Written Statements

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Ineos Chemicals: Grangemouth

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Chris McDonald)]

The Government have agreed a landmark partnership with Ineos to secure the strategically important ethylene cracker in Grangemouth, Scotland. This agreement ensures that the future of this vital site is protected and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to support workers and their communities in Scotland and across the rest of the UK.

The plant, like many across Europe, has faced challenging market conditions. Three quarters of the plant’s output is used domestically by our downstream manufacturing sectors. This includes supporting our industrial strategy growth sectors who depend on ethylene supply, and downstream uses ranging from advanced polymers for defence and medical grade plastics in our life science sectors, to advanced manufacturing sectors such as automotive. The Grangemouth plant is crucially important to our critical national infrastructure given the interconnected assets operated by Ineos—the ethylene pipeline system and the Forties pipeline system. This is why we have acted decisively and stepped in to ensure that it is secured.

The agreement consists of more than £120 million in UK Government support and at least £30 million of investment from Ineos. This package will save jobs, reduce emissions and increase productivity, helping to secure the site’s continued operations and long-term competitiveness. It will reinforce the hundreds of millions of pounds of investment that Ineos has already made over the last few years in maintaining operations at the site. We are also creating the conditions for Grangemouth’s long-term future. Through Project Willow, up to £200 million from the National Wealth Fund will support new jobs and projects subject to meeting usual assessment criteria.

This agreement strengthens the resilience of our foundational sectors and their supply chains within the UK, which underpins our industrial strategy. It will ensure that the site remains operational for the foreseeable future and continues to support the commercial strength of the Grangemouth cluster.

Funding for this intervention will be covered by existing budgets that have been agreed as a part of the departmental spending review settlements. The Government set a very high bar for interventions of this kind. This includes assessing the viability of the business, the economic and social impacts of potential public support, and the contributions of the private sector—including shareholders. Where the Government do intervene, they sets clear, strict conditions on how the money is used. We are taking bold action today to support this site, recognising its strategic importance.

We are also backing the wider chemicals sector through the industrial strategy with targeted support to bring down energy costs, including through the British industrial competitiveness scheme—which will slash costs for businesses in sectors including chemicals by up to 25%—and the British industrial supercharger, which will save Britain’s most energy-intensive firms money on their electricity costs.

[HCWS1190]

National Savings & Investments: Contingent Liabilities

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Lucy Rigby)]

I am today laying a departmental minute to advise that National Savings & Investments is retrospectively informing Parliament about two new contingent liabilities not previously disclosed, due to procedural oversight by NS&I.

These contingent liabilities have arisen from NS&I’s transition from a single-supplier service delivery model to a multi-supplier model. They relate to operational losses and fraud losses. Operational losses are compensatory payments made to customers due to error, default, fraud or change in the administration of NS&I’s products. Fraud losses are a subset of operational losses and in this instance relate to customer compromise through no fault of the suppliers.

In 2020, NS&I launched a transformation programme to modernise its operational systems, transitioning from a long-standing, single-supplier service delivery model to a multi-supplier model. This transformation introduced new service delivery partners and redistributed responsibilities across the entire customer journey.

Due to multiple handovers within NS&I and increased complexity of processes, it became necessary to redistribute loss liabilities among suppliers and assign them based on fault. Unlike the previous service model, no single supplier has end-to-end ownership of the service. Consequently, suppliers have limited or no control over certain stages and the associated risk management. Each supplier is therefore accountable only for the areas they directly manage. Where a customer is compromised through no fault of any of the suppliers, liability rests with NS&I, who may then seek recovery from third parties such as the customer’s nominated bank.

Following the delivery of a major programme milestone at the end of September 2025, the number of processes split across multiple suppliers has reduced as of October 2025. This will lessen the complexity associated with establishing and apportioning liability. However, some risk will remain in allocating responsibility. This is because multiple suppliers continue to deliver elements of the end-to-end service with underlying processes measured by their customer outcomes rather than by their individual components.

A key benefit of NS&I’s revised delivery model is that, unlike the previous single-supplier arrangement where potential losses were built into a risk premium, NS&I will now only bear actual losses that occur. This change ensures greater transparency and delivers better value for taxpayers. Under the new framework, NS&I will determine liability based on clear evidence of fault across multiple suppliers, reinforcing accountability and improving cost-efficiency.

A small portion of the estimated operational losses has been identified for the 2025-26 financial year; however, no disbursements have yet occurred pending HM Treasury consent. Where investigations subsequently identify a responsible supplier, NS&I will seek recovery of costs under contractual provisions.

It is normal practice, when a Government Department proposes to undertake a contingent liability in excess of £300,000 for which there is no specific statutory authority, for that Department’s Minister to present a departmental minute to Parliament giving particulars of the liability created and explaining the circumstances; and to refrain from incurring the liability until 14 sitting days after the issue of the minute, except in cases of special urgency.

