At £90,000, the UK has the second highest registration threshold among all 38 OECD countries, which keeps the majority of businesses, including hospitality businesses, outside the VAT system.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s standard VAT rate is close to the OECD average of 19.3 per cent.

The Government is supporting hospitality through targeted measures, including permanently lower business rates multipliers, a £4.3 billion business rates support package to protect ratepayers seeing large bills increases as a result of the 2026 revaluation, and the temporary Great British Summer Savings scheme, which will reduce VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent on eligible family attractions and children's menu meals between 25 June and 1 September.

The BBC has a duty to reflect the diversity of the United Kingdom, both in its output and services. As set out in the recent Charter Review Green Paper, it is this Government’s ambition for the BBC to tell a unifying national story that represents all communities across the UK, and to drive growth in the nations and regions. This includes supporting the sustainability of minority language broadcasting and local media.

The Media Act ensures that, for the first time, indigenous and minority languages - including Cornish – form part of the public service remit for television in the UK, including for the BBC. It is for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.

The Charter Review is considering a range of measures to ensure the BBC can continue to serve all audiences, including how it continues to support Minority Language Broadcasting.

Decarbonising transport is vital for our energy security and to make the transport network fit for the future. We are driving zero emission vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure roll-out; putting record investment into active travel; overhauling public transport; supporting low-carbon fuel uptake across multiple modes, including in aviation; and funding technology innovation for maritime through the multimillion-pound UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions research programme.

The cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce published its final report in December 2025, setting out actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs. The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) 2025 review of motor insurance claims costs helped inform this work.

The Taskforce’s report considered the contribution of replacement vehicle costs, including credit hire, to wider motor insurance claims costs and identified actions to reduce those costs. This includes work by the FCA, the Association of British Insurers, and insurers to improve the handling of claims, reduce referrals to third parties and ensure that credit hire costs are fair for consumers.

Decisions about workforce planning are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) consulted last year on fisheries byelaws to restrict bottom trawling in a further 41 MPAs. These proposals covered 30,000 square kilometres or 13% of English waters. The MMO is carefully considering the very large number of responses received to the consultation, and decisions will be made in due course.

Currently, electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes are not available to central Civil Service departments, and HM Treasury approval would be required for any such framework to be implemented. As no such scheme currently exists for the Civil Service, the Cabinet Office has not made an assessment of the potential impact of such a scheme on recruitment and retention in the Civil Service.

Cabinet Office does not monitor the use of Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Schemes in the wider public sector.

On 23 June the Government published a Green Paper, Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media, which sets out our commitment to ensuring people can continue to access free-to-air television and are adequately protected so that no one is left behind as viewing habits change. A final decision on the future of TV distribution after 2034 will be informed by this consultation.

The consultation will be open to responses until 31 August 2026. More information can be found here. (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/watch-this-space-a-new-strategic-direction-for-uk-media-green-paper-and-public-consultation)

Public electric vehicle charge points are expected to accurately measure and provide the electricity they state they deliver. The majority use AC meters and are covered by the Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016, which require accuracy to within plus or minus 2%, and which we expect all relevant providers to adhere to.

There are currently no plans to introduce a requirement for in-service metrological verification of public charge points. However, the Government will continue to monitor this issue and consider any further steps that may be required.

83 of 102 eligible local authorities applied for and received funding through the Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant. Local authorities are now progressing to delivery and setting up their local schemes.

As there is currently no clear, shared definition of what constitutes risk-based use in practice, the initial focus has been reducing environmental exposure following a decision to treat. This reflects the need to take proportionate action while the evidence base is further developed. In parallel, work is ongoing to build the scientific and behavioural evidence needed to support a more targeted approach.

The Call for Evidence sought data on the environmental impacts of all flea and tick products containing fipronil or imidacloprid, including those with a distribution category of POM-V. Anybody was able to contribute evidence, with the aim of understanding how restricting the supply route for these products might impact pet owners, animal health and welfare, environmental outcomes, businesses, and the wider sector.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act received Royal Assent on 29 April. Different sections of the Act will be commenced, brought into force and given legal effect and implemented, at varying timescales depending on the specific measure, as well as when the associated secondary legislation and guidance, where relevant, has been updated or finalised. Once measures are brought into force, and where relevant, the department will publish further information about monitoring compliance. This approach applies to any relevant special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision within the Act.

As expected with legislation, post-implementation legislative scrutiny will be carried out where necessary to assess the effectiveness of the policy in practice and to consider any modifications that may be recommended, within the usual timescale of three to five years after Royal Assent.

On wider SEND reform, the Education for All Bill will enable the delivery of the SEND reform proposals, as set out in the White Paper, that require legislative underpinning and will be introduced in Parliament when Parliamentary time allows.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

This Labour Government were elected to build an NHS fit for the future. As Secretary of State, I am accelerating modernisation, but health inequalities start long before people access the NHS, so our focus on prevention in the 10-year health strategy is crucial, as is the work of this Government to address wider inequalities, including in housing, air quality and getting more people into work.

The Government committed to new safe and legal routes in the “Restoring Order and Control” statement, and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced that the student refugee route will open this autumn, with arrivals in autumn 2027. We are working with partners to design new routes to ensure they are safe and controlled, and we will provide an update to the House in due course.

The following schools in the Camborne and Redruth constituency have received funding from Connect the Classroom:

• Mawnan CofE VA Primary School.
• Portreath Community Primary School.
• Trewirgie Infants' School.
• Bodriggy Academy.
• Illogan School.
• Pencoys Primary School.
• Mabe Community Primary School.

Installation of bus lanes is the responsibility of local traffic authorities. Whether to allow blood bike services to use bus lanes lies with local traffic authorities, taking into account the impact on bus services, compliance and enforcement considerations. The Department has no plans to mandate this nationally.

The supply of energy for domestic use attracts the reduced rate of VAT (five per cent). Whilst this relief was not designed or introduced for charging EVs at home, it applies for all uses of domestic energy, as it is not possible for energy companies to distinguish between electricity used to charge an EV and electricity used for general domestic purposes. Public EV charging, on the other hand, is subject to the standard rate of VAT (twenty per cent). This matches the VAT treatment of petrol and diesel, as well as all non-domestic electricity.

The Government will review the cost of public electric vehicle charging, looking at the impact of energy prices, wider cost contributors, and options for lowering these costs for consumers. Terms of Reference for the review will be set out in due course and the review will report later in 2026.

The Ministerial Alternative Methods Strategy Delivery Group met for the first time in March and is scheduled to meet quarterly, with the next meeting due to take place in June.