Written Statements
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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UK-India Double Contributions Convention
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Dan Tomlinson)
Following the joint commitment made by the Governments of the UK and India in a side letter agreement to the comprehensive economic and trade agreement dated 24 July 2025, a double contributions convention between the UK and India was signed on 10 February 2026.
The text of the convention—as a Command Paper—and the relating explanatory memorandum have been laid before Parliament for scrutiny. Both will be available on gov.uk. The convention will enter into force at the same time as the UK-India trade agreement.
[HCWS1327]
Education Estates Strategy
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)
Today, we are setting out our plans for an education estate in England that supports opportunity for all. The education estate is a platform for opportunity, learning and communities. With over 22,000 schools and colleges across England, the estate supports the outcomes, health and wellbeing of over 10 million children and young people.
High-quality and inspiring school and college buildings are essential to delivering world-class education and creating the conditions for all children and young people to achieve and thrive. The public saw clearly when all this goes wrong during the disruption caused by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and we see it every day when schools are not designed to be inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Historical under-investment and a lack of long-term funding certainty and strategic planning have contributed to a rising maintenance backlog. Schools and colleges have had to patch and mend buildings that have already deteriorated and are not resilient enough to climate change. The estate needs to be suitably sized at both a local and national level and be flexible to meet changing needs from children, young people and their community.
Children with SEND have a right to attend and be included at their local school but schools have not been designed to be inclusive environments. That ends now as we lay the groundwork for an inclusive education system where children are supported at the earliest stage and can thrive in a school that meets their needs, close to home. We want schools to be inclusive by design to support children and young people with SEND.
We are investing over £3.7 billion through to 2029-30 to deliver specialist places for children and young people with SEND, including through the expansion of inclusion bases within the mainstream system so they can learn among their peers. Many schools already provide exceptional support for children who need it, through SEN units, resourced provision and pupil support units. But we know that the variety of provision, and the inconsistent terminology is difficult for parents to understand and navigate. We will replace the current terms with the term inclusion bases and publish national guidance on best practice. This will make it easier for parents to understand what support is available for their child and to recognise what good looks like. And today, we are setting out our ambition that, over time, every secondary school in England will have an inclusion base, alongside thousands of places in primary schools.
Many schools already have this type of provision in place, and so in lots of cases this will be a continuation of the support children and young people with SEND already receive. Where new places are needed, including by repurposing existing space, this can be supported by our capital investment. We will also publish new dedicated guidance on high-impact adaptations in mainstream settings to enhance inclusivity and accessibility, supporting local authorities, responsible bodies, and education settings. More detail on how we will support more children and young people with SEND to achieve and thrive will be set out in the schools White Paper.
Today’s education estates strategy is supported by unprecedented long-term funding and investment in education capital of £38 billion to 2029-30—the highest since 2010. At the core of our strategy is a shift to more proactive management, long-term strategic maintenance and more renewal of the existing estate. This is alongside building and rebuilding where renewal is not possible, and ensuring there are high-quality places from early years to post 16.
In addition to investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034-35 in capital maintenance and renewal for schools and colleges, we will go further by launching a new renewal and retrofit programme for schools and colleges from April 2026. This is backed by over £700 million to 2029-30 and will tackle projects such as fixing roofs and broken heating systems so buildings can last for decades to come, be more resilient to climate change as well as protecting more schools from flooding. We will support schools and colleges to reduce energy costs by unlocking private finance investment in solar and energy efficiency measures and invest over £300 million to 2029-30 to expand Connect the Classroom so schools have access to fast, reliable broadband.
We are investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme through to 2034-35 to rebuild schools and sixth-form colleges across England. Over 500 schools are already in the programme, and we will select a further 250 schools by early 2027. Buildings will be future-proofed for climate change with new designs that improve outdoor facilities, increase access to nature and improve indoor air quality. Through our new construction framework and design specifications, we are supporting local workforces and creating around 13,000 skills opportunities including apprenticeships and T-level placement opportunities. We will continue to deliver places where they are needed from early years to post 16, including thousands more school-based nursery places and creating extra capacity to support increases in 16 to 18-year-old learners.
