National Health Service optical vouchers are primarily targeted at children and individuals on low incomes to help with the cost of glasses and contact lenses. The NHS complex lens voucher is a separate contribution available to eligible individuals with complex prescriptions who do not qualify for a main NHS optical voucher on income grounds.

The value of NHS optical vouchers and associated supplements is kept under annual review as part of the Department’s usual fee-setting process. No decisions have yet been made on voucher values or supplements for 2026/27.

National Health Service optical vouchers are primarily targeted at children and individuals on low incomes to help with the cost of glasses and contact lenses. The NHS complex lens voucher is a separate contribution available to eligible individuals with complex prescriptions who do not qualify for a main NHS optical voucher on income grounds.

The value of NHS optical vouchers and associated supplements is kept under annual review as part of the Department’s usual fee-setting process. No decisions have yet been made on voucher values or supplements for 2026/27.

The cost referenced relates to the February 2026 invoice from Reward Gateway (UK) Ltd, totalling £35,905, for Instant Reward Vouchers purchased in January issued under MHCLG’s Exceptional Performance Scheme for delegated grades.

eCodes are purchased via Reward Gateway and then issued to award recipients. These eCodes are redeemable through Edenred’s Select platform, which provides access to a wide range of participating high street, dining and supermarket retailers. Individuals can use the platform to decide which retailer to redeem their eCode against. As such, vouchers are not purchased against specific individual shop names, and a breakdown by retailer is not held until the eCode is redeemed by the individual.

The monetary values and volumes of vouchers purchased in January 2026 were as follows:

£100 – 198 codes

£75 – 17 codes

£50 – 144 codes

£40 – 3 codes

£25 – 288 codes

£20 – 8 codes

£15 – 10 codes

This represents a total of 668 codes, with a combined value of £35,905.

Based on Ofcom’s Connected Nations reporting for gigabit coverage in the constituency of Carlisle, as of January 2026, 91% of premises had access to gigabit-capable broadband, which is a significant increase from 69% in January 2024 and is above the UK gigabit coverage average of 88%. This has been assisted by Project Gigabit. Across Carlisle, over 4,750 premises have already received a gigabit-capable connection, with an additional 1,770 still expected to be given coverage, via the Project Gigabit contract covering Cumbria which is being delivered by Fibrus.

Through a combination of commercial market and government subsidised delivery, government is ensuring 99% of UK premises will have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2032. In support of this, Building Digital UK (BDUK) is currently refreshing its delivery plans for the remaining premises not included in Project Gigabit or any commercial plans.

BDUK has asked all suppliers to confirm their interest in any further projects through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, though delivery through this route is likely to be limited and BDUK expects most remaining coverage will be provided through Project Gigabit contracts.

DBT regularly engages in discussions with Trading Standards on a variety of consumer protection issues. However, there have not been any discussions specifically on gift card fraud.

The City of London Police and UK Finance recently authored a report on Gift Card Fraud “The Use of Gift Cards as Enablers to Fraud & Cybercrime FY2023-24” and there have been several police operations in this space.

As set out in the Fraud Strategy, the Home Office is working with the specified anti-fraud organisation, CIFAS and retailers and logistics companies to develop proposals to protect the retail sector from fraud, including examining options for a retail-funded unit within the City of London Police. See: Fraud Strategy 2026 to 2029 - GOV.UK.

The Department asked the Law Commission to examine the protection given to consumer prepayments, including gift cards and vouchers, and consider whether such protections should be strengthened. The Law Commission concluded that that there was no need to introduce additional measures for gift cards and vouchers including in relation to expiry dates.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children, including those with complex visual needs such as albinism, can access appropriate optical care and appliances.

National Health Service optical vouchers are designed to support eligible groups, including children, with the cost of clinically necessary glasses or contact lenses. Voucher values range from £42.40 to £233.56, with individuals with more complex prescriptions receiving the high voucher values. There are no plans for a review of NHS optical vouchers.

Children and young people with significant or complex vision impairment may also be supported through NHS low vision services. These services provide specialist assessment and, where appropriate, low vision aids to help maximise functional vision and independence.

In addition to the standard weekly allowance, additional financial support is available during pregnancy and for families with babies and young children, including higher weekly payments and a one-off maternity payment to help meet the costs of caring for a newborn baby. These payments are accessible through the Aspen card.

Since my response to PQ 87077 on 10 November 2025, uptake of the Mediation Voucher Scheme has continued to grow. The scheme has now helped over 51,000 families access mediation services since its launch.

Decisions on the continuation or expansion of the Mediation Voucher Scheme beyond March 2026 form part of the ongoing funding allocations discussion for the three-year Spending Review period. Any decisions on if and how the scheme could be expanded will be taken once the allocations process has concluded, should the scheme continue.

Local authority-level reporting on voucher take-up is something we are working towards. Our new client survey now collects location data, which will allow us to provide more detailed insights in the future.

Since my response to PQ 87077 on 10 November 2025, uptake of the Mediation Voucher Scheme has continued to grow. The scheme has now helped over 51,000 families access mediation services since its launch.

Decisions on the continuation or expansion of the Mediation Voucher Scheme beyond March 2026 form part of the ongoing funding allocations discussion for the three-year Spending Review period. Any decisions on if and how the scheme could be expanded will be taken once the allocations process has concluded, should the scheme continue.

Local authority-level reporting on voucher take-up is something we are working towards. Our new client survey now collects location data, which will allow us to provide more detailed insights in the future.

Since my response to PQ 87077 on 10 November 2025, uptake of the Mediation Voucher Scheme has continued to grow. The scheme has now helped over 51,000 families access mediation services since its launch.

Decisions on the continuation or expansion of the Mediation Voucher Scheme beyond March 2026 form part of the ongoing funding allocations discussion for the three-year Spending Review period. Any decisions on if and how the scheme could be expanded will be taken once the allocations process has concluded, should the scheme continue.

Local authority-level reporting on voucher take-up is something we are working towards. Our new client survey now collects location data, which will allow us to provide more detailed insights in the future.

Our priority currently is to provide gigabit-capable coverage to as many premises as possible in Henley and Thame constituency through our Project Gigabit contracts, rather than through other schemes.

Project Gigabit contracts give better certainty of delivery than voucher projects, and also involve lower administrative overhead for suppliers and communities as well as the government. Future delivery is therefore much more likely to be through contracts rather than voucher delivery in most areas.

We will continue to monitor progress and review the need for further support as delivery continues. If gaps in coverage are identified, further interventions, including reopening the voucher scheme, may be considered.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses via local community broadband projects.

As of March 2024, 296,400 premises were able to take-up a gigabit-capable broadband connection as a result of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, the vast majority of which are in rural areas.

We continue to support broadband suppliers to deliver voucher projects that have been approved as part of Project Gigabit.

On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The government recognises that community benefit funding from renewable energy infrastructure creates opportunities for long term investment into host communities, and the government believes that funding packages will have the most impact if they can be tailored to the community’s preferences and priorities. The working paper intends to gather insight on how prescriptive the government should be on how funds can be used, and any other factors that should be considered in order to maximise their impact.