Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of Ofsted making a separate judgment on SEN provision in schools on its published inspection report.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Melton and Syston and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the process of applying for an ECHP.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has failed to meet the needs of families for far too long.

We want to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments are progressed promptly and, if required, high-quality EHC plans are issued in line with statutory deadlines.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we help to identify the problems and put in place an effective recovery plan. This includes, where needed, providing specialist SEND Advisor support to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and put in place practical plans for recovery.

We are working closely with experts, including parents, local authorities, SEND organisations and education settings across the country, as we consider the next steps for SEND reform.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 66726 on Childcare: Eligibility, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the eligibility criteria to take account of the unpaid nature of student nursing.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out the level of childcare support his Department provides for (a) student nurses and (b) other essential vocational trainees; and what plans she has to increase that level of support.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making student nurses eligible for the 30 hours of free childcare.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide mental health support in schools in Epping Forest constituency.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). 53% of schools and colleges in Epping Forest constituency were supported by an MHST in March 2025. Further data for 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026. Under government plans, all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications on the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​​The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternative academic qualifications and new technical qualifications in health and social care and related areas such as science, that will sit alongside the T Level in health and related A levels. The department is withdrawing funding from unreformed qualifications in the same areas, so that students can benefit from the higher quality reformed alternatives.

​T Levels are out-performing other qualifications. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification in health they should undertake the T Level.

​We published an equalities impact assessment alongside the outcome of the review of qualifications reform. The review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment. The department expects the impact on the number of young people not in education, employment or training, to be mitigated by the availability of T Levels and other reformed qualifications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications in Health and Social Care on the number of students studying courses in these subjects.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​​The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternative academic qualifications and new technical qualifications in health and social care and related areas such as science, that will sit alongside the T Level in health and related A levels. The department is withdrawing funding from unreformed qualifications in the same areas, so that students can benefit from the higher quality reformed alternatives.

​T Levels are out-performing other qualifications. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification in health they should undertake the T Level.

​We published an equalities impact assessment alongside the outcome of the review of qualifications reform. The review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment. The department expects the impact on the number of young people not in education, employment or training, to be mitigated by the availability of T Levels and other reformed qualifications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support pupils with SEND in Epping Forest constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person receives the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore parents’ trust by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate to crisis point.

We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with SEND need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that termly cut-off dates do not disadvantage families whose children are born mid-term resulting in the parent’s statutory maternity concluding after the 30 September leaving them ineligible for free care in the autumn term; and whether her Department plans to provide additional transitional support or flexibility to parents whose return to work is after the deadline.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

Children become eligible for an early education and childcare place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, the term after they reach the relevant age and meet relevant eligibility criteria.

Depending on when a child is born and when the eligibility criteria are met, there will be differing periods to wait until the relevant termly date.

Termly deadlines enable local authorities and childcare providers to better plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to enter into a place.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the publication of safeguarding data; and if he will make it his policy to require all local authorities publish their safeguarding data annually.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Local Authorities currently submit annual data to the department on all ‘children in need’ and ‘children looked after’ in their authorities. This includes information on Section 47 enquiries, initial child protection conferences and children with child protection plans and is published on the department’s ‘Explore Education Statistics’ website. This contains statistics on serious incidents involving children that local authorities have notified to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. Safeguarding partners also complete annual reports which focus on multi-agency priorities, learning, impact, evidence, and improvement. These are subsequently sent to the department and National Panel and published in the public domain.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of uprating the maximum income threshold for free school meals eligibility for children in families with No Recourse to Public Funds in line with the eligibility criteria introduced on 4 June 2025.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, to the answer of 24 September 2025 to Question 76012.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date she decided to reduce the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund fair access limit to £3,000 in 2025-26.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The decision to set the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) fair access limit at £3,000 for 2025/26 was taken as part of departmental business planning decisions in the spring, following the announcement to Parliament on 1 April that the ASGSF would be continuing into 2025/26.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a minimum recommendation of 80 hours of enrichment per academic year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Worsley and Eccles to the answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62871.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the absence of a formal central email channel for early years foundation stage updates for early years settings on the safety of children in those settings.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

When changes are made to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, the department ensures that there is a programme of communications and engagement with the sector to ensure they understand the changes being made. This includes emails sent to local authorities to disseminate to all early years settings.

In addition, where appropriate, the department produces webinars and vodcasts on the Foundation Years website, which we promote to the sector via numerous channels, including local authorities, stronger practice hubs and sector representatives. The Foundation Years website is available here: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to ensure that adoptive families whose children were not previously looked after by a local authority can access therapeutic support, in the context of the complex (a) emotional and (b) psychological needs those children may have.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is targeted at children who were previously looked after by a local authority, as the local authority maintain a statutory responsibility to these children. Local authorities may still provide support for other children where appropriate, including any adopted children who were not previously looked after, using alternative funding streams. Eligibility and budget considerations for the ASGSF are assessed as part of the broader spending review discussions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in families subject to No Recourse to Public Funds have received the concession on access to free school meals since 2022 by (a) region and (b) year.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, to the answer of 24 September 2025 to Question 76011.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on supporting new solar power installations for state schools via Power Purchase Agreements.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is committed to helping schools decarbonise and reduce energy costs through sustainable solutions like solar. Rooftop solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) can deliver public sector savings and wider social benefits through partnerships with community energy groups. Ministers at the department, and HM Treasury, are clear on the potential here and continue to explore ways to increase renewable energy across the education estate

The government remains focused on supporting schools in adopting renewables to cut emissions and energy bills. The department is already partnering with Great British Energy on an £80 million initiative to install solar panels and other decarbonisation technologies in up to 200 schools and colleges in 2025/26. This programme aims to deliver long-term savings and contribute to net zero goals. We continue to work across government to ensure schools have access to sustainable tools and funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the accessibility of adoption files for adoptees who have reached adulthood.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Local authorities have been advised to retain adoption records for at least 100 years, an increase from the previous 75-year requirement. The department has also asked them to ensure timely access to these records.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, the department will make this a legal requirement by introducing regulatory changes. These changes will ensure that all adoption case records for individuals adopted before 30 December 2005 are preserved for a minimum of 100 years. This is already a requirement for records for individuals adopted after 30 December 2005.

In addition, the department is supporting and working with Adoption England, who have recently published new guidance to promote consistent and legally compliant practice on access to records across all regional adoption agencies. Adoption England also continues to fund FamilyConnect, a pilot national advice line that supports adopted adults, birth parents, relatives, and professionals with searching for and accessing adoption records.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on rolling out defibrillators to state-funded schools in England.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department’s defibrillator programme was the largest rollout of defibrillators across England to date. The programme provided over 20,000 defibrillators to almost 18,000 schools, ensuring that all state-funded schools in England have access to a device.

The department is working with the British Heart Foundation to understand the impact the programme is having. Since our rollout, the number of school defibrillators registered on the national database, The Circuit, has risen by 252%, with 66% of all schools in England now having at least one device registered. Our evaluation shows that defibrillators we provided have been available for use and deployed in over 12,000 emergency situations, where there has been a suspected cardiac arrest.

The department continues to work with the British Heart Foundation to evaluate and understand the impact of our programme and support schools in registering their defibrillators on The Circuit.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce to review the adequacy of childcare provision for (a) student nurses and (b) other parents in full-time healthcare education.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Where student parents are not eligible for 30 hours funded childcare, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of options for students in higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income.

Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund. Information on eligibility and how to apply is available here: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund-lsf.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be accessed here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that proposed changes to childcare provision do not undermine the sustainability of private nurseries and childminders.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is investing significantly in early education and childcare to ensure sustainability across all providers, including nurseries and childminders. Government spending on funded hours will reach £9 billion next year, rising further over this Parliament, with around 80% of hours funded from September 2025.

To strengthen the sector, the department is supporting local authorities to shape and oversee childcare markets, helping single-site providers grow, and monitoring financial sustainability to maintain stability and transparency. We are also encouraging investment from charities and social enterprises, expanding nursery provision in schools, building stronger school-nursery partnerships, and supporting childminders with monthly payments and recruitment initiatives.

