Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to extend the eligibility criteria for the Holiday activities and food programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme is aimed at children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. However, local authorities have discretion to go beyond this as set out in the HAF guidance: “While the majority of funding that local authorities receive should be used for holiday club places for children in receipt of free school meals, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision”.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will announce funding for a multi-year extension to the Holiday activities and food programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recently announced over £200 million funding for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for 2025/26.
The HAF programme has been delivered nationally by local authorities in England since 2022, to provide healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefitting their health, wellbeing and learning.
Funding beyond March 2026 will be subject to the multi-year Spending Review taking place later this year.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the next phase of Help to Grow Management Programme funds will be available to universities.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Autumn Budget, 2024 the Chancellor demonstrated the government’s commitment to continue the Help to Grow: Management Course throughout 2025-26, maintaining its existing scale and reach as part of our growth strategy. Help to Grow: Management will continue to help thousands of small businesses across the UK to improve their productivity and drive small business growth. Funding for 2025-26 will continue to be made available to university business schools through the Chartered Association of Business Schools from April 2025.
Help to Grow: Management is delivered by the UK’s leading business schools. DBT provides annual grant funding to the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS). DBT will extend its existing grant agreement with CABS once the business planning round is completed in March 2025. CABS will then contract with individual business schools to deliver the training to SMEs, allowing the programme to continue without a break in funding.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with local councils on the future funding of the Holiday Activities and Food programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Gosport to the answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17058.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to update existing regulations in the fertility industry.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published Modernising Fertility Law in November 2023, its recommendations for updating the regulatory framework in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health met with the HFEA Chair on 30 July 2024 to discuss these proposals and asked for the key issues to be prioritised.
The Government is currently considering this latest advice from the HFEA about the priority issues for law reform covering their regulatory powers.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing regulation of the fertility industry.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published Modernising Fertility Law in November 2023, its recommendations for updating the regulatory framework in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health met with the HFEA Chair on 30 July 2024 to discuss these proposals and asked for the key issues to be prioritised.
The Government is currently considering this latest advice from the HFEA about the priority issues for law reform covering their regulatory powers.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Agency on the closure of the Apricity business.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) advised the Department about the closure of the on-line service for fertility patients, Apricity, on 24 December 2024. The Apricity service did not fall under the HFEA’s current regulatory remit as it offered advice, diagnostic testing and prescribing but did not offer fertility treatment services directly. No discussions have therefore been held.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 14034 on Flood Control: Gosport, when her Department plans to confirm the list of projects to receive Government flood resilience funding through the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided to Dame Caroline Dinenage on 19 November 2024. The list of projects to receive Government funding in 2025/26 will be consented in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation – in order that allocations are confirmed before the start of the financial year.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students took higher technical education courses at Institutes of Technology in each academic year between 2018-19 and 2023-24.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The collaborative approach between further education, higher education and employers developed by Institutes of Technology (IoTs) is valued. The department will be working with the sector as we develop our strategy for post-16 education and skills.
Information on the number of students that took higher technical education courses (those at, or above, level 4) at IoTs are set out in the table below.
Academic Year* | Level 4+ learners | Background |
2018/19 | 0 | The first IoT opened in September 2019 therefore no learners were recorded in annual year 2018/19 |
2019/20 | 916 | Based on 6 IoTs open to learners |
2020/21 | 1901 | Based on 8 IoTs open to learners |
2021/22 | 3089 | Based on 11 IoTs open to learners |
2022/23 | 4512 | Based on 15 IoTs open to learners |
2023/24 | 6381 | Based on 19 IoTs open to learners (This data is incomplete as the Higher Education Statistic Agency data will not be available until April 2025.) |
*The department changed the way the data was collected and presented from 2021/22 academic year. The figures for 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years are for learner starts at levels 4 and 5. The figures for 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years are for learner cohorts for level 4+ (including level 6 and above).
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support Institutes of Technology.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The collaborative approach between further education, higher education and employers developed by Institutes of Technology (IoTs) is valued. The department will be working with the sector as we develop our strategy for post-16 education and skills.
Information on the number of students that took higher technical education courses (those at, or above, level 4) at IoTs are set out in the table below.
Academic Year* | Level 4+ learners | Background |
2018/19 | 0 | The first IoT opened in September 2019 therefore no learners were recorded in annual year 2018/19 |
2019/20 | 916 | Based on 6 IoTs open to learners |
2020/21 | 1901 | Based on 8 IoTs open to learners |
2021/22 | 3089 | Based on 11 IoTs open to learners |
2022/23 | 4512 | Based on 15 IoTs open to learners |
2023/24 | 6381 | Based on 19 IoTs open to learners (This data is incomplete as the Higher Education Statistic Agency data will not be available until April 2025.) |
*The department changed the way the data was collected and presented from 2021/22 academic year. The figures for 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years are for learner starts at levels 4 and 5. The figures for 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years are for learner cohorts for level 4+ (including level 6 and above).