The industrial strategy focuses on business investment and creating high-quality jobs. We back our strengths and are unblocking barriers, including through £1.2 billion of skills investment by 2028-29. This Labour Government are investing in skills, in jobs, and in creating wealth and opportunity across the United Kingdom.

We are taking ambitious steps to improve local buses, and our landmark Bus Services Act 2025 empowers local authorities to deliver better services. We are investing over £1 billion in 2025-26, and in the coming weeks, we will confirm multi-year allocations for local authorities, to help improve bus services in the long term.

The Government continue to progress the implementation of the reforms to the leasehold system that are already in statute, while at the same time undertaking the work required to bring forward the wider set of reforms necessary to end the feudal leasehold system for good. We remain on track to deliver our ambitious leasehold and commonhold reform agenda, as set out in the written ministerial statement that I made on 21 November last year.

The government is committed to reforming our pensions landscape to increase returns for savers and boost growth for Britain. This is a journey the industry is already on. Last week, 17 workplace pension providers signed the Mansion House Accord, pledging to invest 10% of their main default funds in private assets, such as infrastructure, by 2030. At least 5% will be for UK assets, which could unlock over £25bn of new UK investment in key sectors.

Fraud devastates lives, and this Government are determined to meet that challenge head-on, including through the new expanded fraud strategy that we promised in our manifesto. We are working with law enforcement and industry to better protect the public, and we are demanding that the tech companies go further and faster to protect consumers at risk of fraud on their platforms.

Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through the NHS National Gambling Clinic and a range of support through the National Gambling Support Network.

To improve and expand the services available to tackle gambling-related harm, the Government is introducing a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. This will include ringfenced funding overseen by NHS England and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales to commission the full treatment pathway, from referral and triage through to aftercare. We will continue to work with NHS England in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh governments, as well as third sector providers, to design and deliver our approach to treatment of gambling-related harms across Great Britain.

The Department has already initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail in due course.
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According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 99% of premises in the Hendon constituency can already access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps), and over 75% of premises can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection.

We anticipate that the majority of the premises in urban areas such as Hendon will receive a gigabit-capable connection through the commercial market, although we are conscious that connections to some properties in some areas can be affected by complex wayleave negotiations. Any remaining premises will be considered for support through the government’s Project Gigabit.

We are getting on with delivering our warm homes plan. We are set to upgrade up to 300,000 homes next year. We are introducing new standards in the private rented sector and the social rented sector that will lift 1 million people out of fuel poverty, and we are making it easier for people to install heat pumps by removing planning restrictions, expanding our boiler upgrade scheme so that more people can get a discount and boosting the heat pump industry.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed, where possible in mainstream schools.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. We are strengthening accountability for inclusivity, including through Ofsted, and encouraging schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.

Barnet are also one of the lead local authorities in the Change Programme, which is helping test and develop the government’s proposals for improving the SEND system.

High-quality teaching is also central to ensuring that all pupils, including those with SEND, are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of this parliament. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.

On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level qualification for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). The qualification will play a key role in improving outcomes for pupils with SEND, by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training on how best to support children with SEND

High needs funding will also increase by almost £1 billion in 2025/26, compared to 2024/25 and the department has announced £740 million of capital funding to create more specialist places, including in mainstream schools.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount.

National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association launched the Football Brain Health Fund for players impacted by dementia in September 2023 to assist former players and their families impacted by neurodegenerative conditions.

The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety with the football authorities in the coming months to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.

The consultation on introducing permitted insurance fees for landlords, freeholders and property managing agents was launched on 2 December and can be found on gov.uk here.

As per my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government will look to consult on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s provisions on service charges and on legal costs next year, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.

We remain firmly committed to our manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

The government funds the provision of free information and advice by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE).

The government have confirmed £7 million of funding to tackle antisemitism in education in the wake of the unacceptable rise of antisemitism across the country. £500,000 has already been awarded to the University Jewish Chaplaincy to continue providing welfare support for Jewish students on university campuses to ensure Jewish students feel safe and supported.

A £4.15 million Tackling Antisemitism in Education procurement is currently live and is open for tender applications until 16 January 2025. This procurement seeks to equip education staff from across England with training and resources to build confidence through educating about antisemitism, helping to prevent it. This procurement consists of three elements, including a scholarship for professionals and action learning network, training and resources for universities, and training and resources for schools and colleges. Delivery will commence from spring 2025. The delivery will be nationwide, but the successful supplier(s) will prioritise and target those areas and settings which require support and training most to improve their understanding and ability to deal with antisemitism.

The remaining funding will go towards a future innovation fund to help tackle and build resilience to antisemitism and hate, likely focusing on how to identify and appropriately tackle misinformation and disinformation. Further details on the innovation fund will be provided in due course.

This Government has set out an unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade, and we are determined to use every lever available to us to deliver on that aim. That means working across Government departments to tackle threats to women’s safety in all areas of their lives, including in public spaces.

The Safer Streets Mission is the vehicle to drive delivery across Government to halve VAWG, halve knife crime, and restore confidence in the policing and justice system to record levels. We will spearhead a cross-government approach to VAWG and girls through the Safer Streets Mission Board.

The Government is committed to working with law enforcement, regulators, and the financial and third sectors to address and prevent the harms associated with money mule networks and related financial exploitation.

The Home Office published the Money Mules Action Plan in March, which is a first of its kind, cross-sector action plan. The Plan balances deterrents and safeguarding measures to disrupt money muling while protecting the public from related harms. It brings together cross-sector innovations, including public awareness materials on the risks of money muling, initiatives from the financial sector to identify mule networks, and law enforcement work to target criminals.

The Government also recognises the devastating impact financial and economic abuse can have on victims. Economic abuse more widely is recognised in law as part of the statutory definition of domestic abuse included in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The government continues to promote awareness of economic abuse to improve the public and private sector’s response, particularly working with the specialist charity Surviving Economic Abuse to strengthen financial systems and support victims.