As a government, we recognise the pressures facing councils. That is why we have taken action including a ten-year social housing rent settlement, reinstating rent convergence, reforming Right to Buy, and investing £39 billion through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme. Through the programme, we will make sure that councils are able to access more of the funding available.

We will continue to work with councils and the wider sector to understand barriers to council housebuilding.

The £15 billion Defence Investment Plan uplift will take NATO-qualifying defence spending to 2.7% of GDP in 2027-28. This is primarily funded by reallocating £10.3 billion across government, with £4.7 billion to be confirmed at Budget 2026.

At the next Spending Review the Government will set out a clear path to meet its 3.5 per cent NATO target in 2035 and will set a target date to hit 3 per cent on that path.

The UK faces rising threats and the government is responding by boosting defence spending. The £10.3 billion of funding underpinning the Defence Investment Plan, including from departmental savings, asset sales, and specific DESNZ and DfT savings, is set out in the Defence Investment Plan Funding explainer. The departmental control totals forming the basis of these calculations can be found in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook detailed forecast tables for expenditure. Updated control totals will be published at Budget.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport received funding at Spending Review 2025, and the Barnett formula was applied in the usual way to changes in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s DEL budget.

At Spending Reviews, because the Barnett formula is not applied to the individual programmes driving the change in a UK department’s DEL budget, the Barnett consequentials associated with the Places of Worship Renewal Fund cannot be specifically attributed, but were part of the overall calculation.

Funding allocated to the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England is treated as comparable expenditure for the purposes of calculating Barnett consequentials for Scotland.

The Chancellor has been clear that fiscal discipline is his first priority. The fiscal rules keep debt on a sustainable path while allowing borrowing for investment.

Forecasts are produced independently by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR’s most recent forecasts, including for debt interest costs, are available in the March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook linked here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2026/

Departmental budgets for the Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Ministry of Justice are available in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2026, which is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2026

The Chancellor has been clear that fiscal discipline is his first priority. The fiscal rules keep debt on a sustainable path while allowing borrowing for investment.

Forecasts are produced independently by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR’s most recent forecasts, including for debt interest costs, are available in the March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook linked here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2026/

Departmental budgets for the Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Ministry of Justice are available in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2026, which is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2026

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport received funding at Spending Review 2025, and the Barnett formula was applied in the usual way to changes in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s DEL budget.

At Spending Reviews, because the Barnett formula is not applied to the individual programmes driving the change in a UK department’s DEL budget, the Barnett consequentials associated with the Places of Worship Renewal Fund cannot be specifically attributed, but were part of the overall calculation.

Funding allocated to the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England is treated as comparable expenditure for the purposes of calculating Barnett consequentials for Scotland.

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care are in regular contact on a range of issues, including health and social care policy.

As previously set out, the Government extends its sincere and heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by sodium valproate. We recognise the suffering that many individuals and families have experienced and the lasting impact these harms have had on their health, wellbeing and quality of life.

Policy on the issue of redress for families affected by sodium valproate during pregnancy is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department has been in contact with the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, with regard to the ongoing health initiatives it is taking forward in conjunction with NHS England, relating to sodium valproate. Details of the Government’s work to date are set out in recent letters to Professor Hughes, which are published on the PSC website.

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care are in regular contact on a range of issues, including health and social care policy.

As previously set out, the Government extends its sincere and heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by sodium valproate. We recognise the suffering that many individuals and families have experienced and the lasting impact these harms have had on their health, wellbeing and quality of life.

Policy on the issue of redress for families affected by sodium valproate during pregnancy is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department has been in contact with the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, with regard to the ongoing health initiatives it is taking forward in conjunction with NHS England, relating to sodium valproate. Details of the Government’s work to date are set out in recent letters to Professor Hughes, which are published on the PSC website.

We recognise the challenges hospitality businesses face. To support businesses and families across the United Kingdom over the summer period, between 25 June to 1 September the Government introduced a temporary reduced rate of VAT on children's menu meals and eligible family attractions.

This was a targeted and temporary scheme to reduce the costs of children’s meals in restaurants, children’s tickets for theatres and cinemas and tickets for everyone for attractions like soft play, adventure centres, and theme parks, helping families enjoy a day out for less, and benefiting businesses across the United Kingdom including in Northern Ireland.

