The Modern Industrial Strategy is the Government’s long-term framework to increase business investment, unlock productivity growth, support high-quality jobs and drive economic growth across the UK.

The 2025 Spending Review allocated multiyear resource and capital budgets to align with the Government’s growth priorities. For instance, the Industrial Strategy is underpinned by billions of public investment in innovation and access to finance, including public R&D funding rising to £22.6bn by 2029-30, an increase in British Business Bank capacity to £25.6bn, targeted support for priority sectors including advanced manufacturing with £4bn and £2.3bn provided over ten years for Drive 35 and the Aerospace Technology Institute, respectively, and a £400m UK Defence Innovation programme.

No payments are due under the terms of the UK-Mauritius agreement until the Treaty has been ratified.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 25 March in response to Question 121818.

The Government has committed to reaching 3% of GDP on defence in the next Parliament, with further details to be set out at the next Spending Review.

This is a matter for His Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. Ofsted holds the information requested. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 08 September 2026 to Question UIN 23681 Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

The Government recognises the importance of maintaining a strong pipeline of UK seafarers to support maritime growth and resilience. To support this, maritime skills and training are regularly discussed with ministerial colleagues, industry stakeholders, and trade unions.

Policy discussions are informed by the recent Seafarer Projections Review which identified a potential shortfall of around 8,900 seafarers by 2035, and also by the Review of the Effectiveness of Funding for UK Seafarer Training which has provided an updated evidence base on the long-term sustainability of the workforce. We also note that recent reforms to the Tonnage Tax regime have contributed to growth in participation, with ship numbers in the regime increasing by 22% over the last two years, supporting the Government's ambitions for maritime growth, skills development and cadet training, and demonstrating the value placed on the regime by the maritime industry.

Work is underway to future proof seafarer training through the Cadet Training and Modernisation programme and the Ratings Review. We also strive to increase officer cadet recruitment by funding 50% of the cost of cadet training through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, whose budget for 2026/27 stands at £19.4m. Our focus is now on taking forward the recommendations of the funding review and ensuring the UK remains an attractive place to invest, train and operate.

The government is increasing funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, helping people to access the skills they need to progress, tackling inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs.

£3.5 billion employment support budget by 2028-29 is intended to fund:

1. Pathways to Work employment and health support for disabled and health-impaired claimants.
2. Support for long-term unemployed people.
3. The Connect to Work programme.
4. Youth Guarantee Trailblazers.
5. Inactivity Trailblazers.
6. Additional programmes helping sick and disabled people move into work.

We are currently unable to provide funding allocations by individual employment programme because these are still being refined and may change during the year. They may therefore not reflect the final operational budgets.

Some expenditure is paid in arrears, meaning that figures provided at this stage could be misleading when viewed in isolation. Actual expenditure for significant employment support programmes will be published in the Department’s next Annual Report and Accounts.

This government continues to cut red tape so that employers and apprenticeship training providers can focus even more of their time on delivering high-quality training for learners.

To support employers to use the apprenticeship service, we have introduced a supportive onboarding process which enables training providers to complete the initial account setup for an employer. We have enhanced the ability for employers to give their provider permission to undertake most of the administrative tasks on their behalf. As a result, we have seen significant reductions to the on-boarding time for new employers, supporting apprentices to begin their training more quickly.

We are also making significant changes to the apprenticeship payment system, by removing the need for providers to submit the same data into multiple systems and removing the need for employers to manually input data. Employers will be able to approve their apprentices’ data in a single step.

In addition, the department is working with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade to help SMEs navigate the skills system, providing SMEs with a single front door through which they can access information on the Growth and Skills Levy and SME support. We will also establish an SME forum to gather feedback and ensure these improvements continue to meet employers' needs.

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

This Government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy in England, giving employers greater flexibility, creating more opportunities for young people, and directly supporting Industrial Strategy sectors, including engineering and manufacturing.

Employers can choose the training provider best suited to deliver the apprenticeship training that will meet their skills needs and the government provides a range of financial support for employers and providers to offer apprenticeships. We are now fully funding apprenticeships for eligible young people under 25 and from October we are introducing a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that recruit apprentices under 25. We also continue to pay £1,000 to both employers, of all sizes, and providers for eligible young apprentices, including 16-18-year-olds.

