The department does not hold specific data on the number of complaints about the mis-selling of horses, and it has not made an assessment of the adequacy of regulating this market. However, businesses must comply with consumer protection law, including requirements that information provided to consumers is clear and not misleading.

Horses that are sold for commercial purposes would generally not be in scope of consumer protection legislation and would be largely a matter of contractual law.

More broadly, the Government recently committed to longer term plans to overhaul the wider consumer protection landscape.

Police forces are operationally independent from Government. Chief Constables and their officers are responsible for determining what action is appropriate in individual cases, including when information should be shared with relevant safeguarding partners, local authorities or other agencies.

The statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out clear expectation that safeguarding partners must work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Practitioners should be alert to children showing signs of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour and should consider whether a referral to local authority children's social care, or Youth Offending Team, is required.

At Tax Update Day 2026, the Government announced that it would accelerate the removal of the customs duty relief for low value imports and introduce a new set of customs arrangements by October 2028 at the latest.

The Government has determined that implementing the reforms by October 2028 strikes an appropriate balance between strengthening customs controls and supporting fair competition sooner, while retaining sufficient lead-in time for businesses to adapt their processes and prepare for the new requirements.

Failings in Energy Company Obligation 4 and the Great British Insulation Schemes highlighted weaknesses in consumer protection for home upgrades. There was a clear commitment in the Warm Homes Plan to learn from past failures and take decisive action to ensure consumers are properly protected in future schemes.

To put this vision into practice, we are consulting on options to strengthen the oversight of the consumer protection system. The consultation, available on Gov.uk, closes on 10 September 2026. This feedback will inform an assessment of the likely impacts of the proposed reforms, including on instances of defective works.

The Government is committed to the safety and security of Jewish communities across the UK and to tackling antisemitism wherever it occurs. Everyone should feel safe to practise their faith and participate in public life free from intimidation or fear.

In April, the Government announced £25 million of immediate funding in 2026/27 to strengthen policing, protect Jewish communities and provide reassurance in response to the terrorist attack in Golders Green and recent spate of antisemitic attacks. Within this, an additional £4 million was allocated to the Jewish Community Protective Security (JCPS) Grant, taking the total amount to £32.4 million in 2026/27. The JCPS Grant funds protective security measures at synagogues, Jewish educational institutions, and other community sites. It is administered by the Community Security Trust (CST) on behalf of the Home Office.

On 3 June the Government announced a further £251.1 million of funding to policing to provide a sustained, national response to the threat of antisemitism. This funding, split over 3 years, will boost police visibility in Jewish communities, increase counterterrorism capabilities, and deliver nationwide coordination and investigations to tackle antisemitism both online and on our streets.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the UK National Threat Level from SUBSTANTIAL, meaning a terrorist attack is likely, to SEVERE, meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely. This change came after the terrorist attack at Golders Green on 29 April, although it is not solely a result of that attack - the terrorist threat level in the UK has been rising for some time, driven by an increase in the broader Islamist and Extreme Right Wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the UK.

The department safeguards students at academy schools by setting statutory requirements through the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance. Academy trusts must comply with these standards and have effective safeguarding policies and procedures in place.

The department also monitors compliance by seeking assurances from academy trusts and reviewing safeguarding arrangements but works closely with local authorities. Ofsted inspects safeguarding arrangements to keep children safe.

Whilst the department’s role is to assure itself that academy trusts are fulfilling their statutory responsibilities, local authorities are responsible for investigating individual complaints, reflecting their overarching duty for child protection within their area. It is essential that such investigations are conducted by individuals with the appropriate expertise and experience. Established procedures must be followed to ensure that all schools are treated fairly, consistently and proportionately.

The Government is committed to ensuring a healthy and plural local media for the benefit of communities and citizens across the UK, and recognises the vital role that local press plays in scrutinising local institutions, and reflecting communities’ views and perspectives.

Our recently published Local Media Action Plan will support local media organisations across the country to innovate and adapt their business models for the online world, while incentivising and encouraging the production of high quality, trustworthy news. Our overarching goal is to empower communities through a thriving local media which highlights the issues that matter to them, helping to drive community wellbeing, social cohesion and local growth.

In the Action Plan we have made a series of commitments which will help local media, including: investing up to £12m in a new Local News Fund, which will help local media outlets adapt to commercial and technological changes and revive a local news presence in areas where it has retreated; more than doubling community radio funding to £1m a year; launching a new campaign starting in the North West to encourage more young people into journalism careers; and creating a new Regional Media Forum in the West of England, to develop a framework for best practice in scrutiny of local decision-making and public services.

We are not planning any initiatives relating to the production of school newspapers. However, we do want to ensure that young people continue to have access to trustworthy and high quality news online from a range of sources. We are working with industry to promote and improve the ‘Newspapers for Schools’ News Library, an existing platform offering digital access to 150 local and national news titles for all state-funded primary and secondary schools in the country.

