Joshua Reynolds

Currently, no assessment of the adequacy of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 has been made in relation to repeated private firework use.

Existing legislation controls the sale, availability, and use of fireworks. Local Authorities and law enforcement agencies are empowered to take action against offenders when fireworks are not used appropriately. While there are no plans to publish guidance to limit their use further, the Government launched a campaign for this fireworks season which promotes lower noise fireworks alongside considerate use.

Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for investors to resolve disputes with states where they believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory, or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation.

The Government is a respondent in two active arbitrations. The UK has a longstanding track record of supporting foreign investment, including through fulfilling its obligations in the international investment agreements to which it is a party and has never faced a successful ISDS claim.

The Government maintains that it has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations in the case of the legal challenges. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.

Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for investors to resolve disputes with states where they believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory, or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation.

The Government is a respondent in two active arbitrations. The UK has a longstanding track record of supporting foreign investment, including through fulfilling its obligations in the international investment agreements to which it is a party and has never faced a successful ISDS claim.

The Government maintains that it has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations in the case of the legal challenges. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.

The UK will draw on the full range of investment commitments and international best practice in our international investment agreements to promote growth, deliver our clean energy goals, and continue to uphold the UK’s right to regulate.

Negotiations for the UK-India bilateral investment treaty have not yet concluded, and the content of the agreement remains under discussion. As set out in the General Terms for the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, the UK and the US have announced the intention to cooperate on the effective use of investment security measures.

We are aware of China's changes to its export controls on rare earth elements. We are concerned about the potential impact of these measures on global supply chains. We are engaging with China’s Bureau of Industry, Security, Import and Export Control to support UK companies applying for licenses and ensure steady supply to UK users.

We are taking action with like-minded partners, including in the G7, to diversify supply chains. Our upcoming Critical Minerals Strategy sets our long-term approach for securing critical minerals. It also outlines how this will be achieved by refining our approach to domestic production, the circular economy, the UK’s future demand, international partnerships and responsible and transparent supply chains.

Ecodesign regulations for electronic displays, including outdoor screens, came into force on 1 March 2021. These set minimum energy performance standards aimed at improving efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The Department has not estimated the average annual energy consumption of such installations. As the effects of the regulations are only now being realised, the government will keep their impacts under review. This could include assessing the merits of introducing further energy efficiency requirements or restrictions on operational hours, in line with broader efforts to reduce energy demand and support net zero objectives.

Department officials have worked closely with industry on the implementation and design of the policy to ensure the policy is fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants alike. This includes multiple workshops this year with these stakeholders to update the policy to significantly reduce complexity and administrative burdens.

Zero emission boilers, or heat batteries are a promising technology because they utilise time-of-use tariffs, do not require outside space, and can be cheaper to install than heat pumps in some circumstances. However, they are also less efficient than heat pumps and will therefore use more energy to meet the same heating demand.

The Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero Trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future. We will continue to review our position on heat batteries, and other alternative electric heating technologies, as the supporting evidence base develops.

Improving the cyber security of our nation’s small and micro organisations is critical to the resilience of our wider economy. We recognise many smaller organisations lack the resources to invest in their cyber security. As such, the government has developed a wide range of free tools, guidance and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures, including the recently launched Cyber Action Toolkit which provides SMEs with tailored advice.

NCSC-certified Cyber Advisors are available to provide advice and guidance on commercial terms. Additionally, the government’s Cyber Essentials scheme helps all organisations, including SMEs, implement critical cyber security controls, protecting them from most common cyber attacks. We recently completed a funding programme supporting over 1,000 SMEs to get certified to the scheme.

Early next year, the Government will publish a new National Cyber Action Plan which will set out further work to help protect our nation’s smallest organisations.

Improving the cyber security of our nation’s small and micro organisations is critical to the resilience of our wider economy. We recognise many smaller organisations lack the resources to invest in their cyber security. As such, the government has developed a wide range of free tools, guidance and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures, including the recently launched Cyber Action Toolkit which provides SMEs with tailored advice.

NCSC-certified Cyber Advisors are available to provide advice and guidance on commercial terms. Additionally, the government’s Cyber Essentials scheme helps all organisations, including SMEs, implement critical cyber security controls, protecting them from most common cyber attacks. We recently completed a funding programme supporting over 1,000 SMEs to get certified to the scheme.

Early next year, the Government will publish a new National Cyber Action Plan which will set out further work to help protect our nation’s smallest organisations.

As a result of commercial market and publicly funded rollout, over 88% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, up from less than 10% in 2019. In their Connected Nations Spring update, published 8 May 2025, Ofcom reported that as of January 2025, 5G coverage was available outside of 96% of premises across the UK from at least one operator, up from 69% in May 2022.

