The Government are taking decisive action to strengthen the UK’s economic security and deliver growth in an increasingly contested and uncertain global economy.

As the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance drives growth by helping businesses across the country win contracts overseas, expand into new markets, and sustain high-value jobs. It plays a central role in mobilising capital in support of the Government’s economic objectives. UKEF’s 2025-26 impact report shows that last year UKEF provided £11 billion of support, which supported up to 85,000 jobs across the UK. Over the last 5 years, UKEF has supported 330,000 UK jobs, unlocking £23 billion of GDP growth.

Export credit agencies in peer and competitor countries are moving quickly to support a broader range of trade and investment activity, providing their firms with a wider and deeper range of financing to compete internationally. UKEF must be similarly equipped to match this ambition. However, its current statutory framework is primarily focused on supporting exports and does not provide sufficient flexibility to support the full range of modern trade, investment and supply chain activity.

As part of its modern industrial strategy, the Government committed to reviewing UKEF’s mandate, with a view to establishing a wider trade and investment remit to drive growth across the eight growth sectors. Delivering this commitment is a key part of the Government plan for growth.

I am therefore announcing the Government’s intention to bring forward legislation, when parliamentary time allows, to modernise the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991 and expand UKEF’s statutory powers, enabling it to operate as a more flexible, globally deployable financing instrument in support of UK prosperity.

The Government’s ambition is for UKEF to be able to support a broader range of international trade and investment activities, in order to support the UK economy, strengthen vulnerable supply chains and secure the UK’s economic resilience. The ambition includes:

Supporting UK firms who trade, invest and operate overseas;

Strengthening the UK’s economic security, including by facilitating the supply of critical goods into the UK;

Building investment partnerships overseas to mobilise finance flows into the UK.

These measures will enable UKEF to deploy its finance more strategically, so that it can build economic partnerships globally, support UK firms in internationalising, and strengthen supply chains in support of the UK’s economic security.

These changes will build on UKEF’s existing capabilities and expertise, while maintaining its robust control framework, which includes Treasury consent and parliamentary oversight.

[HCWS206]

I have today laid before the House 13 additional documents within the scope of the 24 February 2026 Humble Address seeking all papers relating to the creation of the role of special representative for trade and investment and the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 2001.

These documents confirm the arrangements for the appointment set out in the documents provided on 21 May 2026 but also provide some further detail, including confirmation that the British Trade International board was informed and Ministers were briefed on his preparation for the role, and details of his induction programme.

The 13 documents include:

extracts from BTI board papers;

further documents about the role, job title, and an update note for the responsible Minister.

plans for his induction programme and transition to the new role; and

press releases and media handling discussion.

The Government have now concluded all reasonable searches for material requested by Parliament. The focus of our work is now on supporting Thames Valley police with their investigation into possible misconduct in public office. If, in the course of this or other work, the Government find additional documents in scope of the Humble Address, these will be provided to Parliament in line with the established process.

I am conscious that the Business and Trade Committee is considering inquiring into the Government’s management of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor between 2001 and 2011. I am due to discuss with the Committee how we can best support it while avoiding prejudicing the police investigation.

[HCWS207]

The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 amended the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to establish a new framework enabling the oversight of those third parties whose services are critical to the stability of the UK financial sector. This framework forms an important part of the Government’s wider programme to promote a resilient, stable and internationally competitive financial services sector.

The designation of a third party will enable the financial regulators—jointly the Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority—to apply proportionate and targeted oversight of the systemically critical services, focused on managing risks to UK financial stability.

Regulations have been made under section 312L of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to designate specific third party entities as critical third parties where this is necessary to manage systemic risks arising from these services they provide to the UK financial sector.

These regulations will come into force on 13 July 2026 and form part of a rolling programme of designations with further designations expected in the future as part of the ongoing regime and as risks to the operational resilience of the UK financial sector evolve.

[HCWS212]

On 5 November 2025, I informed the House that the Secretary of State for Education had commissioned Dame Annie Hudson to undertake the statutory independent review of the operation of part 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017. I am now updating the House to confirm that the review has concluded and that today I am laying before Parliament Dame Annie Hudson’s review report together with the Government response. The review and the Government response relate to Social Work England and the regulation of social workers in England.

I would like to thank Dame Annie Hudson, the review team, and the many stakeholders who contributed evidence and insight to this important review.

The review was asked to assess how effectively Social Work England is discharging its statutory functions and delivering against its statutory objectives, and to consider whether changes are needed to support more effective regulation and improved standards in social work practice.

