Kate Osborne

The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s commercial decisions, including the prices of stamps and other services.

In setting its prices, Royal Mail must observe the regulatory framework set by Ofcom which imposes price controls, ‘safeguard caps’, on certain second-class products to ensure a basic universal service is available to all at affordable prices.

Information on Ofcom’s decisions regarding retail price caps on Royal Mail’s universal postal services to apply from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027 is available on its website: www.ofcom.org.uk/post/deliveries-and-charges/consultation-review-of-second-class-safeguard-caps-2024.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for ensuring the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service that meets users’ needs.

Ofcom’s statement of 5 September set out potential reforms to the universal service obligation and its plans to carry out further in-depth research among postal users. Ofcom expects to publish any proposals for public consultation in early 2025, which will provide an opportunity for interested parties (including magazine publishers) to contribute their views. More information is available on Ofcom’s website: www.ofcom.org.uk/post/royal-mail/securing-the-future-of-the-universal-postal-service.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for ensuring the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service that meets users’ needs.

Ofcom’s statement of 5 September set out potential reforms to the universal service obligation and its plans to carry out further in-depth research among postal users. Ofcom expects to publish any proposals for public consultation in early 2025, which will provide an opportunity for interested parties (including magazine publishers) to contribute their views. More information is available on Ofcom’s website: www.ofcom.org.uk/post/royal-mail/securing-the-future-of-the-universal-postal-service.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more women and girls to get onto the pitch wherever they live.

The Government continues to support grassroots facilities, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028. This will deliver more opportunities for women and girls to get on the pitch.

£123 million of funding is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed its continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment, of which further details will be confirmed in due course.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more women and girls to get onto the pitch wherever they live.

We are pleased to see the significant progress in the number of women and girls taking up football in recent years, and wider developments in the women’s game. In 2023, Karen Carney OBE published a major Independent Review of Women’s Football which made a series of recommendations including supporting grassroots women and girls’ football. This Government fully endorses those recommendations and looks forward to ensuring tangible progress is made.

The Government continues to support grassroots facilities, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028. This will deliver more opportunities for women and girls to get on the pitch.

£123 million of funding is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed its continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment, of which further details will be confirmed in due course.

We are also working with the Football Foundation to embed the learnings of the Lionesses Futures Fund as standard criteria for all their major capital projects, meaning more women and girls benefit from our investment. This includes guaranteeing a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams and setting up a new small grants programme specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch.

The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) which have been developed in partnership with local authorities and are in the process of being refreshed to reflect the increase in demand for women and girls’ grassroots facilities.

The Football Association is a long-term partner of Sport England, and have received over £26 million of funding from them for the period 2022-27 for grassroots football projects.

Grassroots sports clubs are at the heart of communities up and down the country. We know just how important they are, which is why we are committed to supporting high-quality, inclusive facilities to get more people active, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028.

£123 million of funding is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed its continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment, of which further details will be confirmed in due course.

The Football Association is a long-term partner of Sport England, and have received over £26 million of funding from them for the period 2022-27 for grassroots football projects.

The Government is committed to supporting women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport, including football.

The department is working with the Football Foundation to embed standard criteria to ensure access for women and girls for all their major capital projects, meaning more women and girls benefit from our investment. At the Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed our continued support for elite and grassroots sport by investing in multi-use facilities. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

The Government will respond to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s report on grassroots music venues in the coming weeks, including its recommendations on a ticket levy, the agent of change principle, and a fan-led review of live and electronic music. To support fans, we will launch a consultation on new protections for ticket resales in the autumn alongside a call for evidence on price transparency.

We are encouraged to see the music industry exploring a voluntary levy to sustain the flow of talented musicians throughout the music ecosystem, from grassroots to the main stage. The Secretary of State and I [Minister Bryant] look forward to meeting Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust later this month to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the grassroots music sector, where the recommendations set out in the Select Committee’s report will be discussed.

There are currently around 2.1 million pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals (FSM). The department recognises the vital role played by FSM in supporting disadvantaged children and families and encourages all those who are eligible to take up their entitlement. To make this process as easy as possible, the department provides the Eligibility Checking System, which allows local authorities to quickly verify eligibility for FSM. Further to this, our published guidance on FSM provides clarity to families about whether they may qualify for, and how they may claim their FSM entitlement.

The department is aware of a range of measures aimed at maximising take-up of FSM, including through approaches being trialled by local authorities. We welcome local authorities taking action to ensure government support reaches families, subject to them meeting legal and data-protection requirements.

In addition to this, we are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school, so children start the day ready to learn. This is part of the department‘s commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children have the freedom to achieve and thrive in education.

The department is also working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop a child poverty strategy to reduce child poverty by tackling its root causes and giving every child the best start in life. The strategy will be published in the spring.

HIV is a priority for the Government, and we have commissioned a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. Integration of services and strengthening the delivery of HIV prevention and care will be key objectives of the plan, which we aim to publish in summer 2025.

The voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been a key partner in the development and implementation of the existing HIV Action Plan, and will continue to be a key partner in the new plan. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have led engagement with the VCS and the wider community to develop recommendations for the new plan, including relating to culturally competent interventions. These were published on 25 November and will be considered in the development of the new HIV Action Plan.

