Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to apply VAT to small private schools offering Montessori education where pre-school age children are in the same classes as older children.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

From 1 January 2025, the 20% standard rate of VAT will apply to all education services, vocational training, and boarding services provided by private schools for a charge. This will apply to any fees charged after 29 July 2024 for terms starting after 1 January 2025.

The government has listened to feedback regarding the definition of “nursery class” used in the draft legislation. To ensure the legislation achieves the policy intent of keeping nursery education exempt from VAT across the UK, the definition of a nursery class has been amended to: “a class that is composed wholly (or almost wholly) of children who are under compulsory school age or, in Scotland, school age, and would not be expected to attain that age while in that class”. Therefore, providing the majority of children in the nursery class are under compulsory school age and aren’t expected to turn compulsory school age that year, the whole nursery class will remain exempt from VAT. Nursery schools not attached to a private school will remain exempt from VAT, regardless of the age of their pupils.

Further detail can be found in the government’s summary of responses published here: Government_Response_to_the_Technical_Note_on_Applying_VAT_to_Private_School_Fees_and_Removing_the_Business_Rates_Charitable_Rate_Relief.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Food Standards Agency is taking to work with local authorities in areas with high numbers of abandoned lead mines to help ensure adequate (a) monitoring and (b) public awareness of potential lead contamination in locally produced food.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to review dietary lead as part of its rolling programme of risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food. This will include consideration of areas where exposure is likely to be higher.

Previous reviews of lead have shown that while exposures are not a health concern for the majority of the population, a small risk to some individuals arising from exposure to high levels of lead in soil, dust, or in drinking water cannot be excluded. The FSA has started scoping this work, including considering what, if any, additional sampling may be required as well as identifying what information is already available to inform the assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for inspecting contaminated land and addressing any issues arising from it under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has issued advice about the use of potentially contaminated residential land for food. The UKHSA says that, to date, there is very limited data linking any health effects with land contamination in England. People should follow normal hygiene precautions and wash their hands thoroughly after working in the garden or an allotment, especially when in contact with soil and before handling food or drink. It is further advised that produce grown in the soil is washed and peeled, in order to remove any soil or dust.

The outcome of our review will inform the need for additional guidance or other risk management measures, such as changes to permitted levels in different food categories.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Food Standards Agency is taking to make an assessment of the potential health risks to people living near old lead mine sites who consume (a) locally grown vegetables and (b) locally produced eggs.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to review dietary lead as part of its rolling programme of risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food. This will include consideration of areas where exposure is likely to be higher.

Previous reviews of lead have shown that while exposures are not a health concern for the majority of the population, a small risk to some individuals arising from exposure to high levels of lead in soil, dust, or in drinking water cannot be excluded. The FSA has started scoping this work, including considering what, if any, additional sampling may be required as well as identifying what information is already available to inform the assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for inspecting contaminated land and addressing any issues arising from it under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has issued advice about the use of potentially contaminated residential land for food. The UKHSA says that, to date, there is very limited data linking any health effects with land contamination in England. People should follow normal hygiene precautions and wash their hands thoroughly after working in the garden or an allotment, especially when in contact with soil and before handling food or drink. It is further advised that produce grown in the soil is washed and peeled, in order to remove any soil or dust.

The outcome of our review will inform the need for additional guidance or other risk management measures, such as changes to permitted levels in different food categories.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the scope of the Food Standards Agency’s review of dietary lead as part of its risk analysis programme covers areas with high concentrations of abandoned lead mines.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to review dietary lead as part of its rolling programme of risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food. This will include consideration of areas where exposure is likely to be higher.

Previous reviews of lead have shown that while exposures are not a health concern for the majority of the population, a small risk to some individuals arising from exposure to high levels of lead in soil, dust, or in drinking water cannot be excluded. The FSA has started scoping this work, including considering what, if any, additional sampling may be required as well as identifying what information is already available to inform the assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for inspecting contaminated land and addressing any issues arising from it under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has issued advice about the use of potentially contaminated residential land for food. The UKHSA says that, to date, there is very limited data linking any health effects with land contamination in England. People should follow normal hygiene precautions and wash their hands thoroughly after working in the garden or an allotment, especially when in contact with soil and before handling food or drink. It is further advised that produce grown in the soil is washed and peeled, in order to remove any soil or dust.

The outcome of our review will inform the need for additional guidance or other risk management measures, such as changes to permitted levels in different food categories.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Food Standards Agency plans to develop guidance for residents in areas with high environmental lead contamination on the safe consumption of locally produced food.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to review dietary lead as part of its rolling programme of risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food. This will include consideration of areas where exposure is likely to be higher.

