Neil Duncan-Jordan

The Government has announced plans for a new national digital ID for all UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over, and we will consult on lowering the proposed minimum age to 13.

Extending the national digital credential scheme to include 13–16-year-olds could streamline administrative processes involved in employing young people. Inclusion of this age group could also support children’s online safety by supporting age verification for online services in line with the Online Safety Act 2023.

The Prime Minister plans to attend COP30.

I am grateful to Sir Brian Langstaff for his constructive Additional Report. We share his ambition to ensure that fair compensation is provided to every person that is eligible without delay.

On 21st July, I delivered an oral statement to the House confirming the Government’s approach to responding to the further report. You can find more information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/infected-blood-inquiry-additional-report-oral-statement-to-parliament

In late October, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority began contacting the first group of people so that they could begin making their compensation claims. As of 12th December, 10 people have been offered compensation totalling over £13 million. The first few people have accepted their offers and the first payments have now been made. Between now and January, the Authority will reach out to more people so that they can begin making their compensation claims. The Authority is aiming to reach around 250 claims in early 2025 and continue ramping up payments from there. At the October Budget the Government committed £11.8 billion of funding for the compensation scheme. The individual payments build on the more than £1 billion which victims have received so far in interim payments.

The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms would be assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service (GCS) SAFE framework. The four core principles of the framework are safety and sustainability, ads context, freedom of speech, and ethics and enforcement.

The Child Poverty Taskforce understands the importance of children’s health in tackling child poverty. In December, children's health will be discussed at the external experts meeting as part of strategy development for ensuring low-income families are able to access quality services to tackle the impacts of poverty.

This engagement is happening alongside a wider commitment for the Taskforce to involve families, charities, campaigners, and leading organisations across the UK to understand the multiple drivers and impacts of poverty. Recently Taskforce co-chairs, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Education, visited a Barnado’s Family Centre in Brent to join a children’s session focused on healthy eating and heard how parents are struggling with the costs of essentials.

The Taskforce has set out their broader engagement strategy in their latest publication titled ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’. This engagement is in addition to the large existing evidence base on child poverty in the UK and internationally, which the Taskforce is building understanding from.

Individual medical professionals as well as organisations are also welcome to submit specific evidence to childpoverty.secretariat@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. We will set out details on the publication of the Strategy in due course.

We will work to reset the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle barriers to trade.

We have no plans for an EU-wide youth mobility scheme and there will be no return to freedom of movement.

The Government recognises the vital role that pubs, restaurants and other food outlets play in local communities and the economy, including in the Poole constituency.

In April, we launched a Taskforce to review premises licensing and develop a more balanced system that safeguards communities while supporting responsible businesses. These reforms form part of the Small Business Strategy, which is designed to tackle late payments, improve access to finance and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.

We are also creating a fairer business rates system, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. We continue to work closely with the sector through the Hospitality Sector Council to address challenges.

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 UK is a significant capital exporter and ISDS provisions provide an independent means to resolve disputes with host governments.

The UK will continue to work with trading partners multilaterally, such as at the OECD and the UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice.

Total FDI and portfolio investment assets and liabilities between the UK and Colombia were £6.8 billion at the end of 2023. The UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) includes binding investment protection provisions which protect both UK and Colombian investors against unfair and discriminatory treatment, and expropriation without adequate compensation.

These commitments do not remove a government’s right to regulate in the public interest, nor its obligations to comply with other commitments.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. The review will cover all sectors of the economy, including the tea trade.

We are aware of the findings of the 4 Day Week Foundation’s recent trial.

A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. Currently, all employees have the right to request a flexible working arrangement, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that requests are accepted.

We have no plans to mandate a four-day week, or any other working arrangement. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the delivery of these planned changes, as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.

We are aware of the findings of the 4 Day Week Foundation’s recent trial.

A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. Currently, all employees have the right to request a flexible working arrangement, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that requests are accepted.

We have no plans to mandate a four-day week, or any other working arrangement. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the delivery of these planned changes, as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.

RCV engines have in the past been issued licences for the export of controlled goods to Israel. The most recent licences issued were in 2021 and expired in 2023.

The NHS has a Digital First strategy and most urgent appointments are already communicated by other means.

The Government does not have a role in the operational decisions of Royal Mail as it is an independent business. However, in November, I met with Royal Mail’s CEO, Emma Gilthorpe and discussed the importance of a reliable universal postal service for delivering NHS correspondence. I understand Royal Mail is working with NHS bodies to ensure they have a choice of speed and price, including protecting the option of a First-Class service six days a week for more urgent NHS letters.

The UK’s framework for occupational regulation upholds public protection, whilst ensuring regulatory burdens on industry are proportionate. While the locksmithing profession is not subject to statutory regulation, several self-regulating expert trade associations and accreditation schemes exist within the industry.

The Department for Business and Trade currently has no plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the locksmithing industry’s upholding of standards of practice.

We are committed to ensuring that carers are supported to balance work and caring responsibilities and that guidance around policies which benefit unpaid carers in the workplace is readily available to employers and employees.

