Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of staff pay rises on schools in deficit.

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

If she will make an estimate of the number of schools needing to reduce (a) subjects taught, (b) the number of support staff and (c) maintenance of facilities to cover the cost of staff pay rises.

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

What (a) support and (b) guidance her Department provides to schools on the cost of pay rises for staff.

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of support available for families with disabled children.

The Department understands that families with disabled children face additional costs and needs and pays close attention to the evidence base on extra costs faced by disabled people. People who are caring for disabled or ill children can apply for several benefits including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Carers Allowance (CA) and Universal Credit (UC).DLA is a tax-free contribution, worth up to £187.45 a week, to help meet the extra costs that arise from a disability or long-term health condition. DLA can passport to a range of additional support such as the Motability Scheme and child disability additions within income related benefits. DLA has been consistently uprated in line with inflation and is forecast to provide over £5 billion of financial support in 2025-26.CA provides a measure of financial support and recognition for unpaid carers who are unable to work full time due to their caring responsibilities. The DWP provides over £4 billion of financial support through CA to unpaid carers, including those caring for disabled children.The Disabled Child Addition in UC, worth up to £495.87 per month, is intended to provide extra support to low-income families with a disabled child. Carers on a low income who provide unpaid care for at least 35 hours per week for a severely disabled person can get an additional Carer Element of £201.86 per month as part of their UC award.Families are urged to check they are getting the support they are entitled to, which can also include help with transport, aids and appliances, prescription charges and council tax costs. Further information on what is available can be found online at: Disabled people - GOV.UK.At present, children with continuing entitlement to benefit transition from DLA to the adult benefit, Personal Independence Payment, at age 16. The Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in March, proposed that the age of transition should in future be raised from 16 to 18. The current consultation on this proposal will be open until 30 June.

What steps he is taking to ensure workplaces are accessible for people with (a) multiple medical conditions and (b) less visible disabilities.

This Government is committed to improving the access to and retention of disabled people and those with health conditions in the workplace. To this end, as part of Get Britain Working, the Keep Britain Working review being undertaken by Sir Charlie Mayfield is considering what more employers and government can do to enable employers to recruit and retain people with health conditions and disabilities and promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The Pathways to Work paper builds on this by consulting on enhancements to support for workplace adjustments. Earlier this year, we also launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. In the meantime, we continue to run a digital information service which provided tailored guidance for businesses to support employees to remain in work and to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme which encourages employers to create inclusive and accessible workplaces.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure transparency in the planning process for residents on new housing developments.

Planning law requires local planning authorities to undertake a statutory period of publicity of no less than 21 days prior to deciding a planning application. Local planning authorities are also required to keep a planning register of live and decided applications.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of pay for school support staff.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and the smooth running of schools.Most school support staff are currently employed on National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services pay and conditions. The NJC is a negotiating body made up of representatives from trade unions and local government employers. Employees covered by the NJC for local government services pay and conditions have been offered a pay increase of 3.2% from 1 April 2025, which is subject to agreement by the recognised NJC unions.This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. That is why we are establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, which will mean that in future years employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay structures for school support staff.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of new housing developments in Essex.

My Department publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply. This includes estimates of new homes built in each local authority, in each financial year, and can be found in Live Table 123 on gov.uk here. This is then used to inform the Housing Delivery Test, which measures this delivery against the number of homes required. The Department also publishes a quarterly release entitled ‘Housing supply: Indicators of New Supply, England’, which includes more timely estimates of new build starts and completions in England, and in each local authority and can be found in Table 253a on gov.uk here. This dataset covers new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply. Through the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, we implemented a new standard method for assessing housing needs which aligns with the governments ambition for 1.5 million new homes over this parliament, and better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable. The standard method provides a starting point for local councils to inform the preparation of their local plans. The indicative annual housing need figures for all local authorities under the new standard method can be found on gov.uk here. Whilst the standard method is used to identify the total number of homes needed in an area, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that it is for local authorities to identify the size, type and tenure of homes needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in planning policies.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of PIP reforms on support for carers receiving carer's allowance.

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026.This government is committed to supporting carers, who do one of the most valuable jobs in society, unpaid. As the Green Paper sets out, we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of not receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like. We will also work closely with the DHSC and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system.

What steps she is taking to provide financial support to families with disabled children.

