Steff Aquarone

Podcasts are not bought at partner level, so we’re not able to provide this information. I refer the Hon Member to PQ126891 for details on costs.

The digital ID consultation is open to the public, and its success is hinged on open and transparent participation. We have a duty to reach as broad a population as possible and have worked with media partners in order to ensure that the public are aware of the consultation and how to participate. For this campaign, we’ve worked with two podcast partners: Acast and Audioboom, with a combined spend of £62,817 for the duration of the 12 week consultation.

The Emergency Alert system is a UK Government capability that allows time critical life saving information to be broadcast to phones within a certain area.

This was introduced in April 2023, and has now been used five times. Emergency Alerts are instantaneous and the Government can send alerts directly to all compatible mobile phones within a geo-targeted area. A list of compatible mobile phones can be found on https://www.gov.uk/alerts/how-alerts-work. A second national test of the Emergency Alerts system will take place on Sunday 7 September around 3pm in the afternoon.

This is just one of many capabilities available to first responders in order to warn and inform the public of a risk to life. Broadcast media including local radio and online news websites disseminate important information, and specifically for adverse weather, warning methods include flood alerts via the Flood Warning Service, Met Office weather warnings and knocking door-to-door when safe.

In the UK, we have a number of public warning and informing mechanisms that can be used in different situations when there is a risk to life. This includes the Emergency Alert system, introduced in April 2023, which has been used five times. Emergency Alerts are instantaneous and the Government can send alerts directly to all mobile phones within a geo-targeted area. A second national test of the emergency alerts system will take place on Sunday 7 September around 3pm in the afternoon.

Other warning methods include flood alerts via the Flood Warning Service, Met Office weather warnings and knocking door-to-door when safe.

Emergency Alerts are broadcast through mobile phone masts, and will be received by phones connected to the targeted masts. 95% of the UK landmass has 4G/5G coverage.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is continuing to work with the UK telecommunications industry to deliver 4G and 5G mobile connectivity to places where there is limited or no coverage.

Emergency alerts are part of a collection of warning and informing systems that we use in the UK for emergency response scenarios. Other methods include local sirens and knocking door-to-door when safe, as well as providing advice through media such as TV and radio.

Details of meetings held by Ministers of the Department for Business and Trade have been routinely published on the transparency pages of gov.uk since the department’s establishment in February 2023.

In limited cases, a foreign company can be a Relevant Legal Entity (RLE) and can be legitimately recorded as a UK company's Person with Significant Control (PSC).

We identified 24,450 unique, non-dissolved companies on the England and Wales register that have at least one active RLE registered to an overseas country or territory as a PSC.

There are currently 107,382 companies registered in England and Wales who have at least one person of significant control (PSC) currently appointed with a nature of control designating them a trustee of a trust.

Companies House does not have a separate classification to distinguish those PSCs who are trustees of a legal arrangement. Companies House are required to collect information prescribed by law and no stipulation exists in the relevant legislation which creates a separate category which is distinct from trustees of trusts.

Since the commencement of the Register of Overseas Entities regime, up to 31 March 2026, financial penalties have been issued to 445 overseas entities. Of these, 245 penalties with a total value of £13.19 million have been reversed, waived or written off, while penalties with a total value of £9.87 million remain valid. The total value of financial penalties paid to date is £1.18 million as at 31 March 2026.

The 144 cases stated as reversed, waived or written off in the third progress report, included only those recorded during the 2025–26 financial year.

Of the 445 penalties issued to overseas entities for failure to register, as of 31 March 2026, all were financial sanctions in the form of civil penalties.

Failure to register is a criminal offence under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022. The Registrar has the power to issue financial penalties as a sanction, as they have done in all cases.

The Register of Overseas Entities framework does not provide for disqualification, as overseas entities are established and governed under the laws of their home jurisdictions, where responsibility for corporate governance and any disqualification measures rests.

Ofgem is responsible for the connection charging regulatory framework, which strikes a balance between recovering costs from connecting customers and electricity bill payers. In recent years Ofgem has reduced the connection costs that customers face, for example demand customers are typically not now required to contribute towards distribution network reinforcement costs of accommodating their connection.

The Government is working closely with the Data Communications Company (DCC) - the organisation responsible for the smart metering network in Great Britain - to ensure that connectivity can be extended to the small minority of unserved properties as soon as possible.

