Jamie Stone

The government recognises the harm associated with scam emails and is taking action to protect the public and businesses from fraud and cyber crime. We strongly encourage the public and businesses to follow the advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on how to protect themselves from cyber threats, including scam emails and business email compromise. The NCSC provides tailored advice for the public, sole traders and businesses of all sizes. The government also offers the highly effective Cyber Essentials scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks.

Scam emails can be reported to the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which has blocked billions of phishing attempts and removed 232,000 scams across 415,000 malicious web addresses. The NCSC offers guidance on how to spot and report scam emails at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams. The police also offer advice on scam emails, including Action Fraud advice on payment diversion fraud and business email compromise, and the recent National Crime Agency campaign with the Law Society on payment diversion fraud in property sales. The government has committed to the publication of a new fraud strategy which will set out further details on how it will tackle fraud and protect UK residents and businesses.

The UK has the oldest building stock in Europe. Historic buildings - including listed buildings and buildings within Conservation Areas - have an important role to play in supporting growth in the construction sector and our transition to Net Zero. Listed Building Consent Orders (LBCOs) proactively encourage and streamline the sensible upgrade and development of our listed buildings, including installing decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.

I have written to Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on some of the opportunities around planning that support heritage-led development and growth, including LBCOs. My officials and I are working closely with officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to prioritise the roll out of LBCOs and support the wider Government's agenda around growth and decarbonisation.

Since the General Election, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and her ministerial team have met with a wide range of stakeholders in the heritage sector, including representatives of the department’s arm’s length bodies. These meetings will continue periodically, in Westminster and around the country and we intend to announce the next date of the Heritage Council very soon.

Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to is enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.

The Department for Work and Pensions utilise a range of channels to ensure vulnerable customers and those with limited broadband can access support.

• Local Jobcentres provide face-to-face appointments for those unable to use digital services and have dedicated support in the form of Disability Employment Advisers for customers with health barriers, sites also have access to Vulnerable Customer Leads within their districts to support customers who are more vulnerable.
• Telephone services are available for those customers unable to manage digital claims to Universal Credit.
• Telephone and video calls are conducted to support customers who are in remote locations or have vulnerabilities which prevent them from attending offices for face-to-face interactions.
• We have over 650 Visiting Officers who carry out home visits for customers with complex needs, cannot engage via digital or telephone channels or who cannot attend a Jobcentre.
• Outreach work is in place with local providers and community organisations to help reach areas where customers, who might otherwise miss out on access to Jobcentre services, due to their rural location or lack of access to digital facilities within their home.
• Mobile Jobcentre vans are being introduced in some areas to bring services to areas with poor connectivity or limited physical access to services.
• Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders are in place to support vulnerable customers at significant risk of harm when all business-as-usual activity has been exhausted.
• Jobcentres signpost customers to local providers such as libraries, charities and colleges who may be able to offer the relevant support needed as well as access to online or telephone services.

The hospitality sector plays a vital role in the UK economy, providing jobs and supporting local high streets and communities.

That is why the government announced a range of measures at Autumn Budget to support businesses, including those in the hospitality sector. These include:

• Extending the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rate relief for one year at 40% (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business). This will benefit over 250,000 properties.
• Freezing the small business multiplier (applied to properties with a rateable value below £51,000) for 2025-26. Taken together with Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), over a million properties will be protected from inflationary bill increases.
• Protecting the smallest employers, many of whom are in the hospitality sector, by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500.
• Cutting duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of alcoholic drinks sold in pubs – to cut 1p off the duty on an average strength pint.
• In addition, the Corporate Tax Roadmap provides the stability needed by businesses to make investments.

We keep all taxes under review and continue to explore ways to support the UK’s vital hospitality sector.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts

However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).

On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts

However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).

On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

A prosperous rural economy will be underpinned by improvements to rural connectivity and productivity, the availability of affordable energy and access to services. To this end, the UK Government is investing £5 billion in broadband connectivity which will support growth in rural areas across the UK.

We are also providing more than £3 billion of UK-wide funding this year to farmers and land managers, supporting rural prosperity.

The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was formed by a Royal Warrant on 21 May 1947; this Warrant was re-issued by Her Late Majesty The Queen several times, most recently in July 1966. The Warrant laid down that, while the Defence Council would be responsible for the ROC’s organisation, training, financing and conditions of service, amongst other elements, for operational control it came under the Home Office.

This was reflected in the ROC’s own Regulations which stated that it was a uniformed civilian organisation, subject to the provision of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) civilian pay, staff and travel regulations. In addition, the regulations stated that the Commandant ROC was responsible to the Home Office for its operations, and to the MOD for administrative matters with direct access to the Assistant Under-Secretary Civilian Management (Administrators).

From this, it is very clear the ROC was a civilian, and not a military, organisation, which, even when interacting with the MOD, was treated on the same terms as Civil Servants rather than Service Personnel. For that reason, the MOD does not believe there is any rationale which would justify the retrospective recategorisation of past members of the ROC (or any other civilian defence organisation) as having been Regular or Reserve members of the Armed Forces. However, this in no way diminishes the Government’s admiration of those who performed such a vital role during the Cold War.

European security is this Government’s foreign and defence priority. We will strengthen relationships with key European Allies through bilateral defence agreements, such as our recent Trinity House Agreement with Germany, and an ambitious UK-EU security pact which will bolster Euro-Atlantic security and complement our commitment to NATO.

Paragraph 167 of the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 sets out that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should give significant weight to the need to support energy efficiency and low carbon heating improvements to existing buildings, both domestic and non-domestic.

The Framework also makes clear that plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change and that the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change should be considered in preparing and assessing planning applications.

Connectivity is essential for economic growth which is why the Chancellor committed £5m in the Budget to explore improvements to the A75, which is the key route for road transport, using the ferry between Cairnryan and Belfast and Larne. We look forward to continuing work with the Scottish Government on this project, and welcome the recent addition of flights between Edinburgh and Liverpool and Derry City Airport.

The UK Government is committed to the effective delivery of compensation schemes in relation to miscarriages of justice.

Scottish Parliament has been in recess since the formation of the new Government, so no discussions have taken place. However, through the resetting of the relationship between the UK and Scottish Governments, Scotland’s two governments will be able to work together in addressing the causes of delays to miscarriages of justice claims in order to bring justice to those affected.

We are committed to resetting the relationship with the Welsh Government, and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales meets regularly with the First Minister to discuss a range of issues.

The Department for Health and Social Care also works collaboratively with the Devolved Governments on shared objectives. The First Minister for Wales has said improving access to social care in Wales is one of her priorities.