Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the impact of Stamp Duty Land Tax on the Integrated Retirement Community sector and (b) the potential merits of a relief when private operators buy back and issue new leases.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of the school workforce that is neurodivergent.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

The department does not collect data centrally on whether school staff are neurodivergent.

Schools are asked to record whether staff self‑report a disability, which may include neurodivergent conditions where individuals choose to declare them. However, the disability data collected does not enable the department to identify or extract information specifically on neurodivergent staff.

In the November 2025 school workforce census, around 85% of teachers provided disability information. Where disability information was reported, around 3% of teachers were recorded as disabled. This is the most recent data available and has been available since 4 June 2025

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take legislative steps against council tax on unfinished, unsold and unoccupied homes.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Council tax becomes payable on a new dwelling when the local authority determines that it has been substantially completed, or will be substantially completed within three months. It will issue a Completion Notice to confirm its decision.

Once a dwelling becomes liable for council tax, the normal council tax rules apply. Whether a property has been sold does not in itself affect its council tax status. Council tax is due on all properties, and if the property is unoccupied liability will fall to the owner. Council tax liability may be affected by a range of discounts, exemptions or premiums. Whether these apply will depend on the particular circumstances.

The Government has no plans to change these arrangements, and it is for councils to administer the council tax system. The Government remains committed to keeping all taxes and elements of the local government finance system under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include data on the neurodivergent and disabled composition of the school workforce within the evidence base for the (a) SEND Improvement Plan and (b) forthcoming Schools White Paper.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan was published in March 2023 under the 2022/24 Sunak Conservative government.

Every Child Achieving and Thriving was published in February 2026. It set out the case for change across the school system and the evidence underpinning a comprehensive programme of reforms, including action to improve recruitment, retention and support for the school workforce.

The Schools White Paper and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) consultation document, published on 23 February 2026, set out our proposed changes to improve help and support for children and young people with SEND across the 0 to 25 years system. The SEND consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on May 18. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course and bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of neurodivergent staff representation and disclosure on outcomes for neurodivergent pupils in mainstream schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises the importance of enabling all pupils, including those who are neurodivergent, to thrive in mainstream schools. While no specific assessment has been made of how neurodivergent staff representation or disclosure affects outcomes for neurodivergent pupils, we remain committed to improving outcomes through high-quality teaching, effective special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support and inclusive school environments.

Our Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group has informed proposed SEND reforms, including National Inclusion Standards, an inclusion continuing professional development package backed by over £200 million and £3.7 billion to create more inclusive school environments.

Information about an individual's disability or neurodivergence is personal and schools must support their workforce in line with their legal obligations. Accredited ITT providers must comply with equality legislation and consider making anticipatory adjustments, including providing opportunities for teacher trainee applicants to identify any support they may require.

The School Workforce Census is regularly reviewed to ensure balance between managing burden and risks of data collection against the value of developing policy to support staff and pupils. The department has no current plans to collect neurodivergence data separately from disability data due to expected low coverage and privacy risks related to data collection.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to amend the School Workforce Census to capture neurodivergence as a category distinct from disability.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The School Workforce Census (SWC) records whether staff are reported as disabled, but not the nature of their disability. As neurodivergence is not identified separately, and disclosure is voluntary, the department cannot specifically identify or analyse data on neurodivergent staff in schools.

The census is reviewed regularly to ensure balance between managing burden and risks of data collection, especially related to protected characteristics, against the value of developing policy to support the school workforce. The department has no current plans to amend the SWC to collect neurodivergence as a category distinct from disability due to expected low coverage and privacy issues and risks related the data collection.

