We fully intend that independent and voluntary sector providers can be part of the Single Patient Record. The Health Bill provides powers to make regulations that can enable or require relevant providers involved in an individual’s direct health and social care to contribute to, and access, the patient information that they need via the Single Patient Record. We will need to explore carefully how the flows of information should work. Existing legislation allows for mandatory information standards to set technical requirements for all providers to ensure interoperability.

Ofcom is providing support to small service providers to help them understand and comply with their responsibilities under the Online Safety Act.

In a July 2025 letter Ofcom’s CEO noted responsibility for regulating a wide range of services, including voluntary groups and individuals. The letter noted that Ofcom will take enforcement action only where it is proportionate and appropriate and will focus on cases where risk and impact of harm is highest. Ofcom has since set out its priorities for action in 2026-27.

Vestibular and balance disorders can significantly affect an individual's balance, mobility, and ability to carry out daily activities, which may in some cases affect their ability to work. The Government remains committed to improving timely diagnosis and care for people with these conditions, and ensuring that they are able to access clear information and support, including through the NHS.UK website, which offers accessible guidance on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, and signposts to relevant support where appropriate.

The Department also supports healthcare professionals to identify and manage vestibular and balance disorders through evidence-based guidance. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on ‘Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral’, reference code NG127, includes specific recommendations for the assessment and management of adults presenting with dizziness and vertigo, and helps clinicians identify when specialist referral may be appropriate.

Additionally, NICE provides Clinical Knowledge Summaries on vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular neuronitis, and Ménière's disease. Alongside NG127, this guidance helps general practitioners to recognise potential vestibular disorders, undertake appropriate initial assessment, and refer patients for specialist investigation where necessary. Clinicians are expected to have regard to NICE guidance when making decisions about patient care.

The Department does not currently hold the requested data on average waiting times, or regional variations in diagnosis and treatment, but we remain determined to reduce waiting times and regional variations across all areas of National Health Service support, while empowering integrated care boards to plan services according to the needs of their local populations.

The Government is committed to reducing lives lost to suicide and is delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. In November 2025, the Men's Health Strategy for England announced up to £3.6 million to March 2029 for neighbourhood-based suicide prevention initiatives in areas where middle-aged men face the highest risk of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Pathfinders programme aims to strengthen the connections between services so that middle-aged men receive timely, coordinated, and accessible support when and where they need it most.

The programme has been informed by engagement with local authorities, National Health Service organisations, academic experts, voluntary and community sector organisations, and suicide prevention specialists. Funded areas will bring together partners from sectors including health, local government, voluntary and community organisations, and criminal justice settings to develop joined-up approaches that enable middle-aged men to access the tailored services that they need.

Funding will be allocated through a competitive grant process, designed to select priority areas with published eligibility criteria, targeting funding to areas with the highest rates of suicide. Applications will open in November, and we expect programme delivery to begin in April 2027. The number of awards, total spend, and type of interventions awarded cannot be confirmed until bids are assessed and awarded. Further details on the programme and eligibility will be shared in the coming weeks.

The Government is committed to reducing lives lost to suicide and is delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. In November 2025, the Men's Health Strategy for England announced up to £3.6 million to March 2029 for neighbourhood-based suicide prevention initiatives in areas where middle-aged men face the highest risk of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Pathfinders programme aims to strengthen the connections between services so that middle-aged men receive timely, coordinated, and accessible support when and where they need it most.

The programme has been informed by engagement with local authorities, National Health Service organisations, academic experts, voluntary and community sector organisations, and suicide prevention specialists. Funded areas will bring together partners from sectors including health, local government, voluntary and community organisations, and criminal justice settings to develop joined-up approaches that enable middle-aged men to access the tailored services that they need.

Funding will be allocated through a competitive grant process, designed to select priority areas with published eligibility criteria, targeting funding to areas with the highest rates of suicide. Applications will open in November, and we expect programme delivery to begin in April 2027. The number of awards, total spend, and type of interventions awarded cannot be confirmed until bids are assessed and awarded. Further details on the programme and eligibility will be shared in the coming weeks.

The Government is committed to reducing lives lost to suicide and is delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. In November 2025, the Men's Health Strategy for England announced up to £3.6 million to March 2029 for neighbourhood-based suicide prevention initiatives in areas where middle-aged men face the highest risk of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Pathfinders programme aims to strengthen the connections between services so that middle-aged men receive timely, coordinated, and accessible support when and where they need it most.

The programme has been informed by engagement with local authorities, National Health Service organisations, academic experts, voluntary and community sector organisations, and suicide prevention specialists. Funded areas will bring together partners from sectors including health, local government, voluntary and community organisations, and criminal justice settings to develop joined-up approaches that enable middle-aged men to access the tailored services that they need.