The department values the diversity of the sector and is committed to working closely with providers to secure affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare. Our ambition is for every family to have access to the early education and care their children need, delivering on our Plan for Change.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department are taking to promote reading in children.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government's Opportunity Mission will help every child to achieve and thrive at school through excellent teaching and high standards. It aims to break the link between young people’s background and their future success. Reading is central to this mission and is crucial for success at school and in life.

On 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that 2026 will be The National Year of Reading, a campaign to address the decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. The National Year of Reading will position reading as a powerful contemporary activity, aiming to engage new audiences in reading and change the national reading culture for good.

The government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme. Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to schools that host PGCE students; and what assessment she has made of the contribution of this to teacher recruitment and retention in Hampshire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching has the strongest positive impact on pupil outcomes in schools, which is why this government has pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers, including in science subjects, backed by a near 10% pay award since July 2024.

To aid recruitment, the department is providing teacher training financial incentives worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax-free, in science subjects. We are also providing retention incentives for early career science teachers worth up to £6000, with 39 schools in Hampshire qualifying for these.

Schools that host trainee placements leading to qualified teacher status, including those studying a PGCE, can claim funding to help cover the time staff members spend mentoring, given the importance of peer-to-peer support. In 2024/25, the department welcomed over 23,100 new postgraduate trainee teachers, an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. In 2024/25, 399 trainees began postgraduate teacher training in Hampshire, compared to 317 in 2023/24.

The department’s interventions are having a positive impact, with the teaching workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. In the South East, the number of secondary school teachers increased by 221.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce the shortage of science teachers in Hampshire; and what support is available for schools relying on supply staff.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching has the strongest positive impact on pupil outcomes in schools, which is why this government has pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers, including in science subjects, backed by a near 10% pay award since July 2024.

To aid recruitment, the department is providing teacher training financial incentives worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax-free, in science subjects. We are also providing retention incentives for early career science teachers worth up to £6000, with 39 schools in Hampshire qualifying for these.

Schools that host trainee placements leading to qualified teacher status, including those studying a PGCE, can claim funding to help cover the time staff members spend mentoring, given the importance of peer-to-peer support. In 2024/25, the department welcomed over 23,100 new postgraduate trainee teachers, an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. In 2024/25, 399 trainees began postgraduate teacher training in Hampshire, compared to 317 in 2023/24.

The department’s interventions are having a positive impact, with the teaching workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. In the South East, the number of secondary school teachers increased by 221.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce educational inequalities for secondary school pupils in the West Midlands.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, the government knows educational inequalities exist at every phase of education across the country. This is not acceptable in the West Midlands, or nationally.

Through our Plan for Change, we are tackling these inequalities and have set a milestone of a 75% of 5 year-olds reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028. The department will invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to raise quality, close gaps, and break down barriers to opportunity for every child.

We are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school, expanding free school meals to all children on Universal Credit from September 2026 and have delivered record increases to the early years pupil premium.

This is alongside our work to drive high and rising standards in every school, including new regional improvement in standards and excellence teams, the Curriculum and Assessment Review and our commitment to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on promoting road safety awareness among pupils who use (a) hire and (b) electric bikes.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Primary and secondary schools are free to teach about road safety awareness as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and many do so through their personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) provision alongside the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) content. This can also include teaching about general road safety when using bikes in different situations. The statutory RSHE guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary

The updated RSHE guidance, published in July 2025, has a new section on personal safety which includes how to recognise risk and keep safe around roads.

Schools can draw on resources available from many providers including, the THINK! campaign, developed by the Department for Transport. The campaign can be accessed here: https://www.think.gov.uk/.

Schools also use Bikeability, the Department for Transport’s flagship national cycle training programme for pupils in England, which teaches core skills that enable pupils to cycle confidently and safely on roads.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure inclusive school environments for children with different learning styles in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work. We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence and identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity.

Our new regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will work with mainstream schools to help them become more inclusive places, as one of four priority areas for improvement.

The recently published RISE Inclusive Mainstream webpage provides schools with programmes and resources to help mainstream schools improve inclusivity and support for those with special educational needs and disabilities and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing introducing compulsory first aid training for teachers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The provision of first aid training is a matter for early years, schools and colleges as employers who are best placed to make decisions about the training and development required to meet the needs of their staff and pupils.

The department publishes guidance to support settings to carry out their duties relating to first aid issues both on their premises and off-site.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle misogyny in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for for Blyth and Ashington to the answer of 19 September 2025 to Question 76624.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to schools that have amended their subject curricula due to staff shortages.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools have the flexibility to organise the content and delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils and to suit their local contexts.

There is no prescription about the number of teaching hours for each subject, or about the format of lessons. It is for schools to decide how much time is spent on any subject.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

In 2024/25, we drove forward teacher recruitment and retention, backed by investment of around £700 million across schools and further education. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools where they are needed most. This includes 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers compared to last year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools in Hampshire schools with (a) increased class sizes and (b) reduced staffing levels due to budget constraints.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Hampshire is receiving £1.1 billion for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. That is equivalent to £6,031 per pupil (excluding growth and falling rolls funding), which is an increase of 2.4% per pupil compared to 2024/25.

On top of the DSG funding, the department is providing additional funding to support schools with increases to employer National Insurance Contributions, and the costs of the teacher and local government support staff pay awards in 2025/26.

The department provides a suite of free tools, guidance and support to help schools better manage their budgets. Schools are already bringing core operating costs down through initiatives such as our new ‘Energy for Schools’ offer. Additionally, they can access services such as the ‘Get Help Buying for Schools’ service to get best value when procuring goods and our ‘Teaching Vacancies Service’ to save recruitment costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Children and Families Act 2014 section 37, whether her Department has sought legal advice on the legal right to special educational provision.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person receives the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore parents’ trust by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate to crisis point.

We will continue to engage with key stakeholders and seek the appropriate legal advice as we look to build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with SEND need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with increases in the number of in-year admissions in Hampshire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

The department engages with local authorities, including Hampshire County Council, on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional school places. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department offers support and advice.

The department also provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to secure sufficient school places. Hampshire has been allocated just over £22.2 million to support it to create the mainstream school places needed between May 2024 and September 2028.

The Schools Admissions Code also requires every local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol in place, to ensure that vulnerable children, and those who are having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible, minimising the time the child is out of school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the effectiveness of the national funding education formula in reflecting socioeconomic disparities within counties.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In the 2025/26 financial year, 10.6% (£5.1 billion) of the schools national funding formula (NFF) has been allocated through deprivation factors, as part of the 17.8% (£8.6 billion) allocated for additional needs overall. The most deprived schools continue, on average, to attract the largest per pupil funding amounts through the schools NFF. This helps schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps.

The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation, low prior attainment, or English as an additional language, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.

The government will keep the operation of the schools NFF for the 2026/27 financial year and future years under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of families expected to receive 30 hours of free childcare in Lincolnshire in 2025.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. We are delivering more support to working families than ever before with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare.

The department does not hold data on estimates of the numbers of families expected to benefit by area.

However, the department does collect data on eligibility codes, which show the number of children who have benefitted by local authority level. This information can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/expansion-to-early-childcare-entitlements-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated/2025-may. In the spring 2025 term, 7,193 codes were issued to parents in Lincolnshire and 6,620 (92%) of these were validated via childcare providers.

This data was published on 12 May 2025. This data is being updated periodically in response to the 30 hours rollout.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the number of pupils that miss education due to long term illness at (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in the West Midlands.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department collects data on children missing education from local authorities. The latest data, including breakdowns by geography, characteristic and length of time missing education, has been available since 12 December 2024 and can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

The department does not yet publish data on physical health or mental health as a primary reason for children missing education. However, these fields have been added to the aggregate termly local authority data collection for the first time, beginning autumn 2025 and will be included in the next official statistics release.