Gov.uk guidance is already available covering flexible working, time off for family and dependents and unpaid carer’s leave. This will be of particular benefit to unpaid carers in employment and those who employ them.

The Chancellor has been clear that the government must take difficult choices. This was a budget to fix the foundations of the economy, and these tough decisions are intended to provide a platform for growth.

I met with representatives from the sector at a Personal Care Roundtable on 19 November 2024. Representatives from the hospitality and personal care sector attended a Budget Broadcast call with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on 4 November 2024. There is ongoing engagement with the sector both at Ministerial and official level to understand the challenges facing the sector, including the impact of measures announced at Budget.

Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk in line with transparency data releases and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbt-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

The Government will consult a range of organisations across the brewing and hospitality sectors on market access for local brewers and will give all those with an interest an opportunity to give their views.

The UK’s framework for occupational regulation upholds public protection, while ensuring regulatory burdens on industry are proportionate. Although the locksmithing profession is not subject to statutory regulation, several self-regulating trade associations and accreditation schemes exist within the industry. The government keeps the occupational regulatory regime under review to respond to industry and public needs.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible, safe, and appropriate manner and there are laws in place to address situations where fireworks are misused. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property. The Government has recently launched an awareness campaign on the Gov.uk website to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks on people and animals.

To inform any future decisions on fireworks policy I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities shortly after the fireworks season to gather evidence on the issues and impacts with fireworks. Officials regularly meet and correspond with charities to listen to and understand their views.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible, safe, and appropriate manner and there are laws in place to address situations where fireworks are misused. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property. The Government has recently launched an awareness campaign on the Gov.uk website to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks on people and animals.

To inform any future decisions on fireworks policy I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities shortly after the fireworks season to gather evidence on the issues and impacts with fireworks. Officials regularly meet and correspond with charities to listen to and understand their views.

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. We will be publishing a new fuel poverty strategy for England to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030, in parallel to the Warm Homes Plan.

In March the Government allocated around £1.8 billion to local authorities and social housing providers to support low-income households through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. This funding will support 170,000 households to get energy saving upgrades, helping families stay warm and cut bills.

In addition, the Chancellor has announced a further £1.5 billion to support upgrades for low-income households, benefiting those in fuel poverty. The details of this will be set out soon in the Warm Homes Plan.

Financial support is available to eligible low-income households across Great Britain through the Warm Home Discount which has been expanded for this winter increasing the total number of households that are estimated to receive the discount from 3.2 million to around 6 million.

DESNZ is working with other government departments to drive better availability and sharing of data to enable us in the future to more effectively target support to those who need help with their energy bills.

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. Ofgem have conducted a broad public consultation to understand the views of consumers on this issue, receiving over 5,000 responses on their 2024 discussion paper. Ofgem judged that if standing charges were fully removed, the fixed costs of the energy system would still need to be recovered, and unit rates would therefore need to increase. In Ofgem's view, this introduced a risk of harm for vulnerable consumers who are high users of energy, often for medical and health needs. Since then, Ofgem have been continuing work in two areas.

Firstly, Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with lower standing charges. Ofgem took a further step towards this goal on 24 July, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers tariffs with lower standing charges from early 2026.

Ofgem’s consultation on these proposals closed on 23 October, and they will provide a further update in due course.

Secondly, Ofgem have been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this.

At Budget the Chancellor confirmed that government endorses the report’s approach and accepts the principles of all recommendations it set out.

My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has also issued a Strategic Steer which sets clear expectations for the civil, defence, and decommissioning nuclear sectors to accelerate safe and efficient delivery through proportionate regulation and stronger collaboration.

We will present a full implementation plan within three months, taking account of international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.

The Department does not hold constituency level data on remaining RTS meters, but we are regularly engaging with energy suppliers, Ofgem and the industry body Energy UK to review local plans for the switch-off.

Energy suppliers have contacted all premises with RTS meters and Ofgem is encouraging customers to book an appointment to ensure they are provided with a replacement meter ahead of the switch-off.

The Department does not hold constituency level data on remaining RTS meters, but we are regularly engaging with energy suppliers, Ofgem and the industry body Energy UK to review local plans for the switch-off.

Energy suppliers have contacted all premises with RTS meters and Ofgem is encouraging customers to book an appointment to ensure they are provided with a replacement meter ahead of the switch-off.

Through the price control, Ofgem regulates network company investments and sets a fair rate of return to ensure necessary investments can be made. Ofgem utilises a framework of incentives and penalties to drive up performance and is currently considering what changes may be required for future price controls to continue to improve network company performance.

Ofgem recognised that recent higher than expected inflation increased equity value for network companies due to fixed-rate debt financing. In 2023, Ofgem consulted on options to address this and will change the way it regulates network company investment, deliverables and returns, to ensure this issue does not occur in the future. Ofgem considered reclaiming previous excess profits but decided against this to avoid raising the cost of capital and costs for consumers. Ofgem has made clear that it expects network companies to use any inflation benefit to accelerate network upgrades and find additional ways to support consumers struggling with bills.