Since the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy in November 2025, the Department has not purchased any new build Service Family Accommodation (SFA) of timber frame construction. In relation to the repair or refurbishment of SFA, the Department is in the early stages of the renovation programme and most of the existing military housing stock is predominately solid wall or brick and block construction.

Decisions on the materials used in future Defence housing developments and major refurbishments will continue to be taken on a case-by-case basis, balancing factors including safety, performance, sustainability, value for money and operational requirements.

The procurement strategy for the Aircrew Helmet Programme will align with the objectives of the Defence Investment Plan in promoting British manufacturing, sovereign capability, and SME participation, whilst also ensuring that the required safety and capability requirements are met, and that the procurement ultimately delivers value for money to the UK taxpayer.

The Education Estates Strategy sets out plans for an education estate that supports opportunity for all, with an education estate that is safe, suitable, sustainable and appropriately sufficiently sized. It is backed by a ten-year plan to deliver a decade of renewal to transform schools and colleges.

The department expects all settings to have a climate action plan to ensure that the education estate becomes more climate resilient.

We will support all settings to develop climate action plans and appoint a sustainability lead through the Sustainability Support Programme until at least 2030. More than 10,000 education settings are already accessing this free support.

The Sustainability Support for Education online service signposts settings to relevant actions and trusted guidance and tools.

Climate Ambassadors, working with Ashden’s ‘Let’s Go Zero’ campaign, provide on the ground support and facilitate peer learning.

All settings have the flexibility to develop a plan that reflects their specific context, priorities and needs.

The government recognises that timber offers a solution as a renewable, low-carbon resource. It offers potential to reduce emissions and create jobs, as set out in the Timber in Construction Roadmap: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-in-construction-roadmap-2025/timber-in-construction-roadmap-2025.

The department has piloted a number of projects which explore the use of timber in school construction, including three prototypes using UK timber.

Our construction specification requires that new buildings meet an embodied carbon requirement, and that designs use natural materials to create a healthy learning environment. These specifications encourage the use of timber and other natural materials to meet the needs of our low carbon future.

Timber is a commonly used material in maintaining school buildings. School responsible bodies must ensure that the correct materials are used for any works to maintain fire, safety and other critical requirements.

The Defence Housing Strategy published on 3 November 2025, sets out a vision for the future transformation of military homes through a record £9 billion investment over a decade. The Department is in the early stages of the renovation programme.

As we look to apply modern methods of construction to sustain and renew the Service Family Accommodation estate, timber may be considered, where it is determined to be the most cost effective and sustainable solution. This approach will be underpinned by thorough planning and stringent quality control to ensure it effectively supports military capability.

First, let me congratulate my hon. Friend’s council on its great work. The Government are putting hundreds of millions more this coming year into warm homes as part of our record-breaking investment. I hope we can agree across the House that investing in home upgrades is a way to not just have more energy efficiency but cut people’s bills. We are committed to going as far and as fast as we can.

The National Health Service provides a range of weight management services, and we recognise that waiting times for some programmes can be long. NHS England is taking steps to improve access.

Access to the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is being doubled over the next three years, enabling an additional 125,000 people to begin behavioural weight‑loss support without referral delays.

The recent rollout of tirzepatide prescribing in primary care, supported by national guidance and behavioural support, provides another route to access obesity medicines, outside of specialist weight management services, where waiting times can be long. Due to the significant number of people who are potentially eligible for these medicines, the NHS is prioritising access to those with the highest clinical need first.

NHS England continues to work with local systems to improve capacity and test new models of care for obesity prescribing that may help manage demand and reduce waiting lists.

The Government is undertaking the fourth statutory review into the effectiveness of the GCA, and covers the period from 31 March 2022 - 1 April 2025. The review sought input on the GCA's effectiveness in enforcing the Code, its role alongside the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator and potential unfair practices outside its current remit. The Government is currently analysing responses and other publicly available evidence covering the review period. The review report will be published as soon as practicable.

The Government is undertaking the fourth statutory review into the effectiveness of the GCA, and covers the period from 31 March 2022 – 1 April 2025. The review sought input on the GCA’s effectiveness in enforcing the Code, its role alongside the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator and potential unfair practices outside its current remit. The Government is currently analysing responses and other publicly available evidence covering the review period. The review report will be published as soon as practicable.