The review recognises progress since Social Work England was established, including maintaining the register, developing its regulatory approach and standards, completing its first round of inspections, progressing equalities work, and developing approaches to early resolution of concerns.

The review nevertheless concludes that there is a clear case for change to secure sustained improvement. It identifies the need for stronger performance in core regulatory functions, particularly fitness to practise; greater clarity about the role and remit of Social Work England; and stronger governance, sponsorship and accountability arrangements. It also calls for a more coherent standards landscape across professional regulation, qualifying education and post qualifying development; clearer expectations for employers and the wider system; and better use of data, transparency and equalities analysis.

The Government accept the review’s central conclusion that sustained improvement is needed in social work regulation in England. This is a shared improvement agenda. Social Work England has a central role in delivering effective regulation, but Government, employers and wider partners also have responsibilities. The Government response therefore sets out the action we expect Social Work England to take, the steps Government will take to strengthen sponsorship and system coherence, and the areas where further work with partners will be needed.

Social workers do vital work with children, families and adults, often in complex and challenging circumstances. Effective professional regulation is essential to public protection, public confidence and high professional standards. It is therefore important that Social Work England is focused on delivering its regulatory functions effectively and that improvement is practical, visible and sustained.

Fitness to practise is the most significant operational priority identified by the review. It is central to public protection and public confidence. The Government recognise that fitness to practise pressures are not unique to Social Work England, and that regulators across sectors are managing increasing case volumes and complexity. However, delays, poor communication and insufficient grip across the end-to-end process affect everyone involved: people who raise concerns, social workers under investigation, witnesses, employers and the wider public.

The Government are clear that urgent improvement is required in timeliness, communications, user experience and strategic grip across the end-to-end process. They therefore expect Social Work England to deliver, within six months, an externally supported, end-to-end fitness to practise strategic improvement plan, building on work already under way and bringing existing plans together into a single coherent approach. This must include clear milestones, revised forecasts and key performance indicators (KPI) on timeliness, methods to track progress and arrangements to recalibrate at pace where needed. The Department for Education will provide strengthened oversight, with regular reporting and ministerial visibility of progress, risks and escalation points. If Social Work England does not meet this six-month deadline, or if reporting shows inadequate progress against the plan, the Government will escalate intervention, including through governance, sponsorship and statutory levers available to the Secretary of State.

The Government response also sets out our position on legislative and procedural changes that may support a more effective fitness to practise process. These include issues relating to the lawful sharing and use of relevant information from private family court proceedings, accepted disposal powers, the role of the Professional Standards Authority, information sharing, suspension, and any further changes identified through the fitness to practise strategic improvement plan. We will consider these carefully, including the appropriate route and timing.

The review also makes important findings about the role, leadership and sponsorship of Social Work England. The Government agree that the regulator’s role must be clearly focused on core regulatory functions and remain distinct from professional representation or wider sector improvement activity. This does not prevent proportionate engagement, communications, data and equalities work where these support effective regulation.

Strong leadership, effective challenge and clear accountability will be essential to delivering the improvements required. The Government will work with Social Work England to ensure the board has the right expertise, including in social work and regulation. The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care will also strengthen joint working and senior engagement so that sponsorship better reflects both children’s and adults’ social work and supports clear accountability for progress.

The review also concludes that the standards landscape for social work needs to be more coherent. The Government agree that social workers, employers, education providers and the public should be able to understand clearly how different standards, frameworks and guidance fit together. The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care will work with Social Work England and relevant sector bodies to develop an overarching framework, reducing duplication, clarifying the status of different standards and guidance, and supporting a more coherent relationship between qualifying education, professional regulation, continuing professional development, and post-qualifying development. Where the review recommends longer-term changes to post-qualifying standards and assurance, the Government will consider the appropriate route, timing and deliverability, including policy, legal, funding and capacity implications.

As part of this, the Government support Social Work England reviewing its education and training standards including the knowledge, skills and behaviours, and clarifying how they should support assessment in practice placements. The aim should be a clearer and more practice-focused framework for initial qualifying social work education, which supports high and common expectations across children’s and adults’ social work.

The Government also agree that better data, transparency, and equalities analysis are essential to effective regulation and public confidence, particularly in understanding fitness to practise outcomes, differential impacts, and the experience of different groups.