However, at the time the potential liabilities were initially assessed, NS&I concluded that they constituted part of its “normal course of business” as described by “Managing Public Money” and the contingent liability approval framework. This was on the basis that the occurrence of such liabilities was considered to arise from its core function of raising cost-effective financing for Government by issuing and selling retail savings products to the public. Following a more extensive review and discussion with HM Treasury, NS&I has subsequently determined that the new service delivery model resulted in NS&I taking on liabilities that were previously retained by a single supplier, giving rise to the two contingent liabilities.

Given the initial assessment of the nature of the expense, it is regrettable that NS&I was unable to provide the House with the normal period for consideration prior to the contingent liabilities being entered into. NS&I therefore acknowledges that Parliament was not informed earlier and apologises for this procedural non-compliance. Steps have been taken to strengthen internal assurance processes to ensure full compliance with parliamentary expectations and “Managing Public Money”.

The lifetime potential exposure for operational losses excluding fraud losses is estimated at £460,000, with only a small portion currently identified for clearance. Actual costs are expected to be materially lower, and some may be recoverable from suppliers. In addition, the lifetime potential exposure for fraud losses is £1.6 million bringing the total combined lifetime exposure to approximately £2.06 million.

NS&I has sought retrospective consent from HM Treasury.

If any of these contingent liabilities crystallise, provision for payment will be sought through the normal supply procedure.

[HCWS1201]

Sale of Chelsea FC: Frozen Funds

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Rachel Reeves)]

Today, at my direction, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a licence permitting the transfer of over £2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea football club to a new charitable foundation. The foundation will spend these proceeds for the benefit of the victims of the invasion in Ukraine.

The Government would have preferred to take this action with the co-operation of Roman Abramovich and his company, Fordstam Ltd. However, that has not materialised, and it is unacceptable that the funds remain frozen while Ukraine continues to suffer.

The Government are urging Mr Abramovich to act without delay. We will consider any proposal from Mr Abramovich to make use of this clear legal route to establish the foundation and transfer the funds under the terms of the licence. I confirm the Government commitment to use all tools within their power, including pursuing the matter in court if necessary, to release the proceeds.

[HCWS1196]

Telegraph Media Group

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

I wish to update the House on the sale of the Telegraph Media Group. As I noted in my statement on 24 November, under the terms of the order made in January 2024, transfer of the ownership of the Telegraph Media Group is only permitted with the prior written consent of the Secretary of State. In my statement I said that I expected a submission of a request for my written consent to take no longer than three weeks.

I can confirm that I have received a formal request from the representatives of RB Investco Ltd, the current owners of the call option to purchase Telegraph Media Group Holdings. The request is to allow RB Investco Ltd to derogate from the order to sell its call option to Daily Mail and General Trust. I will now give the request thorough consideration.

My priority remains building a constructive path toward a timely sale, without further delay, that is in the public interest.

As I set out in my previous statement, I will also consider the potential new merger under the public interest and foreign state influence regimes in my quasi-judicial role as set out in the Enterprise Act 2002. I will act independently, review the evidence with which I am presented and follow a process which is scrupulously fair, transparent and impartial.

I will update Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

[HCWS1193]

Dedicated Schools Grant

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for School Standards (Georgia Gould)]

Today the Department for Education has published local authorities’ allocations through the dedicated schools grant for schools, high needs, central schools services and early years for 2026-27. Overall, core schools funding is increasing by £1.7 billion in 2026-27 compared with 2025-26, bringing total core schools funding to £67 billion next year.

For mainstream schools funding, the DSG allocations update the provisional national funding formula allocations that were published on 19 November 2025 with the latest pupil numbers from the autumn 2025 school census. Nationally, mainstream school funding in the DSG is increasing by 2.6% per pupil in 2026-27 compared with 2025-26. This will support mainstream schools with ongoing costs and deliver an excellent education for all, including pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

High-needs funding for local authorities was increased by over £1 billion, or 11%, in 2025-26, and funding will continue at this increased level in 2026-27. This follows the announcements earlier this month of targeted funding for SEND specialists in Best Start family hubs to provide earlier intervention and support for children and families, and the Department’s announcement on 12 December of at least £3 billion of capital investment between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to deliver 50,000 specialist places, in addition to 10,000 places to be delivered through special and alternative provision free schools or alternative funding for local authorities.

Alongside the DSG allocations, pupil premium funding rates for 2026-27 have been published today. These rates are increasing by 2.23%, in line with the GDP deflator measure of inflation, as the Government continue to invest in closing attainment gaps and breaking the link between background and success.

The Government will publish the Schools White Paper in the new year, building on the work already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where every child receives high-quality support early on and can achieve and thrive in their local school. The Government are undertaking a period of co-creation with families, teachers and experts from across the sector to hear their views and test proposals for reform. The White Paper will set out further details on the investment provided for SEND reform at spending review 2025—on top of the DSG allocations published today to deliver excellent, inclusive education for every child.