The Office for Responsible Business Conduct promotes the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and provides a non-judicial grievance mechanism for complaints of non-observance by UK businesses. The government also launched a review, through the Trade Strategy, of the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, which is focussed on tackling human rights, labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains, including those in the fashion industry. We will update the House once the review is complete.

We have already announced measures to tackle late payments through additional reporting requirements for large firms and launched a new Fair Payment Code which aims to boost cash flow for small businesses, crucial for their survival, by tackling late payments and lengthy payment terms that can lead to financial strain and failure.

The Office for Responsible Business Conduct promotes the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and provides a non-judicial grievance mechanism for complaints of non-observance by UK businesses. The government also launched a review, through the Trade Strategy, of the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focusing on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains, including those in the fashion industry.

While concerns have been raised about unfair practices, there are currently no plans to introduce a Fashion Watchdog. However, other measures are being considered as part of the responsible business conduct review. We will update the House once the review is complete.

HM Passport Office policy already allows applications to be considered under compassionate grounds where there is a time-critical requirement arising from religious observance following a death. This includes the scattering of ashes or ritual and prayer ceremonies within a prescribed period.

To ensure staff apply the policy consistently, HM Passport Office is updating its internal guidance to state explicitly that these types of cases may meet the criteria for urgent consideration. Where travel for these purposes is planned but not subject to such time-sensitive requirements, standard processing times will apply.

The department has agreed to work towards association to Erasmus+, on mutually agreed financial terms. Negotiations are under way, and the terms of association are subject to further discussions.

The current Erasmus+ programme is open to a broad audience and provides mobility opportunities for learners and staff across the education, training, youth and sport sectors including for school pupils and school staff. As part of the programme, schools can also develop partnerships and collaborate with other schools or educational organisations.

In the current academic year of the Turing Scheme, we applied a cap to the funding that schools could apply for. Schools could receive funding of up to £50,000 for a single application or, applying as a consortium, up to £50,000 per school to a maximum of £300,000. This will limit how many schools are required to replan their intended placements. Setting a limit means that we can offer schools more certainty that they can be awarded the funding they request, without concentrating the funding in the hands of too few schools.

An estimated 82% of school placements this year will be for students from a disadvantaged background. The proportion of students from a disadvantaged background in a school’s application is a key factor in deciding which applications are funded. More schools than ever before have applied for funding, with 485 applying compared to 333 last year.

Turing Scheme funding is a contribution towards the costs of international educational placements. The scheme provides a contribution to the travel and living costs of students and accompanying staff. Additionally, the Turing Scheme provides readiness to travel funding to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to prepare to travel, which covers items such as passports, visa applications, vaccines, travel insurance and medical certificates.

The Turing Scheme also covers the additional costs faced by those students with special educational needs or a disability. In line with government spending rules, it does not cover costs relating to acquisitions of any form of asset, such as clothing or luggage.

Since bringing management of the Turing Scheme in-house for the 2024/25 academic year, in response to feedback from the education sector, the department introduced a streamlined digital application service that was co-designed. The service also includes simplified and shorter guidance and a grant calculator tool to help providers work out how much funding to apply for.

We welcome feedback from providers throughout the year and make changes to the Scheme’s operation where possible to increase access to the opportunities it provides.

In order to support schools, especially those in disadvantaged areas, the department provided guidance and webinars to enable potential applicants to find out more about the Turing Scheme, what it could offer their students and how to make their application. Since bringing management of the Turing service in-house for the 2024/25 academic year, in response to feedback from the education sector, the department introduced a streamlined digital application service that was co-designed. The service also includes simplified and shorter guidance and a grant calculator tool to help providers work out how much funding to apply for.

It is up to schools to decide whether they choose to use a third party to support them with an application or scheme administration. However, they cannot use Turing Scheme funding towards the cost of appointing an external organisation to write their application.

The UK and EU have agreed to work towards association to the Erasmus+ programme, on mutually agreed financial terms. Negotiations are underway and the terms of any association will be subject to further discussions. The department will have to consider the implications for other programmes, following the outcome of those discussions.

Details on the Turing Scheme for future years will be shared in due course.