Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents have been prosecuted for their child's non-attendance at school in each quarter of the last five years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department does not hold data on the total number of parents that have been prosecuted for their child’s non-attendance as this is a matter for the courts. However, our statutory guidance is clear that schools should take a ‘support first’ approach to pupils’ attendance and prosecutions should only be used as a last resort, where all other routes have been exhausted or deemed inappropriate in the circumstances of the individual case.

A new national framework for penalty notices came into effect from August 2024 designed to embed our support-first approach and improve consistency and fairness across the country. Data collected by the department from the first year of the new framework (the 2024/25 academic year) shows 148 cases reported where a parent was prosecuted due to reaching the limit of two penalty notices within three years. Comprehensive data on prosecution offences is collected by the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) potential impact of accrued interest on the total debt balances of Plan 2 borrowers and (b) number of graduates whose monthly repayments are lower than the monthly interest added to their account.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As monthly repayment amounts for individual borrowers can change from month to month, it is not possible to produce a reliable monthly level figure. On an annual basis, the number of England-domiciled borrowers with Plan 2 loans which have become liable to repay where the sum of all interest amounts accrued is greater than the sum of all repayment amounts in the 2024/25 financial year, to the nearest 10,000, was 3.32 million. This includes all maintenance, tuition and advanced learner loans and includes borrowers who are currently earning below repayment threshold.

Unlike commercial loans, student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Borrowers only start repaying their student loan once earnings exceed the threshold, after which they repay at a rate of 9% of income above the repayment threshold, meaning low earning borrowers are protected. At the end of the repayment term the majority of Plan 2 borrowers, other than those with sufficiently high earnings to repay their loan in full, will have any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, cancelled with no detriment to the borrower and debt is never passed on to family members of descendants.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what portion of the £15 billion Warm Homes Plan will be ringfenced for the installation costs of alternative heating systems in off-gas grid properties.

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

The Warm Homes Plan sets out in detail how the government's £15 billion investment into home upgrades will be allocated to individual schemes. While there is no specifically ring-fenced funding for off-gas grid homes, the package will support these homes to decarbonise in a variety of ways.

Additionally, the government has published a consultation on alternative heating solutions which explores the role these technologies could play in ensuring that every household has a suitable low-carbon option. The consultation closed on 10 February, and we will issue the Government response in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the Warm Homes Plan provides full grant coverage for the upfront installation costs of low-carbon heating for low-income households in off-gas grid areas.

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

As part of the Warm Homes Plan the government is investing £5 billion in direct support for low-income households. This will initially be delivered through the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF).

All eligible households in England and Wales can also benefit from the expanded Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), funded with £2.7 billion to 2030. This will provide more options for homes where a hydronic heat pump may not be the most appropriate solution, including air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries.

Additionally, the government has published a consultation on alternative heating solutions which explores the role these technologies could play in ensuring that every household has a suitable low-carbon option. The consultation closed on 10 February, and a government response will follow in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending legislation to enable local transport authorities to divert traffic onto national highways where (a) local and (b) network conditions make it (i) necessary and (ii) appropriate.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has made no such assessment. Local authorities are responsible for managing traffic on their networks, and National Highways for managing the Strategic Road Network of motorways and trunk roads. Both are subject to the Network Management Duty under the Traffic Management Act 2004, which requires them to manage their road network with a view to achieving ‘expeditious movement’ of all traffic, and facilitating expeditious movement of traffic on a neighbouring authority’s network.

It is for local authorities and National Highways to work together to agree appropriate diversion routes and circumstances under which these may be required.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has received representations from the ambassador or any other representatives of the US administration relating to the suitability of the Wylfa site for gigawatt-scale nuclear energy production.

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

The UK and US Government regularly discuss a wide range of policy issues linked to nuclear energy in both the UK and US. In September we agreed the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy to unlock billions in private investment and accelerate the delivery of new nuclear projects in both countries.

The government has selected Wylfa as the site to host Britain’s first small modular reactors.

Meanwhile, to pursue the option of further large-scale nuclear, Great British Energy - Nuclear has been tasked with identifying suitable sites that could potentially host such a project

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to educational psychologists in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Educational psychologists (EPs) play a critical role in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, their capacity is often limited by high volumes of statutory assessments, compounding local authorities’ struggles with recruitment and retention.

This is why the department is investing £26 million to train at least 200 EPs per year in 2026 and 2027, followed by further investment from 2028 to expand this training scheme, subject to future spending review. After graduation, these EPs will be required to work within a local authority in England for at least three years. This investment will help to ensure that more EPs are available to provide support, including strengthening inclusive mainstream, identifying and supporting needs earlier, and bolstering capacity to deliver assessments.

We will strengthen mainstream education settings’ capability by providing access to universal and targeted support from key services, including EPs. We want more opportunities for EPs to work in mainstream settings to support children with SEND, and we are providing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to work together to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the low-income allocation within the Warm Homes Plan.