VAT is a UK-wide tax and introducing regional VAT rates would add complexity for businesses and the tax system, and would reduce revenue available for vital public services.

Wider business support is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive’s Spending Review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution and they receive over 24% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK.

The £15 billion Defence Investment Plan uplift will take NATO-qualifying defence spending to 2.7% of GDP in 2027-28. This is primarily funded by reallocating £10.3 billion across government, with £4.7 billion to be confirmed at Budget 2026.

At the next Spending Review the Government will set out a clear path to meet its 3.5 per cent NATO target in 2035 and will set a target date to hit 3 per cent on that path.

The Government published a new version of the Green Book in February. This ensures that government decisions are no longer based solely on single metrics, such as benefit-cost ratios or net present social values. They must instead take into account the full range of economic and social impacts that arise from the project.

The new Green Book makes clear that a proposal with a benefit-cost ratio of less than one (i.e. a negative net present social value) may still represent value for money. This may be the case, for instance, if the project has significant benefits that cannot be expressed in monetary terms and which therefore cannot be included in a benefit-cost ratio.

The UK has met NATO’s 1.5% defence and security-related spending target, as defined by NATO. NATO’s definition sets out that spend should be to protect our critical infrastructure, defend our networks, ensure our civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation and strengthen our defence industrial base.

Public spending is determined through the Spending Review process, which last took place in 2025 and set departmental resource budgets through to 2029-30 and capital budgets to 2030-31. All spending captured as part of the 1.5% is determined through the Spending Review and set out to Parliament via the Estimates process in the usual way.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority engages with projects and programmes throughout their project lifecycle, and throughout the delivery system in government, in order to enhance government’s capability and capacity to improve delivery of priority outcomes.

NISTA undertakes regular independent and rigorous assurance of large infrastructure projects on the Government Major Projects Portfolio, in line with the Teal Book and Treasury Approvals Process. This assurance provides confidence to senior leaders and stakeholders, including those involved in spending decisions, that work is well-governed and supports successful delivery of policy, strategy and objectives.

NISTA has also developed a comprehensive capability and capacity building offer for departments, ALBs and will be looking to expand this further to support regionally-led delivery.

The £15 billion Defence Investment Plan uplift will take NATO-qualifying defence spending to 2.7% of GDP in 2027-28. This is primarily funded by reallocating £10.3 billion across government, with £4.7 billion to be confirmed at Budget 2026.

At the next Spending Review the Government will set out a clear path to meet its 3.5 per cent NATO target in 2035 and will set a target date to hit 3 per cent on that path.

The UK and Canada share a common objective of strengthening Allied defence industrial capacity through closer international cooperation. The Multilateral Defence Mechanism (MDM) and Canada's proposed Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) are intended to address related challenges within the defence industrial ecosystem.

Following the joint-PM statement at the NATO Ankara summit in July, we committed to working closely with our Canadian allies on how the MDM and DSRB can work together, and we continue to do this.

The Government remains committed to supporting people to lead healthier lives and looks at a wide range of evidence on the impacts of alcohol-related harm

Alcohol-related harm places pressure on individuals, families, communities and public services, including the NHS, and we are taking action to address this.

As outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Department of Health and Social Care is working towards launching a consultation in late 2026 on options to make it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information, which will support people to make healthier choices about alcohol.

This Government is committed to fair treatment for all pupils, whether they attend state or independent schools.

At Budget 2024 the Government made changes to policy on tax exemption for parents who wish to send their children to independent schools. The removal of VAT exemption for independent schools raises revenue to ensure high-quality education for every child.

The Government has increased school funding by £2.3 billion in 2026-27.

This investment will help to support our commitment to recruit 6,500 new teachers, to support our national attendance and behaviour programme, and to build a genuinely inclusive mainstream education system that will deliver positive outcomes for all pupils and parents.

A hyperlink to the information mentioned in the answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 9340 on Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68383bca9c65cc8cdbae650a/GPC_Spend_Data_-_April_2025___Spending_by_Business_Units_no_longer_part_of_Cabinet_Office_.csv