The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the UK’s data protection legislation independently of Government. The ICO has published guidance on artificial intelligence (AI) and data protection and is working with organisations on the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies: (see https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/what-we-do/our-work-on-artificial-intelligence/working-groups-and-how-you-can-work-with-us/).

The Government recently used powers under the Data Protection Act 2018 to require the ICO to produce a statutory Code of Practice on Artificial Intelligence and Automated Decision-Making. The ICO also operates a regulatory sandbox to support organisations developing innovative products and services that use personal data in safe and responsible ways.

The Government continues to work closely with the ICO to ensure that innovation in AI is underpinned by high standards of data protection and public trust.

The Government recognises that camera-enabled smart glasses and similar wearable technologies can raise privacy considerations.

My department engages regularly with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator, on data protection and privacy matters, including the impact of emerging technologies.

The ICO has recently published guidance on how Internet of Things products and services, such as smart glasses and similar products, can process data of consumers fairly and transparently. It has also discussed the privacy implications of smart glasses with international counterparts through the G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable. The Government will continue to monitor this area closely.

Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual benefits uprating process. Any decisions on uprating are considered alongside wider fiscal and welfare measures as part of the Autumn Budget process.

Government remains committed to strengthening and prioritising resilient and sustainable offshore wind supply chains in the UK. We have set out a package of support for offshore wind supply chains worth up to £1 billion.

Government, through Great British Energy (GBE) is also establishing a Deepwater Wind Commercialisation Programme in partnership with FLOWEX, to unlock the industrial opportunity from the next frontier of offshore wind deployment.

Additionally, the UK-Japan Offshore Wind Industrial Compact, developed in close partnership with GBE, will drive up to £9bn into the UK economy over the next decade and help to scale floating offshore wind.

The government intends to publish data on the Allocation Round 7 Clean Industry Bonus in due course and once investments are confirmed, including a list of which manufacturing facilities benefited from an award. However, at present this is commercially sensitive information pertaining to live procurements. Disclosure of information on individual successful applicants, award values and investment proposals at this time could prejudice commercial interests and future competitive processes.

The Clean Industry Bonus is intended to support investment in cleaner and more resilient offshore wind supply chains. In Allocation Round 7, £204 million of funding was awarded and is expected to leverage up to £3.4 billion of private investment across a range of offshore wind supply chain activities, including foundation structure manufacturers. This investment will help strengthen domestic industrial capability, support jobs in some of the most deprived areas of the country, and support the delivery of economic growth across the UK.

Continued Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) activity in the buffer zone is in violation of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces agreement and we have called on Israel to lay out timelines for their withdrawal. We expect the Government of Israel to adhere to their commitment that their presence in the buffer zone is both limited and temporary. We continue to support the work of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) who remain vital for stability for Syria and the wider region, participating regularly in UN Security Council Meetings on UNDOF, most recently in consultations in June 2026.

While recognising Israel's legitimate security concerns, the UK continues to support respect for international law and has been clear that any Israeli presence in the UN-monitored buffer zone is in violation of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces agreement and should be temporary and not become permanent, and we will continue to press Israel to uphold its commitments in this regard. We urge the Israeli Government to return to negotiations with the Syrian Government - this is in all parties' interests. We support the work of United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) who remain vital for stability for Syria and the wider region, participating regularly in UN Security Council Meetings on UNDOF, most recently in June 2026.

The UK is committed to supporting the implementation of the 20-Point Plan in full, as the most viable route to a sustainable and long-term peace. We continue to work with international partners to sustain the ceasefire, improve humanitarian access, support early recovery and reconstruction and advance transitional security and governance arrangements in Gaza. Recent UK assistance includes our commitment of £10 million to the UN Horizon Fund which will support UN agencies in their joint and coordinated effort to support early recovery in Palestine and in particular the Gaza Strip. I met the Chief Commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza on the 18 August during my visit to Egypt.

he Home Office recognises the challenges involved in identifying and bringing to justice those responsible for mobile phone and laptop theft. These offences are often linked to organised criminality, with stolen devices frequently moved, resold or exported quickly, making offenders harder to identify and disrupt. Tackling street crime, including mobile phone and laptop theft, remains a priority, and police forces across the country have taken determined action against the groups responsible. We are supporting policing to maintain this progress and sustain operational successes.

Technical solutions are critical because, if a stolen device cannot be reused or resold, it loses its value to criminals, removing the incentive for organised criminal groups and others to target them. The Met police are working with technology companies to explore measures that reduce the resale value of stolen phones and their component parts and enable police to identify stolen devices more quickly. In recent months, companies including Apple and Google have introduced enhanced theft protections and the Met police and Apple have committed to publishing quarterly data on device reconnections to help assess their effectiveness.

