Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what eligibility criteria will be applied to the recently announced additional £300 million of funding for upgrading IT infrastructure in schools through the Connect the Classroom programme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We will invest £325 million by 2029/30 to support digital connectivity. This includes expanding Connect the Classroom to thousands more schools in need, supporting schools and responsible bodies to build on the technology underpinning infrastructure and resilience, with the expectation that all schools and colleges should meet core technology standards by 2030.
Connect the Classroom will continue to support schools on the regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, ensuring that poor connectivity is not a barrier to school improvement, with additional selection criteria to be announced in the summer.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations on improving community cohesion in the Khan Review - Threats To Social Cohesion And Democratic Resilience: A New Strategic Approach, published in March 2024.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG is co-ordinating cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with local government, communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues. As part of this work officials have considered a wide range of evidence including from reviews such as the Khan Review.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting access to trial by jury in England and Wales on public confidence in the judicial system.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Courts and Tribunals Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2026. Alongside the Bill, an impact assessment of our proposed justice reforms was published: Courts and Tribunals Bill - GOV.UK. This includes an assessment of the proposed changes in the threshold for who can access a jury trial.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 9th December 2025 to question 97007 on Bathing water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025, when she will publish the detail on Bathing water status reforms included in the Water White Paper.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water White Paper sets out wide-ranging reforms to the water system, intended to clean up our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 do not feature in the white paper, but form part of this wider reform, as an early step towards these same objectives.
In our response to the consultation on amending the bathing water regulations, the Government noted the support for expanding the definition of a bather to include other recreational water users. Work has begun on an evidence review to consider the environmental and public health implications of any change.
Link to 97007: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and (c) after school clubs.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS conducted an evaluation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which included an extensive survey of current and past scheme users and is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-listed-places-of-worship-scheme-final-report.
The evaluation did not specifically assess the impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and (c) after school clubs. However, we are aware that grants from the scheme will have enabled many recipients to continue to provide these vital community services.
Our evaluation showed that while it had many benefits, 80% of respondents said that they would still have carried out the work without the rebate. As we look towards a new fiscal period and the evolving needs of our community, it is essential that government support is deployed to the areas where it can have the greatest impact and where it is needed most. That is why over the next four years, the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will invest £92 million capital funding into listed places of worship, some of which host these community services.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will support energy efficiency improvements such as low carbon heating and lighting systems.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his department has to address the potential misuse of legal proceedings for purposes associated with Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Friday 13 February to Question 111038.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the volume of Russian oil transported through the English Channel by UK‑sanctioned tankers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Deterring and disrupting the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for the UK, and the UK Government will continue to proactively monitor tanker activity to ensure the safety of seafarers, protect the marine environment, and for national security purposes. The volume of Russian oil transiting the English Channel is not data the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero owns.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of sanctions on Russian oil exports.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 January in response to Question 106998.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ageing tankers, such as the 21 year old Kusto, transiting through the Channel on the environment.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is clear about the risks that ageing shadow fleet vessels pose to the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security. The Government remains committed to deterring and disrupting the shadow fleet.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has sanctioned over 500 vessels, including the Kusto in May 2025, which prohibits these vessels from entering into a UK port, and signals to the global maritime community that these vessels are dangerous and should not be interacted with.
DfT has operated the Voluntary Insurance Reporting Mechanism since October 2024, which increases scrutiny on shadow fleet vessels by challenging them for proof of their insurance as they transit the Channel. Since October 2024, over 600 vessels have been challenged.