One such solution, currently being rolled out, is Virtual WAN which involves using customers’ broadband connections (with consent) to carry smart metering communications.

Smart Meters are helping millions of consumers save money (households saved an estimated £700 million on bills in 2025 by managing energy usage using smart meters), whilst also supporting the delivery of Clean Power 2030.

The Government is working closely with the Data Communications Company (DCC) - the organisation responsible for the smart metering network in Great Britain - to ensure that connectivity can be extended to the small minority of unserved properties as soon as possible.

One such solution, currently being rolled out, is Virtual WAN which involves using customers’ broadband connections (with consent) to carry smart metering communications.

Smart Meters are helping millions of consumers save money (households saved an estimated £700 million on bills in 2025 by managing energy usage using smart meters), whilst also supporting the delivery of Clean Power 2030.

Businesses in the baking industry can benefit from the Climate Change Agreements scheme, which provides Climate Change Levy discounts of up to 92% in return for improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions.

More broadly, our Clean Power by 2030 mission is working to reduce reliance on volatile fossil fuels and lower electricity costs for businesses. We are also continuing to develop policies to bring down electricity costs relative to gas and intend to consult on options to make electrification an economically rational choice for a wide range of businesses.

In due course, we will also set out a clear plan for industrial decarbonisation to support a competitive low‑carbon industrial base and to ensure growth opportunities are realised alongside emissions reductions.

Installers participate in the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and access funding only by delivering measures on behalf of obligated energy suppliers. ECO4 is not government‑funded, rather suppliers pay for installations and recover costs through their customers’ bills. To work under ECO4, installers must be TrustMark‑registered and comply with relevant standards for installing energy efficiency measures. Suppliers decide with which installers they contract.

No projects to improve mobile signal in the North Norfolk constituency have been funded or part-funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology between 2022 and 2026.

The constituency has not been identified for intervention from the Government funded elements of the Shared Rural Network programme (SRN) over this period because of the high level of 4G geographic coverage across the constituency, although it has received industry investment through the programme.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring update, published on 13 May 2026, it is reported that, as of January 2026, 91% of the North Norfolk constituency landmass has 4G geographic coverage from all four MNOs.

No further coverage uplift is currently forecast for the constituency from the Government-funded element of the SRN programme, with the construction phase of the programme expected to conclude in January 2027.

Since January 2025, the Government has united digital, data, and AI teams into one centre to tackle identified systemic blockers to transformation. Government has also launched the GOV.UK app, the digital HM Armed Forces Veteran Card, and 13.2 million people have now proven their identity using the single sign-on system OneLogin.

In January 2026, the Government published ‘A Roadmap for Modern Digital Government’, its plan to make government more user-focused, efficient and resilient to deliver better outcomes for the public and the economy. It provides a public-facing, whole-of-government commitment to digital transformation and holds departments accountable for progress, updates on which will be regularly published.

At the same time as publishing the State of Digital Government Review, the Government set out the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government. In January 2026, the Government published the Roadmap for Modern Digital Government, translating that vision into a practical delivery plan and setting out further action to join up services and strengthen shared digital infrastructure. This included establishing the Technical Design Council, comprised of technical experts from across the Public Sector, to provide strategic direction on shared strategies and technical solutions.

In April 2025, the Prime Minister made the commitment that one in 10 civil servants will work in technology and digital roles by 2030. When like-for-like roles are compared over the 6-months from April to October 2025, the digital workforce has grown by 0.3% of the civil service - from 4.9% to 5.2%. However, for the first time, we are now also able to report on cyber and other digital roles (the majority of which are included in the one in 10 definition), which uplifts the October figure to 5.7%

The next workforce commission will take place in April 2026, in which we hope to see further growth.

Yes, the Government engages regularly with communication providers and network operators to ensure that the industry-led transition from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) proceeds safely.

I have written to all telecare suppliers with Stephen Kinnock MP (Minister for Care, DHSC) urging them to stop selling analogue telecare devices that are reliant on the PSTN and do not function over fibre-to-the-premises broadband. On November 18th I hosted a roundtable specifically to discuss the protection of telecare users during the PSTN migration. At this meeting major communication providers agreed to extra safeguards to protect telecare users ahead of restarting non-voluntary migrations.

