shortly on proposals for privately rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. We are also reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy.

The Government has dual ambitions of delivering 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament and achieving clean power by 2030. These objectives are not mutually exclusive, and with good planning and smart design we can build the high quality, low carbon homes we need.

The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024 under the previous Government. We fully support the need for low carbon homes, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the Future Homes and Building Standards consultation and will publish the Government Response in due course.

The government is committed to building a digitally skilled workforce to support long-term economic growth, drive innovation and expand individual opportunity. As part of this ambition, DSIT has launched the AI Skills Boost campaign to upskill 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030, and our industry partners deliver these courses at no cost to government. Since June 2025, this initiative has delivered more than 1 million free AI training courses to workers across the UK, and the Government continues to track delivery.

The government runs monitoring & evaluation for all government-funded AI training courses to track participation and assess the delivery and impact of funded programmes. This includes the AI and Data Science Conversion Courses, the Flexible AI Upskilling Fund pilot, and several digital apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps that offer AI-related training courses. Given the nascency of the sector, monitoring and evaluation of most of these programmes is currently ongoing. Data on participation and completion rates for these apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps can be found on the Explore Education Statistics GOV.UK Service.

The government is committed to building a digitally skilled workforce to support long-term economic growth, drive innovation and expand individual opportunity. As part of this ambition, DSIT has launched the AI Skills Boost campaign to upskill 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030, and our industry partners deliver these courses at no cost to government. Since June 2025, this initiative has delivered more than 1 million free AI training courses to workers across the UK, and the Government continues to track delivery.

The government runs monitoring & evaluation for all government-funded AI training courses to track participation and assess the delivery and impact of funded programmes. This includes the AI and Data Science Conversion Courses, the Flexible AI Upskilling Fund pilot, and several digital apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps that offer AI-related training courses. Given the nascency of the sector, monitoring and evaluation of most of these programmes is currently ongoing. Data on participation and completion rates for these apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps can be found on the Explore Education Statistics GOV.UK Service.

The government is committed to building a digitally skilled workforce to support long-term economic growth, drive innovation and expand individual opportunity. As part of this ambition, DSIT has launched the AI Skills Boost campaign to upskill 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030, and our industry partners deliver these courses at no cost to government. Since June 2025, this initiative has delivered more than 1 million free AI training courses to workers across the UK, and the Government continues to track delivery.

The government runs monitoring & evaluation for all government-funded AI training courses to track participation and assess the delivery and impact of funded programmes. This includes the AI and Data Science Conversion Courses, the Flexible AI Upskilling Fund pilot, and several digital apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps that offer AI-related training courses. Given the nascency of the sector, monitoring and evaluation of most of these programmes is currently ongoing. Data on participation and completion rates for these apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps can be found on the Explore Education Statistics GOV.UK Service.

Ofcom’s online safety budget and expert team ensure its duties can be performed effectively. Ofcom has spent approximately £281.3 million on online safety since 2020, including a projected spend of £92 million for 2025/26.

The Online Safety Act provides Ofcom with a range of enforcement powers, including business disruption measures, which can include fast tracked interim service restriction orders or access restriction orders, where necessary. These measures are sanctions of last resort, available where serious non‑compliance persists.

The Secretary of State has written to Ofcom to underline the Government’s full support for the regulator using all the powers Parliament has provided it.

Ofcom is independent, and early enforcement activity is already helping to prevent and address illegal content online.

The Secretary of State has been clear Ofcom has full backing to use its enforcement powers and welcomes its investigation into extremely harmful suicide forums.

Ofcom’s provisional decision published on 27 February is clear that unless its concerns are fully addressed, it will consider using all of the powers available to it, including, in most serious cases of non-compliance, imposing business disruption measures.

One of the first things the Secretary of State did in the job was to make self-harm a priority offence under the Online Safet Act, triggering the strongest possible legal protections. She has been clear she will not hesitate to go further if needed and regularly talks to Ofcom about ensuring enforcement is strong.

There is no specific legislation setting limits for the audience exposure to noise and the Government has no plans to legislate further in this area at present. However, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides advice for when noise levels are expected to exceed certain levels and recommends that audiences are advised of this in advance of the event either on tickets, advertising for the event, or on notices at entry points. HSE is in the process of updating its operational guidance for Local Authority health and safety enforcement teams for noise in music and entertainment venues.

Local authorities have responsibility for enforcing noise levels to ensure events are appropriately managed and have minimal adverse impact on the community and those attending. Large scale events such as festivals will often present an Event Safety Management Plan that is reviewed by the local authority as part of the licensing process. The local authority will also place conditions on an event’s Premises Licence in relation to maximum noise levels, timings and durations. Complaints about specific events or venues can be raised with the organiser directly and/or raised with the relevant local authority.

The Government keeps all tax policy under review, however we have no current plans to introduce a temporary cut to Value Added Tax (VAT) on tickets based on venue capacity. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20% standard rate applies to most goods and services. Any request for new reliefs must be considered within the context of the Government receiving numerous requests for VAT relief from different sectors every year.

