Helen Hayes

As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to next year. Additional funding will be considered in Phase 2 of the Spending Review, as the Warm Homes Plan is further developed.

In addition, the Government is exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements and low carbon heating. This includes the Green Home Finance Accelerator Programme which has made £20 million available to support in developing green finance products.

Community energy will play an essential role in meeting our mission for clean power by 2030.

Great British Energy will provide support to deliver the Local Power Plan, putting communities at the heart of restructuring our energy economy. Through partnering with and providing funding and support to Community Energy Groups, the Local Power Plan will roll out small and medium‑scale renewable energy projects, using established technologies to develop up to 8GW of cheaper, cleaner power. This will include shared ownership projects in partnership with private developers.

Some suppliers already offer local tariffs, and other products and services are available that provide community benefits. Small-scale generation sites can benefit from an exemption, which means that they do not require a licence from Ofgem to generate electricity or to supply to local customers. Ofgem has further flexibility to award supply licences to generation sites that are above the exemptions threshold when they are restricted to specified local area.

Through the student loan system, the highest levels of maintenance support are paid to students from the lowest income families, while those from more affluent families receive a smaller contribution towards their living costs. In addition to support for living costs from Student Finance England, students may be eligible for additional financial assistance from their university.

The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2021/22 reported on the average living costs for full-time and part-time English undergraduate students and across different demographic groups for the 2021/22 academic year. The survey, including all income and expenditure tables, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2021-to-2022.

In 2023, the department provided defibrillators to state-funded schools in England, where existing provision was not in place.

The department recognises that individuals may need support following a resuscitation attempt. Our defibrillator guidance advises that should a rescuer require support after an incident, they may be able to request a debriefing from their local ambulance service, or they can seek support from their GP. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.

The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. We encourage a whole-school approach to healthy eating and would not expect fast food brands to be opening within sixth forms or colleges.

All sixth forms which are part of a secondary school must follow the school food standards. The standards apply even if the sixth form section of the school is located in a separate building or on a separate site. Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty, and we would expect food provided in the sixth form sections to follow the standards.

Further education colleges in England are autonomous institutions, but local planning policies and college governance often restrict or discourage fast food outlets, especially if they conflict with health promotion efforts. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning authorities should refuse applications for hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate, unless the location is within a designated town centre.

It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and that schools comply with the school food standards.

School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the school food standards and should work with the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.

In November 2024, the department and National Governance Association launched an online training course on school food for governors and trustees. This training is designed to improve understanding of the school food standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account on their whole-school approach to food.

We continue to work with the Food Standards Agency following the findings of the compliance pilot run by the department and the Food Standards Agency during the 2022/23 academic year.

Additionally, to ensure the quality and nutritional value of meals, we are working with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. As we revise the School Food Standards, we will consider approaches to compliance to ensure children get the healthy, nutritious meals they need.

To roll out Young Futures Hubs, we will first establish eight early adopter hubs supported by £2 million in this financial year. These, and work with local areas, will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of Young Futures Hubs. We will announce these eight areas later in the year.

The government is committed to rolling out a network of Young Futures Hubs. These will bring together services to help improve children and young people’s access to support to reduce crime and improve mental health and careers opportunities.

The design and implementation of hubs is a cross-government endeavour. Expertise has been brought together from across departments, particularly the Department for Education, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Ministry of Justice and Department for Work and Pensions, to deliver on this manifesto commitment.

The government will be engaging with national and local partners, local communities and children and young people to explore options for the design and delivery of the hubs, ahead of the first hubs becoming operational this year.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is currently considering the findings of the independent review and market impact assessment of Oak National Academy. Both the findings of the review and the market impact assessment will be published in due course.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is currently considering the findings of the independent review and market impact assessment of Oak National Academy. Both the findings of the review and the market impact assessment will be published in due course.

Defibrillators are designed so they can be used by anyone with no prior training. Users are prompted to follow the step-by-step instructions on the defibrillators at the time of use.

As part of the department’s roll out, we provided awareness videos to schools showing how simple defibrillators can be to use, and asked schools to share these videos in staff meetings and assemblies. By providing defibrillators and raising awareness, this programme will help to produce a generation of young people who feel able and confident to use this life saving equipment.

The department recognises that using a defibrillator could be a distressing experience. Individuals are advised to contact their GP, who will be best placed to assess their needs after an incident and provide access to the appropriate support.

All children in households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This unprecedented step will put £500 back into families’ pockets in respect of each child each year and lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle the scar of child poverty across our country.

