The government recognises the importance of creative and performing arts courses delivered by higher education (HE) institutions. However, funding decisions for the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) must prioritise subjects with the highest delivery costs.

Decisions on SPG funding were taken in the context of a highly challenging fiscal environment. For the 2025/26 academic year, funding through the SPG for creative and performing arts courses was around £130 per full-time equivalent student, or just over 1% of total funding provided by government when tuition fees are considered. Arts courses will also benefit from increases in tuition fee limits in line with inflation.

The government’s support for HE arts provision is reflected by our continued investment in the 20 specialist providers identified by the Office for Students as world leading, which will receive £57 million via the SPG in the 2026/27 academic year. Of this group, 12 providers solely focus on the creative and performing arts.

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The capital budget for health is due to increase to £15 billion by 2029/30, over 30% higher than 2024/25. We are cutting bureaucracy and speeding up delivery, so taxpayers get maximum value for money. Due to the Government’s record investment, frontline services will be protected. The Department remains committed to the delivery of all schemes in the New Hospital Programme, neighbourhood health centres, and NHS estates programmes. We are working through the detail of future capital spending plans.

As part of our commitment to NATO First and delivering the capabilities needed to meet the alliance’s warfighting requirements, the UK announced several significant contributions towards defence procurement at the Ankara Summit. Notably the UK has played a leading role in coordinating the Deep Precision Strike initiative, which brings together 12 European Allies with an expected investment of over $50 billion over the next decade to develop advanced deep precision strike capabilities available to the Alliance. The UK’s contribution includes developing capabilities that strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture through a commitment in the Defence Investment Plan to spend £3 billion on Deep Precision Strike capabilities by 2030. Notably, the UK has announced its intention to join the Precision Strike Missile programme, backed by £190 million in the Defence Investment Plan.

NHS England allocates funding to commissioners to fund the services they commission within an integrated care board area and in line with their, and NHS England’s, delivery plan. Responsibility for the continuing professional development (CPD) of employees sits with the employers and providers of the services.

More widely, the Department continues to support social workers with their CPD, both in the National Health Service and the wider social care sector, through the Assessed and Support Year in Employment. This includes up to £2.3 million of funding annually to support newly qualified social workers through structured supervision and professional development during their first year of practice. This funding is available to adult social work employers across statutory, private, voluntary, NHS, and independent sectors.

The Medical Undergraduate Tariff (MUT) recognises both the time and staff required to supervise and teach undergraduate medical students, the provision of facilities for students while on placement, and the impact of hosting students on clinical activity.

The Annual Accountability Report was used by Health Education England (HEE) from 2020 to 2023 for secondary care providers to report on their use of the MUT. Following the merger of HEE into NHS England in 2023, NHS England gave responsibility for financial assurance to regional NHS England workforce, training, and education quality teams.

MUT payments are calculated based on the locally validated student placement data collection process, which provides assurance that trusts are receiving payments based on delivery of placements and education. It is the responsibility of NHS England and individual placement providers to ensure that money allocated to it is used for its intended purpose. No MUT payments have been withheld in the last five years.

The Medical Undergraduate Tariff (MUT) recognises both the time and staff required to supervise and teach undergraduate medical students, the provision of facilities for students while on placement, and the impact of hosting students on clinical activity.

The Annual Accountability Report was used by Health Education England (HEE) from 2020 to 2023 for secondary care providers to report on their use of the MUT. Following the merger of HEE into NHS England in 2023, NHS England gave responsibility for financial assurance to regional NHS England workforce, training, and education quality teams.

MUT payments are calculated based on the locally validated student placement data collection process, which provides assurance that trusts are receiving payments based on delivery of placements and education. It is the responsibility of NHS England and individual placement providers to ensure that money allocated to it is used for its intended purpose. No MUT payments have been withheld in the last five years.

The Medical Undergraduate Tariff (MUT) recognises both the time and staff required to supervise and teach undergraduate medical students, the provision of facilities for students while on placement, and the impact of hosting students on clinical activity.

The Annual Accountability Report was used by Health Education England (HEE) from 2020 to 2023 for secondary care providers to report on their use of the MUT. Following the merger of HEE into NHS England in 2023, NHS England gave responsibility for financial assurance to regional NHS England workforce, training, and education quality teams.

MUT payments are calculated based on the locally validated student placement data collection process, which provides assurance that trusts are receiving payments based on delivery of placements and education. It is the responsibility of NHS England and individual placement providers to ensure that money allocated to it is used for its intended purpose. No MUT payments have been withheld in the last five years.

The Medical Undergraduate Tariff (MUT) recognises both the time and staff required to supervise and teach undergraduate medical students, the provision of facilities for students while on placement, and the impact of hosting students on clinical activity.

The Annual Accountability Report was used by Health Education England (HEE) from 2020 to 2023 for secondary care providers to report on their use of the MUT. Following the merger of HEE into NHS England in 2023, NHS England gave responsibility for financial assurance to regional NHS England workforce, training, and education quality teams.

MUT payments are calculated based on the locally validated student placement data collection process, which provides assurance that trusts are receiving payments based on delivery of placements and education. It is the responsibility of NHS England and individual placement providers to ensure that money allocated to it is used for its intended purpose. No MUT payments have been withheld in the last five years.

The Medical Undergraduate Tariff (MUT) recognises both the time and staff required to supervise and teach undergraduate medical students, the provision of facilities for students while on placement, and the impact of hosting students on clinical activity.

The Annual Accountability Report was used by Health Education England (HEE) from 2020 to 2023 for secondary care providers to report on their use of the MUT. Following the merger of HEE into NHS England in 2023, NHS England gave responsibility for financial assurance to regional NHS England workforce, training, and education quality teams.

MUT payments are calculated based on the locally validated student placement data collection process, which provides assurance that trusts are receiving payments based on delivery of placements and education. It is the responsibility of NHS England and individual placement providers to ensure that money allocated to it is used for its intended purpose. No MUT payments have been withheld in the last five years.

Sustainable Farming Initiative 2026 (SFI26) Window 1 opened last month for small farms with between three and 50 hectares and also farms without an existing Environmental Land Management agreement.

This Government is specifically targeting these two groups because it wants to bring more of them into SFI.

Defra is publishing updates on how much of each application window’s budget has been allocated on the department’s Farming Blog, so farmers can follow the rate of applications.

Window 2 is planned to open from September 2026 for all farms.

This department will announce the timing of the SFI27 offer in due course.

The secondment to the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford forms part of the Civil Service's commitment to promoting the exchange of skills, knowledge and experience between government and external organisations. As is standard for secondments, Defra continues to pay the Second Permanent Secretary’s salary and Defra is being reimbursed by Oxford University for his role there.

There is no record of DeSmog UK receiving funding from Defra.

The Electric Car Grant application guidance stipulates that where an applicant is using Transition Pathway Institute (TPI) route for eligibility, they must have an entry on the TPI website confirming assessment at Level 4 and meeting TPI’s sector-specific 1.5°C Carbon Performance benchmark in 2050.

This provides the government with assurance that requirements relating to sustainability standards have been met and provides transparency about eligibility to the general public accessing the grant.