Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the gap between the lowest and highest achievers in GCSE science performance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising school standards are central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and the key to strengthening outcomes for all children and young people. The best way of helping schools to support lower attainers and drive standards in GCSE science performance is to ensure high quality science teaching at all levels, by helping schools to recruit and retain good teachers.
For those training to teach in the 2025/26 academic year, there is a bursary worth £29,000 tax-free or a scholarship worth £31,000 tax-free to train to teach high priority subjects, such as chemistry and physics. There is also a £26,000 tax-free bursary for biology.
For the 2025/26 academic year, the department is also offering a targeted retention incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax, for physics and chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged areas. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.
The department also funds the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching programme, a series of blended learning courses with modules available each term to support non-specialist teachers of key stage 3 and 4 physics to enhance their subject knowledge.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the gap between the lowest and highest achievers in GCSE english performance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 5 February 2025, the government announced a £2 million investment to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. We know that supporting pupils to build strong foundations in reading and writing will give them the tools to succeed in key stage 4 and beyond. Therefore, from September, building on the success of phonics, teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in reception and year 1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme.
Building on this, secondary schools will get funded support to foster a strong whole-school reading culture, and in January 2026 they will get access to the Unlocking Reading programme, a continuing professional development package delivered by FFT Education on behalf of the department, aimed at boosting reading through evidence-based strategies.
Ensuring pupils build strong foundations in the early years and key stage 1, and offering further guidance and support on best-practice in the teaching of reading and writing in key stage 2 and 3, will prepare pupils for GCSEs in key stage 4.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration his Department gives to the use of British made bricks when repairs are carried out to the Government estate.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Agency aims to utilise and support British businesses where applicable. Whilst there is no specific consideration towards bricks made in Britain, we aim to utilise our supply chain to support local business where possible.
Furthermore, this Government announced on 26 June 2025 a new 10-week consultation entitled Public Procurement - Growing British industry, jobs and skills. These reforms aim to go further to strengthen the UK’s economic resilience and support British businesses. By strategically leveraging our annual public procurement spend, we can protect our supply chains, open up new opportunities for local small businesses and social enterprises, create good local jobs, and deliver greater value for taxpayers.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the French Government on the political situation in Togo.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK engages with the African Union (AU) on a range of regional issues, including political developments in West Africa.
While the Foreign Secretary has not held direct discussions with African Union counterparts specifically on Togo, UK officials regularly exchange views with AU representatives on governance, stability, and democracy across the region.
The UK works alongside the AU in supporting democratic outcomes in Africa through high-quality AU election observation and AU engagement during political transitions.
Through our partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), we continue to support the AU to train and deploy election observers, with regular assessment of its effectiveness.
The UK and France maintain regular diplomatic engagement on regional developments in West Africa, including Togo. Officials from our Embassy in Abidjan recently met French counterparts in Togo to exchange views on the political situation.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with African Union counterparts on the political situation in Togo.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK engages with the African Union (AU) on a range of regional issues, including political developments in West Africa.
While the Foreign Secretary has not held direct discussions with African Union counterparts specifically on Togo, UK officials regularly exchange views with AU representatives on governance, stability, and democracy across the region.
The UK works alongside the AU in supporting democratic outcomes in Africa through high-quality AU election observation and AU engagement during political transitions.
Through our partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), we continue to support the AU to train and deploy election observers, with regular assessment of its effectiveness.
The UK and France maintain regular diplomatic engagement on regional developments in West Africa, including Togo. Officials from our Embassy in Abidjan recently met French counterparts in Togo to exchange views on the political situation.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent reports his Department has received on the (a) political and (b) security situation in the United Republic of Tanzania.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is closely monitoring the political and security situation in Tanzania. Ministers have engaged with Tanzanian counterparts to raise areas of concern. The British High Commission in Dar es Salaam continues to maintain an active dialogue with the Government of Tanzania on issues of governance and its stated commitment to free and fair elections.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Arab League on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.