In setting their budgets for 2026-27, local authorities will need to continue to ensure that they fulfil existing statutory duties to secure appropriate provision for children with education, health and care plans in both mainstream schools and specialist settings, as well as support moves to make the education system more inclusive, in the run-up to wider reform.

We recognise that the size of deficits that councils are accruing while the statutory override is in place may not be manageable with local resources alone, and will bring forward arrangements to assist with them. The Government will provide further details on our plans to support local authorities with historical and accruing deficits, and on conditions for accessing such support, later in the local government finance settlement process. Support provided to local authorities will be linked to assurance that they are taking steps to make a reformed, inclusive education system a reality, in conjunction with the Government confirming the detail of SEND reform. Local authorities should not wait for these details to assess their current plans to ensure they are realising best outcomes and value for young people. Like all areas of spending, we continue to expect local authorities to make sure they are doing all they can locally to manage their system effectively, ensuring the money is being spent in line with best practice. This is a joint effort, with shared responsibility between Government, local authorities, health partners and schools.

Indicative allocations for the 2026-27 early years block of the DSG have also been published. The early years block funds Government-funded childcare hours, which are crucial to delivering our ambition for a record proportion of children to be starting school ready by 2028, as set out in the “Giving every child the best start in life” strategy. In 2026-27, we expect to spend over £9.5 billion on the early years entitlements—an increase of over £1 billion compared with 2025-26 that delivers an above-inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. Early years allocations are updated based on the numbers of children taking up the entitlements, with final allocations available in July 2027. This investment, alongside the hard work and dedication of early years educators, providers and local authorities, has ensured the successful expansion of Government-funded childcare, with the 30-hours roll-out saving working families an average of £7,500 a year.

The dedicated schools grant allocations are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2026-to-2027

[HCWS1197]

Marine Recovery Fund

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

I am pleased to confirm that the marine recovery fund, one of the major reforms in the clean power action plan, has launched today.

This underlines the Government’s clear commitment to making Britain a clean energy superpower to cut bills, create jobs and deliver energy security. We are delivering cheaper, zero-carbon electricity. A key part of this mission is accelerating the deployment of the UK’s offshore wind capacity. The launch of the fund will unblock 19 GW in the immediate term, showcasing the support it can provide for future projects. Britain’s seas play host to extraordinary, diverse and precious ecosystems. We will accelerate offshore wind while protecting our marine environment, delivering on our domestic and international commitments to do so.

The MRF is a voluntary fund into which offshore wind developers can pay to deliver environmental compensation for their project’s unavoidable impacts on our marine protected areas. Clean energy is essential but so is ensuring nature’s recovery—both are needed to conserve our environment for future generations. Any unavoidable impacts from offshore wind on our MPAs must be compensated for appropriately.

The MRF is established by the Secretary of State under section 292 of the Energy Act 2023, and in accordance with the Marine Recovery Funds Regulations 2025 (SI 2025, No. 1230). The MRF operator will use the funds from developers to deliver strategic compensatory measures that can be delivered across multiple offshore wind projects and/or at scale. This represents an important shift from the current system, in which compensatory measures are assessed on a project-by-project basis.

Identifying suitable measures in the marine environment can be challenging due to limited evidence and the dynamic nature of marine ecosystems. Our intention is that the MRF will enable greater benefits for nature. Pooling contributions from developers and delivering compensation strategically and at greater scale has the potential to achieve significantly better outcomes for seabirds, marine wildlife and habitats. The fund will support the extension and designation of new MPAs to protect our seabed and could address factors impacting our wildlife, such as controlling rats to support seabirds and creating offshore artificial nests for kittiwakes. This co-ordinated approach will, therefore, help accelerate the consenting process for offshore wind projects, while providing high quality, ecologically meaningful compensation for our protected areas.

The MRF will deliver value for money and wider fiscal benefits. For developers, it will increase certainty around securing compensation through pre-approved measures, expediting decision making and reducing lengthy case-by-case negotiations. It will also discharge their liability at the point of payment into the fund through a transparent price. The MRF will be cost neutral to Government. The fund’s effectiveness will be regularly assessed including through a non-statutory review by 2032.

The MRF will operate in England and Wales. The Scottish Government will be managing their own fund to reflect their specific priorities and circumstances. We are committed to working together to help us achieve our shared goals. This collaborative approach will maintain alignment where appropriate, while respecting the distinct responsibilities and decision-making powers of each Government.

This marks a key step forward in the Government’s ambition to make Britain a clean energy superpower, unblocking offshore wind projects in the consenting pipeline and supporting future projects in our journey to net zero.

[HCWS1191]

South and South-east Asia Storms

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Seema Malhotra)]

Today, I am updating the House on the UK Government’s response to the recent storms in south Asia and south-east Asia. These storms have caused devastating floods and landslides, killing thousands of people and displacing hundreds of thousands. They have destroyed homes, infrastructure and essential services affecting millions.