The Department understands that families with disabled children face additional costs and needs and pays close attention to the evidence base on extra costs faced by disabled people. People who are caring for disabled or ill children can apply for several benefits including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Carers Allowance (CA) and Universal Credit (UC).DLA is a tax-free contribution, worth up to £187.45 a week, to help meet the extra costs that arise from a disability or long-term health condition. DLA can passport to a range of additional support such as the Motability Scheme and child disability additions within income related benefits. DLA has been consistently uprated in line with inflation and is forecast to provide over £5 billion of financial support in 2025-26.CA provides a measure of financial support and recognition for unpaid carers who are unable to work full time due to their caring responsibilities. The DWP provides over £4 billion of financial support through CA to unpaid carers, including those caring for disabled children.The Disabled Child Addition in UC, worth up to £495.87 per month, is intended to provide extra support to low-income families with a disabled child. Carers on a low income who provide unpaid care for at least 35 hours per week for a severely disabled person can get an additional Carer Element of £201.86 per month as part of their UC award.Families are urged to check they are getting the support they are entitled to, which can also include help with transport, aids and appliances, prescription charges and council tax costs. Further information on what is available can be found online at: Disabled people - GOV.UK.At present, children with continuing entitlement to benefit transition from DLA to the adult benefit, Personal Independence Payment, at age 16. The Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in March, proposed that the age of transition should in future be raised from 16 to 18. The current consultation on this proposal will be open until 30 June.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the new four point rule for daily living on households where there are more than one claimant who will no longer qualify.

No assessment has been made. The Department does not hold data on the number of other people living in the households of individual Personal Independence Payment claimants. Information on the proportion of households that receive multiple Personal Independence Payment awards can be found in the answer to PQ 48279 here Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab). After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change.

What steps he is taking to ensure that people with moderate but wide-ranging needs are not negatively impacted by the new four point rule for daily living.

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We are mindful of the impact this change to PIP eligibility could have on people. That is why, in the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working (published on 18 March), we are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement due to the reforms, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.The PIP assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. Therefore, the impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances. For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply from November 2026 at their next award review, subject to parliamentary approval. People will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance. More information on the impacts and equality analysis for these changes published on 26 March can be found: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK .

What steps she is taking to ensure that disabled children have access to (a) effective and (b) suitable schooling.

Schools have a range of duties under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to their disabled pupils, including to make reasonable adjustments and accessibility planning duties. These duties help ensure that all pupils with disabilities are able to access and thrive in their education. The accessibility duties require a planned approach to increasing accessibility so that, over time, pupils with disabilities are more comprehensively included in the whole life of the school and fewer adjustments are needed for individual disabled pupils.Many children with disabilities also have special educational needs (SEN). The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sits with local authorities.We know that many children and young people with SEND struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. We are committed to addressing this through improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and SEN units.The department has now published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Thurrock Council has been allocated just under £2 million and Essex Council has been allocated just under £21 million for high needs capital investment in 2025/26. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that GP websites using third party contractors for online appointment booking forms uphold patient privacy and security in data sharing.

All organisations that have access to National Health Service patient data must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit to provide assurance that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk/Third party organisations that use an IT system to make general practitioner appointments for patients must use a system which has been assured by NHS England, for example, through the usage of a Supplier Conformance Assessment List and clinical testing of the system before it is given permission to move to live usage. These checks help us to assure that patient data is managed within General Data Protection Regulation and that systems meet NHS security standards.There are strong protections in law to ensure that health and care information is used in a safe, secure and legal way. The privacy and confidentiality of people’s health and care data is championed by the National Data Guardian who provides independent advice on the use of such data and holds the Caldicott Principles which provide a framework for the safe and respectful use of data. In addition, every health and care organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian from within their organisation to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data and ensure it is used properly.

What steps she is taking to ensure support staff in schools are supported in handling the (a) complex medical needs and (b) behavioural issues of children in schools.

Support staff in schools perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.The statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear what is expected of schools in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. Policies should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.All schools are required to have a behaviour policy that outlines effective strategies to promote good behaviour and specifies the sanctions for misbehaviour. This policy must be communicated to all pupils, school staff, including support staff, and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the high standards of behaviour expected. The behaviour policy should also reflect the school's culture and be supported by all staff and senior leaders, including the headteacher.The department is establishing up to 90 new regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs. Hubs will be led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help improve their approach.

What steps she is taking to ensure families with disabled children have timely access to medical equipment.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues.Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, including for disability equipment. Each ICB must have an executive lead for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), who will support the board to perform its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, the NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioningLocal authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e7501ab418ab055592a7b/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023.pdfSince July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving wheelchair equipment. Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.

If he will make an estimate of the number of disabled children who do not have the equipment they need.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues.Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, including for disability equipment. Each ICB must have an executive lead for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), who will support the board to perform its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, the NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioningLocal authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e7501ab418ab055592a7b/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023.pdfSince July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving wheelchair equipment. Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.

