Freddie van Mierlo

We know care leavers have some of the worst long-term life outcomes in society. We are therefore committed to ensuring children leaving care have stable homes, access to health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships and are engaged in education, employment and training. Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill we will be driving forward our commitments on children’s social care, including improved support for care leavers.

As announced by the Prime Minister on 24 September 2024, care leavers under age 25 will be exempt from rules which require a connection to a local area before accessing social housing. We have also established a care leaver Ministerial Board, which brings together Ministers from key Departments, to improve support for care leavers across Government.

On the specific question of protected characteristics, the Government often receives requests for new characteristics such as "carer experience"” to be added to the Equality Act 2010. While many of these carry merit, it would not be practical to legislate because of the public and private sector burdens that this would create. The Equality Act 2010 will already protect many care leavers under the indirect discrimination provisions, because a disproportionately high number are likely to be from an ethnic minority and/ or have a disability. They may also benefit from the age discrimination protections in the Act.

Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that in 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available), 17,200 individuals were in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay.

The government is committed to supporting working families. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights. We have committed to review the parental leave system, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Planning work is already underway.

Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.

The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.

The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Paternity Leave supports working people. Access to family-friendly rights means that working people can enjoy a better work-life balance that benefits wellbeing, morale, productivity and retention.

The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave, including Paternity Leave, offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold. Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards runs the national Online Marketplaces Programme, to reduce the risk of non-compliant products sold online. Through monitoring marketplaces, including purchasing and testing products, we assess the prevalence of unsafe toys and take appropriate enforcement action.

While regulations are clear that toys must be safe, the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will enable regulations to be updated to better reflect modern online supply chains.

The Government is committed to incentivising properties to transition to cleaner, affordable heating. At present, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, does not apply to alternative electric heating technologies, such as heat batteries. We are targeting support at technologies, like heat pumps, that current evidence suggests offer the greatest potential to decarbonise our buildings.

However, the Government will keep its position on alternative electric heating technologies under review and make further assessments as the evidence base develops. Our Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills.

We are introducing improvements to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) modelling in early 2025, known as Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure 10 (RdSAP 10), to improve accuracy. EPC assessors will soon be able to record if a consumer has installed solar batteries. The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG 2) will run until March 2025 and will be succeeded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). Details of the policy on retreating low-income households that received upgrades under HUG 2 were published on 23^rd September as part of the WH:LG guidance.

UK mobile operators have committed to close all legacy 2G and 3G mobile services by 2033, with some operators having already turned off their 3G networks. The government is working in conjunction with Ofcom and the telecoms industry to minimise disruption and ensure that people and businesses are 4G and 5G ready. This includes close engagement with critical sectors such as the emergency services.

As well as maintaining our commitment to our target of 95% of the UK geography being covered by 4G, our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

Based on the latest information shared by broadband suppliers regarding their commercial build plans in the area, we currently expect most premises in Ewelme to gain access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection from commercial operators without the need for support through Project Gigabit.

We are seeking to bring any remaining premises in Ewelme, that are unlikely to be reached by these plans, into one of the Project Gigabit contracts being delivered by Gigaclear in Oxfordshire. There will also be a wider review of the area this year, which will involve consulting with various suppliers regarding additional interventions to connect premises in Ewelme if required.

We have responded with further details to both items of correspondence to which the hon. Member refers.

The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. So far we have over 30 Project Gigabit contracts in place, filling in gaps that are not being met commercially, predominantly in rural areas. This includes a contract across South Oxfordshire which will provide approximately 3,500 premises in the Henley and Thame constituency with access to gigabit-capable broadband.

The Online Safety Act makes search and user-to-user services, including social media services, responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms. The Act contains strong protections for children, safeguarding them from harmful and illegal activities online, even when these are proliferated by users using virtual private networks.

The regulatory regime is designed to be tech-neutral, allowing Ofcom to revise its codes and guidance as new risks emerge.

DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to discuss this issue and are aware of their concerns about the impacts of the increase to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs). The government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change next year.

We are also expanding eligibility of the Employment Allowance by removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold, to simplify and reform employer NICs so that all eligible employers now benefit. Businesses and charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.

Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. More than £6 billion in charitable reliefs was provided to charities, Community Amateur Sports Clubs and their donors in 2023 to 2024. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.

This is not the responsibility of this Department and I gather the Member has already received a response from DEFRA.

My Department has provided a response to the Hon Member. The Government has also responded to a recent petition on this issue.

We have made no such specific assessment about the River and Rowing museum, but we are keen to see museums outside London flourish. Funding is tight, but DCMS oversees the £86m Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which invests in museum infrastructure nationally and the Chancellor announced a package of new cultural infrastructure funding at the Autumn Budget, to build on existing capital schemes. The Budget also recommitted to the cultural tax reliefs, which provide important revenue support for museums and arts organisations.

