This Government will consider the Vegetarian Society UK’s report on alternative feed sources for raptors and reptiles as part of its work to work towards seeing an end the practice of culling male laying hen chicks.

The Government is committed to reducing and replacing the use of specially protected species, including cats, in scientific research through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy. The strategy supports the development, validation and regulatory uptake of human-specific technologies, including advanced cell-based models, organ-on-a-chip systems, data-driven approaches and AI-enabled tools. The use of specially protected species remains subject to stringent controls and is permitted only where no validated alternative exists.

Full implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act in the second half of 2027 will help ensure that any automated vehicles operating on Great Britain’s roads can contribute to overall improvements in road safety.

This technology is expected to be deployed gradually, and overall uptake will depend on a range of factors, including operators being able to meet very high regulatory standards, commercial deployment models, local consent for automated passenger services and the pace of market development.

For these reasons, the overall uptake of automated vehicles is highly uncertain so no estimate of the proportion of vehicle miles which will be automated by 2035 has been made.

Adult social care plays a vital role in supporting people to live independent, fulfilling lives. This Government understands how significant these services are for those who rely on them, as well as for their families, carers and local communities. Any proposal to change or close services must therefore be handled with sensitivity, transparency, and care.

Local authorities are best placed to understand local needs and to plan, shape and manage their care markets accordingly. While central Government is not involved in making these decisions, all local authorities must continue to meet their duties under the Care Act 2014, including the duty to promote individual wellbeing. This requires them to have regard to people’s views, wishes and feelings, and to engage meaningfully with those affected by any potential changes. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

When re-commissioning and replacing services, local authorities should carry out activities to maintain quality and service delivery that supports the wellbeing of those who draw on care and support. When a care home closes, it is important that the provider allows for proper arrangements to be made that ensures for the safe and satisfactory transfer of all residents to suitable care provision which meets their needs. Adequate time should be allowed, so that residents, their relatives and carers have a choice in alternative care provision and are caused the minimum possible discomfort.

The Government recognises the link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse. Statutory guidance issued under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is clear that harming, threatening to harm, or using pets to control, coerce or intimidate a victim can constitute domestic abuse, including controlling or coercive behaviour and emotional or psychological abuse. Statutory guidance on Coercive and Controlling Behaviour, an offence under the Serious Crime Act 2015, also clearly recognises such abuse.

In its Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published last December, the Government committed to updating both the Domestic Abuse and the Coercive or Controlling Behaviour Statutory Guidance by the end of 2026, to ensure they remain aligned with the current domestic abuse landscape and best practice, including on the linkages with animal and pet abuse. Both sets of guidance are aimed at frontline professionals working with victims and perpetrators, including the police, Crown Prosecution Service, probation, courts and other criminal justice agencies.

In the VAWG Strategy, to ensure that no opportunity is missed to protect victims and survivors, including those with pets, the Government also committed to:

• Commencing a research project, to explore the connection between pet abuse and domestic abuse, to identify intervention opportunities and equip relevant stakeholders.
• Working with the veterinary profession to support initiatives designed to help vets and practice staff recognise potential signs of domestic abuse through non-accidental injuries.
• Strengthening the pet microchipping regime to prevent the records of domestic abuse victims and survivors being accessed inappropriately.
• Working with charities to increase the awareness of services available for the pets of domestic abuse victims and survivors, to support more victims to escape abuse.

This government is already acting on many of the CMA’s recommendations and remains fully committed to delivering solutions that address the challenges identified in its October 2024 market study into housebuilding.

The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces, including Bedfordshire Police, from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the Bedfordshire Police ASB Action Plan can be found here: https://www.beds.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/.

Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle ASB. Our new Respect Orders will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders.

We are also strengthening the powers available to the police and other local agencies by increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.

The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces, including Bedfordshire Police, from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the Bedfordshire Police ASB Action Plan can be found here: https://www.beds.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/.

Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle ASB. Our new Respect Orders will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders.

We are also strengthening the powers available to the police and other local agencies by increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.

A cross-Government collaboration, which includes the National Health Service and the Department, produces an annual Adverse Weather and Health Plan that incorporates heatwave preparedness measures. Services are expected to be prepared for periods of hot weather from 1 June to mid-September each year

NHS England recognises that extreme heat is now predicted to be a routine seasonal risk, rather than an exceptional event, and is committed to sharing key learnings from the recent period of hot weather to help further mitigate against any challenges.

This Government commissioned a research project, led by the University of Bristol, to explore the link between animal abuse and domestic abuse and to identify additional opportunities for intervention. We will consider the outcomes of this research once complete. We expect the final report to be published in 2027.

The government recognises the important economic and social contribution that markets make to our high streets and town centres. Local authorities are empowered to make decisions on running, supporting and investing in local markets in their areas.

However, we want to ensure that markets can thrive where they are established. From 1 April 2026, we introduced permanently lower business rates multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000, including markets.

Communities can also choose to invest in markets through the Government’s Pride in Place programme, which will provide £20 million over 10 years to 284 of the most deprived places in the UK, empowering local people to make decisions about what is important to them, including markets.

Later this year, we will also bring forward a High Streets Strategy, backed by £301 million of support, to help turn the tide on the high streets most in need.

Defra is working with its agencies, the Met Office and research community to monitor and understand potential impacts of high ocean temperatures on marine biodiversity. Satellite observations and data from ships, buoys, floats and gliders are used to track marine heatwaves, forecast ocean temperature changes and model potential impacts on the health of our seas. Research is examining links between high temperatures and biodiversity, including shifts in fish and shellfish populations, damage to important habitats such as seagrass and kelp, and incidence of harmful algal blooms and marine life mortality events.

Defra is working with its agencies, the Met Office and the research community to understand the potential impacts of marine heatwaves on marine species and habitats. This includes funding the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership and collecting reports of impacts to fisheries and marine biodiversity that may be linked to the recent heatwaves. The Department will use the 4th National Adaptation Plan to set out how the government will continue to manage the impacts of climate change in our seas, including marine heatwaves.

Under existing legislation, businesses must only supply safe consumer products. Relevant authorities have powers to require withdrawal of unsafe products from supply and, where appropriate, their recall. The Office for Product Safety and Standards coordinates regulatory activity to ensure online marketplaces prevent and remove any unsafe products from their sites.

The Government recently consulted on proposals to simplify and strengthen the current fragmented enforcement framework. These reforms are intended to create a clearer, more coherent regulatory regime, giving relevant authorities the tools they need to identify and tackle unsafe products across supply chains, including products sold through online marketplaces.