Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care’s Joint Work and Health Directorate was set up to co-ordinate Government activity which helps those managing health conditions and disabled people to get into and thrive in work.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ 2024 Employer Survey provides evidence of the impact of different employer health and wellbeing interventions and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-employer-survey-2024

Financial mutuals, such as building societies and credit unions, have a strong focus on serving local communities for the benefit of their members. This leaves them well placed to make an important contribution to the Government’s priority to drive good growth in every postcode of the UK.

The Government is undertaking a multi-year programme of work to support financial mutuals. This includes, for example, updating the Building Societies Act 1986 to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and provide greater funding flexibility, reforming the credit union common bond through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to produce their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which identified opportunities for growth-focused reform.

Access to capital is a longstanding structural issue for mutual businesses, and one in which the Government takes a close interest. The Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council is currently considering this, including the barriers faced by the sector and potential solutions. The Government will review the Council’s work as it develops and consider the proposals it brings forward.

Financial mutuals, such as building societies and credit unions, have a strong focus on serving local communities for the benefit of their members. This leaves them well placed to make an important contribution to the Government’s priority to drive good growth in every postcode of the UK.

The Government is undertaking a multi-year programme of work to support financial mutuals. This includes, for example, updating the Building Societies Act 1986 to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and provide greater funding flexibility, reforming the credit union common bond through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to produce their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which identified opportunities for growth-focused reform.

Access to capital is a longstanding structural issue for mutual businesses, and one in which the Government takes a close interest. The Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council is currently considering this, including the barriers faced by the sector and potential solutions. The Government will review the Council’s work as it develops and consider the proposals it brings forward.

Financial mutuals, such as building societies and credit unions, have a strong focus on serving local communities for the benefit of their members. This leaves them well placed to make an important contribution to the Government’s priority to drive good growth in every postcode of the UK.

The Government is undertaking a multi-year programme of work to support financial mutuals. This includes, for example, updating the Building Societies Act 1986 to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and provide greater funding flexibility, reforming the credit union common bond through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to produce their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which identified opportunities for growth-focused reform.

Access to capital is a longstanding structural issue for mutual businesses, and one in which the Government takes a close interest. The Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council is currently considering this, including the barriers faced by the sector and potential solutions. The Government will review the Council’s work as it develops and consider the proposals it brings forward.

Lack of experience is a key barrier for young people. Through the Government’s additional £2.5 billion investment into the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy, young people will benefit from a range of support to help young people develop confidence, resilience, leadership skills and work experience before they become eligible for the Jobs Guarantee.

Young people aged 16-24 on Universal Credit who are looking for work receive tailored employment support through the Youth Guarantee Gateway. If they are not earning or learning after 13 weeks, they receive a dedicated Youth Guarantee Gateway meeting followed by four weeks of intensive support from a Work Coach. During this period, they are offered opportunities including employment, work experience placements, Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), apprenticeships, training or learning.

As part of this offer, the Government is creating up to 300,000 additional sector-based work academy programme (SWAP) across Great Britain and work-experience placements. These placements are designed to help young people develop employability skills, confidence and work readiness, supporting them to move into employment, education or training. SWAPs are being expanded through the Youth Guarantee, with 145,000 starts planned by 2028/29, further supporting young people in gaining valuable work experience whilst building up sector-specific skills. The Department for Work and Pensions is engaging with national and local employers to create these opportunities.

Young people can also access support through an expanded network of Youth Hubs across Great Britain in the future. Youth Hubs bring together employment support with services such as skills development, mental health support, employer engagement and wider community-based support, helping young people build confidence and prepare for work.

Together, these measures help young people gain the confidence, resilience, skills and experience needed to progress towards sustained employment before becoming eligible for the Jobs Guarantee after 18 months claiming Universal Credit.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is an important source of Government revenue, raising around £14 billion each year. The structure of SDLT ensures that those buying the most expensive properties contribute the most.

The number of families in temporary accommodation has decreased in Southport year on year, and in June 2026 no people were sleeping rough in the West Lancashire borough council area. Funding for the national rough sleeping programme was announced last month, with £340,000 allocated to Sefton, £6.7 million to the Liverpool city region and £189,000 to West Lancashire borough council. That will ensure that people sleeping rough in Southport can be offered a roof over their head and be off the streets by Christmas.

Building societies play an important role in supporting home ownership and economic growth. Ministers and officials regularly engage with building societies and the wider mutuals sector to discuss their business, understand the barriers they face and consider opportunities to support their growth and better serve their members.

The Government is committed to creating the conditions that enable the sector to flourish. In December 2025, the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority published their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which set out the sector’s regulatory framework and identified opportunities for growth-focused reform. As part of that initiative, the Prudential Regulation Authority removed the Building Societies Sourcebook, supporting a more proportionate regulatory framework for building societies.

In addition, the Government laid a statutory instrument before Parliament in July 2026 that would support the building society sector by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and providing greater funding flexibility.

