Jess Brown-Fuller

For the 2024/25 academic year, the department adjusted the Music and Dance Scheme bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for the VAT introduction from January 2025. This methodology will be reviewed for future years and details will be set out in due course.

For the 2024/25 academic year, the department adjusted the Music and Dance Scheme bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for the VAT introduction from January 2025. This methodology will be reviewed for future years and details will be set out in due course.

The government is fully committed to delivering the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) as set out in the Autumn Budget 2024. From the LLE’s launch in January 2027, the Office for Students (OfS) will regulate all providers offering LLE-funded provision.

The OfS has made clear that they expect to restart work on registrations, degree awarding powers and university titles in August 2025, although the changes will remain under review until then. The department understands the OfS will keep providers updated throughout this period about their plans, including confirming application arrangements from August onwards. As the independent regulator, it is for the OfS to process registrations in the manner they deem most appropriate.

The government will continue to engage closely with the OfS and providers to support timely transition arrangements for the launch of the LLE. The government, together with the OfS, will provide further information on the regulation of providers under the LLE in spring 2025.

I refer the hon. Member for Chichester to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 36314.

Additional supplementary funding is provided to local authorities for maintained nursery schools (MNS) in their areas. In the 2025/26 financial year, the initial budget for MNS supplementary funding is £92.6 million, subject to final budget update. The national average hourly rate for MNS supplementary funding in financial year 2025/26 is £5.90, the minimum supplementary funding rate is £5.27 and the cap on the hourly rate is £10.

Changes to the MNS supplementary funding formula were made in the 2023/24 financial year including an additional £10 million investment and an introduction of a minimum hourly funding rate to distribute funding evenly across all local authorities with MNS. At present, there are no plans to review the formula beyond this.

Children’s wellbeing and safety, including reducing violence against women and girls, is a key priority for this government. A robust safeguarding framework is in place that schools and colleges must have regard to in the form of keeping children safe in education (KCSIE).

This guidance is clear that every school must have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. Annex C of the guidance sets out the role and expectations placed on DSLs.

The department does not prescribe the training and accreditation that DSLs should receive. However, DSLs are required to undergo the training needed to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out their role effectively within their school and community context. This includes how to identify, understand and respond to the specific needs that increase the vulnerability of children, as well as the many specific harms that put children at risk, which includes violence against women and girls.

Education can be a significant protective factor for children who are vulnerable, either as victims and/or perpetrators of violence against women and girls. KCSIE requires schools to implement whole-school behaviour policies to reduce incidents of violence, put pastoral support in place to support both victims and perpetrators of violence, and to ensure that all school staff understand their role within their local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements in escalating concerns about children to local authority services.

​The involvement of education and childcare agencies is fundamental at all levels of safeguarding arrangements. The department knows that teachers and educators are often the first to spot warning signs of abuse and neglect and are the largest referrer of cases into children’s social care, after the police.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which the government introduced into the House of Commons in December of last year, will place a duty on safeguarding partners to automatically include education and childcare settings in their safeguarding arrangements. The duty on safeguarding partners will ensure education is consistently involved in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements across England. It will include include all education and childcare agencies, at both operational and strategic levels of their safeguarding arrangements, so they have a clear role in safeguarding locally.

​These measures include all education settings, covering early years and childcare settings through to schools, colleges and alternative provision, so that opportunities to keep children safe are not missed.

This legislation enables the voice of education to influence the decisions of safeguarding partners and recognises the key role that education plays in keeping children safe.

Violence towards children and abuse of children are never acceptable. There are laws in place to protect children against this.

Wales is in the process of reviewing the impact of removing the defence of reasonable chastisement and the UK Government expects that the Welsh Government will publish their findings by the end of this year. Ministers in the department will want to consider this evidence, with other government ministers, ahead of deciding whether a change to the law is required.

The government remains committed to giving all Ukrainians in the UK the same access to education as enjoyed by UK citizens.

Persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine Schemes, including the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, have access to higher education (HE) student support and home fee status on the same basis as those within other protection-based categories, such as refugees.

Support on applying to HE courses can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/higher-education-courses-find-and-apply, where students can explore a range of resources to help them apply to UK HE providers.

Organisations such as the UK Council for International Student Affairs also provide extensive information and support for Ukrainian students wishing to study in the UK, including a student advice line.

The government remains committed to giving all Ukrainians in the UK the same access to education as enjoyed by UK citizens.

Persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine Schemes, including the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, have access to higher education (HE) student support and home fee status on the same basis as those within other protection-based categories, such as refugees.

Support on applying to HE courses can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/higher-education-courses-find-and-apply, where students can explore a range of resources to help them apply to UK HE providers.

Organisations such as the UK Council for International Student Affairs also provide extensive information and support for Ukrainian students wishing to study in the UK, including a student advice line.

Implementing a unique ID for every child has been regularly cited as a potential solution to bring together data on children’s interactions with different services. The government’s manifesto for the 2024 election included a commitment to this end (on page 81) and the government is committed to improving data sharing across services, with a single unique identifier, to better support children and families.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently before Parliament, introduces a legal provision for a consistent identifier to be specified and the organisations required to use it, to be determined later through regulations. Alongside this, the department will initiate a pilot to establish how a consistent identifier can be effectively implemented.

The Bill also includes provisions for compulsory ‘Children Not in School’ registers in each local authority area in England. While the introduction of these registers does not depend on a consistent identifier, it may enhance data linking, which the department will explore through future piloting.

In July 2024, my Right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a short pause to the defunding of qualifications to enable a review of post-16 qualification reforms at level 3 and below. This was followed by a Written Ministerial Statement by my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, on 25 July. This statement is available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-07-25/hlws20.