The Government will work closely with Social Work England and partners across the sector to deliver practical and sustained improvement, with clear expectations, regular oversight and escalation where progress is not sufficient. Copies of the review report and the Government response will be available on gov.uk and deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS208]

My honourable Friend Lord Vallance of Balham, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, has today made the following statement:

The Government mission to become a clean energy superpower is about delivering secure, affordable and low carbon electricity for households and businesses, reducing our dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets and protecting billpayers for the long term.

As we move towards a clean power system, electricity demand is expected to increase significantly as heat, transport and industry are electrified. Delivering this transition at the lowest cost requires a mix of technologies. While renewable energy will form the backbone of the system, baseload power such as nuclear is essential to maintain system reliability, reduce overall system costs and protect consumers from exposure to global energy price shocks.

Nuclear power therefore plays a vital role in delivering a secure, low cost and low carbon electricity system. As a source of reliable electricity produced wholly within the UK, it provides baseload generation to complement renewable output and helps reduce reliance on imports.

Extending the lifetime of existing nuclear power stations is the most cost-effective way of delivering further nuclear generation. It allows the UK to make best use of existing assets, delivering significant volumes of clean power at lower cost than alternative forms of new generation.

This approach is consistent with international best practice. Several countries, including Belgium, France and the US, have recently taken steps to extend the lifetimes of their existing nuclear power stations to strengthen energy security and support decarbonisation.

Located in Suffolk, Sizewell B is a critical part of the UK’s nuclear fleet. Since coming online in 1995, it has provided over 270 TWh of low carbon electricity, helping to maintain security of supply and reduce emissions. Without intervention, the plant is currently expected to cease operations in 2035, despite it being technically feasible for it to continue generating for an additional 20 years.

There are strong reasons to support the continued operation of the plant.

Firstly, on security of supply, Sizewell B provides electricity that is not dependent on weather conditions. This is critical to maintaining a resilient electricity system, particularly during periods of low renewable output, and helps reduce reliance on imported energy.

Secondly, analysis shows that extending Sizewell B and making continued use of the existing infrastructure will significantly reduce overall system costs, relative to a low carbon counterfactual without the project. By locking in a stable price, the contract for difference will also help protect consumers from future volatility in wholesale electricity prices. During periods of high prices, payments flow back to billpayers, delivering direct consumer benefit. Had Sizewell B been operating under this agreement during the energy price crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, consumers would have saved around £2 billion.

Thirdly, the project will support 900 highly skilled on-site roles, helping to sustain both the UK nuclear supply chain and the expertise required to deliver future nuclear projects. This is in addition to the economic benefits associated with the new investment required for the life extension works.

To unlock the private investment required for this extension, the Government have reached agreement on a commercial heads of terms with EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd for a bespoke contract for difference to support the lifetime extension of Sizewell B.

The contract for difference, once signed, will enable the continued operation of Sizewell B beyond 2035, securing sufficient low carbon power for the equivalent of 2.5 million homes for a further 20 years, supporting our clean power mission and wider energy security objectives.

The key terms are as follows:

A strike price of £70.50 per MWh (2025 prices), reflecting robust due diligence and benchmarking against comparable projects.

A 20 year contract term, aligned with the planned extension period.

A two-way contract for difference structure, ensuring that when electricity prices are high, payments flow back to consumers.

Consumer protection measures, including a one-way cost gain share mechanism, which would ensure consumers benefit from cost savings during the refurbishment phase. All cost overrun risk sits with the developer.

Incentives to support timely delivery of the lifetime extension works, avoid extended plant downtime and efficiently manage operation costs.

Existing arrangements for decommissioning and waste management remain in place.

Taken together, these terms represent a balanced deal that supports investment while protecting billpayers.

Implementation of the heads of terms is subject to reaching agreement on the long-form contract for difference, as well as required regulatory approvals and legislative amendments to enable existing nuclear plants to become eligible for contracts for difference. The Government intend to progress these steps in parallel to support the timely delivery of the project. Further details of the agreement will be published in due course.

[HCWS205]

I can today inform the House of the publication of a White Paper outlining the Government’s vision for supporting a thriving, modern veterinary sector through reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

We are a country that cares deeply for animals, whether they are our pets and companions, our farmed animals or our wildlife. Veterinary professionals do incredible work to uphold our high animal health and welfare standards, safeguard our biosecurity, support animal disease control and maintain food security and public health, as well as enable trade agreements.