The government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. School support staff, including learning support assistants, play a vital role in children’s education. They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will mean that employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, to ensure that support staff are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do. The body will also be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and advising on suitable training and career progression routes that recognise the varied and vital roles support staff undertake.

The SSSNB will help address recruitment and retention challenges state-funded schools are facing for support staff. This, in turn, will support work to drive high and rising standards in schools and ensure we give children the best possible life chances.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards, to be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

The ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025, will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025, all ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE).

The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new National Professional Qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators, to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils.

From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials. This approach was tested with SEND educational experts, with the consensus being that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ is the best way to improve outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND.

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and have recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how we will allocate our budget for the next financial year. Decisions regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are being made as part of these discussions and an announcement will be made as soon as possible.

ASGSF applications are generally permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications are agreed, therapy which starts before March 2025 may therefore continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements.

Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. The guidance can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf. Healthcare plans can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate.

The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward our commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The SEND code of practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood. All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND move into adulthood as part of their local offer. This should be co-produced with children, young people and their families to ensure it meets local needs. The department expects activity to support effective preparation for adulthood to be embedded within provision across every age and stage of education, starting as early as possible.

If a local authority issues an education, health and care (EHC) plan, it has a statutory duty to review the plan as a minimum every 12 months. This is to review the child or young person’s progress towards achieving the outcomes specified in the plan and to consider whether the outcomes and supporting targets remain appropriate.

For children and young people with an EHC plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for adulthood as part of their plan’s annual review. This focus must continue until the young person’s EHC plan ceases.

An EHC plan must be reviewed and amended in sufficient time prior to a child or young person moving between key phases of education, to allow for planning for and, where necessary, commissioning of support and provision at the new institution.

There will be a programme of events in the summer of 2026 celebrating the history and importance of the Thames Path National Trail.

The Environment Agency recognises the importance of Marsh Horse Bridge to the community within the Henley & Thame constituency and the role it plays supporting tourism along the Thames Path National Trail.

The Health, Safety, and Wellbeing of river users is the Environment Agency’s foremost consideration. The current condition of the bridge is such that closure was the only option to keep people safe.

The Environment Agency is in regular contact with National Trails, to ensure it has the latest information on the bridge closure. It has published details of a diversion route on their website to ensure progress along the trail is not significantly hampered by the bridge closure.

The Government’s Spending Review process will consider all of the investment requests relating to the non-tidal Thames navigation assets. The Environment Agency (EA) will then develop its medium-term capital delivery programme based on the benefits, opportunities, and risks of each of its candidate projects.

The EA will only apply for funding towards maintaining structures which it has a responsibility to maintain. Where the Agency is the landowner for sections of the towpath it will consider what works it can progress within its maintenance and refurbishment programmes. Other landowners and risk management authorities will have the opportunity to consider restoration works to the Thames Path National Trail within their annual work programmes.

The Department has not received the hon. Member’s aforementioned letter of 12 February 2025; however, it did respond on 3 March 2025 to the hon. Member’s letter of 6 February 2025 regarding the Thames Path National Trail at the Marsh Lock Horsebridge. The Department was also transferred the hon Member’s letter of 17 February to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the same topic, which was closed in light of the 3 March response. A further letter from the hon Member dated 10 March has been received and will receive a response as soon as possible.

The Department has not received the hon. Member’s aforementioned letter of 12 February 2025; however, it did respond on 3 March 2025 to the hon. Member’s letter of 6 February 2025 regarding the Thames Path National Trail at the Marsh Lock Horsebridge. The Department was also transferred the hon Member’s letter of 17 February to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the same topic, which was closed in light of the 3 March response. A further letter from the hon Member dated 10 March has been received and will receive a response as soon as possible.

My officials and I have regular conversations with Ofwat and other regulators, to discuss a range of activities, including delivery by water companies.

Ahead of Price Review 24 (PR24), funding investment works through 2025 – 2030, the Horton-cum-Studley site has had further works identified to meet the government’s targets by reducing spills to no more than 10 per year and causing no adverse ecological impact. The exact delivery date of these works is officially to be confirmed.

In February 2025 Ofwat opened an enforcement case into Thames Water to investigate whether its delayed delivery of environmental improvements schemes has meant the company has breached its obligations. The focus of that investigation is schemes that were intended to be delivered in the 2020-25 period. Ofwat's investigation will keep under review if there is any further action to take in relation to the delivery of schemes planned for the PR24 period (2025-30).