Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support male voice choirs.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
His Majesty’s Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including choral music. Local choirs are an important part of many people’s lives across the UK, providing a creative outlet and strong sense of community, as well as an accessible, enjoyable cultural experience enjoyed by people of all ages.
The Government supports the arts financially, including choirs and singing, through its arm’s-length body Arts Council England. The Arts Council does not have a specific category for identifying investment in ‘male choirs’, however, for the financial year 2024/25 Arts Council England funded activity with a choral focus or element by nearly £44 million. This funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England. Organisations supported by this funding include Ex Cathedra, a nationally recognised choir with a repertoire that reaches from the 12th to the 21st centuries.
Within the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department for Education continues to fund bursaries for training choristers through the Choir Schools’ Association.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support people with epilepsy to monitor seizures.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, such as the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.
The RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit signposts readers to the Epilepsy Self-Monitoring app developed by SUDEP Action, which is a digital tool designed to help patients understand their own personal risk of seizures, and to track and manage this risk.
In our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we set out our plans to expand the use of wearable technologies and biosensors which will be able to provide ‘real-time data’ and help patients track and monitor their health, including people with epilepsy.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has considered introducing voluntary pension-sharing orders in cases of life-changing events.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We have no plans to introduce further pension sharing provisions.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that schools do not use non-disclosure agreements to require teachers to take settlement agreements.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
No staff member should ever be pressured into leaving their job. Headteachers have the freedom to manage employment at their schools in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document guidance for maintained schools and relevant employment law for all schools.
In addition, the government is taking action to ensure that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be used to take unfair advantage of workers. For example, the Employment Rights Bill now includes a measure that will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. The government intends to outline strict conditions in regulations under which NDAs can still be validly entered into.
We are also taking significant steps to reduce pressure on teachers and therefore increase teacher retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service contains a range of supportive resources for schools to review and reduce workload, as well as improve staff wellbeing. This year saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers are not pressured into leaving the profession.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
No staff member should ever be pressured into leaving their job. Headteachers have the freedom to manage employment at their schools in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document guidance for maintained schools and relevant employment law for all schools.
In addition, the government is taking action to ensure that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be used to take unfair advantage of workers. For example, the Employment Rights Bill now includes a measure that will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. The government intends to outline strict conditions in regulations under which NDAs can still be validly entered into.
We are also taking significant steps to reduce pressure on teachers and therefore increase teacher retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service contains a range of supportive resources for schools to review and reduce workload, as well as improve staff wellbeing. This year saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to help support bereaved families with council tax owed following the sale of a property.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else. Furthermore, this government has introduced an exception to any council tax premiums for up to 12 months after probate, provided the property has not been sold. The government does not currently have any plans to change this.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
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 has taken to consult neighbourhood groups on proposed noise reforms; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those reforms on local residents.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is exploring a range of reforms proposed by the recent Licensing Taskforce to support the hospitality industry and night-time economy. This includes considering whether the ‘agent of change’ principle should be strengthened in the licensing regime to better protect existing licensed premises and residents. We have launched a call for evidence, which will provide an opportunity for the public and a range of stakeholders – including neighbourhood groups – to shape any future changes. We also intend to explore how we can improve the implementation of the ‘agent of change’ principle as it applies in the planning system and will consult on a new set of national policies for decision-making later this year.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help support self-employed micro businesses to comply with HMRC’s Make Tax Digital programme.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has published detailed guidance and offers help through webinars, online resources, and customer service channels to enable customers and agents to prepare for and use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax successfully.
It is working with the software industry to ensure there is a wide range of MTD-compatible software to suit varying needs and budgets. That includes free software. Many products are aimed at unrepresented users.
A communications campaign is underway, using radio and social media channels to raise customer awareness particularly among taxpayers without an agent.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce council tax.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is for individual local authorities to set their level of council tax, taking into account all relevant local factors. The government maintains a referendum threshold, and authorities who choose to increase their council tax above this must obtain the approval of voters. The government will set out its position on referendum principles for the next financial year at the local government finance settlement in the usual way.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide additional support to prospective Paralympians.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is fully committed to our elite sport system and enabling our Paralympians to achieve their potential and excel on the world stage. UK Sport have committed nearly £75 million to support the LA 2028 Paralympic cycle for new and returning Paralympians. We will soon get to see our Winter Paralympians compete in Milan-Cortina 2026, who have benefited from a nearly £8 million package of support.
The Backing The Best programme, managed by SportsAid for Sport England, also supports para-athletes who would face difficulties progressing through their sport’s talent development system without support.