The UK has responded quickly to support those most affected. The UK has provided £3 million in bilateral support: £1 million each to the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and £800,000 to Vietnam. This funding is delivering lifesaving interventions and early recovery, including emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation and other essential relief items for around 160,000 people.

UK-backed global funds have also stepped in. The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund has provided £4.5 million to the Philippines, £1.95 million to Vietnam, and £3.4 million to Sri Lanka. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ emergency fund has provided approximately £930,000 each to Indonesia, Philippines and Sri Lanka, and £570,000 million to Vietnam, and Start Ready has provided £1 million to non-governmental organisations in the Philippines.

In the countries with the greatest need, British embassies and high commissions are in regular contact with the local authorities, the UN and humanitarian agencies to ensure that our assistance reaches the areas of greatest need as quickly as possible.

Alongside our humanitarian response, our consular teams are working tirelessly to support British nationals affected by the devastating storms. Travel advice for British nationals is updated regularly to reflect the evolving situation.

We remain committed to working closely with the Governments in the region, as well as international partners, to ensure that our assistance reaches the people most in need and supports recovery efforts effectively.

[HCWS1197]

Foetal Anomaly Screening

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)]

I would like to inform the House that I have accepted the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to add the quadruple screening test to the foetal anomaly screening programme pathway for Edwards’ syndrome.

Edwards’ syndrome, also called trisomy 18, is caused by an additional—third—copy of chromosome 18 in some or all cells and affects one in 1,500 pregnancies. This is a genetic life-limiting condition and results in physical and severe learning disabilities. Sadly, most babies with this condition will die during their first year of life; only 13% survive past their first birthday.

Under the current screening pathway, eligible women are offered a screening test called the combined test, which combines the results of a blood test and ultrasound scan taken in the first trimester, plus maternal age, to determine the chance of a baby having Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome or Patau’s syndrome. Sometimes it is not possible to complete the combined test—for example, if a woman is more than 14 weeks’ pregnant, or the baby is lying in an awkward position during the ultrasound.

The quadruple test, which is a maternal blood test offered in the second trimester, already provides pregnant women an additional point in the pathway to screen for Down’s syndrome. Accepting the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation means that pregnant women who have not completed the first trimester combined test can be offered the quadruple test to screen for Edwards’ syndrome.

Where an increased chance for Edwards’ syndrome is identified, pregnant women are offered a referral pathway, information and options, therefore supporting informed choice.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the UK National Screening Committee for continuing to provide invaluable expert advice on screening programmes, and pay tribute to all those who work to deliver high-quality screening across the country.

[HCWS1199]

Victims of Abuse: NHS Specialist Support

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

It is a shameful truth that some of the most alarming health inequalities are those faced by victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. They can find it harder to get help from NHS services and have a higher risk of poor health. This cannot continue. As this Government launch our violence against women and girls strategy, the health commitments within it set out how the NHS will play its part in keeping the most vulnerable in our society alive, safe and well.

The Prime Minister and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Yardley (Jess Phillips), are leading a robust cross-Government approach to tackle the scourge of child sexual abuse and exploitation, which are among the most devastating crimes that any child can endure. They sit at the crossroads of violence against women and girls, safeguarding and public health, and the consequences are profound. The trauma inflicted can echo throughout a child’s life, affecting their mental health, relationships, and overall wellbeing. Protecting children from these abhorrent crimes, and supporting those who have suffered them, is not only a moral duty but a collective responsibility that rests with all of us.

Child house model

In April, as part of our response to recommendation 16 of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, we set out ambitious proposals to strengthen therapeutic support for victims. Today, I am pleased to announce a further step in delivering on that promise. The Government will provide up to £50 million in new funding to expand the child house model—the Barnahus model—to every NHS region in England. This internationally recognised model, which is rightly viewed as the gold standard for supporting children who have experienced sexual abuse, will ensure that, wherever a child lives, they can access the specialist, trauma-informed care they need to begin recovering and rebuilding their life.

The child house model puts children, regardless of gender, at the heart of the support they receive, bringing mental health professionals, social workers, police, justice services and specialist advocates together under one roof. Instead of being passed from service to service, children receive holistic, compassionate support in a safe, welcoming environment reducing trauma and strengthening justice processes to hold perpetrators to account.

By creating a single place where services come to the child, the model prevents repeated retelling of experiences and offers wraparound support for families. Non-abusing parents and carers also receive counselling, practical help and guidance, enabling them to be strong, supportive pillars in their child’s recovery. Currently, England has just one child house in north London. By expanding the model across every NHS region, we are addressing this inequality head-on and treating child sexual abuse as the healthcare priority it is.

This investment sits alongside our wider work to transform children’s mental health services. We are committed to reducing waiting times for CAMHS—child and adolescent mental health services—support, accelerating the roll-out of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, and investing an additional £13 million to pilot enhanced training so that school-based teams can better support young people with complex needs, including trauma.

