Sarah Green

Ofsted inspections independently assess the quality of adult learning providers and Skills Bootcamps have been part of this remit since April 2023. Ofsted inspection reports help support providers to improve the quality of their provision. The department can, at its discretion, take appropriate contractual action where performance is below the standard expected of providers.

The government is committed to reforming Ofsted and improving the inspection system and has set out a series of commitments to reforming accountability, such as moving away from the single headline grade to a richer system through a report card. The government will want to engage with Ofsted, including looking closely at the results of its ‘Big Listen’ and will work in partnership with those from the range of sectors that Ofsted works in, including skills, to look at opportunities to improve the current arrangements.

The department regularly engages with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a range of issues. The government recognises the importance of continuing a positive relationship with representatives of the sector to better support outcomes across the whole education system.

The department regularly engages with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a range of issues. The government recognises the importance of continuing a positive relationship with representatives of the sector to better support outcomes across the whole education system.

A consultation on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government.

The consultation sought views on options for the production standards behind the label, including the period of life which should be covered by the standards (for example whether slaughter should be included). We are now carefully considering all responses provided to the consultation before deciding on next steps.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra is committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs, and is looking at next steps regarding measures to ban horticultural peat. The Department will continue to work alongside the horticultural sector to accelerate progress on the peat free transition.

The Government supports species reintroductions where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conservation Translocations. We will continue to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions in England.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

As of 9 September 2024, there were 556,774 car practical driving tests booked, and 91,059 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.

Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at driving test centres, include the recruitment of driving examiners, conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.

The DVSA also continues to deploy examiners from areas with lower waiting times into those centres with longer waiting times. This is in addition to the DVSA recruiting additional examiners across the country into areas where waiting times are highest.

Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity.

I know that in some areas it can be difficult for wheelchair users to obtain a suitable wheelchair accessible taxi or PHV when they need one. Best practice guidance, published in November 2023, recommends authorities assess the demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and take steps to ensure that there are sufficient available, as part of a “mixed fleet” of vehicles suitable for a range of passenger needs.

The Department is not aware of whether there are any loan or grant schemes run by Local Authorities to encourage the purchase of WAVs.

The government’s Plug-In Taxi Grant continues to provide up to £6,000 towards the cost of an eligible vehicle, which must be wheelchair accessible. We keep grants under the Scheme under review to ensure best value for the taxpayer.

As of 1 April 2023, 67% of authorities, including Buckinghamshire Council required all or part of their taxi fleet to be wheelchair accessible. Whilst the most recent annual taxi and PHV statistics survey included a new question on the nature of authority policies on WAVs, the responses are yet to be analysed.

Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity.

I know that in some areas it can be difficult for wheelchair users to obtain a suitable wheelchair accessible taxi or PHV when they need one. Best practice guidance, published in November 2023, recommends authorities assess the demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and take steps to ensure that there are sufficient available, as part of a “mixed fleet” of vehicles suitable for a range of passenger needs.

The Department is not aware of whether there are any loan or grant schemes run by Local Authorities to encourage the purchase of WAVs.

The government’s Plug-In Taxi Grant continues to provide up to £6,000 towards the cost of an eligible vehicle, which must be wheelchair accessible. We keep grants under the Scheme under review to ensure best value for the taxpayer.

As of 1 April 2023, 67% of authorities, including Buckinghamshire Council required all or part of their taxi fleet to be wheelchair accessible. Whilst the most recent annual taxi and PHV statistics survey included a new question on the nature of authority policies on WAVs, the responses are yet to be analysed.

Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity.

I know that in some areas it can be difficult for wheelchair users to obtain a suitable wheelchair accessible taxi or PHV when they need one. Best practice guidance, published in November 2023, recommends authorities assess the demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and take steps to ensure that there are sufficient available, as part of a “mixed fleet” of vehicles suitable for a range of passenger needs.

The Department is not aware of whether there are any loan or grant schemes run by Local Authorities to encourage the purchase of WAVs.

The government’s Plug-In Taxi Grant continues to provide up to £6,000 towards the cost of an eligible vehicle, which must be wheelchair accessible. We keep grants under the Scheme under review to ensure best value for the taxpayer.

As of 1 April 2023, 67% of authorities, including Buckinghamshire Council required all or part of their taxi fleet to be wheelchair accessible. Whilst the most recent annual taxi and PHV statistics survey included a new question on the nature of authority policies on WAVs, the responses are yet to be analysed.

A principle of child maintenance is to increase levels of cooperation between separated parents and encourage parents to meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support. Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable the Child Maintenance Service offers a statutory scheme for those parents who need it.

The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their obligations to children and the Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to make sure parents comply. Where parents fail to pay their child maintenance, the Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings orders, removal of driving licences, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison. The Service is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.

Statistics on child maintenance arrangements and collections are part of the CMS quarterly statistics published on gov.uk in tables 4, 5 and 6 of the National Tables. The below information is from the latest publication for data up to March 2024.

• In the 12 months up to March 2024 the child maintenance service arranged £1.4 billion child maintenance, an increase from £1.2 billion during the previous 12 months.
• 61% of all CMS arrangements use Direct Pay, with 37% using Collect and Pay and just over one billion pounds was arranged through the Direct Pay service in the last 12 months (we do not measure the compliance of Paying Parents on the Direct Pay service).
• Since March 2023, the percentage of parents paying something towards their maintenance through collect & pay has increased to 69% from 65%.
• In the period April 2023 to March 2024 £316.8 million was arranged through the Collect & Pay service:

o £224.9 million was paid

o £91.9 million was unpaid

Income, including income from assets as well as earned income, needs to be declared to the UK tax authorities and subject to UK tax in order to be included in the maintenance calculation.