Giving children access to a nutritious lunchtime meal every school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life. That is why this government is taking action to make it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for FSM with our new Eligibility Checking System. This will allow parents to check their own eligibility and helps the local efforts we have seen to ensure children receive this support. Improvements we are making to the process for reviewing eligibility for meals will make it simpler than it has ever been to receive this entitlement.

Departmental officials are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on further data sharing that can get more families signed up for their entitlements.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to explore options on supporting enrolment through the Universal Credit claims process. The department will engage with local authorities to monitor and assess the impact that these changes are having on the uptake of FSM.

We will closely monitor the impact of the rollout on take-up and are carefully considering measures for improving enrolment in light of the recent announcement.

All children in households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This unprecedented step will put £500 back into families’ pockets in respect of each child each year and lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle the scar of child poverty across our country.

Giving children access to a nutritious lunchtime meal every school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life. That is why this government is taking action to make it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for FSM with our new Eligibility Checking System. This will allow parents to check their own eligibility and helps the local efforts we have seen to ensure children receive this support. Improvements we are making to the process for reviewing eligibility for meals will make it simpler than it has ever been to receive this entitlement.

Departmental officials are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on further data sharing that can get more families signed up for their entitlements.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to explore options on supporting enrolment through the Universal Credit claims process. The department will engage with local authorities to monitor and assess the impact that these changes are having on the uptake of FSM.

We will closely monitor the impact of the rollout on take-up and are carefully considering measures for improving enrolment in light of the recent announcement.

All children in households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This unprecedented step will put £500 back into families’ pockets in respect of each child each year and lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle the scar of child poverty across our country.

Giving children access to a nutritious lunchtime meal every school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life. That is why this government is taking action to make it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for FSM with our new Eligibility Checking System. This will allow parents to check their own eligibility and helps the local efforts we have seen to ensure children receive this support. Improvements we are making to the process for reviewing eligibility for meals will make it simpler than it has ever been to receive this entitlement.

Departmental officials are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on further data sharing that can get more families signed up for their entitlements.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to explore options on supporting enrolment through the Universal Credit claims process. The department will engage with local authorities to monitor and assess the impact that these changes are having on the uptake of FSM.

We will closely monitor the impact of the rollout on take-up and are carefully considering measures for improving enrolment in light of the recent announcement.

All children in households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This unprecedented step will put £500 back into families’ pockets in respect of each child each year and lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle the scar of child poverty across our country.

Giving children access to a nutritious lunchtime meal every school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life. That is why this government is taking action to make it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for FSM with our new Eligibility Checking System. This will allow parents to check their own eligibility and helps the local efforts we have seen to ensure children receive this support. Improvements we are making to the process for reviewing eligibility for meals will make it simpler than it has ever been to receive this entitlement.

Departmental officials are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on further data sharing that can get more families signed up for their entitlements.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to explore options on supporting enrolment through the Universal Credit claims process. The department will engage with local authorities to monitor and assess the impact that these changes are having on the uptake of FSM.

We will closely monitor the impact of the rollout on take-up and are carefully considering measures for improving enrolment in light of the recent announcement.

The department’s defibrillator programme has provided over 20,000 devices to schools, the largest rollout of defibrillators across England to date.

The department is working with the British Heart Foundation to understand the impact the programme is having. Since the rollout, the number of school defibrillators registered on the British Heart Foundation’s national defibrillator database, The Circuit, has risen by 252%, with 66% of all schools in England now having registered at least one device. Our evaluation shows that defibrillators provided by the department have been available for use and deployed in over 12,000 emergency situations, where there has been a suspected cardiac arrest.

In January 2025, the British Heart Foundation published Barry’s story. Barry’s life was saved by a school defibrillator provided by the department. More information can be found at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/stories/barry-on-being-saved-by-local-school#:~:text=Barry%20had%20popped%20into%20his,road%2C%20his%20life%20was%20saved.

We continue to work with the British Heart Foundation to evaluate and understand the impact of the department’s programme and support schools in registering their defibrillators on The Circuit.

Officials and Ministers from seven government departments (Department for Education, Home Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Department for Health and Social Care) have been working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape Young Futures Hubs.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located. The government will set out more details on timelines and locations in due course.

Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Officials and Ministers from seven government departments (Department for Education, Home Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Department for Health and Social Care) have been working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape Young Futures Hubs.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located. The government will set out more details on timelines and locations in due course.

Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Officials and Ministers from seven government departments (Department for Education, Home Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Department for Health and Social Care) have been working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape Young Futures Hubs.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located. The government will set out more details on timelines and locations in due course.

Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Officials and Ministers from seven government departments (Department for Education, Home Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Department for Health and Social Care) have been working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape Young Futures Hubs.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located. The government will set out more details on timelines and locations in due course.

Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

The government recognises that lifelong learning is a core part of a sustainable higher education system which provides opportunities for all and offers learners greater flexibility in an ever-evolving economy. We are committed to supporting lifelong learning as part of our wider commitment to skills.

Since the general election, we have been working to ensure that our approach to lifelong learning is as effective as possible, enabling people to gain the skills they need to support their careers.

We are currently working through the outcomes of the multi-year Spending Review on policies and programmes across the department. We recognise the importance of communicating our Lifelong Learning Entitlement policy detail and plan to share this as soon as possible.

This government is taking a collaborative approach to the design of Young Futures Hubs, meeting regularly with a variety of relevant stakeholders including children and young people, charities, local authorities and experts.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located.

The government will set out more details on this in due course, including confirming funding allocation.

This government is taking a collaborative approach to the design of Young Futures Hubs, meeting regularly with a variety of relevant stakeholders including children and young people, charities, local authorities and experts.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located.

The government will set out more details on this in due course, including confirming funding allocation.

This government is taking a collaborative approach to the design of Young Futures Hubs, meeting regularly with a variety of relevant stakeholders including children and young people, charities, local authorities and experts.

To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. This will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located.

The government will set out more details on this in due course, including confirming funding allocation.

This government’s ambition is that all families with children and young people with disabilities receive the right support, regardless of socio-economic background. The Supporting Families with Disabled Children programme provides individual grants to around 60,000 low-income families raising a disabled or seriously ill child to support with the additional costs that families can face.

Where families experience challenges, the department signposts available support from the family’s local Information, Advice and Support Service. This is independent of the local authority and can provide impartial advice about local special educational needs and disabilities arrangements and support for children’s needs.

In addition, the department also signposts families to Contact, a national charity for families with disabled children, which provides information, advice and support, and brings families together to support each other.

The department made the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar software from the disabled students’ allowance (DSA) funding on the grounds that there are now free-to-access versions available with the required functionality to meet students’ disability-related support needs. It is therefore not an effective use of public money to continue to fund this type of software through the DSA. Full details of the policy change are available at: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/2070/ssin-spelling-and-grammar-software.pdf.

The department conducted an equality impact assessment prior to the decision, which is attached to this response.

The department made the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar software from the disabled students’ allowance (DSA) funding on the grounds that there are now free-to-access versions available with the required functionality to meet students’ disability-related support needs. It is therefore not an effective use of public money to continue to fund this type of software through the DSA. Full details of the policy change are available at: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/2070/ssin-spelling-and-grammar-software.pdf.

The department conducted an equality impact assessment prior to the decision, which is attached to this response.

The department recognises the challenge that many kinship carers face in continuing to work alongside the pressures of taking in and raising a child.

‘Kinship Carers in the Workplace: Guidance for Employers’ sets out best practice for supporting kinship carers at work, including how to adapt internal policies, signpost existing entitlements and create a culture of support to best meet the needs of kinship carers. The department encourages all organisations to review their guidance and explore what changes can be made.

The department employs more than 7,500 public sector workers and has recently joined a small number of private sector employers, including Card Factory, Tesco and John Lewis, in offering a pay and leave entitlement to all eligible staff who become kinship carers.

This government has also committed, in the Plan to Make Work Pay, to review the system of parental leave to ensure that it better supports working families.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place at Cabinet and its committees is not normally made public.

The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children.

In October 2024, we announced a £40 million package to trial a kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities. The pilot will provide a weekly financial allowance to kinship carers to support them with the additional costs incurred when taking on the parental responsibility of a child.

The kinship allowance pilot will begin in autumn 2025, with assessment of immediate impact and options for national rollout informed by an independent evaluation. The department will confirm the eligible cohort for the pilot, as well as the participating local authorities, in due course.

The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children.

In October 2024, we announced a £40 million package to trial a kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities. The pilot will provide a weekly financial allowance to kinship carers to support them with the additional costs incurred when taking on the parental responsibility of a child.

The kinship allowance pilot will begin in autumn 2025, with assessment of immediate impact and options for national rollout informed by an independent evaluation. The department will confirm the eligible cohort for the pilot, as well as the participating local authorities, in due course.

The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children.

In October 2024, we announced a £40 million package to trial a kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities. The pilot will provide a weekly financial allowance to kinship carers to support them with the additional costs incurred when taking on the parental responsibility of a child.

The kinship allowance pilot will begin in autumn 2025, with assessment of immediate impact and options for national rollout informed by an independent evaluation. The department will confirm the eligible cohort for the pilot, as well as the participating local authorities, in due course.