To continue to deliver this, the veterinary sector needs a modern, fair and effective regulatory system that reflects the realities of today’s veterinary practice and supports a sustainable workforce. The White Paper sets out the Government’s vision to achieve this through reform of the VSA.

It responds to our recent public consultation, which gained over 6,000 responses, demonstrating the significant support for VSA reform. This reflects the years of calls from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the profession and the public to reform the VSA.

The White Paper also sets out the Government’s response to the market investigation into veterinary services for household pets undertaken by the Competition and Markets Authority. It confirms that our proposed reforms will address competition concerns and support innovation, consumer choice and economic growth.

Since the current VSA came into force 60 years ago, the profession has changed beyond recognition, as have our views about animals and their welfare. The current legislation is inflexible and no longer fit for purpose. It does not recognise the incredible work that is undertaken by veterinary nurses or allied veterinary professionals, and nor does it take into account changes in business ownership across the sector. It does not reflect best practice with regard to managing fitness to practise or the governance of the regulator, and it does not do enough to protect consumers.

Reform of the VSA would address all of this to ensure that the veterinary sector remains fit for purpose, flexible and future-facing.

This White Paper sets out four broad areas of reform:

Regulation of all veterinary professionals;

Regulation of all veterinary and animal healthcare businesses;

Support for consumers; and

Structures and governance of the regulator.

One of our key aims in this reform is to ensure that we continue to uphold animal health and welfare by strengthening our veterinary workforce through recognition of all members of the veterinary team. This would ensure that animals receive the best and most appropriate care from qualified and licensed professionals. This will be key to increasing our resilience to exotic and endemic disease threats, playing a vital role in strengthening our food security and biosecurity.

Our economy would be supported by breaking down barriers to opportunities, regulating all veterinary businesses and increasing competition for consumers. We are proposing introducing new licensing options to increase access to the professions, especially for those with disabilities, and bringing all veterinary professionals under the same regulatory umbrella. Increased responsibilities for veterinary professionals would go hand in hand with increased support to new and returning veterinary surgeons and nurses in order to strengthen the workforce and address the challenges of recruitment and retention.

Finally, our proposals seek to rectify the issues identified by the CMA through proportionate business regulation, increased access to information and price transparency, to support this Government’s commitment to help people with the cost of living.

The proposed UK-wide changes in the White Paper are crucial to transforming legislation in order to maintain high standards of animal health and welfare, protect the public and consumers, and uphold public trust in the veterinary professions.

[HCWS203]

FCDO Services operates as a trading fund of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In line with normal practice, I have set the following performance targets for 2026-27:

An in-year surplus before interest, tax and dividend;

Achievement of the return on capital employed of at least 6.5% (weighted average);

A productivity ratio of at least 82%, measuring actual billable hours versus available billable hours;

An in-year customer satisfaction rating average of at least 82;

An average civil service people survey score for “Employee Engagement” of at least 61%; and

An average civil service people survey score for “My Manager” of at least 65%.

FCDO Services will report to Parliament on its success against these targets through its annual report and accounts for 2026-27.

FCDO Services is an executive agency and trading fund of the FCDO. It provides a range of integrated, secure services worldwide to the FCDO and other UK Government Departments, supporting the delivery of Government agendas. Services include protective security, estates and construction, cloud computing, communications and monitoring, logistics, translation and interpreting. This is combined with a portfolio of global maintenance work. FCDO Services also manages the UK National Authority for Counter Eavesdropping, helping protect UK assets from physical, electronic and cyber-attack.

[HCWS210]

This Government are committed to ensuring there is an effective building safety regime in place, so that people can be confident their homes are safe. It is hugely important to correct the mistakes of the past so that residents can move on with their lives. Furthermore, I am of the view that good regulation supports growth as well as safety. Today, I am announcing the next stage in development for the wider building safety system.

In line with calls from industry, residents and campaigners, we are enabling new applications to the cladding safety scheme to be prioritised according to risk to life, rather than solely by building height. This will ensure buildings assessed as presenting the highest risk to life are prioritised for remediation.

As part of this risk-based approach, we are also taking targeted action to address fire safety risks in buildings below 11 metres, where serious, life-critical cladding defects fall outside the scope of statutory protections, leaving leaseholders often facing significant cladding remediation costs.

We have investigated all under 11 metres buildings brought to our attention since 2022. The vast majority have not required cladding remediation, with fire risks often addressed through proportionate, lower-cost mitigation measures. Only a limited number of buildings have been found to require cladding remediation.

