Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department about the potential impact of the extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain on the success of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this Government will take to reduce child poverty and to reverse the trend from 2010-2024.
Responsibility for the Child Poverty Strategy lies with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Education, as co-chairs of the Child Poverty Taskforce.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 97 of the Government's document entitled Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, updated on 23 December 2025, when the new guidance to aid local authorities in their understanding of their statutory duties and interaction with No Recourse to Public Funds will be issued.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this Government will take to reduce child poverty and to reverse the trend from 2010-2024.
The new guidance document designed to assist local authorities’ understanding of their statutory duties and interaction with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) will be published in the Spring.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children whose families are subject to No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions are living in poverty.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold this data.
We recognise the distinct challenges faced by those subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition and have engaged with organisations who have made representations on behalf of children subject to NRPF and will continue to do so. As part of the Child Poverty Strategy, the Department is working with the Home Office to develop questions on NRPF for inclusion in the Family Resources Survey 2026/2027, with the data first published in March 2028. This is a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason her department’s July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education notes that schools should not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity; and how schools should follow this guidance whilst teaching about the protected characteristic of gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.
We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.
The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out the (a) resources and (b) training her Department will make available to support teachers to implement July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.
We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.
The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education, whether primary schools are required to teach about same-sex families.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.
We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.
The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her letter to the Chair of the Education Select Committee dated 22 October 2025, when she will begin (a) to seek views through listening sessions in every region of the country and (b) fortnightly Ministerial meetings with key parent and expert groups; and if she will provide a list of those groups.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In early December, the department launched a national conversation on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform, building on extensive engagement over the past year with children, young people, parents and professionals.
We are hosting nine regional face‑to‑face events and five open online conversations focused on the five principles of reform. These began on 2 December and provide thousands of opportunities for families and the sector to share their views. We are also running a wide range of roundtable discussions with young people, parents and practitioners, including sessions with KIDS, Speech and Language UK and the Council for Disabled Children. We are encouraging wider participation through our Citizen Space portal.
The department also convenes a weekly development group of SEND parent organisations and key stakeholders, representing a broad range of voices across the sector. Membership includes:
• Council for Disabled Children
• Disabled Children’s Partnership
• National Network of Parent Carer Forums
• National Association for Special Educational Needs
• The Difference
• Dingley’s Promise
• The Athelstan Trust
• Let Us Learn Too
• The SEND Sanctuary.
Additional organisations will be invited on a rolling basis, aligned with the topics under discussion.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what definition his Department uses for new exploration in the context of a Transitional Energy Certificate; and whether that definition includes seismic activity.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea Transition Authority will publish detailed guidance on the application and assessment process for Transitional Energy Certificates in due course, including plans to ensure that the changes do not adversely impact seismic and other activity which is not for the purposes of oil and gas exploration.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether Transitional Energy Certificates will be required to supply environmental statements that (a) include Scope 3 emissions and (b) consider potential environmental impacts in line with what is required from other production.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Transitional Energy Certificates will give the holder exclusivity over a specific area of the seabed. These areas of the seabed must be adjacent to an existing licensed block and will be managed on an ‘out of round’ basis by the North Sea Transition Authority.
Prior to undertaking any development activities within areas covered by Certificates, project developers will need to submit applications for consents or directions in accordance with the requirements of offshore environmental impact assessment legislation and associated guidance.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the North Sea Future Plan published on 26 November 2025, if he will clarify his Department's definition of a (a) managed, (b) prosperous and (c) orderly transition; and how these terms will be applied when deciding whether to approve a Transitional Energy Certificate.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea Transition Authority will publish detailed guidance on the application and assessment process for Transitional Energy Certificates in due course.