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

The Warm Homes Plan has committed a landmark £15 billion to low-income households, including an extra £1.5 billion from the Budget. In total, £5 billion is set aside to upgrade low-income households with solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, which can save hundreds of pounds a year compared to gas boiler.

This will initially be delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). From 2027/28, we intend to integrate the WH:SHF and WH:LG into a single low-income capital scheme and we will say more about our plans for this in Spring 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to ensure sufficient placements are available to meet the needs of all UK medical graduates.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have introduced the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to deliver the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. We expect that all eligible prioritised applicants for the foundation programme in 2026 will be offered a place.

This bill will ensure a sustainable medical workforce that can meet the health needs of the population, and will mean we are less reliant on an unpredictable labour market and can make best use of the substantial taxpayer investment in medical training. It will reduce competition for places and give homegrown talent a path to become the next generation of NHS doctors.

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 equity of access to preference informed allocation for foundation year posts between UK graduates and international medical graduates.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have introduced the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to deliver the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places. Alongside UK graduates, the bill prioritises graduates from Ireland and graduates of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, reflecting our obligations under international agreements with these countries.

We expect that all eligible prioritised applicants for the foundation programme in 2026 will be offered a place. Non-prioritised applicants will still be able to apply and will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.

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 Secretary of State for Education on the adequacy of clinical placement provision for final year medical students in relation to location and accessibility.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such discussions have taken place. NHS England provides funding to National Health Service providers for undergraduate medical placements that are in scope of the NHS Education and Training (E&T) tariffs. The undergraduate medical tariff price includes a nationally mandated sum as well as regional weighting through the Market Forces Factor. The E&T tariff guidance is reviewed and published annually.

From year five of an undergraduate course and year two of a graduate-entry course, eligible medical students can also claim reimbursement towards travel and dual accommodation costs during practice placement through the NHS Bursary scheme.

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, committed to reforming the undergraduate and postgraduate medical tariffs. We will ensure the system drives clinical placement activity in the right professions and settings, especially community settings, and that it harnesses innovative approaches like simulated learning.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria of the Shared Prosperity Fund to include extracurricular and volunteering organisations.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has a light-touch delegated delivery model, empowering lead local authorities to make decisions on how funding is allocated in their area, including setting their own eligibility criteria.

Volunteering activities and organisations may be supported where this meets local need.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the projected funding required to meet the fuel poverty targets set out in the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England by 2030.

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

The Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty. DESNZ will publish new fuel poverty statistics on 26 March.

As a result of decisions taken in the Budget, energy bills are set to fall by 7% or £117 from April. The expansion of the Warm Home Discount means nearly 6 million households are now eligible for the discount. We will continue to provide this until 2030/31.

We also made a £15 billion investment in the Warm Homes Plan. £5 billion of this is going to low-income and fuel poor households, initially delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant. This is made up of £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million from the Warm Homes Fund, our new strategic investment facility.

Our plans to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors will deliver long lasting change with around 650,000 households lifted out of fuel poverty.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made towards meeting the statutory fuel poverty targets by 2030.

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

The Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty. DESNZ will publish new fuel poverty statistics on 26 March.

As a result of decisions taken in the Budget, energy bills are set to fall by 7% or £117 from April. The expansion of the Warm Home Discount means nearly 6 million households are now eligible for the discount. We will continue to provide this until 2030/31.

We also made a £15 billion investment in the Warm Homes Plan. £5 billion of this is going to low-income and fuel poor households, initially delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant. This is made up of £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million from the Warm Homes Fund, our new strategic investment facility.

Our plans to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors will deliver long lasting change with around 650,000 households lifted out of fuel poverty.

World Hearing Day 2026

Thornbury and District Stroke Support Group

1st Ram Hill Scout Group

Girlguiding Bristol and South Gloucestershire

Scientific hearing on animal experiments

Delay Repay scheme

Airport drop-off charges

Outdoor learning

Heating oil prices

Refugee homelessness and the asylum move-on period

New US sanctions on Cuba

Funding for rural fire and rescue services

90th anniversary of the Spitfire

Horse and rider road safety

Community spaces

Review of the student loan system

Child protection from illicit vapes

Found: Democrat; Mid Dunbartonshire) Euan Stainbank (Labour; Falkirk) Peter Swallow (Labour; Bracknell) Claire Young

Found: Sir Christopher Chope; Lizzi Collinge; Graeme Downie; Wera Hobhouse; Melanie Onn; Mike Reader; Claire Young

Found: Cleethorpes) Mike Reader (Labour; Northampton South) Bradley Thomas (Conservative; Bromsgrove) Claire Young

Found: Q105 Claire Young: Are there other examples internationally?

Found: Q105 Claire Young: Are there other examples internationally?