Steps to safety

As health services are often the first place people turn to for help, it is vital that survivors are able to access the specialist support they need when it matters most. We are also training NHS staff to spot the telltale signs of abuse—and, to help victims and survivors take the first steps to safety, we will roll out a new referral service across GP practices nationwide.

From April 2026, we will begin a phased roll-out of this initiative to make sure that support services are established in every region before expansion. Regions will offer: training to all staff in the GP practice so that they can identify and respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence; a specialist support worker linked to a group of general practices to support GP practice staff and support and advocacy for victims; clear links with local specialist services to refer people into. This builds on innovative approaches already operating in England, and we will aim to ensure that dedicated referral services exist in every area of England by 2029. This phased roll-out will end the current postcode lottery where support depends on location.

In addition, we will be launching a new mandatory safeguarding learning programme for the entire NHS workforce in 2026. It will cover all aspects of domestic abuse and improve support for victims across the health system. This will help me ensure that, whenever and wherever a victim or survivor contacts the NHS, it is there for them and treats them with compassion, care and dignity.

I am also delighted that my hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) is bringing her considerable expertise to bear as an adviser to my Department on treating violence against women and girls, so that we deliver on this plan and seize opportunities to go further, faster.

We are clear: the full power of the state will be deployed in the largest crackdown on violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history. These actions mark a decisive turning point: recognising child sexual abuse as a critical healthcare priority and ensuring victims and survivors of violence and abuse receive the best support to rebuild their lives.

[HCWS1203]

Grenfell Tower: Progress on Recommendations

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Samantha Dixon)]

The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 was a national tragedy that highlighted profound failures across systems, safeguards and oversight, and led to the avoidable deaths of 72 innocent people.

Eight years on, the bereaved, survivors and immediate community continue to campaign for justice, truth and accountability. We are committed to delivering the substantial reforms needed to make sure that such a tragedy never happens again.

In February, the Government accepted all the inquiry’s findings and are taking action on all 58 phase 2 recommendations to build a more robust and trusted regulatory system and to deliver safe, quality homes for everyone.

Today my Department has published our third progress report. Alongside this update, we have published: a prospectus and consultation on creating a single construction regulator; the fire engineers authoritative statement and next steps document; and results of the Building Safety Regulator’s initial review of the definition of higher-risk buildings and plans for an ongoing review.

These are significant steps to deliver the reforms we committed to in the Government response to the Grenfell inquiry to tackle fragmentation and complexity in the regulatory system and to ensure those responsible for building and fire safety are competent.

Grenfell Tower inquiry Government progress report

This progress clearly demonstrates the Government’s determination to act decisively to deliver meaningful reform of the built environment. Since the progress report in September, we have completed a further five recommendations related to the construction industry, fire and rescue services, and protecting vulnerable people.

Single construction regulator prospectus: consultation document

The first recommendation from the inquiry’s phase 2 report was for Government to introduce a single construction regulator to tackle complexity and fragmentation in how the industry is regulated. In our response to the inquiry, we committed to consulting on our next steps this year. Today we have published the single construction regulator prospectus consultation document. This is a significant milestone in delivering this recommendation.

The prospectus lays out the Government’s vision for a better regulatory system. We will tackle fragmentation by integrating the regulation of buildings, construction products and professionals so that they work as an effective system. At the heart of the system will be a single construction regulator, who will consolidate the delivery of regulatory functions. The prospectus also sets out next steps for this Government’s wider programme of regulatory reform, including reforms to the construction products regime, which is to be set out in a White Paper by spring 2026, and a new overarching strategy for the built environment professions that goes beyond the areas highlighted by the inquiry, which is to be published in spring 2027. The purpose of this reform is a more effective regulatory system, which means better outcomes for residents and building users, clarity and certainty for industry and investors, and a fairer system that benefits those who prioritise safety and quality and sets clear accountabilities for all actors with a stake in the built environment.

Progress towards the single construction regulator has begun through significant reforms to the Building Safety Regulator. In June, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership and steps to address operational challenges. Work is now underway to establish the BSR as a new arm’s length body sponsored by MHCLG. The new body and dedicated leadership will provide a singular focus for this complex area of regulation, clearer lines of accountability to Ministers and Parliament, and greater operational flexibility, while retaining its regulatory independence. Further reform, including integrating additional responsibilities, will be managed through a carefully phased approach to ensure the current regulatory regime is not destabilised and to set the future regulator up for success.

The prospectus and consultation can be found here www.gov.uk/government/consultations/single-construction-regulator-prospectus The consultation will run until 20 March 2026, inviting views on the proposals. We encourage as many responses as possible, to shape the future direction of the regulator and wider building system and to make sure these reforms lead to real change for residents and building users.

Fire engineers authoritative statement and next steps document

The fire engineers advisory panel, established in April, brings together leading experts to strengthen the Government response to the inquiry’s recommendations concerning fire engineers. In September, we committed to publishing an authoritative statement—recommendation 17—on the knowledge and skills to be expected of a competent fire engineer.

