Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase capacity and resources in community schools, to accommodate pupils transferring from the private to comprehensive school sector in the last year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the hon. Member for Witney to the answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 81701.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of international progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Before the Paris Agreement policies put the world on track for up to 4°C of warming by 2100. The latest Emissions Gap Report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), published in October 2025, estimates that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) put the world on course for 2.3°C to 2.5°C, or 1.9°C if all countries meet their NDC and net zero commitments in full.
Following COP30, the UK will continue to push for greater ambition globally to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to help specialist independent SEND schools remain open in in response to independent school closures in the last year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Independent special schools are private enterprises. Local authorities have the discretion to make support, training and resources available to them. As private enterprises, the proprietor of the school is responsible for its financial viability.
The department recognises that independent special schools can play an important role in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, particularly in meeting highly complex needs and building capacity in the system. Independent special schools should be part of local authorities’ strategic planning of SEND provision, and the department works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient school places for children that need them.
Where a pupil’s place in a private school is funded by the local authority because the private school is named in the pupil’s education, health and care plan, the local authority is able to reclaim the VAT they are charged on the fees of these pupils via the Section 33 VAT Act 1994 Refund Scheme.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of costs for the haulage industry.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Department for Transport regularly engages with road haulage industry associations and wider industry to understand the financial challenges faced by the sector.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how his Department plans to assess local government reorganisation proposals; and whether those proposals will be assessed against the guidance set out in the letter sent by the former Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution to the leaders of two-tier councils in Oxfordshire on 5 February 2025.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government received final proposals for the invitation area of Oxfordshire on 28 November and will launch a statutory consultation before deciding which, if any, proposal to implement. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area, including Oxfordshire, will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence.
All public bodies, including the Government and local authorities, are required to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010. This duty applies to the local government reorganisation process.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that decisions relating to local government reorganisation meet public sector equality duties.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government received final proposals for the invitation area of Oxfordshire on 28 November and will launch a statutory consultation before deciding which, if any, proposal to implement. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area, including Oxfordshire, will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence.
All public bodies, including the Government and local authorities, are required to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010. This duty applies to the local government reorganisation process.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many new properties were covered by FloodRe in the last twelve months.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2024/25, Flood Re provided cover for over 346,000 household policies. Of these, 30% of the policies ceded to Flood Re in the financial year to 31 March 2025 had not previously been ceded to the Scheme. In total, 650,000 properties have benefited since the scheme’s launch. Flood Re publish these figures annually in their annual report.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many properties are covered by FloodRe.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2024/25, Flood Re provided cover for over 346,000 household policies. Of these, 30% of the policies ceded to Flood Re in the financial year to 31 March 2025 had not previously been ceded to the Scheme. In total, 650,000 properties have benefited since the scheme’s launch. Flood Re publish these figures annually in their annual report.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she can disclose how much additional risk the Flood Re scheme is underwriting this year than it was when it launched; and whether she holds any information about the sustainability of those trendlines through to 2039.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In its first operational year (2016/17), the Flood Re scheme’s Liability Limit was £2.1 billion and 127,326 policies were ceded to the scheme. By 2024/25, 346,200 policies were ceded and from 1 April 2025, the Liability Limit reset to £3.2 billion for three years, with annual Consumer Price Index adjustments thereafter.
The Liability Limit is set for successive three-year periods and reviewed ongoingly by the Scheme Administrator, Flood Re Ltd, to ensure alignment with the Flood Reinsurance (Scheme and Scheme Administrator Designation) Regulations 2015. Flood Re Ltd monitors risk exposure and sustainability as part of its statutory obligations. Its future trajectory, including sustainability through to 2039, is based on ceding forecasts, their risk levels and a prudent margin for uncertainty.
Flood Re must also publish a Transition Plan every five years, outlining how it will move towards a market with affordable flood insurance without the need for the scheme after 2039.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the reasons for households not obtaining insurance for flooding in spite of being eligible for the Flood Re scheme; and if she will call on Flood Re to clarify why such cases are occurring in Witney constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Flood Re is a joint Government-industry scheme enabling high flood risk households to access affordable insurance. Since launch, Flood Re has supported more than 650,000 households, with 346,000 policies ceded to them in 2024/25.
Prior to Flood Re’s inception, the average home insurance quote for a householder with a flood claim was about £4,400. As of December 2024, the average was c. £1,100, with 99% of householders at high risk of flooding now able to obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers.
The decision to insure a property, and/or to cede a policy to Flood Re is a decision made by each insurance company, but all households eligible under the Flood Re Scheme should be able to access to flood insurance cover. It remains important that policy holders shop around for an insurer to find the most suitable policy for their needs as individual insurers will consider a range of factors in setting their premiums.
Defra continues working with Flood Re and insurers to monitor affordability, and have not been made aware of any Flood Re eligible properties being refused flood cover on an industry wide basis.