This Government is transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, giving employers greater flexibility, including within the engineering and manufacturing sectors, creating more opportunities for young people, and directly supporting the Industrial Strategy.

In April 2026, we launched the first apprenticeship units focussing on priority sectors including in engineering and manufacturing. These short courses will help employers upskill their workforces quickly and flexibly.

Additionally, we have introduced new foundation apprenticeships, to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first foundation apprenticeships were focussed on industrial strategy and priority areas including engineering and manufacturing. They are underpinned by an employer incentive payment of £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.

More widely, to support non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) to meet the additional costs associated with employing young apprentices, we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 when they take on eligible 16–24-year-old apprentices, at all levels, as new employees.

The government will also fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for all eligible young people aged under 25 from the next academic year, to boost small business starts. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12 June 2026 to Question UIN 7073.

No such assessment has been made by the government.

The use of Strategic Industrial Land in London is a matter for the Mayor of London and considered through his London Plan.

I understand that the Mayor intends to consult on a new draft London Plan in the near future.

The Government recognises the significant psychological demands of policing and is committed to ensuring officers are supported throughout their careers, from initial training through to retirement. The College of Policing sets clear standards for forces through the National Policing Curriculum for initial training. This includes required content on preparing officers for the operational and emotional demands of the role.

We are also taking further action through the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, including strengthening trauma prevention and early intervention and providing protected time for trauma and suicide prevention training for new recruits and supervisors to help build resilience and ensure officers receive the support they need throughout their careers.

While the Home Office is not undertaking research in this area directly, we continue to fund the College of Policing’s National Police Wellbeing Service, which works to develop and promote evidence-based approaches to psychological wellbeing and trauma support.

The presumption is that misconduct hearings, held for officers facing serious allegations of gross misconduct, should be open for the public and media to attend. This is in keeping with a general principle that discipline proceedings are as open, transparent and fair as possible for both the public and parties to the procedures.

However, by exception, misconduct hearings may be held in private, or reporting restrictions may apply when circumstances outweigh the public interest. This could be to protect sensitive operational or national security material or to safeguard individuals involved.

It is critical that officers involved in disciplinary procedures receive the support they need and that due process is maintained in accordance with principles of fairness and natural justice. The Police Reform White Paper commits to improving the consistency of wellbeing support across policing, including introducing more consistent wellbeing checks throughout officers’ careers to help identify and respond to wellbeing needs at an early stage.

The Government recognises the significant psychological demands of policing and is committed to ensuring officers are supported throughout their careers, from initial training through to retirement. The College of Policing sets clear standards for forces through the National Policing Curriculum for initial training. This includes required content on preparing officers for the operational and emotional demands of the role.

We are also taking further action through the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, including strengthening trauma prevention and early intervention and providing protected time for trauma and suicide prevention training for new recruits and supervisors to help build resilience and ensure officers receive the support they need throughout their careers.

While the Home Office is not undertaking research in this area directly, we continue to fund the College of Policing’s National Police Wellbeing Service, which works to develop and promote evidence-based approaches to psychological wellbeing and trauma support.

The presumption is that misconduct hearings, held for officers facing serious allegations of gross misconduct, should be open for the public and media to attend. This is in keeping with a general principle that discipline proceedings are as open, transparent and fair as possible for both the public and parties to the procedures.

However, by exception, misconduct hearings may be held in private, or reporting restrictions may apply when circumstances outweigh the public interest. This could be to protect sensitive operational or national security material or to safeguard individuals involved.

It is critical that officers involved in disciplinary procedures receive the support they need and that due process is maintained in accordance with principles of fairness and natural justice. The Police Reform White Paper commits to improving the consistency of wellbeing support across policing, including introducing more consistent wellbeing checks throughout officers’ careers to help identify and respond to wellbeing needs at an early stage.

The Home Office does not collect data on the number of police officers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The Government recognises the significant psychological demands of policing and is committed to ensuring officers are supported throughout their careers.

Through the measures set out in the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, we are taking steps to strengthen support for the policing workforce, including improving wellbeing provision, embedding consistent wellbeing standards across policing and strengthening the delivery of the Police Covenant to ensure officers receive the support they need throughout their careers.

The Government recognises the significant psychological demands of policing and is committed to ensuring officers are supported throughout their careers, from initial training through to retirement. The College of Policing sets clear standards for forces through the National Policing Curriculum for initial training. This includes required content on preparing officers for the operational and emotional demands of the role.

We are also taking further action through the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, including strengthening trauma prevention and early intervention and providing protected time for trauma and suicide prevention training for new recruits and supervisors to help build resilience and ensure officers receive the support they need throughout their careers.

While the Home Office is not undertaking research in this area directly, we continue to fund the College of Policing’s National Police Wellbeing Service, which works to develop and promote evidence-based approaches to psychological wellbeing and trauma support.

The presumption is that misconduct hearings, held for officers facing serious allegations of gross misconduct, should be open for the public and media to attend. This is in keeping with a general principle that discipline proceedings are as open, transparent and fair as possible for both the public and parties to the procedures.

However, by exception, misconduct hearings may be held in private, or reporting restrictions may apply when circumstances outweigh the public interest. This could be to protect sensitive operational or national security material or to safeguard individuals involved.