Previous reviews of lead have shown that while exposures are not a health concern for the majority of the population, a small risk to some individuals arising from exposure to high levels of lead in soil, dust, or in drinking water cannot be excluded. The FSA has started scoping this work, including considering what, if any, additional sampling may be required as well as identifying what information is already available to inform the assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for inspecting contaminated land and addressing any issues arising from it under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has issued advice about the use of potentially contaminated residential land for food. The UKHSA says that, to date, there is very limited data linking any health effects with land contamination in England. People should follow normal hygiene precautions and wash their hands thoroughly after working in the garden or an allotment, especially when in contact with soil and before handling food or drink. It is further advised that produce grown in the soil is washed and peeled, in order to remove any soil or dust.

The outcome of our review will inform the need for additional guidance or other risk management measures, such as changes to permitted levels in different food categories.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Food Standards Agency plans to conduct targeted testing of food products in areas with high concentrations of abandoned lead mines.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to review dietary lead as part of its rolling programme of risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food. This will include consideration of areas where exposure is likely to be higher.

Previous reviews of lead have shown that while exposures are not a health concern for the majority of the population, a small risk to some individuals arising from exposure to high levels of lead in soil, dust, or in drinking water cannot be excluded. The FSA has started scoping this work, including considering what, if any, additional sampling may be required as well as identifying what information is already available to inform the assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for inspecting contaminated land and addressing any issues arising from it under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has issued advice about the use of potentially contaminated residential land for food. The UKHSA says that, to date, there is very limited data linking any health effects with land contamination in England. People should follow normal hygiene precautions and wash their hands thoroughly after working in the garden or an allotment, especially when in contact with soil and before handling food or drink. It is further advised that produce grown in the soil is washed and peeled, in order to remove any soil or dust.

The outcome of our review will inform the need for additional guidance or other risk management measures, such as changes to permitted levels in different food categories.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Food Standards Agency plans to (a) complete and (b) publish its review of dietary lead as part of its risk analysis programme.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to review dietary lead as part of its rolling programme of risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food. This will include consideration of areas where exposure is likely to be higher.

Previous reviews of lead have shown that while exposures are not a health concern for the majority of the population, a small risk to some individuals arising from exposure to high levels of lead in soil, dust, or in drinking water cannot be excluded. The FSA has started scoping this work, including considering what, if any, additional sampling may be required as well as identifying what information is already available to inform the assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for inspecting contaminated land and addressing any issues arising from it under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has issued advice about the use of potentially contaminated residential land for food. The UKHSA says that, to date, there is very limited data linking any health effects with land contamination in England. People should follow normal hygiene precautions and wash their hands thoroughly after working in the garden or an allotment, especially when in contact with soil and before handling food or drink. It is further advised that produce grown in the soil is washed and peeled, in order to remove any soil or dust.

The outcome of our review will inform the need for additional guidance or other risk management measures, such as changes to permitted levels in different food categories.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) fairness of the funding allocation system for special educational needs and disabilities provision.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is taking time to consider the various funding formulae that the department and local authorities use to allocate funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not yet been set, meaning that decisions on the high needs and schools national funding formulae and the publication of allocations for that year are not to the usual timescales. The department will publish information as soon as possible, after the Budget later in October.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Education, Health and Care Plan applications are processed promptly.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s aim is to deliver better life chances for all, through a system which works for all.

The department knows that some parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through a long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan process. We will work across the sector to provide support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those needing alternative provision, and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The department wants to ensure that EHC plan applications are processed promptly and, where required, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need. The department has listened to a wide range of relevant stakeholders, such as children and young people, parents, schools, colleges and local authorities and their partners, and it is reflecting on what practice could be made consistent nationally.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) replace and (b) extend funding announced by the previous Government for 15 new special free schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to making sure that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the support they need to achieve and thrive, which includes a place in a special school where needed.

The window for trusts to apply to run these schools closed on 19 July 2024. The department will provide an update in due course.

The upcoming Spending Review and October Budget will set funding for the 2025/26 financial year. All other future spending decisions will be for the next phase of the Spending Review, which is expected to set budgets for future years in the spring.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve (a) inclusivity and (b) expertise in mainstream schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, in order to restore parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need.

To take this forward, the department will publish evidence reviews to identify the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.

This government is committed to continuous improvement to transform the training and support for all new teachers, and to review the experiences and needs of early career teachers as well as trainees. The new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) is due to be implemented from September 2025 and will underpin all Initial Teacher Training courses and statutory induction training for early career teachers across the country.

The ITTECF contains additional content related to inclusion, adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND. The inclusion content includes developing an understanding that teacher approaches to inclusion and SEND are a key determinant of pupil outcomes. The adaptive teaching content includes, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils.

