Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS dentistry in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency, this is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether parents will be legally obliged to provide all information listed in inserted section 436C in Clause 25 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill to local authorities.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

New section 436C(1) of the Education Act 1996 lists the information legally required to be provided by parents of children who are eligible for inclusion on a local authority’s ‘Children Not in School’ register. This information is their child’s name, date of birth and address, the name and address of each parent, the amount of time the child spends receiving education from each parent and information on any other person providing education to the child.

The Bill provides, in section 436C(2), a list of information that will be optional for parents to provide to their local authority for inclusion on the register. This includes information relating to their child’s protected characteristics, any special educational needs and details of any child protection issues such as ongoing enquiries and whether the child is looked-after or a child in need. Local authorities may also include the information listed in this section if they already hold it through other means.

The parental duty to provide information will apply when their child first becomes eligible for registration, such as when they first move into home education. The duty will also apply when there is a change to any of the information they are required to provide. This could include a change of address or a change in the providers of the child’s education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve chemistry education; and whether she has plans for the subject to focus on (a) green skills, (b) digital skills and (c) transferrable skills alongside technical knowledge.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government also recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, such as chemistry, are vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity. Chemistry skills, in particular, are necessary for a range of careers within the green economy, including in growing sectors like carbon capture and hydrogen.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. We will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum in light of these recommendations.

Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body which provides free, high-quality, optional and adaptable curriculum resources for schools, has recently published new curriculum sequences and associated lesson resources in science from key stages 1-4, including chemistry. Within Oak’s science curriculum, it provides a broad range of resources to support teachers to teach about green skills, climate change and sustainability. This year, Oak is also introducing a new curriculum thread entitled ‘How can we live sustainably to protect Earth for a better future?’. This will form part of its secondary science curriculum and will support the growing emphasis of green skills in chemistry. As well as this, Oak’s chemistry lessons include a variety of data analysis tools to strengthen pupils’ digital competency. Oak’s chemistry lessons include real-life applications of chemistry, such as industrial chemistry, environmental chemistry and material science to strengthen technical knowledge.

To improve education in STEM subjects, it is essential to ensure high-quality teaching by helping schools recruit and retain good teachers. The government has therefore announced an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 academic year worth £233 million, a £37 million increase on the last recruitment cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees in key STEM subjects such as chemistry.

For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the government is also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subject in the schools and areas that need them most.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education during the Eighth sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on Thursday 30 January 2025, Official Report PBC (Bill 151) Eighth Sitting column 308, if she will specify the information under Clause 25 to which the Parliamentary Under-Secretary referred when he said that all other information would be optional.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

New section 436C(1) of the Education Act 1996 lists the information legally required to be provided by parents of children who are eligible for inclusion on a local authority’s ‘Children Not in School’ register. This information is their child’s name, date of birth and address, the name and address of each parent, the amount of time the child spends receiving education from each parent and information on any other person providing education to the child.

The Bill provides, in section 436C(2), a list of information that will be optional for parents to provide to their local authority for inclusion on the register. This includes information relating to their child’s protected characteristics, any special educational needs and details of any child protection issues such as ongoing enquiries and whether the child is looked-after or a child in need. Local authorities may also include the information listed in this section if they already hold it through other means.

The parental duty to provide information will apply when their child first becomes eligible for registration, such as when they first move into home education. The duty will also apply when there is a change to any of the information they are required to provide. This could include a change of address or a change in the providers of the child’s education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education of 30 January 2025 in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill Public Bill Committee (Eighth sitting), Official Report PBC (Bill 151) Eighth Sitting, column 308, how she defines a new education provision.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

New section 436C(1) of the Education Act 1996 lists the information legally required to be provided by parents of children who are eligible for inclusion on a local authority’s ‘Children Not in School’ register. This information is their child’s name, date of birth and address, the name and address of each parent, the amount of time the child spends receiving education from each parent and information on any other person providing education to the child.

The Bill provides, in section 436C(2), a list of information that will be optional for parents to provide to their local authority for inclusion on the register. This includes information relating to their child’s protected characteristics, any special educational needs and details of any child protection issues such as ongoing enquiries and whether the child is looked-after or a child in need. Local authorities may also include the information listed in this section if they already hold it through other means.

The parental duty to provide information will apply when their child first becomes eligible for registration, such as when they first move into home education. The duty will also apply when there is a change to any of the information they are required to provide. This could include a change of address or a change in the providers of the child’s education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will continue funding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund after March 2025.

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

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

All future funding decisions will be considered as part of the next spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government taking to open up technical and vocational pathways for people to access training and employment in the chemical sciences sector.

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

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce in all sectors, including the chemical sciences sector, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.

The department has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly-trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, for both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.