Under the licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission requires operators to prevent gambling being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime and disorder, or being used to support crime.

The Home Office has introduced legislation in the Crime and Policing Bill to make improvements to the confiscation regime, including to ensure that a confiscation order more accurately reflects the benefit from crime. The draft bill contains no specific provisions for certain sectors, including the gambling sector. However, the Home Office will engage the gambling sector on how the legislative changes will be implemented in their sector in due course.

The introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators will, however, represent a generational change to funding arrangements and a renewed commitment to improving efforts to further understand, tackle and treat harmful gambling. As set out in our public consultation, the prevention stream could see investment directed for projects to build capacity and expertise in frontline settings to increase responsiveness to gambling harm, including criminal justice settings.

The Government response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on grassroots music venues sets out our commitment to working across the music sector to support the sustainability of grassroots music. In particular, the Government is urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector. As part of our support for the sector, we are continuing to fund Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Music Fund which provides grants to grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals of live and electronic music in England.

As set out in the Government response, we have no plans to introduce a cut to VAT based on venue capacity or to undertake a bespoke economic analysis of the impact of a VAT cut to 10% on tickets.

In July 2024 the Government published an audit of public spending. This set out £22 billion of in-year pressures. These pressures were not limited to 2024–25, with the vast majority recurring in future years.

The Government is now fixing the foundations by delivering economic and fiscal stability, supporting public services, boosting investment, and setting the public finances on a sustainable path. These are essential foundations for long-run economic growth, and require tough decisions on tax, spending and welfare.

The department is committed to supporting all schools, including small rural primaries, to manage their resources effectively and maximise value. Through our ‘Maximising value for pupils’ programme, we are helping schools realise better value from existing spend, including on energy, agency supply staff, banking, and management information systems. This support is available to all schools, regardless of size or location.

We recognise the unique challenges of small rural primary schools and that is why our Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool allows schools to compare their spending against others in similar circumstances, including by size and location, so that leaders can make informed decisions that reflect the realities of their school, rather than comparing themselves to settings with different contexts.

In line with the Cabinet Office May 2026 elections guidance, during the three weeks preceding local authority elections, the department will take special care in relation to decisions, announcements and other public actions which could have a bearing on the elections.

The department has not made such an assessment.

However, in line with the Cabinet Office May 2026 elections guidance, during the three weeks preceding local authority elections the department takes special care in relation to announcements, including academy closures, and other public actions which could have a bearing on the elections.

Local authorities are the decision makers for proposals to close maintained schools. Local authorities are subject to their own restrictions when elections are taking place.

All state-funded schools with primary aged pupils, including those with specialist units, special schools and alternative provision schools, are in scope for the free breakfast clubs programme.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, all state-funded schools with primary-aged pupils will be required to offer a free breakfast club and will be funded to do so.

We are undertaking national roll out of free breakfast clubs to these schools in phases, with 2,000 starting in the 2026/2027 financial year. We will share details regarding how schools can join the programme in future years, in due course.

The arrangements for closing a standalone sixth form college are set out in the Dissolution of Further Education Corporations and Sixth Form College Corporations (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2012, and do not include partial closure.

It is for the college to decide the provision offered, taking into account the local authority’s statutory duty to ensure sufficient provision for 16 to 18 year-olds and their learner demographic and needs.

For school sixth forms, it is up to individual schools to decide which post-16 qualifications to offer in line with the 16 to 19 study programmes guidance.

I refer the hon. Member to the response given to him on 29 June 2026 to PQ UIN 12919.

Defra officials and the Environment Agency (EA) are engaging with Norfolk County Council regarding the challenges it is facing dealing with backlogs of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) at Norfolk's recycling centres to help Norfolk councils to resume WEEE and batteries recycling services.

The EA's focus has been on Norfolk's Household Waste Recycling Centre contractors to help resolve issues on their sites.

Defra officials and the Environment Agency (EA) are engaging with Norfolk County Council regarding the challenges it is facing resuming WEEE and batteries recycling services.

Local EA teams are providing advice, including advising on Regulatory Position Statements to help restore full services as quickly and safely as possible, whilst maintaining environmental compliance. Interim measures have already enabled the continued collection of large domestic appliances.