The department will also work with Ofsted to ensure that schools are held accountable for their approach to inclusion, so that all children are given the high quality support they need to learn and thrive. The department is committed to improving the inspection system, moving away from the single headline grade to a richer system to assess school quality through a report card, giving a more rounded picture of how a school is performing and providing parents with greater clarity on the support a school has in place for children with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle financial pressures on local authorities resulting from SEND expenditure.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that many local authorities are facing challenges in managing their high needs budgets, which has impacted their ability to balance their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) funding.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We will work with the sector as essential and valued partners to deliver our shared mission and restore parents’ trust, including considering how we can help councils manage the impacts of DSG deficits on their finances.

The department has taken action to help those authorities with deficits and will continue to do so. It has published guidance on good practice and provided help and advice through direct contact with all those authorities that have deficits. High needs deficit intervention programmes are designed to improve SEND services by making the very best use of resources to deliver the support that children and young people need. Where additional support is required in a local area, particularly following an Area SEND Inspection, the department commissions specialist SEND Advisors and Commissioners to support local authorities to build on existing strengths and address areas of weakness in local provision.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has made regulations which ring-fence DSG deficits from councils’ wider financial positions in their statutory accounts. This is a temporary accounting measure, currently in operation to March 2026, and it is still crucial that local authorities’ high needs systems move to a more sustainable position in the near future.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year will be set in the forthcoming Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding he has allocated for the remediation of contaminated land surrounding abandoned lead mines in the the next five years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Funding to support local authorities in fulfilling their statutory obligations under part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, to inspect potential contaminated sites and to seek remediation where required, remains in the form of the Revenue Support Grant.

The Revenue Support Grant is an unringfenced block grant covering many services. It is up to local authorities to decide how much funding is allocated to any service based on local priorities and they are held to account locally.

Through the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme - a partnership between Defra, the Environment Agency and the Coal Authority - government is taking action to develop mine water treatment schemes and diffuse interventions to prevent metals from abandoned metal mines, including lead, entering local river systems. Pollution from abandoned metal mines can contaminate land, such as when spoil heaps contaminated by these mines wash into rivers following heavy rainfall, prior to wash onto agricultural floodplains following flooding events. Many diffuse interventions include natural flood management measures to slow the flow of rivers, along with planting of trees and other vegetation which sequester carbon dioxide in soils.

Local Authorities have the duty to inspect their Areas to identify contaminated land, including land contaminated by lead. If a Local Authority had concerns about land contamination, then they have relevant duties and powers under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to investigate and require the responsible person(s) to carry out remediation if they identify any contaminated land.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance he provides to local authorities for testing land in proximity to former lead mining sites; and whether he is taking steps to inform (a) residents and (b) those involved in domestic food production of potential risk in affected areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are a variety of resources available to local authorities in regard to testing potentially contaminated land.

The Interdepartmental Committee on the Redevelopment of Contaminated Land (ICRCL) issued guidance on The Restoration and Aftercare of Metalliferous Mining Sites for Pasture and Grazing in 1990 (ICRCL 70/90). Although outdated, parts are still relevant due to the focus on the risks to plants and livestock grazing. The Environment Agency have since taken on the role of issuing technical guidance.

The current overarching guidance on managing risks for land contamination is found in Land Contamination Risk Management (LRCM). This sets out the 3-stage approach for managing all risks from land contamination including the first stage of risk assessment.

This work is supplemented by additional guidance such as the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which deals with risks to crops, livestock, and consumers from trace elements in soil. Other guidance such as the Environment Agency’s Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment (CLEA) Software Model, and C4SL project issued by CL:AIRE provide detailed guidance in other areas, and the Food Standards Agency also play an important role in terms of the potential introduction of contaminants into the food chain.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not have a specific statutory role in relation to contaminated land but plays an advisory role in the overall health risk assessment process. UKHSA may be asked for support by local authorities in providing public health advice to their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, whether historical lead mining activities are considered when approving new housing targets.

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

The proposed methodology to calculate local housing need figures for each local authority, is set out in the ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’ consultation documents. These can be found at gov.uk.

National planning policy makes clear that constraints on land availability, which could include risks arising from former activities such as mining, should be taken into account by local authorities when establishing a housing requirement for their area. Local authorities are expected to evidence and justify their approach through local plan consultation and examination.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make the teaching workforce more inclusive for individuals with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to making teaching a profession where all teachers, including those with disabilities, have equal opportunities to progress. This includes designing our world-class programmes such as the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications to support teachers from diverse backgrounds. We expect schools, like all employers, to discharge their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and give due consideration to the way their employment practices affect staff at different stages of their careers.

To this end, we are improving data collection on disability within the teaching profession to better understand their barriers to success. In 2023, the department published a report on barriers to collecting disability data and have since enhanced guidance for schools on the School Workforce Census and conducted additional research via the School and College Panel and the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders Study.

Additionally, the forthcoming Race Equality Act will require public services, including schools, to report data on staffing, pay, and outcomes by disability status, further promoting inclusivity. The department will support schools and multi-academy trusts to meet these requirements when they come into force.