The Government is now considering next steps on the child maintenance service.

NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of interstitial lung disease (ILD) services and funds the high-cost, anti-fibrotic treatments. Access to these treatments was widened to people with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, with the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Technology Appraisal 747 in November 2021. NHS England outlines the requirements of a quality service in its ILD service specification, and requires the completion of quality metrics through the ILD Specialised Services Quality Dashboard. This helps ensure that ILD teams provide appropriate support to patients living with this condition. Earlier diagnosis and treatment improve outcomes for patients.

Moreover, the Specialised Respiratory Clinical Reference Group contains clinical members who are able to advise NHS England in relation to ILD services, and includes a member of a pulmonary fibrosis charity, Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis (APF), as one of its Patient and Public Voice members. APF has recently issued a report on patient experience, which is helping to inform pathway redesign as well as raise awareness of the condition.

NHS England is committed to improving outcomes for people with respiratory conditions, particularly through early and accurate diagnosis, which is a priority area under the NHS Long Term Plan.

A key component of an early and accurate diagnosis for a number of respiratory conditions, including pulmonary fibrosis, is the provision of quality assured spirometry. Additional funding has been made available to systems in 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25.

NHS England has worked with a range of partners, including Asthma and Lung UK, the British Thoracic Society, the Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology, and clinical network leads, to develop a package for systems containing the information and support required to help increase the number of people receiving early and accurate diagnosis for respiratory disease.​

NHS England is investing in additional diagnostic capacity for respiratory pathways as part of the £2.3 billion 2021 Spending Review capital investment in diagnostics. Community Diagnostic Centres are being established to deliver additional, digitally connected diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with a coordinated set of diagnostic tests in the community, in as few visits as possible, enabling an accurate and fast diagnosis on a range of clinical pathways, including people with chronic respiratory disease.

The Government will consider the recommendations of The Hughes Report and the relevant Minister is due to meet with the Patient Safety Commissioner this week.

To prevent future harm, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England, and others have taken action to strengthen oversight of valproate prescribing. For example, nine specialist mesh centres are in operation across England, ensuring that women with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse get the right support in every region, and we have maintained the national pause on the use of pelvic mesh, which has been in place since July 2018.

The Lifetime ISA (LISA) was set up to help people build up savings for buying their first home, or for their later life. LISA funds, including any Government bonus, can be withdrawn for the purchase of a first home under £450,000, in the case of terminal illness, or from the age of 60.

Any unauthorised withdrawals are subject to a 25% withdrawal charge. This recoups the Government bonus, any interest or growth arising from it, and a proportion of the individual’s initial savings. Reducing the withdrawal charge would encourage the use of LISAs in ways for which they were not intended.

The Lifetime ISA is set at an appropriate level to support most first-time buyers across the UK while targeting households that may find it most difficult to get onto the property ladder. Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.

The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review, and considers all representations made carefully, with any changes made as part of the Budget process.

The Lifetime ISA (LISA) was set up to help people build up savings for buying their first home, or for their later life. LISA funds, including any Government bonus, can be withdrawn for the purchase of a first home under £450,000, in the case of terminal illness, or from the age of 60.

Any unauthorised withdrawals are subject to a 25% withdrawal charge. This recoups the Government bonus, any interest or growth arising from it, and a proportion of the individual’s initial savings. Reducing the withdrawal charge would encourage the use of LISAs in ways for which they were not intended.

The Lifetime ISA is set at an appropriate level to support most first-time buyers across the UK while targeting households that may find it most difficult to get onto the property ladder. Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.

The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review, and considers all representations made carefully, with any changes made as part of the Budget process.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.

The Government has set out the details of this policy in the technical note Applying VAT to private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools.

There are a small number of circumstances where the government contributes to the private school fees of children of UK military service personnel and UK diplomatic officials through the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA).

The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military and diplomatic families, with the upcoming Spending Review being the right time to consider any changes to this scheme.

A technical consultation on the technical note and draft VAT legislation will be open until 15 September 2024.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the state education system.

The Prime Minister has been clear that if a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan that requires them to attend a private school because their needs cannot be met in the state sector, they will not feel an impact from VAT being charged on fees. The Chancellor has also been clear that changes will not come into force until 2025.

Further details on this policy will be set out in due course. The Government engages with a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in Government policy, including VAT, as part of the policy development and implementation process as a matter of course.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the state education system.

The Prime Minister has been clear that if a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan that requires them to attend a private school because their needs cannot be met in the state sector, they will not feel an impact from VAT being charged on fees. The Chancellor has also been clear that changes will not come into force until 2025.

Further details on this policy will be set out in due course. The Government engages with a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in Government policy, including VAT, as part of the policy development and implementation process as a matter of course.

This Government wants to help first-time buyers of all ages. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.

The Government recognises the value of upward extensions in delivering urban intensification where appropriate. We are consulting on further support for upward extensions as part of our consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, which began on Tuesday 30 July and closes on Tuesday 24 September.

The Department conducted an impact assessment for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2022 which included the impact of the Act’s provisions on development and housing supply. The assessment can be found here.