The Government recognises the economic and cultural importance of grassroots music venues and the wider music sector to the UK. We will soon publish a Music Plan, drawing together all that the Government is doing to support the music industry, including grassroots music venues. This includes a Music Growth Package of up to £30 million, which will provide further government support to grassroots venues, by fostering domestic growth, talent development, and music exports. To further support grassroots venues, the Government has announced that in 2026-27, all live music venues will benefit from a 15% business rates relief on top of the support announced at Budget 2025. Their bills will then be frozen in real terms for a further two years to allow the vital infrastructure that showcases our vibrant music industry to continue to thrive.

The visual arts sector provides a tremendous boost to our economy, and helps solidify the UK’s reputation as a world leader in the arts. While DCMS economic estimates do not estimate the growth of the visual arts separately from the wider arts sub-sector, DCMS estimates that the arts sector contributed £9 billion in GVA to the UK economy in 2023. The sector grew by 2.4% between 2022 and 2023 (compared to 0.3% in the UK economy as a whole).

Across the spending review (SR) period, DCMS will be delivering funding across its major capital programmes, supporting local institutions and leveraging economic growth across the regions. Millions of pounds will go to our Arms-Length Bodies over the SR period including Arts Council England who will continue to support visual arts programmes and projects across the country. The visual arts sector will also benefit from cross-cutting measures in the Sector Plan and Industrial Strategy, where it is recognised as a high growth potential subsector alongside music and performing arts.

Creative subjects - including visual arts - are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves. That is why DCMS is supporting the Department for Education’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. This includes creative subjects such as art. DfE has published an interim report, and the government will respond to the final recommendations in the autumn. In February, we also announced that we will be providing £3.2 million in funding for four cultural education programmes for the 2025/26 financial year to preserve increased access to arts for children and young people.

We are also unlocking £132.5 million from Dormant Assets to support youth access to music, arts, sport and safe spaces, including youth centres and libraries. This will take money that would have gone unused and ensure it is invested in our young people.

Since announcing plans for a National Youth Strategy in November 2024, DCMS has undertaken a range of engagement activities to hear directly from young people, including ministerial and MP roundtables, focus groups, workshops with young people, an online survey and digital postcards. Our engagement has included Muslim faith groups, Jewish Lads and Girls Clubs and Church of England representatives, among others. We have also sought representation of young people from different faiths including on the Expert and Youth Advisory Groups and through the National Youth Survey.

The interim report for the National Youth Strategy - Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Nation - will be published shortly. We plan to publish the National Youth Strategy in the summer.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport funds listed places of worship through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This is as generous as we are able to be within existing resources. We have no plans to set up a new grant scheme or package of support.

The Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy recognises that we must take a whole system approach to tackle and halve VAWG in a decade. The government has undertaken stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the strategy, meeting with key sector leaders, unions, academics, police representatives, and has an established the VAWG Strategy Advisory Board.

The department meets teaching unions and school stakeholder groups regularly. We will continue this engagement as work progresses on the implementation of our contribution to the strategy, which includes a departmental investment of £11 million in further support.

The department will publish the Schools White Paper early this year. It will set out our proposed reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, underpinned by our belief that high standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.

To ensure these reforms are as effective as possible, and building on conversations to date, we launched a public engagement campaign spanning every region of the country. This put families at the heart of plans to create a reformed SEND system that will stand the test of time.

As part of this campaign, I have hosted regional face-to-face events across the country, run in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children. The department also set up a number of online events, including a panel of experts, in discussions covering the department’s five principles of reform. Further details can be found at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform-national-conversation/.

The experiences and insights shared during these engagement opportunities will be vital in ensuring that our proposals effectively deliver meaningful reforms for families.

I refer the hon. Member for Guildford to the answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 98569.

The Education Act 1996 prohibits schools from charging for education provided during school hours, subject to very limited exceptions. The department publishes guidance to assist schools to comply with the law on charging for school activities. Parents who have concerns about their school’s charging policy should raise this with the school. They may be able to complain to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if they remain unsatisfied once they have exhausted the school’s complaints procedure.

The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and has a set of criteria used to assess applications for consent. These include assessing whether the school can continue to meet its curriculum needs. The department gives consent only if the criteria are met, and where the proceeds from sales are to be reinvested in improvements to sports and education facilities.

The Education Act 1996 prohibits schools from charging for education provided during school hours, subject to very limited exceptions. The department publishes guidance to assist schools to comply with the law on charging for school activities. Parents who have concerns about their school’s charging policy should raise this with the school. They may be able to complain to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if they remain unsatisfied once they have exhausted the school’s complaints procedure.

The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and has a set of criteria used to assess applications for consent. These include assessing whether the school can continue to meet its curriculum needs. The department gives consent only if the criteria are met, and where the proceeds from sales are to be reinvested in improvements to sports and education facilities.

The Government does not have a legal duty to clear illegally dumped waste and is not funded to do so. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the impact of landfill tax rates on levels of fly-tipping, neither has it made a comparative assessment of revenue generated from the landfill tax against the cost to the public purse of clearing illegally dumped waste.

The Government recently consulted on options to improve the way Biodiversity Net Gain works for small, medium and brownfield development. This included potential changes to the de minimis exemption threshold, which currently sits at 25 square metres. Since then, the Government has announced its intention to introduce a new area-based exemption set at 0.2 hectares to reduce costs for smaller development while maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response and impact assessment will be published in due course.

Funding for Local Nature Recovery Strategy responsible authorities to support the delivery of the strategies will be confirmed as part of departmental business planning for financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will be informed by discussions with responsible authorities about what the new delivery role will entail.