I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality and are only uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating. This approach has been supported by successive governments over many years.

As of 3 July 2026, a total of 98,746 members across the active, deferred, and pensioner cohorts have been issued with their RSSs under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). There remains 37,890 members who are still awaiting issuance of their RSS. Of these, 12,123 are pensioner members who left service prior to 1 October 2023.

At this stage, I am unable to provide a specific completion date for all outstanding RSSs. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to keeping members informed and a further update on progress and timescales will be published on the Armed Forces Pensions page. The Armed Forces Pensions page on GOV.UK provides a delivery update and outlines the revised timeline, which can be found at the following link under 'Remediable Service Statement Delivery Update':

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

As the delay breaches the regulatory deadline, the MOD has reported this matter to the Pensions Regulator and is keeping them informed of our efforts to address the issue. It is important to note that all public sector schemes are facing similar challenges, and this is not a problem exclusive to the AFPS or the MOD.

Standard pension claims are generally being processed within published service standards and current performance remains high, with pension payments continuing to be made accurately and on time. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with its pension administrators to ensure Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) benefits are processed as efficiently as possible.

The Department is implementing a range of improvements aimed at enhancing service delivery, including the introduction of the Compendia Touch system to streamline case management, ongoing process improvements, and consideration of opportunities to increase processing capacity and automation. These measures are intended to improve productivity and maintain efficient processing times for AFPS members.

In England, there were 137,520 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers as at 30 September 2025. We are putting officers where the public expects to see them, back on the frontline keeping our communities safe. We are committed to delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by 2029 and have already delivered more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles.

In addition, as part of our measures to tackle antisemitism, we have announced funding for an additional 500 FTE personnel in areas where we need them most.

The next data publication covering the police workforce as at 31 March 2026 will be released on 22 July 2026.

Officials are working closely with the Building Safety Regulator and plan to publish a Call for Evidence on Part K of the Building Regulations and Approved Document K in due course.

The Department of Health and Social Care fully supports the commitment to extend the Armed Forces Covenant duty to include social care. We are dedicated to working closely with the Ministry of Defence and local authorities to ensure the Covenant’s principles are effectively implemented to meet the specific care needs of service personnel, veterans, and their families, including considering where any further guidance might be required.

Independent cinemas serve as essential cultural cornerstones for local communities, providing invaluable access to the arts while driving economic vitality on our high streets. Independent cinemas can apply for a number of funding schemes. For example, through the British Film Institute, cinemas can access support for audience-facing projects through the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund. They can also join the BFI Film Audience Network and apply for funding to support projects that bring audiences together. Cinemas may also be eligible for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, or for schemes such as the Heritage Revival Fund, delivered by the Architectural Heritage Fund to help communities across England to rescue and repurpose neglected heritage buildings. Cinemas will also benefit from permanently lower business rates multipliers we have introduced for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure venues to support financial sustainability.

Whilst no specific discussions have been held between Ministers in the Department and the devolved administrations on cross border portability of social care assessments for Armed Forces families, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. The Government is working to modernise the way care assessments are carried out across England, helping people get the support they need faster and more easily.

Access to higher education (HE) diplomas remain an important pathway to support adults to go into HE.

These qualifications are designed for those over 19 years old. We are not removing funding for students aged 19 or over, who remain funded through Advanced Learner Loans (ALLs). Students who take out an ALL for an Access to HE diploma will have the outstanding balance written off if they complete an eligible HE course, such as an undergraduate degree.

Following the completion of our post-16 pathways qualification reforms, students aged 16 to 19 will have a clear choice between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels at level 3. The department is working in close partnership with the sector to support the development and implementation of the reforms and will continue to engage widely with providers, representative bodies and employers to share learning, respond to feedback and refine delivery over time.

Regulatory action can and has been taken to address the risks from endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The concern for EDCs, which have been linked to numerous human health and wildlife impacts, is a complex scientific issue. Our approach to risk assessment and management makes use of the best available evidence to maintain high standards of protection. We commission research and engage with the scientific community, experts within our regulatory bodies and NGOs to build understanding of EDCs.

The UK Health Security Agency keeps the evidence on potential health impacts of environmental pollution, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), under review. The Government also works with international partners, including the World Health Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, to ensure approaches reflect current scientific understanding.

The risks to human health and the environment from individual chemicals are assessed and regulated at a national level by the relevant authorities, including the Health and Safety Executive, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Food Standards Agency and the Environment Agency.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs states that regulatory action can and has been taken to address the risks from EDCs. The concern for EDCs, which have been linked to numerous human health and wildlife impacts, is a complex scientific issue. The approach to risk assessment and management makes use of the best available evidence to maintain high standards of protection. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs commissions research and engage with the scientific community, experts within the regulatory bodies and non-governmental organisations to build understanding of EDCs.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet local needs, including considering how any identified inequalities in access to services should be addressed.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to shifting more care from hospitals into the community to improve patient outcomes. Many ICBs are already commissioning enhanced eye care services from high street optical practices. This sits alongside the National Health Service’s sight testing service which is widely available across the country.

The Getting It Right First Time glaucoma best practice guidance, published in May 2026, will support more glaucoma patients receiving their follow up care on time. Our plans to invest £20 million to support digital referrals and access to the national care record service and develop single points of access between primary and secondary care will also support quicker access for patients to appropriate care.

Access to HE Diplomas remain an important pathway to support adults to go into higher education. That is why we are retaining funding for students aged 19+ through Advanced Learner Loans (ALLs). Students who take out an ALL for an Access to HE Diploma will have the outstanding balance written off if they complete an eligible higher education course, such as an undergraduate degree.

Following the completion of our post-16 pathways qualification reforms, students after 16 will have a clear choice between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels at level 3. The equalities impact assessment published alongside the government response to the Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways consultation sets out our analysis of impacts for students aged 16 to 19 with protected characteristics, and anticipates positive impacts for students from clearer choices and progression routes.

The Health Bill will transfer statutory responsibility for commissioning primary ophthalmic services to integrated care boards (ICBs). Commissioning responsibility for these services has already been delegated by NHS England to ICBs since 2023, and funding is allocated to ICBs each year for this purpose. National Health Service sight testing services will continue to operate within a national regulatory and contractual framework, with contract terms set in regulations and fees set nationally through Directions. The bill will not affect patient eligibility for NHS sights tests.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.