We acknowledge that leaseholders in buildings under 11 metres have faced prolonged uncertainty. I am pleased to confirm today that we are launching new, targeted funding to support the remediation of unsafe cladding on a small number of multi-occupancy residential buildings under 11 metres in England. This will be delivered through an extension of the cladding safety scheme and administered by Homes England. This delivers on the commitment set out in the remediation acceleration plan update in July last year.

Funding will prioritise high-risk buildings with the most serious cladding fire safety defects. Following support for these cases, any remaining funding may be directed to other buildings where intervention would deliver the greatest benefit in reducing risk and supporting residents. Applications for funding are expected to open in August.

From autumn 2026, the national remediation database, delivered by Homes England, will provide a single view of remediation activity across relevant buildings, improving information sharing and supporting oversight across partner organisations.

Responsible persons such as building owners remain responsible for ensuring a building is safe and life-critical defects are addressed.

In addition, today we are publishing the findings of the remediation programme insurance survey, which indicates that some leaseholders continue to face particularly high insurance costs despite progress in remediating building safety defects. The Financial Conduct Authority will work with MHCLG and HMT to undertake a short, focused review of the multi-occupancy buildings insurance market. The review will explore how insurers’ pricing approaches for multiple occupancy buildings have changed since 2023, how firms are considering leaseholders’ interests when assessing whether their products deliver fair value, and how fire safety remediation work and other related factors are being taken into account in insurers’ risk assessments. It will also work with Association of British Insurers and MHCLG to assess the effectiveness of the fire safety reinsurance facility in increasing market capacity and reducing premiums.

Alongside this, we are publishing the Government response to the single construction regulator prospectus consultation. The Government welcome the broad support for the single construction regulator (SCR) from respondents. Our response to the consultation sets out the Government’s direction for the SCR, including our vision and ambition for the regulator, outcomes for the building system and the SCR’s primary objective. It confirms our intention to bring forward primary legislation as the next step towards establishing the SCR, using the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as its foundation.

Establishing the SCR will support a more effective, fair and coherent regulatory system that improves outcomes for residents and building users while providing greater clarity for industry.

The Government continue to drive reform across the wider building safety system. Our objective is to ensure that the system established after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy is protecting residents, supporting responsible development and operating in a clear, proportionate and effective way.

As the new framework has matured, experience has shown where improvements can be made while maintaining the protections residents rightly expect. The reforms announced today will improve how the regime operates in practice while maintaining high standards of safety.

That begins with improving the proportionality of the higher-risk buildings regime. Robust oversight of safety critical work remains essential, but requirements must be targeted and efficient if they are to command confidence and support delivery. A proportionate regime is not a compromise on safety. It is essential to ensure regulatory effort and limited specialist resources are focused where they have the greatest positive impact on safety and efficiency. We are therefore publishing today the response to two consultations, on recategorising work in existing higher-risk buildings and on targeted dispensations from procedural requirements for telecommunications work in existing buildings, as well as launching a new consultation on the emergency repairs route.

Furthermore, the BSR will also introduce a revised approach to building assessment certificates. This will provide an effective and proportionate, risk-based approach to managing occupied higher-risk buildings, with greater support for principal accountable persons, particularly resident-led organisations and those managing complex cases. The BSR will develop updated processes, prioritisation and guidance to help protect residents and leaseholders from unnecessary additional costs. The core duties established by the Building Safety Act will not change. Accountable persons must continue to manage their buildings effectively and take all reasonable steps to protect residents from fire spread and structural failure.

Taken together, this package of measures ensures the building safety framework remains focused on proportionate management of risk to be effective in operation and firmly centred on protecting residents.

[HCWS209]

My noble Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Lord Timpson) has today made the following statement:

Today, I am laying before Parliament the HMPPS 2025-26 annual report on the IPP sentence, pursuant to section 67 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

This report sets out the activity across HMPPS for the financial year of 2025-26 to support those serving the IPP sentence in prison to work towards a safe release, and those in the community, towards the termination of their licence.

The latest published statistics show that as at 31 March 2026, there were 896 unreleased and 1,433 recalled IPP prisoners, compared to 1,012 unreleased and 1,532 recalled IPP prisoners on the corresponding date in 2025. As at 31 December 2025, there were 891 offenders serving IPP sentences in the community and 207 prisoners in hospital for treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983, compared to 1,376 offenders in the community and 233 prisoners in hospital on the corresponding date in 2024.

