The new Community Right to Buy will empower local people to protect valued community spaces and help to end the blight of empty properties on our high streets. We will announce more details on the implementation of the policy in due course.

It is vital that students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions, can access exams and assessments without disadvantage. The Equality Act 2010 requires awarding organisations to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled student would otherwise be placed at a substantial disadvantage when undertaking an assessment.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review took an evidence-led approach, drawing on data and engagement with experts, stakeholders and the public, including consideration of the experiences of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

We have carefully considered this evidence and will make improvements where the Review recommends change is needed. As qualifications are reformed, we will work closely with Ofqual and awarding organisations to ensure accessibility is fully considered throughout the qualification development process, including for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

DESNZ does not hold data on off-grid households. DESNZ works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including rural and remote areas. Under Ofgem’s price control framework, network companies are investing in new electricity capacity reducing the cost of connections and ensuring access to energy for all communities.

The VAT treatment of electricity connection charges depends on the nature of the supply and the circumstances in which it is made. Where a grid connection forms part of a qualifying domestic supply of electricity, it is subject to the same VAT treatment as that supply.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

The government has published strengthened statutory guidance on mobile phones in schools, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phones-in-schools/mobile-phones-in-schools.

This guidance states that all schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default, with no access during lessons, between lessons, at breaktimes or at lunchtime.

To support implementation, the department has published case studies alongside the guidance which demonstrate a range of effective approaches and best practice. We have also published resources to help schools communicate their mobile phone policy to parents and pupils.

The government has committed to review the guidance and make any necessary revisions by September 2027.

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), the Home Office may review an establishment licence where information raises concerns about compliance or animal welfare. In deciding whether to vary, suspend or revoke a licence, it considers the available evidence, the nature and seriousness of any breach, its actual or potential impact on animal welfare, the licence holder’s compliance history and whether the proposed action is necessary and proportionate. A licence may be suspended urgently where this is necessary to safeguard animal welfare. Decisions are taken case by case in accordance with ASPA and the published Animals in Science Regulation Unit compliance framework.

Concerns raised about MBR Acres have been assessed through these established regulatory processes. Published inspection reports found no evidence of non-compliance with the requirements of ASPA, associated licence conditions, or the statutory Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. The Regulator also carried out an announced audit on 10 July 2026, following a period of high temperatures in Great Britain. No immediate animal welfare concerns were identified by inspectors on the day of the visit.

The Government has interpreted the question as referring to section 5B(3) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, as the Act does not contain a section 5(5)(b).

Before granting a project licence, the Home Office must evaluate the proposed programme of work. This includes assessing whether the applicant has demonstrated that the purpose of the work cannot be achieved by a scientifically satisfactory method or testing strategy that does not involve protected animals. Where such an alternative is available, the use of animals cannot be authorised.

Qualified Home Office inspectors scrutinise the evidence provided by applicants, including the scientific justification for the work, compliance with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, and the proposed use of any specially protected species. As with all species, dogs may be used only where their use is specifically justified and the relevant statutory criteria are met. A licence cannot be granted unless the expected benefits of the programme are judged to justify the likely harms to the animals.

These statutory requirements and the independent scrutiny applied during licence assessment provide safeguards against the use of protected animals where a scientifically satisfactory non-animal alternative is available. The Home Office has also commissioned the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research to review the project licence application process, including how information on the 3Rs is provided and assessed. Its recommendations are expected later this year and will inform consideration of any further improvements to the process.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 sets a rigorous and robust framework for protecting the welfare of animals used in science, including dogs. The framework establishes minimum standards for the care and accommodation of animals, including environmental conditions and arrangements to safeguard animal welfare. The delivery of this framework is the responsibility of the Regulator, who has conducted three audits of MBR Acres in the last three years.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters receiving housing support in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, such as rent levels across the country were considered against the fiscal context and the level of housing support that Government provides overall.

Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.

Ahead of the planned merger of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, it has been necessary to consider where commissioning responsibility for the portfolio of specialised services currently held by NHS England should sit in the future. Spinal cord injury services were identified as a service that may benefit from commissioning at a regional, multi-integrated care board level, to reflect their close links with wider rehabilitation and community services, and the potential to support more integrated care pathways. Regardless of the planned change in commissioning responsibility, spinal cord injury services will continue to require national level coordination between the centres, and continue to be defined as specialised services, subject to national service specifications, commissioning policies, and national standards.

The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts.

The UK NSC considered newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), undertaking a review and a three-month consultation on those findings which closed on 5 August 2025. At the November 2025 UK NSC meeting, committee members concluded that there was not enough evidence to support newborn screening for MLD. Further information on the meeting is available at the following link:

https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/08/minutes-published-of-uk-nsc-november-2025-meeting/

However, members agreed that MLD would be a good candidate for inclusion in a multi-condition in-service evaluation within the United Kingdom newborn blood spot screening programme.

The Department is currently considering what would be needed to introduce such an evaluation.