Today we have published the fire engineers authoritative statement, alongside a next steps document. This paper will set out MHCLG’s approach to recommendations 15,16 and 18. Together, these publications provide clarity for the sector and signal the start of wider reforms to make sure the fire engineering profession is fit for the future.

Higher-risk buildings review publication

Today we have published the results of the Buildings Safety Regulator’s initial review of the definition of higher-risk buildings as well as the regulator’s plans for an ongoing review.

The initial review found that the current definition appropriately reflects the available evidence on risks to individuals from the spread of fire and structural failure. Although no changes are to be made to regime scope at the present time, the ongoing review will ensure the data and evidence is regularly assessed to determine whether the categories of building subject to the higher-risk regime should be amended in any way. The presence of vulnerable individuals within designated building types will remain central to any assessment of risk.

Approved document B consultation

We will shortly launch a public consultation on proposed updates to approved document B, the statutory fire safety guidance within the building regulations. The consultation will seek views on targeted clarifications and technical changes, including new provisions for evacuation lifts in residential buildings above 18 metres, alongside measures to improve clarity and strengthen confidence in the guidance. These updates will be an important step in supporting inclusive design, safe evacuation strategies, and maintaining robust fire safety standards across the built environment.

[HCWS1195]

Local Government Finance: Provisional Settlement

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Local Government and Homelessness (Alison McGovern)]

Today, the Government have published the first multi-year local government finance settlement in a decade, through which we will deliver the long overdue fair funding review 2.0 reforms. In partnership with local government, we are keeping our promises and building a fairer, more sustainable system for everyone.

A decade and a half of austerity has impacted every community across the country, but people living in the most deprived areas were worst affected. The link between funding and deprivation has been broken, and services were slashed in the poorest places in England, creating a downward spiral of poverty and poor life chances. We will fix it—giving councils the funding to reinvest in those neighbourhood services that saw the biggest cuts in the last 14 years, such as libraries, street cleaning and youth clubs. We will introduce an evidence-led system of determining need that properly recognises local circumstances and the costs of delivering services in deprived communities. We will compensate councils that are unable to generate as much funding through council tax, so no one is punished for living in an area with a weaker tax base.

A year ago, we outlined our intent to fix the foundations of local government. Since then, we agreed our approach to transformational funding reform, consulted three times and published a policy statement in November. We are acting on reforming the services putting the most pressure on local government, including through launching a landmark cross-Government strategy to prevent homelessness before it occurs and investing over £2.4 billion to the families first partnership programme to reform children’s social care. We have committed to reforming special educational needs provision to deliver a sustainable system that supports children and families. We are pressing forward on our commitment to 1.5 million homes, including through supporting local authorities to build. We are devolving power to the right level—empowering mayors to drive economic growth through the visitor levy on short-term stays and to use funding flexibly to deliver local priorities through the integrated settlement, and providing £6 billion over the next 30 years for the devolution priority programme. We have also committed to the once-in-a-generation reform to simplify local government by ending the wasteful two-tier system.

We said that we would deliver on our promises, and we are. We invite all stakeholders to respond to the consultation on the provisional settlement.

Provisional local government finance settlement 2026-27

We recognise the challenges local authorities are facing from higher demand and costs for critical services, and are investing in local government to build a better future. The spending review in June 2025 announced over £5 billion of new grant funding for local services over the multi-year settlement period, including £3.4 billion of new grant funding delivered through this settlement.

The provisional 2026-27 settlement makes available over £77.7 billion in core spending power for local authorities in England, a 5.7% increase compared to 2025-26. This increases to over £84.6 billion by 2028-29, by the end of the multi-year period—a 15.1% increase compared to 2025-26. This means that in total, under this Labour Government, we will make available a 23.6% cash-terms increase in core spending power in 2028-29 compared to 2024-25.

The multi-year settlement will provide more certainty for councils, enabling them to better plan local provision with stability into future years. We know councils are concerned about what happens at the next spending review and we will continue to work closely with them to avoid cliff edges in funding.

The fair funding review 2.0

This Government believe in treating every area fairly. The previous Government’s irrational funding system benefited some authorities disproportionately. We will act where they did not, taking the tough decisions to create a fairer, evidence-led system.

As set out at the policy statement present at www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-finance-policy-statement-2026-27-to-2028-29/local-government-finance-policy-statement-2026-27-to-2028-29 we are giving councils more certainty with the first multi-year settlement in a decade, and putting local authorities on an equal footing to better enable them to reinvest in neighbourhood services. We set out that we would undo the damage of austerity by maintaining the £600 million recovery grant allocations from 2025-26, targeted towards those most impacted by the cuts, and confirmed we are introducing a recovery grant guarantee, providing an above real-terms increase to social care authorities who received the grant last year—subject to a £35 million cap.