Data on pupil absence is collected via the school census, and the latest publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england/2024-25-autumn-term. Reasons for absence are included in the publication, including the illness rate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on water safety education for primary school children.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Departmental officials had discussions with their Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs counterparts in drawing up the new relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. The department has made water safety and the Water Safety Code part of statutory health education, taught as part of RSHE. It is included within the new topic of ‘personal safety’. The new curriculum comes into force from September 2026. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

Swimming and water safety are also compulsory elements of the primary physical education curriculum at key stages 1 and 2.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Ofsted inspections are (a) standardised and (b) include safe sleep practice.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Ofsted will receive additional funding as part of the Best Start in Life Strategy to enhance the quality and consistency of early years inspections, and we will fund Ofsted to move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, in parity with schools.

Ofsted’s inspectors for early years inspections are early years professionals with relevant knowledge of safer sleep practice and are capable of assessing a provider’s adherence to the relevant suitability and safer sleeping requirements in the early years foundation stage (EYFS). In September 2025 we strengthened the safeguarding requirements in the EYFS statutory framework, including:

• Amendments to promote safer recruitment.
• Creation of new requirements for providers to follow up if a child is absent for a prolonged period of time.
• A new safer eating section.
• A safeguarding training annex and a requirement for safeguarding training to be repeated every two years.
• New requirements to support whistleblowing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 66726, what recent estimate she has made of the number of student nurses in England who are ineligible for the 30 hours of funded childcare due to their status as students rather than workers.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. We are delivering more support to working families than ever before, with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare.

The department does not hold data on the number of student nurses in England who are ineligible for the 30 hours funded childcare.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents is available here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of times that teaching assistants have delivered unsupervised classroom teaching in place of qualified supply staff in (a) academies and (b) other state schools in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department does not hold information regarding the number of times that teaching assistants have delivered unsupervised classroom teaching in place of qualified supply staff.

.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government finances on the ability of local authorities to fund additional therapy above the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund's fair access limit.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The adoption and special guardianship support fund provides up to £3,000 per child annually for therapeutic support. The department has assessed that £3,000 can fund an average of 19-20 hours of therapy, on the basis of median hourly rates for contact time, and allowing for additional costs. Decisions to fund additional therapy beyond this fair access limit rest with individual local authorities. Adoptive and kinship families can also receive help from local authority Family Help services. The government is doubling investment in these services to over £500 million in 2025/26.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to monitor activities at Confucius Institutes.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

​The department engages regularly with representatives from the higher education (HE) sector to support universities to maximise opportunities of collaboration whilst managing risks.

​The department expects the HE sector to be alert to a range of risks when collaborating with international partners and to conduct appropriate due diligence and oversight. Any international arrangements English HE providers who are registered with the Office for Students (OfS) make, including Confucius Institutes, should be within the law and comply with OfS registration conditions. These include a commitment to the public interest governance principles, which include operating openly and in accordance with ensuring academic freedom and freedom of speech.

​If students, staff, or the public feel that a provider is not meeting these requirements, they can submit a notification to the OfS. As the regulator for registered English providers, the OfS can intervene and use its regulatory powers, if a breach is identified.​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of funding for supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has allocated high needs funding of over £12 billion specifically for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the current 2025/26 financial year. The funding announced at the 2025 Spending Review, which provided an increase of £4.2 billion for schools over the next three years, will enable a significant investment in the support available for pupils with SEND within mainstream schools, facilitating reform of the SEND system to make those schools more inclusive. We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of student loan interest rates on the total repayment amount for graduates earning below the repayment threshold.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Student loans are subject to interest so that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.

Interest rates on student loans do not affect monthly repayments made by borrowers. Regulated repayments are linked to income not to interest rates or the loan balance. Borrowers will be liable to repay at a fixed percentage of earnings above the applicable student loan repayment threshold. Those earning below the student loan repayment threshold repay nothing. Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off after the loan term ends, or in case of death or disability, at no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 2 and Plan 5, was produced and published under the previous government in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of levels of changes in real-terms funding since 2010 on schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning that core school budgets will total £65.3 billion, compared with £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is set to rise by a further £4.2 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. This settlement more than protects per-pupil funding in real terms and supports our mission to help all children and young people achieve and thrive.

The department’s schools funding statistics show what changes in school funding since 2010 have meant for per-pupil funding in real terms. The statistics can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics/2024-25. Based on the GDP deflator, real-terms funding per pupil fell in the mid-2010s but has since risen and is now above the 2010/11 financial year levels. School funding per pupil in the 2025/26 financial year is 8.7% higher than 2010/11 in real terms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with further education sector professionals during the development of its plans to replace BTECs.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Officials and Ministers from the department regularly meet with stakeholders, including further education sector professionals and their representative bodies.

During the Review of Qualifications Reform in 2024, we held an extensive programme of engagement, to ensure that the views of colleges, schools, teachers and wider stakeholders fed into the review. We spoke to over 250 people through the more than 40 hours of engagement, including over 100 teachers, practitioners, and college leaders.

The department held a Ministerial chaired round table with key leaders in the college sector and undertook a series of focus groups and interviews with colleges, schools and other organisations to ensure that the views of stakeholders were fully considered.

We will continue to work closely with the sector, drawing on their insight to ensure future reforms deliver high quality qualifications for young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the international student levy will be introduced.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education (HE). We must, therefore, reform the HE system to better support disadvantaged students.

That is why the government will introduce targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students in low-income households studying on courses that support our missions and industrial strategy, funded by a levy on income from international student fees.

The government will set out further details on the International Student Levy and targeted means-tested maintenance grants at the Autumn Budget.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help increase the number of pupils obtaining Level 4 qualifications in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has set an ambition for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher-level study (level 4+) by age 25.

From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for Lifelong Learning Entitlement funding, that will support learners to take on courses and modular learning at levels 4-6, across universities, colleges and independent providers.

The government will also reintroduce targeted, means-tested maintenance grants, which will offer vital financial support to eligible students from low-income households, helping more of these students to access and excel in higher education.

The department is expanding Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which are quality-marked, occupation-focused level 4–5 courses available at universities, further education colleges, and independent providers. They offer flexible study options, such as part-time and distance learning, making them accessible to those with caring responsibilities or in work. 282 HTQs have been approved across 13 occupational routes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support the funding of training for young dancers from (a) disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) all backgrounds; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of such support on the future of the (a) performing acts and (b) creative industries sectors.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department provides funding for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) for means-tested bursaries for 11 to 19 year-olds and the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) means-tested grants for 16 to 19 year-olds to improve access to specialist dance education. These routes give students training at professional level in contemporary dance and classical ballet, and the funding is targeted towards those from lower income households.

Dance is an important part of our creative industries. The creative industries have been announced as one of eight growth-driving sectors within the Industrial Strategy published in the summer, alongside the Creative Industries’ Sector Plan.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering dance as part of the physical education (PE) national curriculum, and the Review’s final report and government response will be published in the autumn.

The department will launch a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education next year, to promote high quality arts education in schools, including in dance. We will also support dance teaching as part of PE through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures her Department is taking to help support access to dance education in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department provides funding for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) for means-tested bursaries for 11 to 19 year-olds and the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) means-tested grants for 16 to 19 year-olds to improve access to specialist dance education. These routes give students training at professional level in contemporary dance and classical ballet, and the funding is targeted towards those from lower income households.

Dance is an important part of our creative industries. The creative industries have been announced as one of eight growth-driving sectors within the Industrial Strategy published in the summer, alongside the Creative Industries’ Sector Plan.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering dance as part of the physical education (PE) national curriculum, and the Review’s final report and government response will be published in the autumn.

The department will launch a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education next year, to promote high quality arts education in schools, including in dance. We will also support dance teaching as part of PE through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote hospitality careers to young people through (a) schools and (b) colleges.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Our ambition is for everyone to have access to impartial careers information, advice and guidance throughout their lives, to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth.

We fund the Careers and Enterprise Company to support schools and colleges to deliver high quality careers programmes and increase young people’s exposure to different sectors, including hospitality.

