Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to close the attainment gap between (a) disadvantaged and (b) not disadvantaged pupils in areas with three-tier education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.
High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.
The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.
As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.
We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.
The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.
Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve GCSE attainment among disadvantaged pupils in the East of England.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.
High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.
The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.
As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.
We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.
The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.
Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
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 (a) update and (b) improve NHS IT systems.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing more than £2 billion in National Health Service technology and digital to run essential services and drive NHS productivity improvements.
In June 2023, NHS England agreed a Health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is a strategic agreement between the NHS and Microsoft and underpins the national Microsoft licensing framework for NHS organisations. It delivers significant discounts and standardised licensing across the NHS and enables access to services.
Security and compliance are significantly strengthened through national access to Microsoft Defender, Office 365 security tools, and integration with the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre. These tools standardise threat detection, data protection, and governance across the system, ensuring a consistent and elevated security posture. The MOU also supports a national IT operating model with service desks operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, centralised incident management, and streamlined onboarding.
Operationally, the MOU delivers cost savings by eliminating redundant local contracts and enabling licence reconfiguration. It also positions the NHS for future innovation, with early access to artificial intelligence tools like Microsoft Copilot already embedded in the agreement. This ensures NHS organisations can scale digital transformation efforts while maintaining alignment with national strategy and funding models.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to introduce formal tribunal rules for traffic commissioner tribunal functions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I understand the important role that the Traffic Commissioners perform with regards to the licensing and regulation of the HGV and PSV industries, and road-user safety.
My Department are currently considering a range of reform options aiming to ensure that the powers and functions of Traffic Commissioners remain robust and effective. The introduction of formal tribunal rules will form part of these considerations.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on tackling anti-social car driving.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ministers and officials meet with their counterparts on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government, and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission.
On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.
On 28 May, the Government launched a 6-week consultation on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially from 14 days to 48 hours.
These measures will strengthen the law and send a clear message that antisocial car driving will not be tolerated.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on the transportation of live lobsters through (a) postal and (b) courier services within the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Animal welfare legislation protects all animals from being transported in a way likely to cause injury or suffering. Lobsters and other live decapod crustaceans are protected from injury or unnecessary suffering during transportation by a general duty of care provision in Article 4 of The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO) and equivalent national legislation in Wales. WATEO requires that animals are transported in receptacles or means of transport under conditions (in particular with regard to space, ventilation, temperature and security) and with such supply of liquid and oxygen, as are appropriate for the species concerned.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) recent trends in the level of drought and (b) the potential impact of drought on his Department's tree‑planting plans.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We continue to monitor and adapt to the impact that drought conditions can have on trees, particularly for young trees which are most susceptible. The Government has introduced extraordinary measures to support trees that have suffered because of drought conditions and works closely with tree planting delivery partners to respond to conditions across England. The Nature for Climate Fund has also invested £1 million into research to understand how trees are responding to extreme weather events, including drought, assessing species robustness and resilience. More broadly, the Water Companies’ Drought Code of Practice includes an exemption during hosepipe bans to allow for the continued watering of trees planted in the last three years.