We are providing more financial protection for councils and consistent services for local people by supporting local authorities through the change with funding floors, and phasing in new allocations across the multi-year settlement. We also committed to improving efficiency and value for taxpayers by simplifying 36 funding streams worth over £56 billion over the multi-year settlement, and by resetting the business rates retention system to restore the balance between aligning funding with need and rewarding local growth.

Our reforms mean that the top 10% most deprived authorities will see an average increase in core spending power per head of 24% from 2024-25 to 2028-29, compared with an increase of 6% for the 10% least deprived authorities. No more will deprived places be punished for their poverty. This Government will act as an equaliser to protect local services.

Social care

We recognise the strain on vital services that people rely on. That is why we are driving long-term reform to make our public services efficient, more sustainable and focused on prevention.

This Government are building a national care service based on a higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and better join-up between services, backed by around £4.6 billion of additional funding made available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26. This includes £500 million for the first ever fair pay agreement—the most significant investment in improving pay and conditions for adult social care staff to date.

We have already begun the full-scale transformation of children’s social care through the families first partnership programme, funded with £2.4 billion over the next three years. This investment will help councils move from firefighting crises to preventing them, delivering the right help at the right time.

We know local authorities are being pushed to the brink while some private children’s social care providers continue to make excessive profits. This cannot continue. The Government’s ambition is to reduce reliance on residential care, reshape the market for care placements, and move towards a system rooted in family environments through fostering. This is better for children and better for councils.

We are taking action through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Using these powers, the Housing Secretary and the Education Secretary will explore how we might implement a profit cap in the children’s social care placement market. This would be a crucial step in ensuring that public money delivers value and care, not profiteering. We will set out further information on our approach in 2026.

Special educational needs and disabilities

We recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from dedicated schools grant deficits on their accounts. In June this year, we announced a two-year extension to the DSG statutory override to support local authorities to manage these impacts. The Government have also confirmed that they will bring forward a full schools White Paper early in the new year. This will set out substantial plans for reform of special educational needs provision to deliver a sustainable system, which first and foremost supports children and families effectively, and which is also financially sustainable.

We recognise that the size of deficits that some councils may accrue while the statutory override is in place may not be manageable with local resources alone, and will bring forward arrangements to assist with them as part of broader SEND reform plans. Although we do not expect local authorities to plan on the basis of having to meet deficits in full, any future support will not be unlimited. Councils must continue to work to keep deficits as low as possible. We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historical and accruing deficits, and on conditions for accessing such support, later in the settlement process.

Homelessness & temporary accommodation

We inherited a homelessness crisis. We recognise the pressure that temporary accommodation costs are putting on councils’ budgets. Last week we published a national plan to end homelessness: our cross-Government homelessness and rough sleeping strategy, which sets out the action we are taking to get back on track to ending homelessness. This includes tackling the root cause of homelessness, as well as supporting a shift to prevention and taking immediate action to support households in temporary accommodation and experiencing long-term rough sleeping. The strategy includes action to help councils invest in good-quality and lower-cost temporary accommodation, reducing the use of expensive B&Bs and nightly paid accommodation.

As announced on Monday, funding for the domestic abuse support in safe accommodation duty will see a £19 million uplift to £499 million over the multi-year settlement. This funding is part of the Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, with improved support for victims.

Council tax & exceptional financial support

Fairness for taxpayers is at the heart of this Government’s decision making. Over the multi-year settlement, the Government intend to maintain a core 3% council tax referendum principle, and a 2% adult social care precept, as they were in 2025-26 for the vast majority of local authorities.

Decisions on council tax levels are a matter for local authorities.

The Government are committed to ensuring the local government funding system is fair for taxpayers across the country. In some areas, council tax levels are radically lower than in others. A small number of places with many expensive properties can set far lower council tax and raise as much or more. The reality of this is that the council tax bill for a house worth £10 million in Westminster can be less than an ordinary family home in places like Blackpool and Darlington.



To increase fairness for taxpayers, provide better value for money, and enable areas to rebalance disparities in their council tax levels should they wish to, the Government propose not setting referendum principles for six authorities in 2027-28 and 2028-29: City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Westminster, and Windsor and Maidenhead. These councils are all upper tier, will receive 95% income protection and have the lowest council tax levels of any upper tier authorities in the country—this year band D taxpayers paid between £450 to £1,280 less than the average in England. By choosing not to subsidise very low bills for the 500,000 households in these places, we will provide £250 million more funding for public services in places with higher need.

Decisions on council tax levels are a matter for local authorities. The flexibility will give greater choice to these authorities in deciding how to manage their financial position in the most appropriate way for them, including deciding whether to draw on the relatively high reserve levels, income from the second homes premium and reduced pension contributions from which a number of them benefit.

Alongside the new high value council tax surcharge, expected to be implemented from 2028, these changes will make the tax paid on homes fairer and more progressive.