96% (4,942) of schools and colleges in England are part of our national network of careers hubs. These hubs connect educators to employers, local authorities and sector bodies, including the Food and Drink Consortium and UK Hospitality. They provide insight into roles and pathways into all sectors, resources developed by employers to support careers learning in education, help to identify work experience opportunities and tailor careers advice to local need.

Our Skills for Careers website has a dedicated page for young people to explore careers across sectors, including hospitality, and can be accessed here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/common/career-ideas.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the university sector on the mental health of students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to ensuring students in higher education (HE) have access to effective mental health support. This is why my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills has recently appointed a new HE Student Support Champion to lead a reconvened HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. Full details of the new champion will be announced shortly.

The Minister for Skills, met with the new champion earlier this month to set out her strategic priorities for mental health in HE, and on 10 October the champion reconvened the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The taskforce will be a key vehicle for discussions with the university sector around driving forward improvements.

Updates on the work of the taskforce will be published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/higher-education-mental-health-implementation-taskforce.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's timetable is for the completion of its review of post-16 qualifications.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Through our Plan for Change, the government is building a skills system that will drive forward opportunity and deliver the growth that our economy needs. Students deserve high quality qualifications, and we must continue to develop and improve qualifications, so that they provide for the needs of students and employers. Qualifications are being reformed so that they are better quality and deliver improved outcomes.

The outcomes from the Review of Post-16 Qualifications Reform were published in December 2024. The Curriculum and Assessment Review published its interim report earlier this year and aims to ensure meaningful, rigorous and high-value pathways for all learners aged 16-19. The Review will publish their final recommendations in autumn 2025.

The Review’s interim report said that they were interested in developing a third pathway at level 3 alongside A levels and T Levels and noted the absence of 'vocational' options in the reformed system. The department is working with the Review panel on the approach to qualifications at levels 2 and 3 and will set out further detail shortly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce a third route for level 3 qualifications.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Through our Plan for Change, the government is building a skills system that will drive forward opportunity and deliver the growth that our economy needs. Students deserve high quality qualifications, and we must continue to develop and improve qualifications, so that they provide for the needs of students and employers. Qualifications are being reformed so that they are better quality and deliver improved outcomes.

The outcomes from the Review of Post-16 Qualifications Reform were published in December 2024. The Curriculum and Assessment Review published its interim report earlier this year and aims to ensure meaningful, rigorous and high-value pathways for all learners aged 16-19. The Review will publish their final recommendations in autumn 2025.

The Review’s interim report said that they were interested in developing a third pathway at level 3 alongside A levels and T Levels and noted the absence of 'vocational' options in the reformed system. The department is working with the Review panel on the approach to qualifications at levels 2 and 3 and will set out further detail shortly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help resolve industrial disputes between universities and the University and Colleges Union.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions and, as such, the government does not intervene in industrial disputes or negotiations between employers and trade unions. However, we remain committed to constructive engagement with both the unions and the employer representative body to help address the broader challenges facing the sector.

The government has taken steps to secure the future for our world-leading universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. We made the difficult decision to increase tuition fees in line with inflation for the 2025/26 academic year, and appointed Professor Edward Peck as Chair of the Office for Students (OfS). We will set out our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will work with the sector and the OfS to deliver the change that the country needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking improve the financial position of universities.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions and, as such, the government does not intervene in industrial disputes or negotiations between employers and trade unions. However, we remain committed to constructive engagement with both the unions and the employer representative body to help address the broader challenges facing the sector.

The government has taken steps to secure the future for our world-leading universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. We made the difficult decision to increase tuition fees in line with inflation for the 2025/26 academic year, and appointed Professor Edward Peck as Chair of the Office for Students (OfS). We will set out our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will work with the sector and the OfS to deliver the change that the country needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school staff receive training on how to support pupils with epilepsy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions and the duties under the Equality Act 2010. The effectiveness of a school is assessed through inspection by Ofsted.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish her Department's post-16 education and skills strategy.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills and will shortly publish the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on free schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child has access to the best life chances whichever type of school they are in, including free schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the video games industry on the number of vocational qualifications for 16 to 18 year olds.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Students deserve high-quality qualifications that meet their needs. The department continues to develop and improve qualifications so that they meet the needs of students and employers.

The Digital Software Development T Level provides young people with the core knowledge and skills for a career in software production and design, including in games design and development.

We will consider how to continue to improve the quality of qualifications available to students, including on games design, in the light of the recommendations from the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and will engage with employers and sector organisations on this in due course. The Curriculum and Assessment Review will publish recommendations in autumn 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people classed as NEET in South Norfolk constituency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Under the September Guarantee, local authorities are required to ensure that all 16 and 17-year-olds receive an offer of a suitable place to continue in education or training. The government monitors NEET data and liaises with local authorities regarding their duty to track and support young people who are NEET, or are at risk of becoming NEET.

We have invested over £7.5 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding during the 2024/25 academic year. However, we are aware of the particular challenges around access to education and training in Norfolk which relate to the local provider market. Departmental officials are working closely with these local authorities to actively address the issues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to publish an analysis of (a) Higher Education Statistics Agency and (b) Office for National Statistics data on graduate employment to inform higher education (i) curriculum and (ii) skills policy.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department publishes employment and earnings outcomes of graduates and postgraduates each year, based on data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Authority, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, and the Department for Work and Pensions. The publication includes breakdowns by subject studied, as well as graduate characteristics, and detailed information about which industries graduates worked in after studying a particular subject and their movements between industries after graduation. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/leo-graduate-and-postgraduate-outcomes/2022-23#dataBlock-d7be0f33-0ec5-4b78-98ed-ba6f25dfb414-charts. This data has been available since 26 June 2025.

The department also publishes graduate labour market statistics. This publication uses data from the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey to compare employment and earnings outcomes between graduates, postgraduates and non-graduates. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/graduate-labour-markets/2024. This data has been available since 5 June 2025.

The department uses these publications as part of the evidence base to inform higher education and skills policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the financial sustainability of higher education institutions; and what information her Department holds on the proportion of higher education institutions that are operating in deficit.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, monitors the financial health of providers to ensure it has an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.

​Its latest report, published on 8 May 2025, highlighted a decline in financial performance across the sector in 2023/24, with 44% of institutions forecasting a deficit in 2024/25.

​The government recognises the financial pressures facing the sector and acknowledges that some providers are making difficult restructuring decisions to safeguard long-term sustainability. As autonomous institutions, universities must take appropriate financial decisions to remain viable. However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to operate efficiently. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide a better long-term future for staff, students and the country.

​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to support support students affected by (a) course closures and (b) redundancies at universities in financial deficit.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, monitors the financial health of providers to ensure it has an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.

​Its latest report, published on 8 May 2025, highlighted a decline in financial performance across the sector in 2023/24, with 44% of institutions forecasting a deficit in 2024/25.

​The government recognises the financial pressures facing the sector and acknowledges that some providers are making difficult restructuring decisions to safeguard long-term sustainability. As autonomous institutions, universities must take appropriate financial decisions to remain viable. However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to operate efficiently. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide a better long-term future for staff, students and the country.

​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the use of the Transparent Approach to Costing methodology by the higher education sector.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​The data collected using the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) methodology is an important part of the evidence base, which the department uses to understand the financial sustainability of the higher education sector and the teaching of UK students who are publicly funded.

​The TRAC sector analysis, published annually by the Office for Students, was most recently used to support the strategic case for uplifting tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year. This was set out in the regulatory impact assessment, published in January 2025 and accessible at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/40/pdfs/ukia_20250040_en.pdf.​

​The department continues to consider the interaction between TRAC and policy decisions in our policy development.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the number of higher education institutions that are forecast to have a deficit in the 2024-25 financial year on the economy.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, monitors the financial health of providers to ensure it has an up-to-date understanding of the sustainability of the sector. Its latest report, published in May 2025, highlighted a decline in financial performance across the sector in 2023/24, with 44% of institutions forecasting a deficit in 2024/25. HE providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.

​The department is committed to creating a secure future for our universities so that they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. To put the sector on a firmer financial footing, Professor Edward Peck has been appointed as substantive chair of the OfS to continue its focus on financial sustainability and increasing opportunities in HE. We also took the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by 3.1% in the 2025/26 academic year, in line with inflation.