There are encouraging signs that industry action and strengthened law enforcement efforts are having an impact. Police recorded theft from the person offences in England and Wales, including snatch thefts and pickpocketing of mobile phones and laptops, fell by 20% in 2025/26, from 151,063 offences in 2024/25 to 121,161 offences in 2025/26. This follows previous increases in recorded offences and suggests that the combined efforts of policing and partners are beginning to deliver results.

We welcome this progress, but the key test will be whether phone theft continues to fall. We are monitoring progress closely and will take further action if needed.

This Government is determined to tackle theft offences, including the theft of mobile phones and laptops, which have a significant impact on victims.

The Government is working closely with policing and technology partners who are collaborating on technical measures aimed at reducing the attractiveness of mobiles to criminals. In recent months, companies including Apple and Google have introduced enhanced theft protection measures, while a data sharing agreement being operated by the Met and Apple is helping assess how effectively these measures are working.

We welcome these advances. The Government is continuing to support these efforts and is monitoring progress closely. If not satisfied about the pace of progress, we will take further action, including legislation if necessary.

We are also boosting the enforcement response. Through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are restoring neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and Police Community Support Officers into communities, ensuring every neighbourhood has named and contactable officers, and strengthening the response to local crime. We are also providing the police with stronger powers through the Crime and Policing Act, including powers to enter and search premises where GPS-tracked stolen property is reasonably believed to be located, enabling officers to recover stolen items more quickly.

These efforts are supporting local action against theft. While specific data on mobile phone and laptop theft in Newcastle and Tyne East and Wallsend is not available, the Newcastle upon Tyne Community Safety Partnership recorded 438 theft from person offences (which includes mobile phone and laptop theft by snatch theft and pickpocketing) in the year ending March 2026, a 10% decrease on the previous year.

The Department has made no direct assessment of the potential impact, the Department expects all train operators, who are accountable for accessible service delivery, to consider the needs of disabled passengers, comply with their equality obligations, and make reasonable adjustments to ensure services remain accessible.

The government has been clear that Royal Mail’s quality of service has not been good enough.

The Government has discussed Royal Mail’s performance with the company and Ofcom, as the independent regulator, and they know there is more to do to improve stability and reliability for customers, but it is welcome that the most recently released quality of service figures, for Q1 26/27, show an improvement.

Ofcom has opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s quality of service performance for 2025-26 and Royal Mail has published a quality of service improvement plan alongside a £500 million investment into frontline resourcing.

The government will continue to press royal Mail for improvements in service quality.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.

Introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals (FSM) so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit are eligible from the start of academic year 2026 to 2027 will make it much easier for parents to know whether their children are entitled to FSM. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.

We are also rolling out improvements to the Eligibility Checking System, making it easier for local authorities and schools to check whether children are eligible for FSM.

Ministers and officials regularly meet with Ofcom in its capacity as the independent regulator of postal services.

Under Ofcom’s consumer protection regulation, all delivery operators must have transparent, simple and inexpensive complaints procedures. Following its last review of the regulatory framework in 2022, Ofcom introduced new guidance for delivery operators on complaints handling processes to provide greater clarity on how they are expected to comply with their consumer protection obligations.

Ofcom continues to monitor operators’ compliance with its regulations and will keep the need for enforcement or additional regulation under review.

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, backed by over £600 million of funding for the next three years, provides free nutritious meals, enriching activities, and safe environments to eligible children during the school holidays. This benefits their health, wellbeing and readiness to learn, with more than 500,000 children benefitting from HAF over the last year.

The programme is focussed on ensuring support for families facing the greatest levels of disadvantage and therefore is targeted primarily at children eligible for free school meals from households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less (‘targeted FSM’).

However, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised places to children who do not meet these criteria, but who could benefit from HAF.

HAF sits alongside wider support for low-income families, including the expansion of free school meals, free breakfast clubs, and broader action through the child poverty strategy.

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is kept under review, to ensure that it continues to meet its objectives and deliver value for money.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We are investing over £1 billion across the Spending Review period to deliver the expansion of free school meals (FSM) from September 2026, providing new funding beyond existing school budgets.

We recognise the pressures that some schools and suppliers may face due to rising costs. The department is working closely with the sector to support the deliverability of the FSM expansion and the implementation of updated School Food Standards.

Mainstream schools will also receive additional funding through the FSM expansion grant during the 2026 to 2027 academic year, providing support until the lagged funding system reflects increased eligibility. As with all programmes, the department continues to keep funding arrangements for FSM under review.