The Sentencing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 22 January 2026, introduced further reforms to IPP licence termination on 1 June 2026. These reforms: reduced the qualifying period for licence termination from three years to two years following first release; and enable individuals whose licence is not terminated at the end of this period to apply for a further Parole Board review one year later, prior to automatic termination.

The IPP action plan 2026-27 is included as part of this annual report, which sets out planned HMPPS activity for the year, including six measurable targets. Through the IPP action plan HMPPS has committed funding to sustain vital services such as the IPP approved premises pilot, and to trial a new IPP advocate role, designed to provide more personalised support to those serving IPP sentences. Further successes include:

Additional funding for psychology services, enabling greater access to specialist assessments for individuals facing the most significant barriers to progression.

The phoenix unit at HMP Aylesbury is due to open later this summer as a purpose-designed residential unit to support IPP prisoners who have become disengaged from progression.

A release on temporary licence model has been agreed for all four progression regime prisons—Humber, Warren Hill, Erlestoke and Buckley Hall—to enable IPP ROTL.

Strengthened recall processes by: streamlining the documentation required for a recall request, to ensure that the reasons for recall are robustly and clearly stated; enhancing quality assurance for decision-making; delivering additional training for public protection casework section staff who formally revoke an offender’s licence; and ensuring that only senior managers in PPCS can revoke the licence.

In addition, HMPPS used the risk assessed recall review power to re-release 61 recalled IPP prisoners between 1 November 2024 and 31 December 2025, in some cases months ahead of a scheduled parole hearing.

The Government are determined to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for all those serving the IPP sentence and an eventual end to their sentence, but only in such a way that does not put the public and victims at risk.

[HCWS204]

I am pleased to make this statement in relation to the Timms review of personal independence payment.

The Government have today published the interim report on behalf of the steering group for the Timms review. The report is available on gov.uk and copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The Government launched the Timms review to help ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future in a changing world, and that it helps to support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The terms of reference set out that the review must operate within the Office for Budget Responsibility’s projections for future PIP expenditure, to ensure that it is there to support generations to come.

The review is being co-produced with disabled people and other experts. The review is led by me and two co-chairs, Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE, to whom I am very grateful, and a steering group of 12 people, almost all disabled people, who together are bringing their expertise and experience to shape and lead the work. This is the first time the UK Government have undertaken co-production at this scale, and I am grateful for the commitment and passion of this group.

No single group can be representative of the full diversity of disabled people’s experiences. That is why the steering group has set up a wide range of evidence-gathering and engagement opportunities, to provide varied, accessible options for people with differing lived and learned experiences to get involved, and to ensure that the group can hear from as many different perspectives as possible.

The publication of the interim report today marks a significant milestone for the review and reflects its commitment to openness and transparency. The report has been published on gov.uk in a range of accessible versions, including braille, British Sign Language, audio, easy read, Welsh, large print and web-accessible formats.

The report does not contain recommendations or Government policy; it provides an account of the work of the review to date and explains how the review is being co-produced with people with lived and learned experience. It sets out the evidence considered so far and presents the review’s emerging themes. It also outlines the next steps for the review, including how over the coming months it will continue its evidence and engagement programme to test emerging thinking and develop recommendations that reflect the steering group’s ambitions for radical reform, and that are credible, deliverable and grounded in lived and learned experience.

The report delivers a clear message from the steering group, based on the evidence it has seen and heard so far: while PIP is widely valued as a benefit, it is no longer fit for purpose.

The report explains that PIP is often described as fundamental to managing the practical realities of a disability, from enabling access to transport and work, to supporting everyday activities. However, the experience of claiming PIP is often described as stressful and dehumanising. For some people, the current design and delivery of PIP can create barriers to participation, including work, community life and everyday activities, rather than supporting independence and participation as intended.

The report is published alongside the findings from the call for evidence, which received over 38,000 responses from disabled people, organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders. An existing evidence pack compiled by the Department for Work and Pensions, which was provided to the steering group as a starting point for further evidence gathering, is also published. Neither of these are meant to act as a single source of the truth but are shared as part of the review’s commitment to openness and transparency.

As well as sincere thanks to the steering group for their commitment to this work, I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed their time, evidence and experience to the review so far. The review remains committed to ensuring that disabled people’s voices are central to this work as it looks ahead to developing, testing and refining its final recommendations, which are to be submitted to the Secretary of State in the autumn.

I look forward to updating the House on the progress of this crucial work.

[HCWS211]