What discussions he has had with representatives of healthcare professions on levels of unmet equipment needs for children with disabilities.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues.Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, including for disability equipment. Each ICB must have an executive lead for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), who will support the board to perform its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, the NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioningLocal authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e7501ab418ab055592a7b/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023.pdfSince July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving wheelchair equipment. Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that spent convictions are not considered once spent.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (the ROA) sets out when an offender is considered to be ‘rehabilitated’ for the purposes of the Act and sets out the relevant rehabilitation periods for cautions and convictions, i.e. when a caution or conviction becomes ‘spent’. Where an offender is rehabilitated for the purposes of the ROA, the ROA provides that they are entitled to withhold the fact of, or information about their spent cautions or convictions. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (exceptions) order 1975 creates exceptions with the effect that in some circumstances, spent as well as unspent cautions and convictions must be disclosed and may be taken into account when assessing a person’s suitability for certain positions. This balances the protection of the public with allowing ex-offenders to move on with their lives. We are carefully assessing the evidence in this space before considering whether adjustments to the regime are necessary.An individual can check if a conviction or caution is spent or unspent via the GOV.UK Disclosure Checker: Check if you need to tell someone about your criminal record: Check if your conviction or caution is spent - GOV.UK. We provide information, advice and guidance for employers, landlords and other entities on how they should implement the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA). This can be found on The GOV.UK guidance on the ROA. The guidance is clear that balanced judgements should be made and factors such as the person’s age at the time of the offence, the nature of the offence, how long ago the offence was committed, its relevance to the application or post in question, and what else is known about the persons conduct should be considered. We also provide good practice resources on hiring prison leavers via the New Futures Network. If an employer is unsure what check can be requested, they can contact the Disclosure and Barring Service.As part of the Government's plan to Make Work Pay, the Employment Rights Bill is repealing the two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection. By making this a ‘day one’ right, millions of employees will have protection against being arbitrarily fired by their employer. The Government is taking steps to support those with criminal convictions. Employees with spent convictions will be able claim unfair dismissal from day one (excluding those roles covered by the Exceptions Order). Reforms of unfair dismissal will take effect no sooner than autumn 2026.Organisations in the UK that process personal data must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). Oversight and enforcement of these data protection laws are carried out independently of the government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Under these laws, individuals have several rights concerning their personal data, including the right to request its erasure - commonly referred to as the ‘right to be forgotten’. The ICO, as the UK’s independent data protection regulator, provides comprehensive guidance on its website.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that organisations do not discriminate against people with spent convictions.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (the ROA) sets out when an offender is considered to be ‘rehabilitated’ for the purposes of the Act and sets out the relevant rehabilitation periods for cautions and convictions, i.e. when a caution or conviction becomes ‘spent’. Where an offender is rehabilitated for the purposes of the ROA, the ROA provides that they are entitled to withhold the fact of, or information about their spent cautions or convictions. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (exceptions) order 1975 creates exceptions with the effect that in some circumstances, spent as well as unspent cautions and convictions must be disclosed and may be taken into account when assessing a person’s suitability for certain positions. This balances the protection of the public with allowing ex-offenders to move on with their lives. We are carefully assessing the evidence in this space before considering whether adjustments to the regime are necessary.An individual can check if a conviction or caution is spent or unspent via the GOV.UK Disclosure Checker: Check if you need to tell someone about your criminal record: Check if your conviction or caution is spent - GOV.UK. We provide information, advice and guidance for employers, landlords and other entities on how they should implement the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA). This can be found on The GOV.UK guidance on the ROA. The guidance is clear that balanced judgements should be made and factors such as the person’s age at the time of the offence, the nature of the offence, how long ago the offence was committed, its relevance to the application or post in question, and what else is known about the persons conduct should be considered. We also provide good practice resources on hiring prison leavers via the New Futures Network. If an employer is unsure what check can be requested, they can contact the Disclosure and Barring Service.As part of the Government's plan to Make Work Pay, the Employment Rights Bill is repealing the two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection. By making this a ‘day one’ right, millions of employees will have protection against being arbitrarily fired by their employer. The Government is taking steps to support those with criminal convictions. Employees with spent convictions will be able claim unfair dismissal from day one (excluding those roles covered by the Exceptions Order). Reforms of unfair dismissal will take effect no sooner than autumn 2026.Organisations in the UK that process personal data must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). Oversight and enforcement of these data protection laws are carried out independently of the government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Under these laws, individuals have several rights concerning their personal data, including the right to request its erasure - commonly referred to as the ‘right to be forgotten’. The ICO, as the UK’s independent data protection regulator, provides comprehensive guidance on its website.