​We will continue to work closely with the OfS and other relevant parties to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide additional training for teachers on supporting pupils with dyslexia.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for The Wrekin to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8750 on Adoption, what recent progress her Department has made on providing support to people affected by historic forced adoption practices between the 1940 and 1970.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government remains committed to ensuring that individuals affected by historical adoption practices receive the support they need and deserve. The department continues to follow up on the 2022 Joint Committee on Human Rights report, including actions to improve access to adoption records, enhance intermediary services, and support the preservation of historical records.

The department continues to fund Adoption England, which has recently published new guidance to support consistent and legally compliant practice across all adoption services. Adoption England funds the pilot initiative FamilyConnect, a national advice line designed to support adopted adults, birth parents, relatives, and professionals by providing intermediary services and assistance with searching and accessing records.

The department is planning to introduce regulatory changes, subject to Parliamentary approval, that will mean adoption case records for those adopted before 30 December 2005 are preserved for a minimum of 100 years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Social Work England’s decision to raise annual registration fees on the (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) wellbeing of social workers; and whether her Department plans to (i) review and (ii) mitigate that increase.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

After undertaking a consultation exercise, Social Work England has increased registration and renewal fees. Social Work England released an equality impact assessment alongside their consultation response.

Registration and renewal fees have not increased since 2015 and the decision to increase fees was necessary to ensure the continuation of effective regulation of the social worker profession, thereby ensuring the protection of the public.

Social workers may be able to claim tax on professional member fees. Details on how to do this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions.

Additionally, social workers have the option to pay registration and renewal fees in full or in two instalments in October and the following April.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to ensure that funding through the School Rebuilding Programme is spent in line with (a) net zero standards and (b) sustainability goals.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department commits to a wide range of actions in our Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, including a requirement that all new school buildings we deliver are net-zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change. The strategy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy.

All schools funded through the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) have been designed to meet this standard, supporting the UK’s 25-year Environment Plan by requiring all projects to increase their level of greening in support of biodiversity net gain. The design principles of our output specification for SRP will ensure sites are more resilient to the impact of climate change and buildings delivered will achieve net zero carbon in operation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) timeliness of the delivery of EHCPs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that some parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes. We know that even after fighting to secure a plan, support is not always necessarily guaranteed or delivered quickly enough.

The department wants to ensure that needs assessments are progressed promptly, and high-quality plans are issued quickly. This will provide children and young people with the support they need, when they need it.

Our priority is improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so that they get the chance to achieve and thrive in their education.

Details of our intended approach to strengthening the SEND system will be set out in a schools white paper, which will be followed by a public consultation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Libraries for Primaries campaign.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department welcomes the work of the Libraries for Primaries campaign and others, who work to support children’s reading. On 29 September, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament. Funding for this scheme will come from £132.5 million of dormant assets unlocked to support young people to access opportunities. The government will set out further details of the scheme in due course.

To support all young people to develop a love of reading, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The campaign will address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults and aims to engage new audiences in reading and change the national reading culture, both during the year and beyond.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many SEND children without an Education, Health, and Care plan are home schooled.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The latest statistics on elective home education (EHE), including information on characteristics, are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term

For autumn term 2024/25, 16% of EHE children were recorded as special educational needs support or special educational needs without an education, health and care plan. This compares with 14% of the overall school population.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Review of Religious Education (a) considers a (i) broad and (ii) balanced range of (A) academic, (B) educational and (C) community perspectives and (b) is not disproportionately influenced by submissions from any single lobby.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment review, chaired by Becky Francis CBE. The Review aims to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review is being informed by evidence, data, and in close consultation with education professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people, employers, universities and trade unions. This includes over 7,000 responses to the public call for evidence and a range of research and polling.

The Review Group published its interim report in March 2025, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821d69eced319d02c9060e3/Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_interim_report.pdf.

The Group will publish its final report with recommendations, including recommendations for religious education, this autumn.​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average wait time is from initial assessment to an Education, Health, and Care Plan document being produced in East Sussex.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory 20 week deadline, with and without statutory exceptions to that deadline applying, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8a52558d-1cb4-4f5d-7ddd-08dde95299cd.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with an education, health and care plan are in a mainstream setting in Leicestershire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The latest figures on education, health and care plans as of January 2025, including assessments, waiting times, and school settings, are available in the ‘Education, health and care plans’ publication. The full dataset can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.

Found: The Department for Education also supports media literacy through the citizenship curriculum, which

Found: Details of the Government’s intended approach to SEND reform will be set out by the Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education does quite a good job on that.

Found: Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DESNZ Department for Energy Security and Net Zero DfE

Found: According to DfE, family hubs are meant to support those who are “a) a parent or carer of a child aged

Found: Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, New York: PublicAffairs, 2019. 65 Department for Education

Found: restart the programme via a digital tag for overseas patients)  The Home Office and the Department for Education

Found: Department for Education (November 2022): A reprimand for permitting third-party access to the Learning

Found: annual- reports/data-report-20232024.pdf [3] NRPF Connect 2023-24 national data report [4] Department for Education

Found: received a criminal justice caution or sanction in 2017-18, compared with 5% of all school children (DfE

Found: 2and back the Education Committee’s 4th report on children’s social care3 calls on the Department for Education

Found: 40% of care leavers are not in education, employment or training, compared with 13% of their peers (DfE

Found: Hyde-Dryden, G., Holmes, L. and Blackmore, J. (2017) No Wrong Door evaluation report, London: Department for Education

Found: Produce a national practice guide jointly by DfE & Home Office. 5 Discrimination and Criminalisation

Found: Why did they lure early adopters like the Department for Education into using the partnership/ 6 https

Found: A recent case in the Department for Education has shown that there is currently an ambiguity over whether

Found: In September 2023 Neil McIvor (then Chief Data Officer at the Department for Education) was asked on

Found: The Department for Education should lead on a sustainable national solution to holiday hunger, co-designed

Found: including DfE and DWP.

Found: We wish to positively engage, challenge and reshape the Invest NI and DfE thinking on productivity to

Found: In the Autumn, the Department for Education will publish a Schools White Paper which will detail the

Found: The Department for Education will continue to be responsible for higher education (including universities

Found: themselves fighting against an adversarial system, which will only start to improve when the Department for Education

Found: and Pensions, it is positive that the Skills Minister will now sit in both DWP and the Department for Education

Found: Department for Education (DfE) data from 2022 reinforces this challenge. 10.5% of employees working

Found: with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), as well as frequent attendance from the Department for Education

Found: following the 2024 Budget, the 2025 Spending Review and the Industrial Strategy, Department of Education (DfE

Found: Alstom recommendation B.6 The DfT, Department for Business & Trade (DBT), the Department for Education

Found: decision to make the Minister for Skills a cross-departmental minister, straddling both the Department for Education

Found: of the UK Government as a whole, and has been developed in close collaboration with the Department for Education

Found: Whilst there is some alignment, coordination could be improved:  The Department for Education is encouraged

Found: the overarching strategic direction, and Skills England is the convening authority, the Department for Education

Found: To ensure a continued pipeline of skills, the Department for Education (DfE) should look to address

Found: .  Greater alignment is required between the Department for Transport, the Department for Education

Found: Responsibilities are split between DfT, DfE, DESNZ, MoD and local authorities, leaving SMEs to navigate

Found: There is an urgent need for a strategic and appropriately funded response from government – including DfE

Found: Advice & Guidance; CDC — Community Diagnostic Centre; CPD — Continuing Professional Development; DfE

Found: period products to girls, women and those who menstruate in state-maintained schools and the Department for Education

Found: adequacy of free period products has generally improved over the last couple of years, as the Department for Education

Found: This is possibly something not for the Department for Education but for Treasury and the Department

Found: The Department for Education should ensure effective delivery of these changes by assessing implementation

Found: Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), menstrual health education in England remains inconsistent (Department for Education

Found: Department for Education (2025).