We will support responsible bodies to proactively and effectively manage their estates. This includes setting out clear standards for estate management alongside guidance, tools and data to support them and a new digital service to make it easier to access estates guidance, programmes and funding.
Children, families and communities are at the heart of our education estates strategy. Through our 10-year plan, we will deliver a decade of national renewal for schools and colleges as we continue our journey for an education estate that is fit for now and the future.
[HCWS1324]
Early Support Hubs
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)
This year, the theme of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Week is “This is My Place”, drawing important attention to children and young people’s sense of belonging and the important role that communities and community organisations play in supporting their mental health and wellbeing. As a Government, we rightly celebrate the vital role of community organisations in providing support, compassion, connection, and hope to children and young people where and when they need it.
That is why I am pleased to announce that the Government are investing an additional £7 million so that the 24 early support hubs we are currently funding can continue to operate an expanded service offer for 2026-27. This means that in total we have provided more than £20 million since April 2024 to ensure that thousands more children and young people will continue to receive quicker mental health support, and to enable further continuity in the provision of these services. These hubs help to prevent mental ill health while also bringing care closer to home, both important objectives in our 10-year health plan.
Crucially, this continued investment means that thousands of children and young people will receive earlier, open-access mental health and wellbeing support, where any child can self-refer without an intermediary or prior formal contact. The hubs will continue to offer mental health support and advice to young people aged 11 to 25, and provide continued access to a range of services that are tailored to local need. This could include group work, counselling, psychological therapies, specialist advice, as well as signposting to information and other services. In addition to the mental health offer of hubs, young people may also be able to access advice on wider issues, including sexual health, jobs, drugs, alcohol, and financial worries.
Alongside continuing to support the services offered by these 24 hubs, the funding will ensure continued evaluation of the impact of these services, with early indications suggesting that young people value the holistic approach of the hubs. The evaluation has also highlighted the benefits of easily accessible support for young people, based on interviews with service managers. The evidence and insights collected through the early support hubs evaluation, which aims to publish in the summer, will support the delivery of young futures hubs, alongside best practice and learning from other initiatives. This learning will inform our ambitions for community mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, ensuring that they have access to what they need, as soon as they need it.
[HCWS1328]
Nursing Workforce
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)
Today I am announcing a comprehensive package to recognise the value of the nursing profession. Nurses are essential to leading and delivering the Government’s 10-year health plan, and critical for patient safety and outcomes, but the profession has been undervalued in the NHS for far too long.
Too many nurses are not being compensated appropriately for the work they do, and there is currently no universal preceptorship programme in place for new graduate nurses.
This Government are clear that a constructive relationship with unions is in everyone’s interests. Following engagement with all nursing unions, including UNISON, Unite, and GMB, and a dedicated period of intensive engagement with the Royal College of Nursing, they have agreed a series of measures that will transform the nursing profession and make sure that nurses get the pay and support they deserve.
Today I am committing to invest in the NHS nursing workforce in four ways:
Prioritising increasing graduate pay. It is important that graduate salaries are competitive within the wider labour market to attract graduates into the NHS. I am therefore asking the NHS staff council to prioritise graduate pay in the upcoming discussions on pay structure reform. This will impact all graduates under the Agenda for Change contract, including nurses.
Reviewing the work of every band 5 nurse. Every band 5 nursing role will be reviewed by employers over a set timeframe to ensure that job descriptions and pay bands reflect the work that nurses are being asked to do. Additional national funding will be made available to support the band 5 review process and any resulting salary uplifts. This will be separate and additional to the funding that will be made available for annual headline pay rises and for pay structure reform.
Establish a single national nursing preceptorship standard. I have asked the chief nursing officer for England to lead work as part of the upcoming professional strategy for nursing to improve the quality and consistency of preceptorships for all newly qualified nurses. This work will be delivered in partnership with trade unions, employers and other key stakeholders.
