Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what capital funding is available to increase the number of childcare places in settings that are already at capacity, including those operating within primary schools.

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

High-quality early years education is central to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life, and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, supporting school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers and childminders operating from school sites.

The department recently announced that we are investing £45 million to support 331 additional schools to establish or grow their nurseries as part of Phase 2 of the School-Based Nursery scheme, creating more than 6,000 further places. This includes a school-based nursery in North Northumberland. Phase 3 of the programme is backed by up to £325 million of additional funding and will invite local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals that outline plans for new or expanded school-based nurseries in their area. This will enable eligible schools, including those working in partnership with PVIs and childminders operating from school sites, to increase the number of childcare places available or establish new nursery provision. Local authorities may also use the grant funding to expand or create provision for maintained nursery schools, or on Best Start Family Hub sites.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that those currently repaying Plan 2 student loans are able to pay off the initial capital owed and return to solvency.

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

Student loans are not like commercial loans, as they carry significant protections for borrowers, and repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. As repayments remain income-contingent, if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.

Repayments are made at a fixed rate above the earnings threshold and borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

The government appreciates that making student loan repayments does have an impact on individuals. This is why there are unique protections for borrowers, and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has for funding the School Games Organiser Network after July 2026.

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

The Government has now confirmed funding for the SGO Network until the end of the 2026/27 financial year.

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 potential merits of informing parents/guardians of the estimated wait time for an autism or ADHD assessment upon application.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD and autism assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services, which can be found at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/publication/autism-diagnosis-and-operational-guidance.

This guidance highlights that, for each integrated care system, the following information should be publicly available and proactively shared across multiple locations, for example, social media and local authority publications, as well as all service provider websites:

- accurate and up-to-date information about the autism assessment offer in each area, including details for services providing autism assessments, such as name, address, contact details, general remit, eligibility criteria, referral process, and documentation; and

- an indication of waiting times for an autism assessment at each service, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/operational-guidance-to-deliver-improved-outcomes-in-all-age-autism-assessment-pathways-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards/#stage-1-identification-and-referral

The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October 2025, was explicit that integrated care boards and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for ADHD and autism assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Government response to the Future of Post Office Green Paper, whether her Department plans to facilitate discussions on potential collaboration between the Post Office and the banking sector.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

On 21 January 2026, the government held joint discussions between the Post Office and the banking sector to explore where continued collaboration, on a commercial and voluntary basis, would allow all parties to better meet the needs of individuals and businesses. Several areas of mutual interest were discussed including banking services, financial inclusion, the need for modernisation and the importance of continuing to improve financial crime safeguards. Attendees agreed to give an update on discussions in 6 months.

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 potential impact on children's mental health of an expanded play therapy offer in the NHS.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst no such specific assessment has been made of the impact on children’s mental health of an expanded play therapy offer in the National Health Service, we are committed to ensuring that children and young people can access the support they need for their mental health. As part of that, we are committed to understanding the best evidence around therapeutic support for children and young people, including play therapy.

It is the responsibility of NHS integrated care boards to commission health and care services suitable for children and young people in their local area.

Improving access to timely mental health support for children and young people is a priority for the Government. In the first 12 months of the Government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received support than in the previous 12 months, supported by the recruitment of over 8,000 additional mental health workers since July 2024. We are accelerating rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. We have also announced a £7 million top-up for 24 Early Support Hubs, enabling at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions and supporting evaluation of these services in 2026/27.

Found: Yours sincerely, David Smith, Director, Screen Scotland House of Commons Palace of Westminster

Submit Evidence (by 1 Jun 2026)

Reconciliation remains central to the vision of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, whose multi‑party negotiators affirmed that lasting peace in Northern Ireland depended not only on strong political structures but on honouring those who suffered “the tragedies of the past” by “dedicating ourselves to the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance, and mutual trust, and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all. (The Belfast Agreement - GOV.UK, p.1)