Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the write-off of 90 per cent of the High Needs block debts of English councils on the amount of SEND funding to be absorbed into her Department's Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits from 2028-29 .

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The High Needs Stability Grant is concerned with historic spending and will have no impact on pressures in 2028/29. From the 2028/29 financial year, the government has confirmed that special educational needs and disabilities pressure will be absorbed within the overall government departmental expenditure limits budget such that the government would not expect local authorities to need to fund future special educational needs costs from general funds. Budgets from 2028/29 onwards, including the core schools budget, will be confirmed at the 2027 Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what projection she has made of the deficit in the High Needs block budgets of English councils between now and the start of FY 2028/9.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has set out plans for a reformed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in the recent Schools White Paper. Our assessment of future SEND spending will be updated following the SEND consultation. From 2028/29, SEND spending will be covered by the overall government Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the change in business rates liability for the university sector in 2026/7 relative to 2024/5.

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

Information about business rates, including changes that will come into effect on 1 April 2026, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates.

As universities are independent of government, they are responsible for understanding the potential impact of these changes and ensuring their business models enable them to address emerging risks effectively.

The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial sustainability. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape and level of risk.

While the sector is autonomous, this government is committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading sector so it can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the OfS on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 104726 on Department for Education: Business Rates, what estimate she has made of the change in business rates liability for the 2026-27 financial year compared to 2024-25 financial year for the (a) schools (b) other hereditaments for which her Department and the Education and Skills Funding Agency covered the business rates liability in 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Claims for national non-domestic rates for schools are processed on a reactive basis by the department, once all claims have been submitted for payment. Claims can be made and adjusted for up to six years, which means that levels of payment and reimbursement for the 2024/25 financial year will continue to be subject to change. The department is therefore not yet able to provide a final figure for the 2024/25 financial year.

Regarding the change in business rates liability between the 2024/25 and 2026/27 financial years, the department does not hold a central estimate on changes between financial years. This is because payments are made on a reactive basis and will continue to be subject to change, depending on the rates that the Valuation Office Agency and billing authorities charge to individual schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 104726 on Department for Education: Business Rates, what was the level of (a) payment and (b) reimbursement of business rates in (a) her Department and the (b) Education and Skills Funding Agency in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Claims for national non-domestic rates for schools are processed on a reactive basis by the department, once all claims have been submitted for payment. Claims can be made and adjusted for up to six years, which means that levels of payment and reimbursement for the 2024/25 financial year will continue to be subject to change. The department is therefore not yet able to provide a final figure for the 2024/25 financial year.

Regarding the change in business rates liability between the 2024/25 and 2026/27 financial years, the department does not hold a central estimate on changes between financial years. This is because payments are made on a reactive basis and will continue to be subject to change, depending on the rates that the Valuation Office Agency and billing authorities charge to individual schools.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the change in business rates liability for the further education college sector in 2026/7 relative to 2024/5.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to issue to local planning authorities guidance on the recommended mix of dwelling sizes in new housing developments in light of recent changes in the birth rate.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 33286 on 3 March 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the effect of the changes outlined in the February 2026 white paper to the school funding formula on average per-pupil funding in (a) Hampshire (b) the East Hampshire parliamentary constituency, assuming current pupil characteristics.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The distribution of additional funding for schools in the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for the 2026/27 financial year will be confirmed shortly.

Excise

Found: Q11 Damian Hinds: Really? Why do you think it has not happened before now?

Found: Damian Hinds: Just give us a rough answer.

Found: Q185 Damian Hinds: Sorry, I cut across you.

Submit Evidence (by 17 Apr 2026)

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is inviting written submissions on the future of the BBC as part of a new inquiry into the Royal Charter Review.