A review of the evidence. We will review the evidence that is gathered as part of the review of band 5 nursing roles to determine whether any further action is required.
We will continue to work together with unions to ensure this work is delivered at pace, and that nurses get consistent support in their early careers and are paid for the work they are asked to do.
[HCWS1329]
Police Covenant Annual Report
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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The Minister for Policing and Crime (Sarah Jones)
I am pleased to announce that the first annual report for the police covenant under this Government, has today been laid before Parliament. The report, the third since the creation of the police covenant, will also be available on gov.uk.
The police covenant demonstrates a recognition by Government, policing and society of the sacrifices involved in police work. The covenant sets out to ensure that members of the police workforce suffer no detriment as a result of their role.
As the covenant moves into a new phase under a new Government, we have reassessed the priorities for delivery to ensure the work is better focused on the needs of the workforce, and to reflect the evolving realities of policing. This means that, as the covenant progresses further, there will be a greater emphasis on supporting forces to enact consistent policies and systems, setting a minimum standard of provision, and a renewed focus on how the actions taken address specific identified disadvantages.
This annual report reflects this new focus, highlighting not only the progress made so far, but also how the work of the covenant can improve police health and wellbeing in future.
It is my ambition, and that of the Government as a whole, that the covenant should leave the police workforce in no doubt that we are on your side and will support you. You do so much to protect us, it is only right that we protect you.
This work has already begun.
The chief medical officer for policing has ensured greater cohesion between the work of the covenant and the work of the NHS. Police awareness training for GPs has been implemented, highlighting issues better than ever before. A new national health and wellbeing strategy has been created, ensuring that, for the first time, a coherent and comprehensive approach is adopted by forces. This work will deliver improvements in health and wellbeing provision across the board.
And there have been great strides forward in the monitoring and addressing of assaults against officers and staff, and in the handling of fatigue.
The national police wellbeing service, who have taken the lead on many workstreams, will continue to drive forward work to provide support to families and leavers, building on the success of their existing packages.
All of these things are to be welcomed. Yet, there is still much to do if we are to live up to the promise within the covenant, to ensure that the police and their families suffer no disadvantage because of their work in policing.
[HCWS1326]
Telecommunications, Radio Spectrum Management and Postal Services: Strategic Priorities
(3 days, 7 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Kanishka Narayan)
I am repeating the following written ministerial statement made today in the other place by my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Economy, Baroness Lloyd of EFFRA.
I am today laying before Parliament the Government’s draft statement of strategic priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services.
Digital connectivity is at the foundation of our economy and society and underpins almost every part of daily life. The strength, security, and resilience of our digital infrastructure matters deeply to people, business and the economy in the UK.
This statement builds a vision for the UK’s digital future that is enabled by high- quality, secure, reliable and affordable connectivity. It outlines the Government’s strategic priorities and desired outcomes across a number of areas, including: fixed and mobile telecoms, digital inclusion through empowered and confident consumers, telecoms modernisation, the management of radio spectrum, telecoms security and resilience and the postal services.
The statement follows a statutory consultation that ran between 21 July 2025 and 18 September 2025. Around 70 stakeholders with interest and expertise across the policy areas covered by the statement responded to the consultation, including telecoms companies, trade bodies, local authorities and consumer groups. I would like to thank all respondents for taking the time and effort to respond.
These strategic priorities have been designed to support this Government’s ambitions for growth and for agile, responsive regulation that encourages innovation to support these growth goals. They have also been designed to deliver our vision for an inclusive digital society, where consumers are empowered and confident when engaging with the market.
As the independent regulator, Ofcom must have regard to the priorities set out within the statement when exercising its functions. We are committed to working with Ofcom and industry to drive forward progress against these priorities to build a UK that will have the connectivity it needs, whatever the future holds.
I intend to designate the statement for the purposes of section 2A of the Communications Act 2003 after the end of the statutory “40-day period”—as defined in section 2C of the Act—unless either House of Parliament resolves not to approve it within that period.
[HCWS1325]