Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure that behaviour policies adopted by further education colleges do not disproportionately disadvantage young people with SEND.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Further education (FE) colleges are subject to statutory and regulatory oversight to ensure that policies do not disadvantage learners with special educational needs and disabilities. Colleges must comply with the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled learners, including those with learning difficulties, are not placed at a substantial disadvantage.

Colleges must also meet equality and safeguarding requirements set out in their funding agreements. Where providers fail to meet legal or regulatory duties, the department has powers to support and take further action.

Ofsted plays a key role in assessing how effectively providers support learners with high needs. Under its renewed framework, inspectors evaluate participation, development, and behaviour expectations across provision types.

Inspectors evaluate participation and development across different FE and skills settings and consider the nature of the learners, along with differences in approach to behaviour monitoring and management for different groups of learners.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assurances he can provide that National Parks and National Landscapes will be fully considered in any proposals for an overnight visitor accommodation levy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The precise design and scope of the overnight visitor levy power is still under development. Decisions on whether to introduce a levy will rest with Mayors and be shaped through local consultation on its design and the impacts the levy may have, including on National Parks and National Landscapes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase awareness and funding for (a) materials and mining programmes of study and (b) science and engineering apprenticeships and qualifications in the quarrying sector.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government supports education and skills training in the minerals, mining and quarrying sectors through:

• Offering 13 qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds at Levels 2 to 6 and ​3 Level 2 qualifications in the adult skills fund (ASF) local flexibilities offer.
• ​Investing over £1.4 billion in adult education and skills through the ASF, which covers science and engineering qualifications up to Level 3.
• Increased investment in 16 to 19 education by £400 million in the 2025/26 financial year, plus a further £190 million investment to fund study programmes that include qualifications in science and engineering.
• Allocating higher weighting/funding bands to high-cost subjects such as engineering, in both ASF and 16 to 19 funding.
• There are a range of apprenticeship standards available to support the mining and quarrying sector, including the Level 2 Material processing plant operator, Level 5 Mineral products technician and Level 6 Mine management standards.
• Offering a range of financial support for employers in all sectors, including engineering and manufacturing, to take on young apprentices. This includes a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers, essentially small and medium-sized enterprises, that take on 16 to 24-year-old apprentices as new employees.
• Providing high quality information to pupils about alternative pathways through careers advice, including up-to-date labour market information and details on apprenticeships, T Levels and other technical qualifications.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to its response to recommendation 24 of the Environmental Audit Committee’s report entitled Environmental Sustainability and Housing Growth, published on 13 March 2026, what assessment his Department made of the potential impact of the introduction of mandatory whole-life carbon reporting by EU Member States on the technological readiness of carbon assessment methods.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has made no such assessment.

Outdoor learning specialist apprenticeships

Support for the ceramics industry

Reforming National Parks and National Landscapes

Found: Environmental Audit Committee member present: John Whitby.

Found: Environmental Audit Committee member present: John Whitby.

Found: 80.0%) Blake Stephenson (Conservative, Mid Bedfordshire) (added 28 Oct 2024) 29 of 53 (54.7%) John Whitby

Submit Evidence (by 21 May 2026)

The Environmental Audit Committee is examining the role of HM Treasury in shaping the UK’s response to climate change, nature loss and wider environmental sustainability. The Government’s economic policy objective includes a commitment to “accelerate the transition to a climate resilient, nature positive and net zero economy”.[1]