Found: Opportunities offered by evolving RSHE policy In July 2025, the Department for Education published welcome

Found: session 2024 to 2025: women’s reproductive health conditions, 2025, accessed September 2025. 3 Department for Education

Found: Department for Education.  Women and Equalities Committee (2021). Reproductive Health Report.

Found: Expectations for the teaching of Women’s health Education has been enhanced in the updated DfE Relationships

Found: In July 2025, the Department for Education published updated RSHE statutory guidance3 which now includes

Found: attendance policies in UK schools which can impose fines on parents for unauthorised absences (Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education launched the period product scheme in 2020, allowing state-funded education

Found: The Department for Education has been doing some good public deliberation work on the use of AI in schools

Found: The Department for Education has been doing some good public deliberation work on the use of AI in schools

Found: role in resilience, and you have local government having a role in resilience, and the Department for Education

Found: visibility with four specific areas of focus identified: public engagement days; working with the Department for Education

Found: role in resilience, and you have local government having a role in resilience, and the Department for Education

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what further steps he plans take to help tackle (a) Islamophobic and (b) antisemitic hate crime in London.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In response to the concerning rise in both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, the Government is absolutely committed to rooting out these forms of hatred. We continue to work across government on security, education and working alongside local government, including via the following.

An Antisemitism Working Group has been established to advise the Government on effective strategies to tackle hate against Jewish communities and will explore how the Government should engage with Jewish communities in relation to international, national, and local events that impact British Jews. In addition, the Government continues to work with the independent advisor Lord Mann in combating antisemitism through meaningful engagement with diverse communities.

The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia. The working group have engaged widely to ensure their proposed definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of communities across the United Kingdom.

The government also funds the British Muslim Trust to deliver a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and provide support to victims, and True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report to the police.

In response to the Manchester terror attack, Home Office, DfE and DHSC have increased funding to support policing, security and education to tackle antisemitism. Jewish communities will receive up to £10 million in an emergency cash injection to scale up security at synagogues and schools, taking funding to protect faith communities to record levels. As part of the DfE’s committed £7 million to tackling antisemitism in schools, universities and colleges, a £4 million innovation fund will be launched in late November to provide an opportunity for organisations to come up with innovative means to tackle antisemitism in education. NHS England will also roll out updated mandatory antisemitism and anti-racism training for all 1.5 million NHS staff.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria were used by his Department to select the chosen sites for the Great British Energy solar scheme.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Schools were selected by the Department for Education (DfE), primarily clustered in three areas of deprivation, with at least ten schools in each region to ensure geographical spread. Selection was based on criteria including levels of deprivation, available roof space, and location. Each cluster includes a further education college working with appointed contractors to promote careers in renewables and support workforce growth.

NHS sites were selected following an open invitation from NHS England for Trusts to submit expressions of interest. Projects were prioritised based on delivery confidence and expected economic and environmental impact. These are being managed through the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of the £75 million allocated to Great British Energy solar panels will be spent on (a) administrative and (b) consultancy costs.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The GBE Solar Scheme is a jointly funded scheme between GBE and the UK government. £75 million capital spending was allocated to the scheme earlier this month boosting the £180 million joint capital funding by HM Government and GBE, initially launched in March 2025.

For the Department for Education detailed costing information is not yet available but there is expected to be very little if any administrative and consultancy costs within the budget. For the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence all funding will be spent on procurement and installation of solar photovoltaic systems and any complementary technologies where appropriate.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to disabled war refugees from Ukraine including, but not limited to, in relation to employment opportunities.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Councils receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. Councils can use this funding flexibly to support households as best suits the local area, this could include supporting individuals to access education and employment.

All Ukrainian guests have access to public services, including benefits to support housing, healthcare, education, and other essential services.

Guidance is available on GOV.UK in English, Ukrainian and Russian, which provides Ukrainian guests with information on finding a job, accessing benefits and healthcare provision. This also provides guidance on social care and support for carers.

We recognise that the ability to speak English is key to helping people integrate into life in the UK. The STEP programme which launched this month, will provide intensive English language lessons and employment support for up to 4,000 individuals across the Ukraine and Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) visa schemes. This builds on the success of the STEP Ukraine pilot which has supported over 13,000 Ukrainians, with an impressive 84% successfully completing the programme and 73% achieving 100% in their English language test.

The Department for Education also supports adults aged 19+ in England who do not have English as a first language to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision via the Adult Skills Fund (ASL).

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support male voice choirs.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

His Majesty’s Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including choral music. Local choirs are an important part of many people’s lives across the UK, providing a creative outlet and strong sense of community, as well as an accessible, enjoyable cultural experience enjoyed by people of all ages.

The Government supports the arts financially, including choirs and singing, through its arm’s-length body Arts Council England. The Arts Council does not have a specific category for identifying investment in ‘male choirs’, however, for the financial year 2024/25 Arts Council England funded activity with a choral focus or element by nearly £44 million. This funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England. Organisations supported by this funding include Ex Cathedra, a nationally recognised choir with a repertoire that reaches from the 12th to the 21st centuries.

Within the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department for Education continues to fund bursaries for training choristers through the Choir Schools’ Association.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.

Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.

People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.

Over the past year, the Ministry of Justice has delivered targeted recruitment initiatives to support underrepresented groups through our Life Chance Pathways. These schemes are:

• Going Forward into Employment scheme and the Probation Employment Pathway, which provide opportunities for prison leavers and individuals with convictions;

• Going Forward into Employment Care Leavers pathway, designed for care-experienced individuals; and

• Advance into Justice programme, which supports service leavers and veterans.

These pathways provide tailored support and fair access to employment opportunities across the Department for individuals who face barriers to work.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice participates in the Civil Service Care Leaver Internship Scheme (‘Launch’), a cross-Government initiative led by the Department for Education. This scheme provides 18-month Administrative Officer (AO) or Executive Officer (EO) internships to help young care-experienced individuals gain valuable work experience and progress into employment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) training and (b) support provided to volunteers who help maintain public use defibrillators.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Charities which provide automated external defibrillators (AED) have clear guidance in place on the use and ongoing maintenance of the devices they provide.

The Circuit, the national defibrillator registry independently operated by the British Heart Foundation, notifies the guardian of the defibrillator when it has been used and action to replace the pads is required.

In addition, the Department for Education has published guidance on AEDs for schools, including on maintenance and registration with The Circuit. A copy of this guidance is attached.

NHS England provides training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of AEDs both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart initiative. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of (a) guidance and (b) other protocols provided to properties with public use defibrillators.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Charities which provide automated external defibrillators (AED) have clear guidance in place on the use and ongoing maintenance of the devices they provide.

The Circuit, the national defibrillator registry independently operated by the British Heart Foundation, notifies the guardian of the defibrillator when it has been used and action to replace the pads is required.

In addition, the Department for Education has published guidance on AEDs for schools, including on maintenance and registration with The Circuit. A copy of this guidance is attached.

NHS England provides training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of AEDs both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart initiative. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring organisations with public use defibrillators to be provided with a log of use.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Charities which provide automated external defibrillators (AED) have clear guidance in place on the use and ongoing maintenance of the devices they provide.

The Circuit, the national defibrillator registry independently operated by the British Heart Foundation, notifies the guardian of the defibrillator when it has been used and action to replace the pads is required.

In addition, the Department for Education has published guidance on AEDs for schools, including on maintenance and registration with The Circuit. A copy of this guidance is attached.

NHS England provides training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of AEDs both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart initiative. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the maintenance process of public use defibrillators.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Charities which provide automated external defibrillators (AED) have clear guidance in place on the use and ongoing maintenance of the devices they provide.

The Circuit, the national defibrillator registry independently operated by the British Heart Foundation, notifies the guardian of the defibrillator when it has been used and action to replace the pads is required.

In addition, the Department for Education has published guidance on AEDs for schools, including on maintenance and registration with The Circuit. A copy of this guidance is attached.

NHS England provides training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of AEDs both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart initiative. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of skills levels on advanced manufacturing businesses in Calder Valley constituency.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This Government recognises the importance of skills for manufacturing across the UK, including for businesses in West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. Through our new Modern Industrial Strategy we are investing an extra £1.2 billion yearly by 2028-29 to develop workforce capabilities and career opportunities.

The accompanying Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan outlines further government support for building a skilled, inclusive workforce through skills reforms including shorter apprenticeships, sector-wide reskilling, and changing public perceptions of manufacturing.

DBT works closely with Department for Education and Skills England. Skills England published two reports this summer, the Skills for growth and opportunity report, and the Assessment of priority skills to 2030, providing invaluable evidence to shape skills policy, including for the manufacturing sector.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support young offenders identified as SEND.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice does not currently hold the requested data on the number of young offenders identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). However, in 2023 the Ministry of Justice introduced a new Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) which measures the proportion of children with identified SEND and whether they have a formal support plan in place. KPI data is intended to be published by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) after complete collection of 2025/26 data and ensuring quality standards are met.

The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education jointly hold a linked dataset - the MoJ DfE share - which may provide helpful context: Education, children's social care and offending. This analysis examines a cohort of children who were cautioned or sentenced for an offence between the ages of 10 and 17, comparing their education and social care characteristics, including whether they had ever been identified as having Special Educational Needs, with those of the wider pupil population.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of SEND within the youth justice system and is committed to ensuring that children with SEND receive the right support to meet their individual needs and reduce reoffending.

Last year, this Government invested over £100 million for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to deliver multi-agency support for young people, including those with SEND, who have offended or are at risk of offending. This included extending the Turnaround early intervention programme until March 2026. Turnaround supports children on the cusp of the justice system, via bespoke interventions including social and emotional support and mentoring. In the first year of delivery, to December 2023, 27% (2,214) of children who proceeded to a Turnaround assessment had a formally recognised SEND.

Moreover, the Ministry of Justice has funded training for youth solicitors, through the Youth Justice Legal Centre, to help them identify and respond to children’s individual needs, including communication difficulties. The Department also funds intermediaries to facilitate effective communication with children who have specialist communication needs in court.

To support inclusion, Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) have Neurodiversity Support Managers, and public-run YOIs have qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinators and psychologists to meet the needs of children.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young offenders are identified as SEND.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice does not currently hold the requested data on the number of young offenders identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). However, in 2023 the Ministry of Justice introduced a new Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) which measures the proportion of children with identified SEND and whether they have a formal support plan in place. KPI data is intended to be published by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) after complete collection of 2025/26 data and ensuring quality standards are met.

The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education jointly hold a linked dataset - the MoJ DfE share - which may provide helpful context: Education, children's social care and offending. This analysis examines a cohort of children who were cautioned or sentenced for an offence between the ages of 10 and 17, comparing their education and social care characteristics, including whether they had ever been identified as having Special Educational Needs, with those of the wider pupil population.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of SEND within the youth justice system and is committed to ensuring that children with SEND receive the right support to meet their individual needs and reduce reoffending.

Last year, this Government invested over £100 million for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to deliver multi-agency support for young people, including those with SEND, who have offended or are at risk of offending. This included extending the Turnaround early intervention programme until March 2026. Turnaround supports children on the cusp of the justice system, via bespoke interventions including social and emotional support and mentoring. In the first year of delivery, to December 2023, 27% (2,214) of children who proceeded to a Turnaround assessment had a formally recognised SEND.

Moreover, the Ministry of Justice has funded training for youth solicitors, through the Youth Justice Legal Centre, to help them identify and respond to children’s individual needs, including communication difficulties. The Department also funds intermediaries to facilitate effective communication with children who have specialist communication needs in court.

To support inclusion, Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) have Neurodiversity Support Managers, and public-run YOIs have qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinators and psychologists to meet the needs of children.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support (a) schools, (b) sports clubs and (c) community groups with the cost of purchasing defibrillators.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care’s Community AED Fund delivered 3,080 new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to local communities between September 2023 and February 2025.

The Department for Education has published specific guidance on the provision of AEDs in schools. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67936b102de28ea2d392f35b/Automated_External_Defibrillators__AEDs__guidance_for_schools.pdf

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69053 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, what recent estimate he has made of the aggregate, accumulated deficits that have been built up under the DSG Statutory Override system in each local authority.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department for Education publishes outturn data on local authority-level Dedicated Schools Grant balances in the annual ‘LA and school expenditure' statistical release. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government publishes outturn data on levels of Dedicated Schools Grant deficit held in local authority Dedicated Schools Grant adjustment accounts in the annual 'Local authority revenue expenditure and financing' statistical release. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities on the impact of these deficits and the extent to which they are expected to grow.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve public bus services for (a) secondary school pupils and (b) sixth form students in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Home to School Transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education (DfE). The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including to support better access to education.

The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of public bus services supporting (a) secondary school pupils and (b) sixth form students in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Home to School Transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education (DfE). The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including to support better access to education.

The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps the Government has taken to help tackle period poverty in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This Government is committed to addressing the underlying causes that lead women and girls into period poverty. Across the UK, many individuals and families are experiencing financial pressures as a result of the cost of living. Through our efforts to make work pay and our continued investment in public services, we are determined to ensure that everyone has access to essential items, including period products.

The Government supports several schemes to ensure that those in greatest need can access period products. All women and girls being cared for by the NHS are entitled to them, on request, free of charge. Similarly, the Department for Education runs a scheme to provide free period products to girls and women in their place of study. ​Since its launch in January 2020, 99% of secondary schools and 87% of post-16 organisations in England have used the scheme to order period products.

These national schemes benefit areas across the country, including the South East. Local authorities and NHS bodies deliver the policies in their areas, working with schools, healthcare providers and community organisations to reach those in need.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 71 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to help tackle barriers to education for people within his Department.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Defence officials continue to work closely with colleagues in the Department for Education to ensure consistency of educational frameworks, standards and outcomes. We work hard to remove barriers to learning for our personnel and provide tailored support for those with Specific Learning Differences.

Support is provided through English and Maths Functional Skills training, promotion of GCSE attainment, industry-recognised apprenticeships that accredit trade training, and schemes like Standard and Enhanced Learning Credits. Our leadership and management development programmes, using professional partners, as well as allowances for further and higher education, also provide opportunities for continued learning and development.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support Palestinian students from Gaza who have been accepted onto UK university courses with (a) access to secure (i) English language testing (ii) visa processing and (b) other (A) administrative, (B) financial and (C) logistical travel requirements.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government has outlined plans to support the departure from Gaza of a group of Chevening Scholars so they can take up university places in the UK in the Autumn for the 2025/26 academic year. We are extending this support to students in Gaza with full scholarships, meaning students who have their course fees and living costs fully funded by an official sponsor, as specified in the Immigration Rules.

For further information, please see the policy papers published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Education, on 14 September 2025 and 15 September 2025 respectively, on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the accessibility of graduate employment opportunities in each (a) region and b) subject.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Education publishes employment and earnings outcomes of graduates and postgraduates each year, based on data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Authority, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, and the Department of Work and Pensions. The publication includes breakdowns by region, with data on graduate movement between regions before, during, and after study, as well as by subject studied, including detailed information on the industries graduates enter. The publication can be found here: LEO Graduate and Postgraduate Outcomes, Tax year 2022-23 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. This data has been available since 26^th June 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the proposed Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be supported in (a) funding, (b) curriculum and (c) student recruitment; what geographical coverage is planned; and what steps he plans to take to ensure skills shortages in the defence industrial base are reduced.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

To meet growing demand for a skilled workforce, we have announced a £182 million skills package as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy that will attract, develop and retain a high-skilled, well-paid UK defence workforce both now and into the future. We will work closely with industry on this package including through the newly established Defence Industrial Joint Council.