Building societies play an important role in supporting home ownership and economic growth. Ministers and officials regularly engage with building societies and the wider mutuals sector to discuss their business, understand the barriers they face and consider opportunities to support their growth and better serve their members.

The Government is committed to creating the conditions that enable the sector to flourish. In December 2025, the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority published their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which set out the sector’s regulatory framework and identified opportunities for growth-focused reform. As part of that initiative, the Prudential Regulation Authority removed the Building Societies Sourcebook, supporting a more proportionate regulatory framework for building societies.

In addition, the Government laid a statutory instrument before Parliament in July 2026 that would support the building society sector by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and providing greater funding flexibility.

Best Start in Life and Best Start Family Hubs are about place-based working. That is why the department has asked local authorities to publish a plan for children's outcomes in their area and why Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme guidance recognises the strong foundations already in place, including deeply embedded and trusted local partnerships, infrastructure and experience.

Mayors and combined authorities play an important role in coordinating and supporting their local authorities in this work and in helping to develop place-based approaches. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, Best Start in Life regional leads and departmental officials regularly engage with stakeholders, including metro mayors and combined authorities regarding place-based approaches across skills, education and wider families’ services. For example, this includes learning from and sharing best practice, including the work done by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Cradle to Career programme in Birkenhead.

The department will strengthen media literacy education and skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources in the national curriculum, following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report. This will help pupils learn how to spot misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and to develop critical thinking skills.

The department is engaging with sector experts to determine how to reflect this in the updated curriculum and training requirements for teachers. Following public consultation from September, the new curriculum will be taught from September 2028.

Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance, to be implemented from September 2026, includes strengthened content on staying safe online and online wellbeing. Secondary pupils will learn how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories.

The department will strengthen media literacy education and skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources in the national curriculum, following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report. This will help pupils learn how to spot misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and to develop critical thinking skills.

The department is engaging with sector experts to determine how to reflect this in the updated curriculum and training requirements for teachers. Following public consultation from September, the new curriculum will be taught from September 2028.

Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance, to be implemented from September 2026, includes strengthened content on staying safe online and online wellbeing. Secondary pupils will learn how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories.

My Department has made no specific assessment on the potential impact of Development Corporations in accelerating the conversion of vacant upper floors in town centres into residential accommodation.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 included measures to create a clearer, more flexible, and robust framework for development corporations.

The government intends to bring forward further legislation in due course to provide for locally led urban Development Corporations, enabling more coastal communities to establish them, where appropriate.

My Department has made no specific assessment on the potential impact of Development Corporations in accelerating the conversion of vacant upper floors in town centres into residential accommodation.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 included measures to create a clearer, more flexible, and robust framework for development corporations.

The government intends to bring forward further legislation in due course to provide for locally led urban Development Corporations, enabling more coastal communities to establish them, where appropriate.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is the lead for coastal communities across Government. Many coastal communities are also rural, and Defra is the lead department for rural communities. Rural areas contributed over £259 billion (12%) to the economy in England in 2023. Further information and analysis on the contribution of rural areas to the economy can be found in the Statistical Digest of Rural England - GOV.UK.

The Government believes that all communities can benefit from devolution, which places powers in the hands of local leaders who understand the opportunities and challenges facing their areas.

Strategic Authorities can play an important role in addressing the distinct challenges often associated with coastal communities, including economic development, transport connectivity, regeneration and skills.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 explicitly recognises coastal communities within the areas of competence for Strategic Authorities. This provides a clear basis for mayors and Strategic Authorities to consider the interests of coastal communities when exercising their functions and developing local priorities.

Growth is this Governments’ number one priority, and our city regions are identified as a key driver of this. Backing our major city regions is about creating strong growth for their whole areas, not just city centres, so that communities in the surrounding towns within commuting reach can benefit.

Growth priorities achieved through MSA Local Growth Plans will be beneficial for all places, boosting overall regional productivity while also reducing inequalities within regions. Everywhere has an important role to play in driving local growth, with many local authorities having or developing local economic strategies

We are supporting places across the country with our Pride in Place programme, which empowers communities to decide how they would like to shape their area and will provide up to £5.8bn funding and support over 10 years to 284 areas, including many coastal and former industrial areas.

I would like to remind the House of how we are improving everyday journeys across the country, starting with our railways. Last month, the new Cambridge South station opened to passengers following £250 million of Government funding to better connect Europe’s largest biomedical campus. Publicly owned services are now on average more punctual than services not yet in public ownership, with fewer cancellations. This week, I announced measures to crack down on fare dodgers thanks to new ticket gates being rolled out across the network. On our buses, we are helping families with the cost of living with free travel for all children aged five to 15 in England throughout August.

Finally, the third cycling and walking investment strategy will give people healthier choices to get around. Last month, it set a 2035 target for over half of short journeys in towns and cities to be walked and cycled. Whether it is a trip to the shop or the school run, we will help more people in more places to get around their neighbourhoods safely and sustainably.

Better, more reliable transport drives good growth, spreads opportunities and makes lives easier. That is our mission, and we are getting on with the job.