To give businesses greater flexibility and help them quickly respond to emerging skills gaps, we have launched new apprenticeship units in priority sectors such as artificial intelligence, digital, and engineering. These are built from the knowledge and skills within existing employer-led occupational apprenticeship standards, ensuring high-quality, targeted training that meets real business needs. Levy payers can use their levy funding for apprenticeship units and they will also be fully funded for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs.

While capital projects are ineligible for apprenticeship funding, apprenticeship provision will benefit from significant capital funding announced in the Infrastructure, Industrial, and Education Estates strategies, including £200 million via the Skills Mission Funds to expand Technical Excellence Colleges across England to priority sectors.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 15 July 2026 in response to Question 16739.

No assessment has been made. I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 June 2026 to Question 3358. Information on dementia research funding broken down by dementia sub-type is not centrally held.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 13254.

The Barts Health NHS Trust was allocated £27,693,000 from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 to deliver vital safety improvements at both Whipps Cross University Hospital and Newham General Hospital. Of this, £16,738,500 was allocated to schemes at Whipps Cross Hospital. The Barts Health NHS Trust does not currently have funding allocated to the Estates Safety Fund scheme at Whipps Cross Hospital for this financial year, 2026/27 or future financial years.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is currently able to access funding from the Estates Safety Fund for their planned schemes at the Princess Alexandra Hospital across 2026/27 and 2027/28 in line with the planned spend profile for the schemes.

This investment is an important step in addressing infrastructure challenges at the site and forms part of the Government's wider programme to improve the safety and resilience of National Health Service buildings.

Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, and announced a major expansion of community mental health support, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres (CMHCs) and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).

CMHCs provide a single, open-access offer, available 24/7 to anyone who needs it. People with serious mental illness will be able to walk in without an appointment and receive mental health support, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team. This will reduce fragmentation in service delivery and improve continuity of care. Working in partnership with primary care, local authorities, the voluntary sector and family support networks, and with strong links to housing and employment support, the centres will deliver care close to home, tailored to local communities of between 30,000 and 50,000 people.

Alongside the community centres, MHEDs will provide fast, same-day access to specialist mental health support for people in crisis. Co-located with emergency departments, ambulance, and police services, they will offer a calm, therapeutic environment and ensure people are connected quickly to the right ongoing care, whether through inpatient admission, home treatment, or community support. In both cases, CMHCs and MHEDs will draw on the existing NHS workforce, including redeployment of staff to the new locations.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are rightly responsible for selecting locations for new facilities to make sure they meet local needs best, with schemes prioritised through regional and ICB processes before being subject to national assurance. The overall distribution of MHEDs and CMHCs was considered alongside factors such as population need, existing provision, local care pathways, strategic alignment, and deliverability. Local systems also remain responsible for ensuring that people can access emergency mental health support through the broader care pathway, including A&E units, crisis services, and other locally commissioned provision.

The first facilities in this tranche are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027. Further details will be set out in due course as the new centres are rolled out across England. Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.

On 29 July, as set out in the link below, the Prime Minister set out his objectives to reform the social care system, and brought forward the timetable for Baroness Casey’s commission to inform that reform programme:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-sets-out-new-path-to-fix-social-care-together-29-july-2026

All aspects of the current system will be reviewed as part of that process, and we will continue to update Parliament on a regular basis.

Details of the steps being taken to strengthen financial support and employment rights for unpaid carers can be found in the Unpaid Carers Action Plan, published on 14 July 2026.

The Barts Health NHS Trust was allocated £27,693,000 from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 to deliver vital safety improvements at both Whipps Cross University Hospital and Newham General Hospital. Of this, £16,738,500 was allocated to schemes at Whipps Cross Hospital. The Barts Health NHS Trust does not currently have funding allocated to the Estates Safety Fund scheme at Whipps Cross Hospital for this financial year, 2026/27 or future financial years.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is currently able to access funding from the Estates Safety Fund for their planned schemes at the Princess Alexandra Hospital across 2026/27 and 2027/28 in line with the planned spend profile for the schemes.

This investment is an important step in addressing infrastructure challenges at the site and forms part of the Government's wider programme to improve the safety and resilience of National Health Service buildings.