Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government's ambition that every primary school should have a library, what funding will be available (a) for the staffing of the additional libraries, (b) for the provision of books and (c) to cover other costs.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility over the Dormant Assets Scheme.

Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. Funding for this initiative will come from the £132.5m.

The Government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and develop more of the specifics around its delivery. Further details will be announced in due course, including funding allocations.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government's ambition that every primary school should have a library, how much funding will be available for (a) the building of libraries and (b) the conversion of existing buildings to libraries.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility over the Dormant Assets Scheme.

Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. Funding for this initiative will come from the £132.5m.

The Government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and develop more of the specifics around its delivery. Further details will be announced in due course, including funding allocations.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish interim indicators of progress towards the Government's ambition to add 1,700 primary school libraries.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility over the Dormant Assets Scheme.

Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. Funding for this initiative will come from the £132.5m.

The Government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and develop more of the specifics around its delivery. Further details will be announced in due course, including funding allocations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the average number of patients typically cared for per nurse for stepdown care for patients in (a) Pathway 1 - home care and (b) Pathway 2 - community hospital care, (i) in England and (ii) by any geographical segmentation in the last three years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We do not hold this information centrally.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the speech at the Labour Party Conference of 29 September 2025, on what evidential basis it was said that 1,700 primary schools do not have a school library.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.

Research by the National Literacy Trust estimates there are 1,700 primary schools in England currently without a library. A 2023 NLT report states that 1 in 7 UK state primary schools, rising to 1 in 4 in disadvantaged areas, do not have a library or dedicated library space.

Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. Funding for this initiative will come from the £132.5m.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. The Department for Education, therefore, does not collect data on the number or structure of school libraries or number of librarians in primary or secondary schools.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled UK and Albania agree groundbreaking new arrangement on prisoner transfers, published on 24 May 2023, how many prisoners have been transferred under the agreement with Albania since 31 December 2024.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Since 31 December 2024, six Albanian national offenders have been transferred to Albania under the bi-lateral Prison Transfer Agreement. Prisoner transfer is just one scheme where foreign national offenders can be removed early from prison, and it is more suited to those serving longer sentences. The Government pursues removal through all available mechanisms. The latest Home Office data indicate that 1,625 Albanian foreign national offenders were removed from England and Wales in 2024.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she will measure the impact of the 2026 'Year of Reading' on children and young people.

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

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, aiming to engage new audiences in reading and make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits.

Grounded in existing evidence and new research by an external research agency, the campaign is designed to deliver meaningful impact during 2026 and beyond. The impact of the National Year of Reading will be measured through an independent external evaluation. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences including teenage boys, the early years, and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change. The findings will be published in 2027.