Funding will be allocated through a competitive grant process, designed to select priority areas with published eligibility criteria, targeting funding to areas with the highest rates of suicide. Applications will open in November, and we expect programme delivery to begin in April 2027. The number of awards, total spend, and type of interventions awarded cannot be confirmed until bids are assessed and awarded. Further details on the programme and eligibility will be shared in the coming weeks.

The Online Safety Act is designed to be proportionate and risk-based. Ofcom is required to take account of a service's size, risk profile and capacity when setting expectations. It would not be appropriate to put in place a blanket exemption, as some of the most serious harms, including child sexual abuse and terrorist content, can occur on small services.

On 2 September, Ofcom published findings of an online safety business survey, which outlines business experience in complying with online safety regulation, and notes ongoing work to support services, including small services. This includes a regulation checker to help providers understand whether the Act will apply to their service, and guidance on what steps they may need to take next.

The Department continues to work closely with NHS England to improve outcomes for men, including through a shared focus on suicide prevention.

The Men’s Health Strategy seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of all men in England, including by tackling men’s mental health. The strategy includes investment in community-based men's health and suicide prevention programmes, and a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to make sure people know what mental health support is available to them. This builds on the important work already being undertaken by community organisations in Essex, including Men's Sheds, Andy's Man Club and local Mind services, which help men access support within their communities.

The Suicide Prevention Support Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men will tackle this inequality by investing up to £3.6 million over the next three years. The programme is currently being designed and will seek to improve timely access to neighbourhood-based support for middle-aged men and to strengthen joined-up pathways between services.

The Cabinet Office recognises the valuable role that the voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) can play in all aspects of resilience. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires local Category 1 responders ‘to have regard’ to the activities of voluntary organisations while carrying out their duties. This is reinforced in guidance and standards, which provide further detail on the benefits of including the VCFS within local exercising.

The Cabinet Office is committed to conducting one major ‘Tier 1’ ministerial-led exercise annually under the National Exercising Programme. On 15th July and as part of the national resilience annual statement, the government announced that the next Tier 1 exercise (Exercise ALBISTON SHADOW) will focus on homeland defence.

Under a Tier 1 exercise, Government departments, agencies, non-governmental organisations and local responders are all involved to deliver the objectives and requirements of each year's exercise. In support of this, work is also underway to ensure that guidance, best practice, frameworks and other tools are made available to all parts of the system so that high-quality exercising can happen at all levels, not just during Tier 1 exercises.

Voluntary organisations are essential partners in the UK Government mission to build national and local pride.

While community development is a devolved matter, the Scotland Office works closely with all UK Government departments to ensure UK-wide funding structures empower Scotland's third sector.

Through our targeted £280 million Pride in Place Programme, the £12 million Pride in Place Impact Fund and the new £140 million Local Growth Fund, we are putting real spending power into the hands of communities, to protect vital assets and drive local growth across Scotland.

The Value for Money Review of homelessness will assess the underlying cost-effectiveness of cross government spend that helps to prevent and relieve all forms of homelessness, and will make actionable recommendations that improve efficiency, accountability, outcomes, and reduce financial pressures on councils. As part of the review, we will also seek views from external stakeholders via the Homelessness Expert Group which includes representatives from front-line services, local government, and the third sector.

For further details please see the published Terms of Reference available here.

The government is investing £900 million to enable local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services over the next three years and recognises the important role that volunteer-led family support services will play in this programme of work.

The department has published guidance to local authorities on delivery expectations for Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services including clear expectations that local authorities will work in partnership with the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector to deliver the programme.

The guidance explains that partnership models will vary by area but could include VCF organisations having a formal role in governance arrangements, being commissioned to deliver services; delivering Best Start network sites or outreach services, offering specialist or trusted services to communities that would otherwise not engage and supporting local resilience and system capacity through community‑led delivery models. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

The Government is clear that tackling poverty and improving employment outcomes requires partnership working and that government cannot achieve this alone. The voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector is the bedrock of our communities, providing vital support to individuals and families experiencing poverty or unemployment.

The Civil Society Covenant demonstrates our commitment to working with the VCSE sector, recognising the value of civil society and supporting collaboration between government and VCSE partners. In addition, VCSE organisations will be fundamental to the delivery of our £500 million Better Futures Fund, which will support vulnerable children, young people and their families through innovative place-based projects seeking to break down barriers to opportunity and give children the best start in life.

Over the last 5 years we have spent £650m within the VCSE sector, the vast majority of which (at least 70% annually) is in Employment Services, which represents almost £500m in the sector over the period. We have ambitious plans with ministers for approval that aim to almost double our overall spend with the sector over the next two years and more importantly demonstrate a real commitment to engaging and working more effectively with both the VCSE and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise sectors and have already commenced delivery of these plans.

To develop and deliver the Child Poverty Strategy, we work in partnership with VCSE organisations at a national and local level. We will continue to engage directly with the VCSE sector to deliver our wider ambitions to reduce poverty and improve employment outcomes.