It is critical that officers involved in disciplinary procedures receive the support they need and that due process is maintained in accordance with principles of fairness and natural justice. The Police Reform White Paper commits to improving the consistency of wellbeing support across policing, including introducing more consistent wellbeing checks throughout officers’ careers to help identify and respond to wellbeing needs at an early stage.

The Government is ensuring its Industrial Strategy supports industry in Lancashire by aligning national priorities with local strengths in advanced manufacturing, defence, digital and clean energy sectors. This includes targeted investment in skills, innovation and infrastructure, alongside support for business growth and exports through the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) integrated Business Growth Service. DBT is working with local partners to deliver the Lancashire Growth Plan, strengthen connectivity to city regions and support high-growth firms, including midsized businesses, complemented by programmes like Made Smarter helping SMEs adopt advanced digital technologies and improving productivity, competitiveness and long term regional growth outcomes.

The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy is a 10-year, place-based plan supporting towns across the North to grow and attract investment. It aligns with the Northern Growth Strategy, realising the potential of the North’s £476 billion economy and 8.1 million jobs.

Through the industrial strategy eight priority sectors—including clean energy, advanced manufacturing and defence—we are targeting investment and innovation where the North has clear strengths. We are working with Mayoral Strategic Authorities and local authorities to deliver local priorities, while improving skills, infrastructure and access to finance so that growth benefits towns and communities across the North.

A well-functioning probate system is essential to providing certainty for bereaved families and supporting the timely administration of estates.

The Government is continuing to modernise the probate service to improve efficiency and accessibility. This includes the digitisation of probate applications, enhancements to case management systems and wider operational improvements to support quicker and more reliable processing. The President of the Family Division has established a working group to look at the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 with a view to identifying improvements.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has improved processing times, with the majority of applications now completed within published service standards. Where cases take longer, this is often due to the complexity of the estate or the need for further information from personal representatives. The Government keeps the operation of the service under regular review to ensure it continues to meet users’ needs.

The Government recognises that the swift delivery of legal papers is fundamental to due process and in ensuring effective access to justice and procedural fairness.

In most circumstances, court procedure rules allow for the immediate service of documents by electronic means, such as email or uploading helping us to drive efficiencies through new technology. The Civil Auto File Share, for example, enables call handlers to access electronic court files in real time and provide informed responses instantly.

However, where other methods are used, manual administrative processes, incorrect contact information, and postal service delays can cause failure or delay in service. Our broader court reforms aim to tackle these kinds of inefficiencies. We are pulling every lever at our disposal – record financial investment, pragmatic structural reform, and a programme of efficiencies – to tackle the Crown Court backlog, reduce delays for victims, and modernise our criminal courts.

We are committed to building an efficient and dynamic system that is fit for the future.

Bankruptcy provides debt relief for many people seeking to deal with financial difficulty, who may petition for their own bankruptcy online in a straightforward manner. It should not be used as a debt collection mechanism except as a final resort. For that reason, creditors presenting a bankruptcy petition to the courts must meet strict requirements, so as to reduce the risk of strategic or coercive filings.

There are no current plans to alter the bankruptcy petition process, which reflects the serious consequences of bankruptcy and its intended use as a last resort.

There is already a well-established director disqualification regime in the UK to prevent directors guilty of misconduct from taking part in the management of companies in the future.

Insolvency practitioners have a duty to report to the Government’s Insolvency Service on the directors’ conduct within three months of liquidation or administration. Where serious misconduct is identified, this can lead to disqualification or referral for criminal prosecution.

Since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, Companies House and The Insolvency Service have been developing a deeper enforcement partnership. Updates on implementation are included in the annual reports provided to Parliament.

The 2023 Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has strengthened the Registrar of Companies’ enforcement and investigative powers, enabling it to act as a more active gatekeeper over company registrations and directors.

As announced in the November Budget Statement, additional funding is now being provided for the Insolvency Service to set up a new Abusive Phoenixism Taskforce, specifically to deal with this type of director misconduct. The Insolvency Service is working closely with Companies House and HM Revenue and Customs to identify and tackle abusive phoenixism.

It is important to remember that most companies do not become insolvent due to wrongdoing. Directors of an insolvent company can run similar businesses unless they are disqualified or subject to restrictions. Where directors abuse the system, the Secretary of State has powers to investigate and, if appropriate, pursue their disqualification or prosecution of the relevant directors.

Companies House and The Insolvency Service are currently strengthening their intelligence sharing to better identify rogue directors.

The Government continually reviews corporate and insolvency laws.

Inheritance tax on shares in companies in administration or the process of liquidation at the time of a transfer, such as a death, may qualify for payment in annual instalments if they meet the criteria in s228 of Inheritance Tax Act 1984.

When paying in annual instalments, the outstanding balance of tax only becomes payable in full immediately if an interest or part of an interest in a business is sold. A distribution in cash made to shareholders on a liquidation is the winding up of a company, rather than a sale, and so the facility to pay in instalments is not lost in those circumstances.

The Government’s response to the Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee was published on 30 March 2026 and it is available at https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/52446/documents/291079/default/.

Whilst all National Health Service trusts in England are members of NHS Resolution’s indemnity schemes, not all specialist gender dysphoria services for children and young people clinics are services covered through their schemes.

We are encouraging the train operator, Northern, and the trade union to continue discussions with a view to reaching agreement so that reliable Sunday services can be provided across the North of England, including between Clitheroe and Blackburn.