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

The department works closely with local authorities to strengthen safeguarding standards across early years settings, including nurseries and childcare centres.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are seeking to require the automatic involvement of education and childcare settings in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, ensuring their participation and that their views are represented at both strategic and operational levels. These measures strengthen the role of education and childcare providers in safeguarding and support effective information sharing through statutory guidance.

As part of wider safeguarding reforms, in September 2025 we strengthened safeguarding requirements through changes to the early years foundation stage statutory framework, including enhanced expectations on safer recruitment, child absences, safer eating, safeguarding training and whistleblowing.

In addition, we have appointed an expert panel to inform the development of guidance for the early years sector on the use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding. This guidance is due to be published in the autumn and will set out best practice, technical information and clear expectations for providers.

Universities are autonomous institutions and therefore have their own policies and procedures for handling employee concerns.

In addition, the government will work with the Department for Business and Trade to add the Office for Students (OfS) to the list of prescribed bodies under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2024. This change will help ensure that whistleblowers can report wrongdoing related to registered higher education providers with confidence.

The OfS will also strengthen how it monitors universities’ efforts to prevent individuals from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting it. It will publish a new monitoring framework and accompanying guidance in September, which will come into effect at the beginning of 2027.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The framework is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

The EYFS requires providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. Decisions about installing and using CCTV are for individual providers, subject to safeguarding and data protection requirements. While CCTV can support safeguarding, it is most effective when combined with strong safeguarding cultures, supported by training, supervision and effective oversight.

As part of the department’s ongoing review of safeguarding requirements, an expert advisory panel will be appointed to inform sector guidance on the safe and effective use of CCTV and digital devices within safeguarding. This guidance will consider whether CCTV should be mandated and will set out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations.

In June 2025, my hon. Friend, the former Minister for Early Education met with Genevieve’s parents and The Lullaby Trust to discuss the campaign for Gigi’s proposals. In January 2026, I also met with Genevieve’s parents and The Lullaby Trust to continue these discussions. The department will continue to consider these as part of our ongoing review of the safeguarding requirements for early years settings.

Since these meetings, policy officials have continued to engage with the Lullaby Trust to consider the lessons that can be learned from previous serious incidents and to ensure that children are kept as safe as possible. To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) frameworks. The department has worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

The department is also in contact with the Campaign for Gigi and will be keeping them updated regarding our ongoing review of early years safeguarding requirements, including those around digital devices and CCTV.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (the ROA) sets out when an offender is considered to be ‘rehabilitated’ for the purposes of the Act and sets out the relevant rehabilitation periods for cautions and convictions, i.e. when a caution or conviction becomes ‘spent’. Where an offender is rehabilitated for the purposes of the ROA, the ROA provides that they are entitled to withhold the fact of, or information about their spent cautions or convictions. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (exceptions) order 1975 creates exceptions with the effect that in some circumstances, spent as well as unspent cautions and convictions must be disclosed and may be taken into account when assessing a person’s suitability for certain positions. This balances the protection of the public with allowing ex-offenders to move on with their lives. We are carefully assessing the evidence in this space before considering whether adjustments to the regime are necessary.

An individual can check if a conviction or caution is spent or unspent via the GOV.UK Disclosure Checker: Check if you need to tell someone about your criminal record: Check if your conviction or caution is spent - GOV.UK. We provide information, advice and guidance for employers, landlords and other entities on how they should implement the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA). This can be found on The GOV.UK guidance on the ROA. The guidance is clear that balanced judgements should be made and factors such as the person’s age at the time of the offence, the nature of the offence, how long ago the offence was committed, its relevance to the application or post in question, and what else is known about the persons conduct should be considered. We also provide good practice resources on hiring prison leavers via the New Futures Network. If an employer is unsure what check can be requested, they can contact the Disclosure and Barring Service.

As part of the Government's plan to Make Work Pay, the Employment Rights Bill is repealing the two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection. By making this a ‘day one’ right, millions of employees will have protection against being arbitrarily fired by their employer. The Government is taking steps to support those with criminal convictions. Employees with spent convictions will be able claim unfair dismissal from day one (excluding those roles covered by the Exceptions Order). Reforms of unfair dismissal will take effect no sooner than autumn 2026.

Organisations in the UK that process personal data must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). Oversight and enforcement of these data protection laws are carried out independently of the government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Under these laws, individuals have several rights concerning their personal data, including the right to request its erasure - commonly referred to as the ‘right to be forgotten’. The ICO, as the UK’s independent data protection regulator, provides comprehensive guidance on its website.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February, this Government has brought forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect hardworking and dedicated shop workers, including small and independent retailers. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or unlimited fine, as well as a presumption on the courts to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.

As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide £100,000 of additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. We will also invest £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime. This will build on funding provided this financial year to the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, for development of training materials for both police and retailers to help combat retail crime and promote partnership working.

We will continue to work closely with the police to consider further training opportunities, including through our Retail Crime Forum, and are delivering on our wider commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing.