James Naish

As set out in the King's Speech, the Government intends to publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill, which will contain measures to tackle bad financial reporting through a strengthened regulator. The draft Bill will uphold standards and independent scrutiny of companies' accounts, supporting investment and economic security.

Young people are required to continue in education or training until they turn 18. They can do this through full-time education, a job or volunteering combined with part-time study, or by undertaking an apprenticeship or supported internship.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Education and Skills Act 2008 to identify and support 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education or training.

Furthermore, under the September Guarantee, all 16 and 17 year olds are entitled to an offer of a suitable place in education or training. This aims to ensure that all young people, regardless of what they achieved in school, understand that there are opportunities that will help them to progress, and to ensure that they get the advice and support they need to find a suitable place.

Over £7 billion of 16 to 19 programme funding will be invested during the 2024/2025 academic year to pay for education for any 16, 17 or 18 year olds in post-16 education. The bulk of the money is committed through lagged funding allocations, based on student numbers taking part in education at each college, school or other institution in the year before. However, the department recognises that, for those institutions that recruit significantly more students than they are funded for in their lagged funding allocation, there are additional costs and the department provides in year growth funding to help with these.

For the 2024/25 academic year, the department took the exceptional step of publishing the policy on in year growth on 21 August 2024, which was before GCSE results day and the start of the academic year, to support providers’ planning decisions. This should support providers to offer places to all young people who want one. This policy is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-in-year-growth-for-2024-to-2025.

The post-16 capacity fund provides funding to schools and colleges to ensure they have enough capital capacity to accommodate the demographic increases in 16 to 19 learners. It has made available £238 million in capital funding since 2021.

Young people are required to continue in education or training until they turn 18. They can do this through full-time education, a job or volunteering combined with part-time study, or by undertaking an apprenticeship or supported internship.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Education and Skills Act 2008 to identify and support 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education or training.

Furthermore, under the September Guarantee, all 16 and 17 year olds are entitled to an offer of a suitable place in education or training. This aims to ensure that all young people, regardless of what they achieved in school, understand that there are opportunities that will help them to progress, and to ensure that they get the advice and support they need to find a suitable place.

Over £7 billion of 16 to 19 programme funding will be invested during the 2024/2025 academic year to pay for education for any 16, 17 or 18 year olds in post-16 education. The bulk of the money is committed through lagged funding allocations, based on student numbers taking part in education at each college, school or other institution in the year before. However, the department recognises that, for those institutions that recruit significantly more students than they are funded for in their lagged funding allocation, there are additional costs and the department provides in year growth funding to help with these.

For the 2024/25 academic year, the department took the exceptional step of publishing the policy on in year growth on 21 August 2024, which was before GCSE results day and the start of the academic year, to support providers’ planning decisions. This should support providers to offer places to all young people who want one. This policy is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-in-year-growth-for-2024-to-2025.

The post-16 capacity fund provides funding to schools and colleges to ensure they have enough capital capacity to accommodate the demographic increases in 16 to 19 learners. It has made available £238 million in capital funding since 2021.

The government’s National Wraparound Childcare Programme Handbook makes clear that providers are expected to ensure their provision is inclusive and has considered the needs of all children including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This guidance also sets out the expectation that local authorities publish the local offer for children with SEND.

The government is committed to ensuring delivery of breakfast clubs in every primary school, and will work with schools, providers and local authorities to ensure they can meet the needs of children with SEND as part of this programme. Providing a supportive start to the day ensures that every child, no matter their circumstances, is set up for the day and ready to learn.

This government is determined to ensure that there is high quality, accessible childcare for all children and families, including children with additional needs. The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme funding is primarily for school-aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM).

The majority of funding that local authorities receive should be used for holiday club places for children in receipt of FSMs. However, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision, which could include children with special educational needs. Local authorities are responsible for understanding the needs of the children and families in their area and ensuring that the programme reaches those who need it the most.

Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer treatment is a priority for the Government, as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as both are key contributors to reducing cancer health inequalities.

To improve diagnosis and outcomes, NHS England is delivering a range of interventions including implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who have symptoms, such as unexplained weight-loss and fatigue, that do not align to a single tumour type, as is often the case with pancreatic cancer. 115 pathways are now in place across the country, providing almost full population coverage.

We are also rolling out the Targeted Lung Health Checks Programme, which aims to improve early detection of lunch cancer. People living in deprived areas are four times more likely to smoke, and smoking causes 72% of lung cancers. Therefore, introducing this programme will disproportionately benefit those in deprived areas.

There have been a number of court cases in recent years regarding private hire vehicle (PHV) legislation. A consultation seeking views on the potential impact of these court cases on the PHV sector was recently run. Since publishing that consultation, the Court of Appeal has overturned the Uber Britannia Limited v Sefton Borough Council High Court declaration that was handed down in 2023. The Government is currently considering the responses to the consultation, as well as the impact of the recent Court of Appeal judgment and will publish a response in due course.

The expected impact of the original High Court judgments on the average PHV passenger was published in the consultation, and was calculated based on data contained in Table NTS0303 of the National Travel Survey available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts03-modal-comparisons#full-publication-update-history.

It is estimated that around two-thirds of the value of the private hire vehicle market already accounts for VAT as principal. This estimate has been calculated using the estimated size of the sector and data relating to VAT returns and receipts.

There have been a number of court cases in recent years regarding private hire vehicle (PHV) legislation. A consultation seeking views on the potential impact of these court cases on the PHV sector was recently run. Since publishing that consultation, the Court of Appeal has overturned the Uber Britannia Limited v Sefton Borough Council High Court declaration that was handed down in 2023. The Government is currently considering the responses to the consultation, as well as the impact of the recent Court of Appeal judgment and will publish a response in due course.

The expected impact of the original High Court judgments on the average PHV passenger was published in the consultation, and was calculated based on data contained in Table NTS0303 of the National Travel Survey available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts03-modal-comparisons#full-publication-update-history.

It is estimated that around two-thirds of the value of the private hire vehicle market already accounts for VAT as principal. This estimate has been calculated using the estimated size of the sector and data relating to VAT returns and receipts.

All Home Office staff, and contracted parties have a duty, under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, to ensure that immigration, asylum, and nationality functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK. The HO does not have a statutory responsibility for safeguarding - statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.

On arrival in the UK, all asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children, have an interview which includes a series of questions specifically designed to ascertain potential indicators of trafficking. If indicators are noted, a referral is made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). In the case of children, a safety plan is put in place by social services, whilst adults identified as potential victims of modern slavery are entitled to care with support provided by the Salvation Army.

The Home Office no longer accommodates Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children in hotels as of 31^st January 2024. Local authorities have a statutory duty under S20 of the Children Act 1989 to look after children in need in their area. This includes unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children who either arrive in a local authority area or are transferred there under the mandated National Transfer Scheme (NTS). When a child is being looked after by a local authority, that local authority is under a duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare under the Children Act 1989.

The Home Office and its accommodation providers have robust processes in place to ensure that where an adult asylum seeker is at risk or vulnerable, they are referred to the appropriate statutory agencies such as the police, NHS and social services, to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions.