Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the core education offer for prisoners does not include a distinct reading curriculum.

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

The core education offer in all prisons includes reading skills and their practical application. These are an integral part of literacy provision. In addition to this, prisons benefit from locally commissioned support delivered by voluntary and community sector organisations. These partners play a vital role in engaging individuals who may lack the confidence to participate in classroom-based learning, offering tailored and accessible routes into reading. Every prison now has a dedicated reading strategy, underpinned by HMPPS’s National Prison Reading Framework which supports the development and evaluation of effective reading provision.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government in which cases work on new estates being built on flood plains has been held up by a lack of inspection partners.

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

Local authorities are best placed to determine in their Local Plan whether building on flood plains is suitable, as this is a complex issue that involves balancing development needs with environmental and safety concerns.

The government is strengthening the planning system to reduce flood risk in new developments. Updates to the National Planning Policy Framework require sustainable drainage systems in all developments and reinforce the use of the sequential test to avoid high-risk areas.

We are also improving flood risk assessment tools and aligning planning guidance with the Flood Ready Action Plan to embed resilience early in the planning process.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Nature Restoration Fund is accessible to individual farmers.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Nature Restoration Fund will provide opportunities to fund farmers, habitat banks, and environmental and conservation groups to deliver conservation measures. This will represent a source of revenue diversification for these businesses and organisations.

The Bill is drafted to enable delegation and partnership working, allowing Natural England to fund farmers to supply conservation measures directly or through third-party arrangements. The Government will publish guidance to Natural England on how they should work with the third parties to deliver EDPs.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Nature Restoration Fund is accessible to environmental and conservation groups.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Nature Restoration Fund will provide opportunities to fund farmers, habitat banks, and environmental and conservation groups to deliver conservation measures. This will represent a source of revenue diversification for these businesses and organisations.

The Bill is drafted to enable delegation and partnership working, allowing Natural England to fund farmers to supply conservation measures directly or through third-party arrangements. The Government will publish guidance to Natural England on how they should work with the third parties to deliver EDPs.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the factors allowing housing estate developers not to comply with planning requirements to install swift and bat bricks.

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

There are no current planning requirements to install swift and bat bricks. The government has committed to consult on changes which require swift bricks to be incorporated into new buildings unless there are compelling reasons which preclude their use, or which would make them ineffective.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of poor media literacy on young people's employability.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

According to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, media literacy-related skills, including understanding online risks, are essential for work. FutureDotNow research funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology showed that improving essential skills such as media literacy delivers measurable value to society and the economy.

The government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK. Through our Tech First programme, we are committed to giving one million students in schools and colleges across the UK the chance to develop their digital skills. We welcome the report of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 4 November, which recommends children should be taught how to spot fake news and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and develop critical thinking skills to help protect themselves online.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to communities to access media literacy education and bridge the digital divide.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government has adopted a holistic approach to digital inclusion, integrating digital skills and media literacy. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and bridging the digital divide, including supporting community initiatives for boosting digital skills and media literacy. Through our TechFirst programme, we are committed to giving one million students in schools and colleges across the UK the chance to develop their digital skills.

Under their Online Safety Act media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs to offer media literacy support.

Prevent’s network of Civil Society Organisations also deliver projects across England & Wales related to media literacy and critical thinking skills.