Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support schools experiencing falling pupil rolls.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that demographic change requires local areas to adapt to changing demand for school places.
Schools are funded on the basis of pupil numbers in the previous October census. This gives schools with falling rolls some time to reorganise staffing before their funding is affected.
Falling rolls funding is also provided to local authorities for schools seeing a short-term decrease in pupil numbers. We have also broadened the scope of growth and falling rolls funding to allow local authorities to use growth funding to meet the revenue costs of removing surplus places.
As announced in our Education Estates Strategy, we are also supporting local areas to plan budgets strategically. We are developing a decision-making framework for the use of mainstream school space through demographic change, with publication expected in autumn 2026.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve political literacy and democratic engagement within secondary education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, work is underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.
The reformed curriculum will provide a clear framework to ensure that pupils acquire the essential skills and knowledge they need to be active, informed and responsible citizens. In line with the recommendations of the review, we will ensure that citizenship education is tightly focused on the essential content pupils should know at primary and secondary, encompassing the vital threads of government, law and democracy, climate education, financial and media literacy.
Working closely with the sector, we are working towards a first teaching of the new curriculum from September 2028 and a phased approach to new GCSE teaching from September 2029.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the consultation into increasing inheritance rights for cohabitants will begin; when he expects it to be completed; when he expects proposals based on this consultation to be brought before Parliament; and which piece of legislation he expects the changes to be contained in.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has committed to strengthening the rights of cohabitants and has launched the A Fairer End to Relationships consultation on potential reforms. This consultation includes proposed changes related to inheritance rights to ensure the law reflects modern relationships and family structures.
The consultation, and the responses received, will inform the Government’s approach. Any decision on legislation will be made following the conclusion of the consultation on 14 August 2026 and, if necessary, will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help strengthen complaints and whistleblowing processes with respect to the Teachers Regulation Authority.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), acting on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is responsible for considering allegations of serious teacher misconduct. Lower-level complaints and concerns should be considered at the local level by schools and employers. Where concerns are raised through whistleblowing, these are ordinarily considered at the local level in the first instance, or through the department’s wider whistleblowing arrangements. Where such concerns relate to potential serious misconduct, they may subsequently be referred into the TRA’s misconduct process and considered in line with its statutory role. The TRA has published clear guidance on how referrals of serious misconduct can be raised.
In 2025, TRA introduced a triage process to strengthen how referrals are handled. This ensures that matters which clearly do not relate to serious teacher misconduct, and which are outside of the role and remit of TRA, are signposted to appropriate local or departmental complaints processes rather than being progressed as referrals to the TRA. This approach supports proportionate use of the misconduct regime while ensuring concerns are directed to the correct route and that teachers are not inappropriately drawn into regulatory proceedings.
These measures help ensure that safeguarding concerns continue to be identified and addressed effectively, while maintaining public confidence in the teaching profession and the fairness of the regulatory system.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate her Department has made of (a) private and (b) public elevator repair equipment stocks; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those stocks on people with access requirements.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is working with border and customs authorities to ensure import processes for elevator components operate as efficiently as possible, including through clear guidance and the use of simplified and digital customs procedures.
It is crucial that we ensure everyone is treated fairly when accessing services, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential. Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses that provide goods and services to the public are required not to discriminate against disabled people.
The Act also places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings and services so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This duty is anticipatory, meaning that service providers are expected to foresee the requirements of disabled people and the reasonable adjustments that may have to be made for them. However, the Act recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and the interests of service providers. What is ‘reasonable’ will vary from one situation to another, depending on the circumstances of the case.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to modernise the Inheritance Act to reflect a) common law partners and b) common law partners whose marriage plans were underway before one of those partners passed away.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
There is no legal status of “common law partners” in England and Wales. Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, cohabitants (where they were living together as if married or in a civil partnership for at least two years) may apply for reasonable financial provision from a deceased partner’s estate.
The Government recognises concerns about the current position and has committed to strengthening the rights of cohabitants. We will consult in due course on potential reforms, including enhancing inheritance rights for cohabitants.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what due diligence processes have been undertaken to assess the suitability of organisations in Malawi to receive UK funded aid.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK aid to Malawi is subject to robust due diligence, accountability and assurance processes to help ensure funding reaches its intended beneficiaries and delivers value for money for the UK taxpayer.
Before any UK aid funding is agreed, prospective delivery partners are assessed through proportionate due diligence checks covering financial management, governance, safeguarding, risk management and delivery capability. Where appropriate, UK aid is delivered through trusted multilateral organisations, drawing on their established fiduciary assurance systems and international accountability standards.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what forms of accountability are in place to help ensure that UK aid to Malawi reaches its intended destination.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK aid to Malawi is subject to robust due diligence, accountability and assurance processes to help ensure funding reaches its intended beneficiaries and delivers value for money for the UK taxpayer.
Before any UK aid funding is agreed, prospective delivery partners are assessed through proportionate due diligence checks covering financial management, governance, safeguarding, risk management and delivery capability. Where appropriate, UK aid is delivered through trusted multilateral organisations, drawing on their established fiduciary assurance systems and international accountability standards.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate her Department has made of (a) private and (b) public elevator repair equipment stocks; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these stocks on people with access requirements.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help strengthen complaints and whistleblowing processes with respect to the Teachers Regulation Authority.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.