Under the householder permitted development rights (set out in The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (as amended) homeowners are able to extend and improve their homes and to erect outbuildings incidental to the main dwellinghouse without the need for a planning application. The rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations to minimise their impacts, including on local amenity.

We continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

Energy suppliers are now able to install smart meters in the ‘North’ region using the 4G cellular mobile network, with 4G communication hubs available for rollout across Great Britain since July 2025.

4G operates alongside the existing long range radio solution in the North, giving energy suppliers an additional option for connectivity and improving installation success rates.

The Department does not collect data on smart meter installations at a constituency level. The latest statistics are available here: Smart meter statistics - GOV.UK

This Government is introducing the most significant policing reforms in nearly 200 years, restoring neighbourhood policing to better support rural communities, whilst strengthening the police response to cross-border crimes such as wildlife crime and organised equipment theft.

Backed by more than £800,000 of funding for specialist national rural and wildlife crime units, these reforms will help keep communities safe across the country.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide such equipment and facilities as are adequate and appropriate to enable first aid to be rendered to employees who are injured or become ill at work. A needs assessment will determine the first-aid requirements that are appropriate for that business. However, these regulations do not apply to non-employees such as customers.

Where work includes the provision of a service to others ie non-employees in a restaurant or pub, guidance from the Health and Safety Executive strongly recommends that their needs are included in this assessment.

Where a need for a first aider is identified, it should be noted that responding to choking emergencies is a core competency of the Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work qualifications.

The criteria for the remission of or exemption from fees are prescribed in secondary legislation, namely the Public Guardian (Fees etc.) Regulations 2007 (Fees Regulations). The Fees Regulations require the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to grant a full exemption from fees if the applicant is in receipt of a number of qualifying benefits; these include income-related Employment and Support Allowance but not Universal Credit.

Where the applicant is not eligible for one of the qualifying benefits, but their gross annual income does not exceed £12,000, the Fees Regulations require OPG to grant a 50% remission of fees. The Fees Regulations provide OPG with a discretionary power to reduce or remit (but not exempt) fees if the applicant is in receipt of Universal Credit.

OPG’s operational practice is to include any income derived from Universal Credit as a component of gross annual income when assessing applications for a 50% remission of fees. Applicants who were previously in receipt of Income-related Employment and Support Allowance but have been migrated to Universal Credit will therefore no longer be eligible for a full exemption of fees but they will be eligible for a 50% remission of fees provided their gross annual income does not exceed £12,000.

OPG has recently published updated guidance on the application process for an exemption or remission of fees which is available on Gov.UK. This includes a breakdown of the eligibility requirements for both an exemption and a 50% remission of fees and the evidence required to support the application. This includes instructions for applications where the applicant is in receipt of Universal Credit.

In the 2024 to 2025 financial year, OPG exempted or remitted fees for103,333 powers of attorney applications. The total value of fees exempted or remitted was £8.471 million.

OPG remains committed to ensuring that its services are accessible to everyone, which includes those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The Fees Regulations provide OPG with a discretionary power to reduce or remit fees further if the payment of a given fee would involve undue hardship to the applicant. Where applicants provide evidence that payment of OPG fees would incur significant financial hardship, OPG will agree to a reduction of the fee, taking into account the specific circumstances of the case.

We are investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme to rebuild over 750 schools up to 2034-35. Some 500 of those are already in the programme—we have a further 250 to select, which we will do later this year.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator of the private security industry and continues to work with security businesses to improve standards, training, and best practice in support of public safety.

It is for individual businesses to determine their own policy on the provision of equipment to security guards in compliance with UK law. All employers and venues should conduct risk assessments to ensure that staff and personnel working for them are provided with the appropriate equipment to fulfil their role safely and securely. Any assessment and mitigation of risk should include the need for appropriate Personal Protection Equipment.

The SIA signposts to advice produced by the Health and Safety Executive on conducting risk assessments. Knowledge on the uses of PPE is included within SIA’s licensed linked training qualifications for security operatives.

It has not been possible to produce a single robust estimate of the cost to local authorities of removing hard plastic tree guards as costs vary depending on local circumstances, scale of planting and disposal arrangements.

Tree planting grants recognise the need to manage plastics. England Woodland Creation Offer and Urban Tree Challenge Fund agreements require the removal and appropriate disposal of guards. The Local Authority Treescapes Fund also promotes minimising plastic use.

Payment rates under the England Woodland Creation Offer and the Local Authority Treescapes Fund included a contribution to the removal and disposal or tree guards.

The Department recognises the need to reduce the environmental impact of plastics in forestry, including tree guards. Forestry England is part of the UK Forest Industry Plastics Working Group, which focuses on reducing single-use plastics and exploring alternatives in woodland creation. Trials of bio-based tree shelters have produced mixed results, so conventional guards remain in use where necessary, with removal and recycling in line with UK Forestry Standard requirements.

Forest Research is conducting an independent evaluation of alternatives, funded by Defra and Forestry England. Results, expected in two years, will assess effectiveness, and inform more sustainable solutions.