Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to use digital resources to promote literacy in (a) early years, (b) school age children and (c) adults.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills.
We are building the evidence base on the impact of technology in education through the EdTech Evidence Board, the Testbed Programme, and research into technology and cognitive development. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows technology can accelerate learning by up to three months. Technology should support learning, not replace high quality teaching and interaction.
The national curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books for themselves.
The department respects the autonomy of teachers to choose to use or recommend resources based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances. Schools are free to choose to use a range of formats, including different forms of digital technology such as Kindles and audiobooks.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing access to (a) Kindles and (b) audiobooks on children’s literacy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills.
We are building the evidence base on the impact of technology in education through the EdTech Evidence Board, the Testbed Programme, and research into technology and cognitive development. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows technology can accelerate learning by up to three months. Technology should support learning, not replace high quality teaching and interaction.
The national curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books for themselves.
The department respects the autonomy of teachers to choose to use or recommend resources based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances. Schools are free to choose to use a range of formats, including different forms of digital technology such as Kindles and audiobooks.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing access to digital resources on children’s literacy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills.
We are building the evidence base on the impact of technology in education through the EdTech Evidence Board, the Testbed Programme, and research into technology and cognitive development. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows technology can accelerate learning by up to three months. Technology should support learning, not replace high quality teaching and interaction.
The national curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books for themselves.
The department respects the autonomy of teachers to choose to use or recommend resources based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances. Schools are free to choose to use a range of formats, including different forms of digital technology such as Kindles and audiobooks.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average GCSE score was for 16 to 19 year olds in England studying (a) A-levels, (b) Applied General Diplomas, (c) Applied General Extended Diplomas and (d) T-levels in the last year for which data are available.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The average GCSE or equivalent score of students who completed A levels, applied general qualifications and T Levels in the 2023/24 academic year can be found in the attached table.
A breakdown of applied general into diplomas and extended diplomas is not available.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications in 2026 on the number of students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is fully committed to the future of T Levels. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification and a T Level exists, they should undertake the T Level. Where we identified that qualifications in T Level routes should be retained for longer, we are retaining these until reformed alternatives are available.
For students who do not wish to take A levels or T Levels, there will be other qualifications in the system, including smaller qualifications in T Level areas which can be combined in mixed programmes. Newly reformed qualifications are now available for delivery at levels 2 and 3.
We published an Equalities Impact Assessment alongside the outcome of the Review of Qualifications Reform, which is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
The department expects the impact on student numbers to be mitigated by the phased withdrawal of funding, allowing time for reformed alternatives to bed in.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of early years support for parents in disadvantaged areas.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 July 2025 the government published its Best Start in Life Strategy which sets out plans to ensure all young families can benefit from high quality family services and early years education and childcare, delivering our Plan for Change.
This includes national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, bringing together the trusted advice and guidance all parents need in one place and linking families to their local services. Backed by £500 million investment these services will reach the children and families who will benefit most from this support, including those from lower-income families and with additional vulnerabilities.
From age 2, children from low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education. Disadvantaged children may also receive the Early Years Pupil Premium, from April 2025 this was increased by 45%.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the public purse of (a) waste crime and (b) illegal waste exports.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) estimated in 2021 that waste crime costs the economy in England about £1 billion per year of which at least £42 million per year could be attributed to illegal waste exports. (see here: ESA_Cost_of_Waste_Crime.pdf.) The same report estimates that £499 million or 54% is borne by the public sector.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to strengthen the regulatory framework for waste (a) carriers, (b) brokers, and (c) dealers to reduce criminal activity in the sector.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced plans to tighten up the regulation of those who transport and manage waste services, moving them from a light-touch registration system into environmental permitting. This will give the Environment Agency a greater range of powers and more resources to be able to take action against those operating illegally. It will also introduce the possibility of up to 5 years imprisonment for those who breach these new laws.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of rolling out family hubs across the country.
Answered by Janet Daby
On 11 June, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
This builds upon my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and coordinating family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.
The department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to share further information about what the Spending Review settlement means for the continuation and expansion of the programme. We recognise the importance of providing local authorities with certainty of future funding across the whole programme and we will share further information when we are able to.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of rolling out family hubs nationally.
Answered by Janet Daby
On 11 June, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
This builds upon my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and coordinating family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.
The department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to share further information about what the Spending Review settlement means for the continuation and expansion of the programme. We recognise the importance of providing local authorities with certainty of future funding across the whole programme and we will share further information when we are able to.