The department continues to develop its understanding of workforce diversity. Accredited Initial Teacher Training providers must comply with equality legislation and consider making anticipatory adjustments, including providing opportunities for teacher trainee applicants to identify any support they may require. The teacher retention programme, announced in the Schools White Paper, will also include a focus on encouraging inclusive cultures.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Government is entering into dialogue with trade unions so members can be consulted with regards to Defined Benefit surplus.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Government has consulted with trustees, member representative groups, trade unions and other stakeholders in developing the regulations that will allow well-funded defined benefit schemes to release surplus, subject to member safeguards. The Pension Schemes Act 2026 and draft regulations are clear on the requirements for member notification before release.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what efforts the department is making to legislate to force the better consumption of our water resources such as utilising grey water or calling on water companies to increase the amount of desalination plants.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government recognises the benefits of greywater reuse in new developments and is taking steps to support its use for domestic and non-domestic purposes. We committed in the Water White Paper to reforming how greywater is used.

Water companies’ revised statutory Water Resources Management Plans include development of eight new desalination plants.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is considering the potential merits of mandating AI-driven, on-device detection technology to prevent livestreamed child abuse and other image-based harms including child sextortion.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government is clear in its commitment to protecting children from online sexual abuse. That is why we announced that the UK would become the first country in the world where it is impossible for children to take, share or view nude images on their devices. Officials have been engaging collaboratively with technology companies since summer to explore how these technical solutions can be implemented on smartphones and devices.

On 8 September, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport reiterated the Government's commitment, in a Statement to the House, to prepare primary legislation requiring companies to build on-device operating system-level protections for children. The government supports the use of technology including AI both to identify nudity, and to detect child sexual abuse more specifically.

This work will prevent predators from being able to exploit and abuse victims through children's own devices. By preventing children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their devices, these protections will help to prevent child sextortion before the first image is sent and reduce opportunities for offenders to coerce and exploit children online.

This will deliver on the commitment made in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps are the government taking to expand and help fund more large nuclear fusion facilities on the scale of Hinkey Point C and Sizewell C so we retain the ability to power the UK’s growing demands for more electricity.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is investing over £2.5 billion in fusion over five years to accelerate deployment. This includes £1.3 billion for the next phase of the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme, a prototype power plant planned in West Burton by 2040, which will stimulate investment in UK industry and supply chains. The UK Fusion Investment Prospectus, published in September 2026, is showcasing opportunities to developers, investors and manufacturers. The government has also published the draft National Policy Statement for Fusion Energy Generation (EN-8), providing planning certainty, building investor confidence, and enabling deployment in the UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to continue reducing nitrogen dioxide levels after their air quality directions have been revoked.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government monitors compliance with legal limits for NO₂ nationally. Under the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, Government is refreshing wider guidance, webinars and resources to support local authorities in addressing air quality issues. Government guidance also recommends authorities produce local Air Quality Strategies to support ongoing proactive action on air pollution.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to monitor nitrogen dioxide levels in areas where air quality directions have been revoked since June 2025.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government monitors compliance with legal limits for NO₂ nationally. Under the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, Government is refreshing wider guidance, webinars and resources to support local authorities in addressing air quality issues. Government guidance also recommends authorities produce local Air Quality Strategies to support ongoing proactive action on air pollution.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps are DESNZ taking to ensure that there will be enough skilled workers available to fill all new roles whether it be in new nuclear or to help with the roll out of alternatives to natural gas boilers.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Our Clean Energy Jobs Plan, published in October last year, sets out the government’s plan for delivering the pipeline of skilled workers needed for the clean energy transition.

This includes the launch of five new Clean Energy Technical Excellence Colleges, which will help to build a robust employer-aligned skills pipeline and raise the quality of provision.

The Nuclear Skills Plan aims to attract new talent, retain expertise and enable the skills infrastructure needed to support the sector. For low-carbon heating, the government is investing £7 million per annum in training up to 2029 through the Heat Training Grant.

Neurodivergent educators

90th anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade

The Committee are launching an inquiry into the UK export support system. The inquiry examines whether the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade alongside UK Export Finance:

Submit Evidence (by 12 Nov 2026)

Entrepreneurs are vital to driving growth, innovation, competition, productivity and job creation, across the country and across communities.