This funding includes investment in five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges which will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process run by the Department for Education, working with the Ministry of Defence. Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be recognised for provision of high-quality teaching, curriculum and effective collaboration with local employers. This aims to provide clear pathways into defence sector jobs for learners. All general further education colleges in England will be able to apply, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria. Further details on the process and criteria will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following changes in the machinery of government and responsibility for skills being placed with the Department of Work and Pensions, which department will now be responsible for the administration of, and policy development for, Skills England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

• As announced by the Prime Minister on 16 September, responsibility for apprenticeships, adult further education, skills, training and careers, as well as Skills England, has now transferred from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions.
• Responsibility for higher education, along with further education, skills, training and careers for individuals aged 19 and under, will remain with the Department for Education.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 22 September (HL10345), whether the positions of Director General of Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Prisons have now been filled on a permanent basis; and what role the Senior Leadership Committee has played in recruitment to these posts.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The roles of Director General of Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Prisons are currently being filled on an interim basis. The recruitment position is unchanged from my reply of 22 September.

Senior Leadership Committee (SLC) membership is currently made up of: Permanent Secretary, Home Office (who serves as the Chair); Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury; Chief Executive of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; Permanent Secretary, Department for Education; Government Chief People Officer (Cabinet Office), Permanent Secretary, Department for Work & Pensions; and Director General, MI5. As set out in the Civil Service Senior Appointments Protocol, the First Civil Service Commissioner also sits on the SLC as a permanent member. There are currently no representatives from the Ministry of Justice on the SLC.

Civil Service Commissioners must chair all permanent competitions for posts at SCS Pay Band 4 (Permanent Secretary) and SCS Pay Band 3 (Director General) level. This requirement applies both to open (external) competitions and to Civil Service-wide (internal) competitions. Commissioners do not have involvement in appointments where an exception is granted, although these are reported to the Commission on a quarterly basis. The current appointments were made under exceptions due to the temporary nature of the arrangements. Any future permanent recruitment will follow the Civil Service Recruitment Principles and be chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 22 September (HL10345), whether the Senior Leadership Committee included representatives from the Ministry of Justice; and whether the recruitment process involved the Civil Service Commission or the use of an exception under the Civil Service recruitment principles.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The roles of Director General of Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Prisons are currently being filled on an interim basis. The recruitment position is unchanged from my reply of 22 September.

Senior Leadership Committee (SLC) membership is currently made up of: Permanent Secretary, Home Office (who serves as the Chair); Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury; Chief Executive of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; Permanent Secretary, Department for Education; Government Chief People Officer (Cabinet Office), Permanent Secretary, Department for Work & Pensions; and Director General, MI5. As set out in the Civil Service Senior Appointments Protocol, the First Civil Service Commissioner also sits on the SLC as a permanent member. There are currently no representatives from the Ministry of Justice on the SLC.

Civil Service Commissioners must chair all permanent competitions for posts at SCS Pay Band 4 (Permanent Secretary) and SCS Pay Band 3 (Director General) level. This requirement applies both to open (external) competitions and to Civil Service-wide (internal) competitions. Commissioners do not have involvement in appointments where an exception is granted, although these are reported to the Commission on a quarterly basis. The current appointments were made under exceptions due to the temporary nature of the arrangements. Any future permanent recruitment will follow the Civil Service Recruitment Principles and be chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To as the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department provides guidance to businesses on the potential impact of AI systems on employment.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We want to ensure that people have access to good, meaningful work. AI is already transforming workplaces, demanding new skills, and augmenting existing ones. Government is working to harness its benefits to boost growth, productivity, living standards, and worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks.

The Department for Education published an analysis in 2023 outlining The impact of AI on UK jobs and training. We are currently considering our approach to updating this analysis.

Further to this, the Get Britain Working White Paper outlines how government will address labour market challenges and spread opportunity and economic prosperity that AI presents to the British public. This includes launching Skills England to create a shared national plan to boost the nation’s skills, creating more good jobs through our modern Industrial Strategy, and strengthening employment rights through DBT’s Plan to Make Work Pay.

DSIT has also published guidance for businesses adopting AI, focusing on good practice AI assurance when procuring and deploying AI systems. AI assurance could significantly manage risks and build trust, supporting business to assess and mitigate the potential impacts of AI adoption.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of regional occupational AI exposure; and whether her Department plans to publish (a) maps and (b) targets based on this data.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We want to ensure that people have access to good, meaningful work. AI will impact the labour market and the Government is working to harness its benefits in terms of boosting growth, productivity, living standards, and worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks.

DSIT has not made a recent assessment of regional occupational AI exposure, but the Department for Education published an analysis in 2023, The impact of AI on UK jobs and training, and we are currently considering our approach to updating this analysis.

DSIT is working across government to plan for different scenarios, and is monitoring data to track and prepare for these. The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out how we will address key challenges and that includes giving people the skills to get those jobs and spread opportunity across the UK to fix the foundations of our economy to seize AI’s potential.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding was allocated to English for Speakers of Other Languages provision in 2024-25; what is the budget for 2025-26; and what proportion in each case was allocated as grants to local authorities.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Funding for adults to develop the English language skills they need is made available across government – from the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education.

The department supports adults aged 19+ in England who speak English as a second or additional language to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), subject to eligibility requirements. ESOL funding is not ringfenced.

Currently 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These are responsible for deciding how to make best use of their ASF to meet their local needs, including ESOL.

The department continues to be responsible for the remaining ASF non-devolved areas although colleges, local authorities and other training providers in non-devolved areas have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF allocation to meet local skills needs, including ESOL provision.

The department supports 16 to 19-year-olds through funding that is allocated to schools and colleges and enables students to take part in either study programmes or T Levels, which includes funding specifically for English courses where appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the number of civil servants working from home for three days a week or more is increasing or decreasing.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office.

Data for the latest period for which data is available is copied below. No other information on occupancy data or workforce attendance is gathered centrally.

Departments manage their own arrangements for monitoring workforce attendance. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure childcare policy supports the recruitment and retention of student nurses as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, updated on 22 April 2024.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system. Eligible students can also apply for the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance.

The Department of Health and Social Care provides eligible healthcare students, including student nurses, with supplementary, non-repayable support via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). This includes a £5,000 training grant for all students eligible for the LSF and a further £2,000 per academic year for those students with childcare responsibility. These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan (10YWP) to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. This 10YWP will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure children are adequately safeguarded in family courts.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle.

This Government is delivering a package of reform to the family courts to ensure that children continue to be safeguarded and supported. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes child safeguarding through early multi-agency collaboration, expert domestic abuse support, and greater emphasis on the voice of the child.

This Government also recognises the significant impact that delays in court proceedings can have on children and families. That is why it is working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

We are also working closely with the Department for Education to support the delivery of their reforms to children’s social care, underpinned by measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The Government will share further plans for reform in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on introducing a support and identification system for the children of prisoners.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We know that parental imprisonment is recognised as an adverse childhood experience that can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This is why the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education are jointly committed to ensuring that all children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.

Earlier this year, Ministers from both Departments convened a roundtable with sector experts to explore how best to support children affected by parental imprisonment. We have also undertaken extensive engagement with the sector, including focus groups with individuals who have lived experience. Their insights are helping to shape and inform our policy proposals.

On 21 August, the Department for Education published their market engagement notice on a Multidisciplinary Training Offer for Professionals, marking an important step towards getting children the support they need. This training will upskill a wide range of professionals on the impact parental imprisonment can have on children and families, reduce stigmatisation of children and families and break down barriers to support.

We remain firmly committed to driving progress on this important agenda, informed by evidence from previous interventions and continued engagement with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support children with a parent in prison from an early age.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We know that parental imprisonment is recognised as an adverse childhood experience that can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This is why the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education are jointly committed to ensuring that all children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.

Earlier this year, Ministers from both Departments convened a roundtable with sector experts to explore how best to support children affected by parental imprisonment. We have also undertaken extensive engagement with the sector, including focus groups with individuals who have lived experience. Their insights are helping to shape and inform our policy proposals.

On 21 August, the Department for Education published their market engagement notice on a Multidisciplinary Training Offer for Professionals, marking an important step towards getting children the support they need. This training will upskill a wide range of professionals on the impact parental imprisonment can have on children and families, reduce stigmatisation of children and families and break down barriers to support.

We remain firmly committed to driving progress on this important agenda, informed by evidence from previous interventions and continued engagement with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.

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