The impact of digital infrastructure on local amenity is assessed by local planning authorities on a case by case basis. Planning conditions in legislation ensure that operators minimise the visual impact of new network development on the surrounding area as much as possible.

It is the responsibility of Ofcom to ensure operators comply with their telecommunications licensing conditions.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published information on the right to object to the processing of personal for the purpose of direct marketing here: Right to object | ICO.

Anyone concerned about the handling of their personal data by any organisation has the right to complain to the ICO. The ICO has a range of tools to tackle the unlawful processing of personal data, including powers to issue substantial monetary penalties for serious breaches of the data protection legislation. Information about the ICO’s enforcement action can be found at: https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/.

The Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties took effect on 17 March. These duties require user-to-user and search services to implement robust measures designed to reduce the risks that users encounter illegal content and activity, including from illegal anti-Semitic content.

These duties apply to AI generated content in the same way as ‘real’ content - i.e. where it is shared on an in-scope service and is either illegal content or content which is harmful to children. Ofcom is responsible for taking enforcement action as appropriate and has published recommendations for how providers should fulfil their duties in codes of practice.

The Government recognises the need to ensure that public service broadcasters’ (PSB) services and content remain easy to find as viewers increasingly shift online.

That is why we are getting on with implementing the Media Act 2024 which introduces a new online prominence regime. This new regime will ensure that PSB apps, like BBC iPlayer, are carried and given appropriate prominence on major TV platforms. The Government will consider the case for further reforms following the publication of Ofcom’s Public Service Media review later this year.

The Government provides the majority of our funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. £283,300 has been invested in the constituency of Maidenhead in the last financial year.

Future grassroots sport facilities funding is subject to the ongoing Spending Review process and we will announce further details in due course.

On 20 October 2025, the department set out plans to introduce V Levels, a third, vocational pathway at level 3. V Levels will sit alongside A levels and T Levels and will offer a vocational alternative to these academic and technical routes. We launched a consultation on post-16 level 3 and below pathways, closing on 12 January 2026. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways. The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published in 2026.

This government remains strongly committed to T Levels and will continue to encourage their growth. T Levels are delivering fantastic results for students, providing the technical skills needed for progression into further study and training or skilled work. Where a learner wants in-depth knowledge of a subject area, they should study the T Level, compared to the V Level which allows learners more flexibility to explore different areas and which we generally expect will be the size of one A level.

For detailed information specific to individual qualifications, the department advises education providers to consult the relevant Awarding Organisation. These organisations are responsible for developing and delivering qualifications and will provide tailored guidance to support providers in their delivery of the Technical Occupational Qualification in Social Care from September 2026.

The department provides comprehensive support materials to help education providers in implementing newly reformed qualifications, including Technical Occupational Qualifications. This includes hosting a toolkit, model pathways, resources for careers advisers, video explainers, links to webinars, newsletters, and the webpage: https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/16829562632850-Qualifications-Review.

These resources are regularly updated to ensure providers have access to the latest advice and are signposted to broader support where appropriate.

The department remains committed to maintaining and enhancing guidance materials to ensure continued support for providers throughout the reform process.

In August 2025, the department appointed 10 Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) in construction, backed by £100 million in funding to deliver high-quality construction skills provision. The post-16 education and skills strategy white paper confirmed that we will now go further, expanding the TEC programme to a further 4 sectors which will include: four TECs in advanced manufacturing, five TECs in clean energy, five TECs in digital and technologies and five TECs in defence.

These new TECs, backed by £175 million, will ensure the pipeline of skilled workers into these areas, securing new defence jobs in this growing industry and will help to address shortages in engineering. Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. Selection processes for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.

From 2021 to 2026, the Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school and college in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. This is providing an updated and comprehensive picture of the condition of the school estate in England to support our capital funding policy and programmes.

School reports, setting out the condition of building elements, are shared with each school and their responsible body while the CDC2 programme is in progress, so that schools and responsible bodies have access to the latest assessment of their site.

Information on the condition of schools, as assessed by the predecessor programme (CDC1), can be found at: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

Responsible bodies, such as local authorities, voluntary-aided school bodies, and multi and single academy trusts, have the responsibility to make regular assessments of the condition of schools in their estate to inform programmes of maintenance works.

The department has increased funding to improve the condition of the estate for the 2025/26 financial year to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion last year. Allocations are published on GOV.UK and are partly informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate collected by the department, reflecting the relative need of schools. This is in addition to our continued investment in the current School Rebuilding Programme.

International GCSEs, which includes iGCSEs, and GCSEs in England are different qualifications. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not developed by the department, regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. The awarding organisations that offer international GCSEs decide the content for these qualifications and how that content is assessed. The department has no role in setting grading standards for these qualifications.