In addition, as part of its HIV Prevention England programme, the Department will host three further engagement sessions with the VCS during February and March 2025, including patients with lived experience.

HIV is a priority for the Government, and we have commissioned a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. Integration of services and strengthening the delivery of HIV prevention and care will be key objectives of the plan, which we aim to publish in summer 2025.

The voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been a key partner in the development and implementation of the existing HIV Action Plan, and will continue to be a key partner in the new plan. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have led engagement with the VCS and the wider community to develop recommendations for the new plan, including relating to culturally competent interventions. These were published on 25 November and will be considered in the development of the new HIV Action Plan.

In addition, as part of its HIV Prevention England programme, the Department will host three further engagement sessions with the VCS during February and March 2025, including patients with lived experience.

HIV is a priority for the Government, and we have commissioned a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. Integration of services and strengthening the delivery of HIV prevention and care will be key objectives of the plan, which we aim to publish in summer 2025.

The voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been a key partner in the development and implementation of the existing HIV Action Plan, and will continue to be a key partner in the new plan. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have led engagement with the VCS and the wider community to develop recommendations for the new plan, including relating to culturally competent interventions. These were published on 25 November and will be considered in the development of the new HIV Action Plan.

In addition, as part of its HIV Prevention England programme, the Department will host three further engagement sessions with the VCS during February and March 2025, including patients with lived experience.

Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. These range from behavioural weight management programmes, to specialist services for those living with obesity and associated co-morbidities. Local authorities are able to spend funding from the Public Health Grant on behavioural weight management services, whilst integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning NHS specialist weight management services. Local authorities and ICBs should consider local population need and the relevant guidance when commissioning and designing services, including when considering how the service should be led or the intervention delivered.

The North East and North Cumbria ICB is developing its Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity strategy. Additionally, NHS England commissions the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme nationally for people living with obesity, with an existing comorbidity of either diabetes, hypertension, or both. The 12-week online programme is available to eligible people across England, including in the Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency, via direct referral from any general practice or Community Pharmacy.

The Government will take action to tackle the root causes of the obesity crisis head on, including through shifting the focus from treatment to prevention. We have made a strong start, including laying the necessary secondary legislation to implement the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink on television and online from 1 October 2025, taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose, and giving local authorities the stronger, clearer powers they have told us they need to block new fast food outlets near schools.

Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. These range from behavioural weight management programmes, to specialist services for those living with obesity and associated co-morbidities. Local authorities are able to spend funding from the Public Health Grant on behavioural weight management services, whilst integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning NHS specialist weight management services. Local authorities and ICBs should consider local population need and the relevant guidance when commissioning and designing services, including when considering how the service should be led or the intervention delivered.

The North East and North Cumbria ICB is developing its Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity strategy. Additionally, NHS England commissions the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme nationally for people living with obesity, with an existing comorbidity of either diabetes, hypertension, or both. The 12-week online programme is available to eligible people across England, including in the Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency, via direct referral from any general practice or Community Pharmacy.

The Government will take action to tackle the root causes of the obesity crisis head on, including through shifting the focus from treatment to prevention. We have made a strong start, including laying the necessary secondary legislation to implement the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink on television and online from 1 October 2025, taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose, and giving local authorities the stronger, clearer powers they have told us they need to block new fast food outlets near schools.

We look to the Colombian authorities to investigate fully the threats against all citizens, including trade unionists, and to take appropriate action against those responsible. Through the Integrated Security Fund (ISF), the UK has historically supported the development of protection measures for human rights abuses, working with the Colombian government to strengthen the institutional capacity of the National Protection Unit and civil society organisations involved in the protection of social leaders, including trade unionists. During his visit to Colombia in November, Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights, met with trade union representatives and other social and political leaders. In our UN Security Council statements, we regularly call on the Colombian government and its institutions to protect social leaders from threats.

The FCDO welcomes the extraordinary clinical trial results for lenacapavir, representing a significant breakthrough in HIV prevention and, potentially, treatment.

The UK is a long-standing supporter of market-shaping initiatives in low- and middle-income countries and we are having ongoing discussions with our global health partners, including UNITAID, on how to best facilitate widespread access to lenacapavir. This includes the UK supporting UNITAID's ongoing investment, in partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, in two pathfinder programmes for long-acting HIV PrEP in Brazil and South Africa. This work will shorten the time for effective adoption of lenacapavir, once available.

Supporting Implementation of the 2016 Colombia Peace Agreement is our priority. The UK has committed £80 million towards peace, stability and human rights in Colombia since 2016, leading efforts in the UN, including as penholder of resolutions in the UNSC.

Colombia is a Human Rights priority for the UK. The UK is working with the Colombian Government and communities to raise our concerns and to support the victims of sexual violence and environmental crimes.

The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to hold or seek to hold the information on people impacted by the collapse of McClure solicitors.

Given the seriousness of the issue raised, my officials have spoken to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who has confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation into the former partners of WW& J McClure. There are several routes in place to ensure consumers have access to support in the event of the collapse of their solicitor’s law firm.

The Legal Ombudsman deals with service complaints against regulated legal services providers – including those who are no longer operational. Their website provides information with regards to the different routes available for consumers depending on their personal circumstances: Complaining about closed service providers | Legal Ombudsman.