Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available for the transition into adulthood at age 18 for young people who were in care during early childhood before being (a) adopted or (b) placed under alternative permanency arrangements.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Chichester to the answer of 29 October 2025 to question 84112.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 increase the capacity of NHS dental services in Chichester constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Chichester constituency, this is the NHS Sussex ICB.
We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. The NHS Sussex ICB is expected to deliver 26,546 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.
ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.
We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 help ensure that patients who are digitally excluded can retain (a) telephone and (b) in-person routes to book GP appointments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that some patients may struggle or prefer not to use digital options. We are committed to ensuring that patients who are digitally excluded can retain telephone and in-person routes to book general practice (GP) appointments, by mandating that GPs must maintain these traditional access methods, alongside digital options. The move to digital-first access is designed to free up phone lines for those who want and need them, not replace them.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote parity of esteem for T Level qualifications in university admissions processes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department regularly engages with the higher education (HE) sector to ensure T Levels are recognised as excellent preparation for higher study. We encourage the sector to accept T Levels on an equivalent basis to A levels by assigning them UCAS points in line with three A levels. For example, the highest overall T Level grade, Distinction*, is awarded the same number of points as three A*s at A level. T Level progression into HE is increasing year on year, as we are seeing more subjects become accessible to T Level graduates, with prestigious courses such as medicine now open to T Level learners in some institutions. Whilst thousands of T Level students go on to HE each year, not all providers give full clarity on their entry requirements. We are working closely with the sector to address this and continue to inform the sector on the merits of T Levels as a qualification of choice.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure T level qualifications are (a) recognised and (b) accepted for university admissions on an equivalent basis to A Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department regularly engages with the higher education (HE) sector to ensure T Levels are recognised as excellent preparation for higher study. We encourage the sector to accept T Levels on an equivalent basis to A levels by assigning them UCAS points in line with three A levels. For example, the highest overall T Level grade, Distinction*, is awarded the same number of points as three A*s at A level. T Level progression into HE is increasing year on year, as we are seeing more subjects become accessible to T Level graduates, with prestigious courses such as medicine now open to T Level learners in some institutions. Whilst thousands of T Level students go on to HE each year, not all providers give full clarity on their entry requirements. We are working closely with the sector to address this and continue to inform the sector on the merits of T Levels as a qualification of choice.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the system of fining parents for taking their children out of school.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Tackling absence is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Thanks to the efforts of schools and local authorities, attendance is moving in the right direction. Children attended over 5.3 million additional days in the 2024/25 school year compared to the 2022/23 school year, with over 140,000 fewer pupils persistently absent.
The ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets out a support-first approach, ensuring penalty notices are used only when appropriate.
The national framework for penalty notices, introduced in August 2024 following national consultation, is designed to improve consistency and fairness across the country. Penalty notices must be considered on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules. Schools or local councils may choose to issue a ‘notice to improve’ instead of a penalty notice as a further offer of support before a penalty notice is issued.
The department is monitoring the impact of these reforms alongside wider attendance measures, including regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs and Attendance Mentors, which are helping to drive improvements.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 (a) increase the number of specialist training posts for UK doctors and (b) remove barriers to practice for UK-trained doctors returning from overseas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, set out that over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. The plan also sets out that we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.
All medical practitioners wishing to practise in the UK must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and must hold a licence to practise. The GMC is statutorily independent of the Government and sets the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to its register. This ensures that registrants are safe to practise and that patients receive a high standard of care. Information on the process for joining the GMC’s register and tailored support for international applicants can be found on its website.
In 2023, the Department worked with the GMC to amend its legislation, including an updated standard for specialist registration, which has enabled improvements to expedite the process for specialist registration.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to extend drink driving offences to include a) persons on cycles, b) riding horses and c) in charge of horse drawn vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.
We are considering a range of policies under the new strategy; the first for 10 years. This includes the case for changing motoring offences such as drink driving.
We intend to publish by the end of the year.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent changes to (a) business rates relief, (b) VAT and (c) employer's National Insurance contributions on (i) small and medium-sized hospitality businesses and (ii) independent pubs and restaurants in rural constituencies.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the vital role that all hospitality businesses play in supporting the UK’s economy and communities.
That is why, as set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with ratable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. Ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, the Government prevented RHL business rates relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. By extending the RHL relief, the Government has saved the average pub, with a ratable value of £16,800, over £3,300. Without any Government intervention, the RHL relief would have ended entirely.
To ensure that key amenities are available, and that community assets are protected in rural areas, Rural Rates Relief provides 100% business rates relief for certain properties in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000, including those that are the only public house, with a RV of up to £12,500.
The Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities, including those in the hospitality sector, will either gain or see no change this year. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside changes to employer NICs, and the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts employment levels to increase over the coming years.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the minimum (a) English and (b) maths requirements to complete an apprenticeship; and whether he plans to review these requirements.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In February, the government introduced flexibilities around the English and maths requirements for apprentices in response to significant feedback from employers and providers.
Adults over 19 no longer need to achieve a standalone English and maths qualification on top of the apprenticeship, where their employer agrees this is not an essential part of their training. This will allow many thousands more apprentices to qualify each year, including in key sectors such as adult care, construction and early years.
Upskilling in English and maths remains a key feature of all apprenticeships. All apprentices will continue to be required to secure and be assessed on the job-specific English and maths skills they need as part of the apprenticeship standard.
Young apprentices who are aged 16-18 at the start of their apprenticeship continue to be required to achieve English and maths qualifications to put them in the best position to progress in their life and careers.