The Government are under no illusions about the pressures councils are facing. Following precedent set by the previous Government, we will continue to have a support framework in place next year to help authorities in the most difficult positions, including considering requests for additional council tax flexibility. In recognition of cost-of-living pressures, the Government will not agree to requests for additional flexibility to increase bills from authorities where council taxpayers are already paying more than average. Any support or flexibility provided should be a time-limited and temporary measure and we will continue to expect local authorities to be doing all they can to manage their finances and protect vulnerable taxpayers. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government continues to offer any council a discussion, in confidence, about its ability to manage its budget.

We expect any authority that decides to make additional increases to their council tax to ensure that appropriate support is put in place for vulnerable households.

Mayors

This Government are committed to giving locally-elected strategic leaders the powers and funding they need to deliver jobs, new homes and new transport. For the first time, every mayoral strategic authority will receive funding through the local government finance settlement to create greater alignment of the funding at a local level, avoiding needless duplication and waste. We will continue to work on integrating funding for mayoral strategic authorities further into the settlement where relevant, including through the consideration of options to allocate mayoral strategic authorities a direct share of business rates from across their region as set out at the autumn Budget.

We have also taken steps into a new era of fiscal devolution in England, giving mayors the power to raise and invest money into projects that improve their local areas, raising living standards and driving growth through a new visitor levy power for mayors of strategic authorities.

Outcomes framework

We will introduce the new outcomes framework for local government in the new year, operational from spring 2026, It will enable outcomes-based performance measurement against key national priorities, delivered at the local level and driven by councils as local leaders of place.

Conclusion

The consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement 2025-26 will be open for four weeks, closing on 14 January. We welcome views from the local government sector and beyond through this consultation.

This written ministerial statement covers England only.

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Third-party Litigation Funding

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Courts and Legal Services (Sarah Sackman)]

I would like to inform the House that the Government intend to take action to mitigate the impact of the 2023 Supreme Court judgment in PACCAR and implement proportionate regulation of third-party litigation funding agreements.

Third-party litigation funding plays a vital role in ensuring access to justice. It enables people to bring complex claims against better-resourced organisations that they could not otherwise afford. Sir Alan Bates, for instance, has spoken openly about how without such funding he could not have brought his claim against the Post Office. The Supreme Court judgment in PACCAR introduced significant uncertainty about whether LFAs remain valid and about the regulatory regime that applies to them. This uncertainty could be preventing significant numbers of claimants from accessing justice.

LFAs are also used in high-value commercial cases where there is a power imbalance between parties or where parties do not wish to use limited capital resources on legal proceedings. Therefore, this uncertainty also risks undermining the competitiveness of England and Wales as a global hub for commercial litigation and arbitration, both of which bring significant benefit to the UK economy.

However, concerns have been raised about whether LFAs are always fair and transparent for the claimants using them. This has led to calls for greater regulation of the litigation funding market, which currently operates under a system of voluntary self-regulation. This is why, while it is crucial to act swiftly regarding PACCAR, I have taken the opportunity to consider litigation funding in the round.

I would like to thank the Civil Justice Council for its comprehensive and wide-ranging review of litigation funding, published earlier this year. Since its publication, my officials and I have carefully considered its recommendations.

I am pleased to announce the Government’s intention to accept the CJC’s two primary recommendations. First, we will legislate to clarify that LFAs are not damages-based agreements, with prospective effect. This will mitigate the effect of the PACCAR judgment and improve access to justice by reassuring funders that LFAs can be used to fund cases. Secondly, we will introduce proportionate regulation of LFAs. This will improve transparency and fairness for claimants. We will introduce legislation when parliamentary time allows.

It is our priority that legislation removes the uncertainty introduced by the PACCAR judgment and ensures that the litigation funding sector works fairly and efficiently for all. Once we have implemented these two changes, we will consider the CJC’s wider litigation funding recommendations in detail and announce any further changes in due course.

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Paul Thompson: Supreme Court Judgment

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)]

I would like to make a statement to the House regarding the Supreme Court judgment today in the Thompson case.

The Government welcome the unanimous judgment handed down by the Supreme Court. This is a highly complex case with wide-ranging implications.

The Government will therefore take time to fully consider all aspects of this judgment, including those relevant to the request made by Operation Kenova for the Government to name Stakeknife.

I will return to the House on this as soon as the Government have come to a final view.

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Machinery of Government

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Prime Minister (Keir Starmer)]

I am making this statement to bring to the House’s attention the following machinery of Government change.

I am today announcing that overarching policy and response responsibilities for severe space weather will move from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be responsible for co-ordinating across Government to ensure that appropriate capabilities are in place, so that impacts from severe space weather are minimised. This will bring about efficiencies by centralising the management of space risks, including their assessment, response, recovery, and mitigation in a single Department.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will retain its responsibilities for mitigating the impacts of severe space weather events on the energy sector. The responsibilities of the Met Office and UK Space Agency, the latter of which will join the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by April 2026, will be unaffected by this change.

This change will be effective immediately.

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