The department is now working to review the defunding due to take place in 2025 and it will set out the position before Christmas.

The department has not announced any defunding for 2026.

Workplace absences that are the result of a workplace injury would usually be subject to normal sick pay arrangements.

The department has no jurisdiction over arrangements for dealing with workplace injuries or matters relating to sick pay, as these are covered by the Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales, 2000, which is known as the Burgundy Book. This is a national, non-statutory agreement between trade unions and teacher employers. This government was not party to its development and cannot influence its content. Sick leave or sick pay entitlements are therefore currently the responsibility of employers, which, in a school setting, is normally the local authority or Academy Trust. Schools, like all employers, are also subject to any relevant employment legislation.

The department is continuing to support and challenge West Sussex to improve the delivery of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services.

The last local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for West Sussex was in November 2023, which found that there are inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The areas for improvement identified by inspectors are:

(I) To identify and address ‘waiting well’ arrangements and gaps in service provision to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

(I) To ensure children identified as at high risk for aspiration are fully assessed and have access to video-fluoroscopy.

(II) To develop a strategy to improve the processes, quality and the timeliness of education, health and care plans.

(III) To implement oversight and commissioning arrangements of suitable specialist school places and alternative provision.

(IV) And to strengthen their strategic approach to preparation for adulthood.

The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the areas for improvement and the progress made by children and young people with SEND, with a formal review of progress against the areas for improvement to take place in October 2024. West Sussex County Council are committed to working closely with the department to improve services.

West Sussex is taking part in the Delivering Better Value (DBV) in SEND Programme. The DBV in SEND Programme was established under the previous government with the aim of helping local authorities provide more effective SEND services by meeting the needs of children and young people at an early stage and with the right level of support.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government has no plans to review the rules on beaver protection. Beavers are a protected species under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. Protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb, or injure beavers, or to damage or destroy their breeding sites or resting places. Protection means a licence is required for certain beaver management actions.

Defra will continue to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. Beaver management should follow the 5-step management approach published on GOV.UK. Licensed projects are responsible for managing animals they have released and are also expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conservation Translocations in England. Landowners and managers who may be affected by beaver activity can find further guidance on beaver management, including when a licence might be needed, on GOV.UK.

We understand the potential benefits that beavers can bring, including through creating wetland habitats and increasing biodiversity. The Government supports species reintroductions where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment.

All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conversations Translocations. We will continue to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions in England.

Southern Water have recently consulted on their proposal to turn treated wastewater, normally pumped out to sea, into purified recycled water. This water would then be pumped to Havant Thicket Reservoir, where it would be stored and mixed with spring water, before being pumped along a new pipeline and treated prior to going into supply.

The urgent need to protect the iconic chalk rivers of Hampshire means that action is needed now to ensure resilient and sustainable water supplies. Options such as water recycling mark a transition to water supplies that are not dependent upon the uncertainties of rainfall. These options are well established elsewhere around the world and are already operating elsewhere in the UK, to ensure resilient supplies in a changing climate.

All water recycling options including Southern Water’s must meet the environmental requirements for wastewater treatment discharges into the environment. Water re-abstracted from the environment for public water supply must also be treated to meet our high drinking water standards before use, in accordance with a robust risk assessment.

Recent research carried out for the Drinking Water Inspectorate indicated a high level of support (79% agreement) for the use of water recycling to supplement drinking water supplies.

An online survey and in-depth, online interviews were undertaken between July and September 2022. The online survey had 1,618 respondents with demographic representation broadly consistent with the UK adult population. Survey respondents were randomly allocated to groups so that the impact of two manipulated variables (relating to water recycling scheme design and to terminology) could be investigated. Overall, the survey showed that there was a relatively high Ref: DWI 70/2/348. Project Report ii level of support (79% agreement) for the utilisation of water recycling to supplement drinking water supplies. The survey results also showed that terminology has a stronger influence on levels of support for water recycling than scheme configuration (e.g. the presence of environmental buffers).

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. West Sussex County Council is the local highway authority for the Chichester constituency, and it is therefore responsible for the condition of its local network. In the current financial year the Department has provided a little over £19 million of highway maintenance funding to West Sussex County Council.

This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year exceeding this Government’s manifesto commitment on repairing local roads. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.

There are no current plans to make changes to rail services serving Chichester constituency following on from significant changes earlier in the year.

Following a public consultation, a new West Coastway timetable was put in place from 2 June 2024. This redesigned the timetable for services in the Chichester area and doubled the number of trains towards Worthing and Brighton from two trains per hour to four trains per hour, creating a half-hourly service. This provides faster journey options towards Brighton and better spacing on the Southampton service.

The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. The Secretary of State has announced her intention to conduct a thorough review of the previous government's transport plans to ensure that our transport infrastructure portfolio drives economic growth and delivers value for money for taxpayers.

No specific infrastructure upgrades are being actively considered in the Chichester constituency at present. Any proposals to government for such upgrades should include the support of West Sussex County Council and Transport for the South East and outline the impacts to growth, employment and housing that the proposal would involve.

According to the latest figures from August 2024, in England and Wales there were 3,512,676 people claiming Personal Independence Payment. Of these, 190,186, or 5.4%, also claimed Carer’s Allowance.

These figures include people who receive Carer’s Allowance payments, as well as people who have an entitlement to Carer’s Allowance but do not receive a payment usually because they also receive another benefit, such as the State Pension, which is paid at an equivalent or higher rate.

The source of these figures is the Benefits Combination Dataset on Stat-Xplore.