The department’s reformed growth and skills offer, which will have apprenticeships at its core, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, including through shorter duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. This will help more people learn new high quality skills at work and is fuelling innovation in businesses across the UK.

The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in the chemical sector through its technical education offer, with a range of high quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels.

Examples of this include:

• Over 80 high quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards in the health and science sector to support the development of skilled workforces, including through the level 3 Laboratory Technician standard.
• T Levels in science, where students can specialise in laboratory sciences, food sciences or metrology sciences, leading to entry level occupations in the science sector.
• Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which are occupation-focused level 4 and 5 qualifications, approved and quality-marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. To date, 263 HTQs have been approved for delivery across a range of occupational routes, with three Technician Scientist HTQs becoming available from September 2025.

For the 2024/25 academic year, more than half of the £1.4 billion Strategic Priorities Grant recurrent funding to higher education providers is allocated to support the provision of high-cost subjects, which includes chemistry. From this funding, the Office for Students is allocating £1,737 per full-time equivalent student to providers for chemistry students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent trends in the number of international students studying in England on the financial viability of universities.

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

The department acknowledges the challenging financial environment faced by the higher education (HE) sector. The Office for Students' (OfS) latest report on the HE sector's financial health, which was published in November, stated that the sector's financial context has become more challenging since its previous report in May. Their analysis suggests that up to 72% of providers could face deficit and up to 40% may have low liquidity if they do not take significant mitigating actions.

The report also found that international recruitment is significantly below the sector’s previous expectations. This government has taken a different stand on international students, and we have spoken clearly about it. In my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s first speech in July 2024, and the subsequent video messages addressed to international students, she set out that we welcome international students who make a positive impact on the UK’s HE sector and our economy and society as a whole. That is why international students are offered the opportunity to remain in the UK, and contribute to the society and economy, on a graduate visa for two or three years after their studies come to an end.

Nevertheless, all providers must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. However, the department is determined to secure the future of our world leading HE sector. That is why we have taken decisive action to support the sector in moving towards a more stable financial footing.

Sir David Behan has been appointed interim Chair of the OfS to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. In December, the OfS announced temporary changes to its operations to allow greater focus on financial sustainability. The OfS will work more closely with providers under significant financial pressure in order to protect students’ interests.

Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. The department will set out a long term plan for sector reform this summer.

The department will continue to work closely with the OfS in order to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to protect the financial viability of English universities, in the context of falling numbers of international students applying for Higher Education in England.

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

The department acknowledges the challenging financial environment faced by the higher education (HE) sector. The Office for Students' (OfS) latest report on the HE sector's financial health, which was published in November, stated that the sector's financial context has become more challenging since its previous report in May. Their analysis suggests that up to 72% of providers could face deficit and up to 40% may have low liquidity if they do not take significant mitigating actions.

The report also found that international recruitment is significantly below the sector’s previous expectations. This government has taken a different stand on international students, and we have spoken clearly about it. In my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s first speech in July 2024, and the subsequent video messages addressed to international students, she set out that we welcome international students who make a positive impact on the UK’s HE sector and our economy and society as a whole. That is why international students are offered the opportunity to remain in the UK, and contribute to the society and economy, on a graduate visa for two or three years after their studies come to an end.

Nevertheless, all providers must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. However, the department is determined to secure the future of our world leading HE sector. That is why we have taken decisive action to support the sector in moving towards a more stable financial footing.

Sir David Behan has been appointed interim Chair of the OfS to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. In December, the OfS announced temporary changes to its operations to allow greater focus on financial sustainability. The OfS will work more closely with providers under significant financial pressure in order to protect students’ interests.

Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. The department will set out a long term plan for sector reform this summer.

The department will continue to work closely with the OfS in order to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the financial viability of universities.

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

The department acknowledges the challenging financial environment faced by the higher education (HE) sector. The Office for Students' (OfS) latest report on the HE sector's financial health, which was published in November, stated that the sector's financial context has become more challenging since its previous report in May. Their analysis suggests that up to 72% of providers could face deficit and up to 40% may have low liquidity if they do not take significant mitigating actions.

The report also found that international recruitment is significantly below the sector’s previous expectations. This government has taken a different stand on international students, and we have spoken clearly about it. In my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s first speech in July 2024, and the subsequent video messages addressed to international students, she set out that we welcome international students who make a positive impact on the UK’s HE sector and our economy and society as a whole. That is why international students are offered the opportunity to remain in the UK, and contribute to the society and economy, on a graduate visa for two or three years after their studies come to an end.

Nevertheless, all providers must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. However, the department is determined to secure the future of our world leading HE sector. That is why we have taken decisive action to support the sector in moving towards a more stable financial footing.

Sir David Behan has been appointed interim Chair of the OfS to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. In December, the OfS announced temporary changes to its operations to allow greater focus on financial sustainability. The OfS will work more closely with providers under significant financial pressure in order to protect students’ interests.

Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. The department will set out a long term plan for sector reform this summer.

The department will continue to work closely with the OfS in order to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26623 on Schools: Uniforms, what is the evidential basis to support that (a) expanding the existing relief may not reduce the price of school uniforms and (b) VAT relief would not remain tightly targeted at those whom it would be intended to benefit.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There is a wide range of academic research into how VAT changes affect prices, which supports the conclusion that pass-through is typically only partial. This includes, for example, an International Monetary Fund study which examined the pass through of VAT changes for 17 countries over 1999-2013 and ‘What Goes Up May Not Come Down:

Asymmetric Incidence of Value-Added Taxes’ by Benzarti et al. which shows that prices respond more to VAT increases than decreases.

To ensure that the current scope of the relief is carefully targeted at those it is intended to benefit and is not used to circumvent paying VAT on clothing for adults, this relief is limited to clothing designed and labelled for children under the age of 14. The limit is set in relation to when the clothing measurements begin to merge with the general adult population, who could wear clothing such as plain white shirts or black shoes, with uniforms in a great number of secondary schools now including such non-branded items.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times she has met with the Interim Chair of Skills England since their appointment.

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

Since their appointment in July, the Interim Chair of Skills England, Richard Pennycook, has met my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education six times and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills five times. In addition, the Interim Chair has had weekly meetings with the Interim Chief Executive.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with pharmaceutical companies on taking steps to ensure an adequate supply of hormone replacement therapies for women experiencing the menopause.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department manages medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Cambridgeshire is not held centrally.

Previously, there have been issues with the supply of a limited number of these products, primarily driven by very sharp increases in demand. Following the Department’s intensive engagement with industry, the supply position has improved considerably. As part of this we have met with suppliers on a very regular basis and have held nine hormone replacement therapy (HRT) supply roundtables since April 2022, with the most recent in September 2024, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply position and the actions being taken to address the issues, share data, and discuss relevant policy developments and their potential impacts.

There are over 70 HRT products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Where there are issues with HRT products, we continue to work closely with suppliers and other stakeholders, such as the National Health Service and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to expedite resupply dates of disrupted products to resolve the issues as soon as possible

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 adequacy of access to hormone replacement therapies for women experiencing the menopause in Cambridgeshire.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department manages medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Cambridgeshire is not held centrally.

Previously, there have been issues with the supply of a limited number of these products, primarily driven by very sharp increases in demand. Following the Department’s intensive engagement with industry, the supply position has improved considerably. As part of this we have met with suppliers on a very regular basis and have held nine hormone replacement therapy (HRT) supply roundtables since April 2022, with the most recent in September 2024, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply position and the actions being taken to address the issues, share data, and discuss relevant policy developments and their potential impacts.

There are over 70 HRT products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Where there are issues with HRT products, we continue to work closely with suppliers and other stakeholders, such as the National Health Service and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to expedite resupply dates of disrupted products to resolve the issues as soon as possible

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support intermediate and advanced apprenticeships.

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

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Meeting the skills needs of the next decade is central to delivering all of the government's five missions on economic growth, opportunity for all, a stronger NHS, safer streets, and clean energy. Through delivering the opportunity and growth missions, the department will ensure that we have the skilled workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs.

There are over 360 apprenticeships at intermediate and advanced levels which are supporting people to train in occupations such as adult care worker, bricklayer or cyber security technician. A wide range of apprenticeships are also available at higher levels including data analyst, nuclear technician and registered nurse.

So far this academic year, between August and October 2024, there have been 132,560 apprenticeship starts across all levels; this is 1.3% higher than the same period in the previous year.

To support the development of skills at all levels, the government will reform the apprenticeships levy into a more flexible Growth and Skills levy that is aligned to the Industrial Strategy. This will create routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries.

As a first step, flexibilities will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country and providing high quality entry pathways for young people. The department will set out more detail on these plans in due course.

Colleges Week 2025

Women's health hubs

Community pharmacies

Homelessness

Changes to Overseas Development Assistance

Impact Assessments of changes to Official Development Assistance

West Bank

Wellbeing of home educated children

Citizenship for refugees

Maternity care in the UK

Open Doors 2025

Replacement of Personal Independence Payments with a voucher system

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication shortages

Found: Liberal Democrat amendments The Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Universities and Skills, Ian Sollom

Found: Betts Munira Wilson Jess Brown-Fuller Natalie Fleet Christine Jardine Manuela Perteghella Ian Sollom

Found: _NC1 Ian Sollom ★.

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom

Found: NC19 Steve Darling Sarah Gibson Daisy Cooper Clive Jones Cameron Thomas Jess Brown-Fuller Ian Sollom