Jack Rankin

Paid advertising on X was suspended in April 2023 following a SAFE Framework assessment. X is currently used only for organic (non-paid) content to communicate policies and public services.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent a total of £481 since July 2024 on an X Premium Plus subscription.

The promotion of extremist views or terrorism in charities is unacceptable. The Charity Commission is alive to the risks of hostile state threats to the charity sector, and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited. The Charity Commission has consistently been clear that it will respond robustly where there proves to have been wrongdoing and I am confident that it has the ability to do so effectively.

The Government takes the safeguarding of all children seriously and is committed to protecting them from harm across all settings, including out-of-school settings such as Scouts clubs. The Charity Commission has published guidance that explains in which circumstances a report about serious wrongdoing should be made, which details should be provided, and what it will do after receiving a report.

DCMS is planning to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers to tackle extremist abuse of charities. We will consult on measures to automatically ban individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, and make it easier for the Charity Commission to take action against people promoting terrorism, violence or hatred

Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission to discuss a range of issues relating to the regulation of charities.

The promotion of extremist views or terrorism in charities is unacceptable. The Charity Commission is alive to the risks of hostile state threats to the charity sector, and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited. The Charity Commission has consistently been clear that it will respond robustly where there proves to have been wrongdoing and I am confident that it has the ability to do so effectively.

The Government takes the safeguarding of all children seriously and is committed to protecting them from harm across all settings, including out-of-school settings such as Scouts clubs. The Charity Commission has published guidance that explains in which circumstances a report about serious wrongdoing should be made, which details should be provided, and what it will do after receiving a report.

DCMS is planning to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers to tackle extremist abuse of charities. We will consult on measures to automatically ban individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, and make it easier for the Charity Commission to take action against people promoting terrorism, violence or hatred

Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission to discuss a range of issues relating to the regulation of charities.

The promotion of extremist views or terrorism in charities is unacceptable. The Charity Commission is alive to the risks of hostile state threats to the charity sector, and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited. The Charity Commission has consistently been clear that it will respond robustly where there proves to have been wrongdoing and I am confident that it has the ability to do so effectively.

The Government takes the safeguarding of all children seriously and is committed to protecting them from harm across all settings, including out-of-school settings such as Scouts clubs. The Charity Commission has published guidance that explains in which circumstances a report about serious wrongdoing should be made, which details should be provided, and what it will do after receiving a report.

DCMS is planning to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers to tackle extremist abuse of charities. We will consult on measures to automatically ban individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, and make it easier for the Charity Commission to take action against people promoting terrorism, violence or hatred

Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission to discuss a range of issues relating to the regulation of charities.

There has been ministerial engagement between my Department and His Majesty’s Treasury to ensure that they are aware of the specific way British horseracing is funded and the potential implications of any changes to taxation.

Future proposals on taxation are a matter for His Majesty’s Treasury. We would encourage interested parties and stakeholders to engage with ongoing consultations on the matter, which run until the 21st of July. Should legislative change be brought about following this consultation, we expect the impact of such changes to be outlined in tax and impact notes published alongside, as is standard practice.

The department is seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal elements of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 at the earliest opportunity, including in relation to the complaints scheme.

The department cannot comment on what might or might not be considered for future legislation, but we will act to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, and we are considering options.

During the period 1 July 2024 to 19 January 2026, the department and its executive agencies spent £27,118.12 on sector comms and awareness with X and its predecessor platform/brand Twitter.

xAI acquired X on 28 March 2025. £4,834.80 was spent before the acquisition by xAI. £22,283.32 was spent after the acquisition by xAI.

​​On 28 April, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force on 1 August 2025:

• ​Duties on higher education (HE) providers and their constituent institutions to take reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech within the law, put in place a code of practice on freedom of speech and academic freedom and promote freedom of speech.
• ​A ban on non-disclosure agreements for staff and students at HE providers in cases of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.
• ​Duties on the Office for Students (OfS) to promote freedom of speech and the power to identify good practice and advise HE providers on it.

The department is seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal other elements of the Act in due course, including in relation to the complaints scheme.​

In the meantime, as well as the new provider duties in place, the OfS Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom continues to work with the sector to offer advice and share best practice, so providers can protect free speech and academic freedom more effectively.​

The government is delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of their circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day.

The department has confirmed over £30 million of funding for free breakfast clubs for the current 2025/26 financial year and around £80 million for the 2026/27 financial year. Schools will be funded for the running of a breakfast club, including food, staffing and day-to-day delivery. Learning from the early adopters, we will provide further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding, and expectations for schools, later in the autumn term.

The department does not collect data on how much money schools spend per child on breakfast food.

The department is not able to identify which non-UK domiciled students who hold British nationality are paying international fees.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. These data are shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on students coming from overseas to study in UK higher education providers (HEPs), including their legal nationality. Information on the type of fees a student pays, however, is not collected across all UK HEPs.

Paid advertising on X was suspended in April 2023 following a SAFE Framework assessment. X is currently used only for organic (non-paid) content to communicate policies and public services.

One month of X Premium was purchased in August 2024 at a cost of £9.60. This was paid to use the livestreaming functionality available with X Premium at a departmental event.

The export of waste is subject to strict controls set out in UK legislation. Facilities receiving UK waste must be operated in accordance with human health and environmental protection standards that are broadly equivalent to those established in UK legislation.

Defra is committed to building a circular economy that enhances growth and capitalises on the UK’s potential in plastic processing, whilst realising our environmental objectives. The Government’s collection and packaging reforms will help to stimulate investment in the UK reprocessing infrastructure.

The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK.

Defra is working with HMT on Plastic Packaging Tax reform, to further incentivise producers to use recycled plastic, stimulating demand.

The Jubilee River is part of the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eaton Flood Alleviation Scheme which is operated and maintained by the Environment Agency. Footbridges along the Jubilee River are the responsibility of the respective local authorities including Buckinghamshire Council, Slough Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The Environment Agency works closely with these councils; however, questions relating to plans to repair and restore these footbridges should be directed to the respective local authority, not the Environment Agency.

The Jubilee River is part of the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eaton Flood Alleviation Scheme which is operated and maintained by the Environment Agency. The cost of maintaining and keeping the Jubilee River channel open are difficult to extract from the overall cost of operating and maintaining the flood alleviation scheme; calculating this would fall into disproportionate costs. The Environment Agency has allocated £2.3m for maintenance and capital improvements on the whole Maidenhead, Windsor and Eaton Flood Alleviation Scheme this year. In previous years spending has varied, depending on the programme of work.