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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making water and sewerage undertakers statutory consultees on applications for planning permission.

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

As part of the Chancellor’s planning reform announcement on 26 January 2025, the government declared a moratorium on new statutory consultees and a review of the existing arrangements for statutory consultees to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth.

Any further announcements will be subject to this review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of regulation of the private car parking sector.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to working with both consumers and the two parking trade associations to raise standards and deliver better outcomes for motorists.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.

We will announce our plans regarding the government code in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making integrated care boards statutory consultees on applications for planning permission.

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

The government recently declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees, along with a review of the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth. Any further announcements will be subject to this review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of classing trainee teachers as being in work for the purpose of claiming free childcare.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to delivering the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, so that from September 2025 eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks of the year, from when the term after their child turns nine months old to when they start school. Accessible and high quality early education and childcare is a crucial part of giving every child the best start in life, boosting children’s life chances and giving parents work choices.

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (equivalent to £183 per week or £9,518 per year in 2024/2025), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4 year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income.

There are multiple routes into teaching to suit the needs of different candidates. There are postgraduate pathways that can be undertaken as a student, funded through a student loan and, in some subjects, bursaries, or employment-based training where trainees will earn a salary while they train. In September last year, the department launched a new salaried teacher degree apprenticeship which, upon completion, is itself equivalent to a degree.

Get Into Teaching, which is a free information service from the department, supports anyone considering teaching with their journey to entering the classroom. The service can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found here: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Pathway Project 32 year anniversary

Renaming Heathrow Airport after Queen Elizabeth II