Martin Rhodes

The National Procurement Policy Statement sets out that public procurement should support the delivery of the government’s missions, including making Britain a clean energy superpower. It sets out considerations for contracting authorities around our environmental obligatoins. It also underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts.

The Department recognises that stakeholder engagement is vital in developing the Trade Strategy. We have conducted targeted business engagement across the UK, including an open call for views from industry, civil society organisations, and academia. Stakeholders submitted views via a dedicated Trade Strategy mailbox, which closed on 17 January 2025, generating over 200 submissions. We will maintain engagement to ensure stakeholder views are heard as we develop and deliver a Trade Strategy for the whole of the UK.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department regularly engages with a range of stakeholders to ensure that the needs of students with disabilities (including visual impairments) are understood, barriers can be addressed and support put in place.

The department collects data on learner characteristics, participation and achievements. This is regularly published online: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2023-24.

Through the department’s grants and contracts within the further education and research sectors, we receive valuable information on the experiences of students with visual impairments. An example of this is the Accessibility in Further Education 2022 report from the Thomas Pocklington Trust, which can be accessed here: https://asset.nasen.org.uk/accessibility_in_further_education_-_2022_all-able.pdf. The report explores blind and partially sighted student access to information in further education. We also use the information provided from the ‘What Works in SEND’ resources, which is accessible here: https://whatworks-send.org.uk/. These types of research are useful as we are developing policy areas which will ensure that education is accessible for all.

The information requested is not available from published statistics and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

From 2014 to 2022, the Greater Manchester economy grew by almost 50%.

Scotland’s largest city has a huge role to play in delivering growth. Glasgow was selected as one of four UK areas for the National Wealth Funds Strategic Growth Partnerships.

The Glasgow City Region Investment Zone will be backed by £160 million to promote investment opportunities and create new jobs.

And we recently opened the Govan-Patrick bridge, reconnecting my Honourable Friend’s constituency with the Member for Glasgow South West’s.

The Scotland Office also led the way in securing the Commonwealth Games in 2026, helping showcase the city to the world once again.