Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of local authority funded early years places for children with SEND under the age of 9 months.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not fund places for children under the age of nine months. This is because the earliest a child can take up their government-funded place is the term after a child turns nine months old.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing measures to support the redevelopment of vacant commercial properties into affordable housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including bringing back into residential use empty homes and the development of under-utilised land and buildings, to meet the need for homes, including social and affordable homes, and other uses.
Changes we made to the National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas.
On 22 September 2024, we published a 'brownfield passport' policy paper inviting views on how we might further prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in (a) business rates and (b) employer National Insurance contributions on the early years sector.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 42009.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding her Department is providing to early years providers to help meet increases in staffing costs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 42009.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions her Department has had with the charity sector on changes to refugee family reunion rules.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including family reunion, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, what level of English language proficiency people applying for refugee family reunion will be expected to have.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including family reunion, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to family reunion rules on the number of refugees taking dangerous journeys.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including family reunion, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to process visa applications.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many staff are currently deployed as part of Ofcom's online safety small but risky taskforce.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has regular meetings with Ofcom on matters relating to online safety, including on how it will enforce against non-compliant providers.
Ofcom established the Small but Risky (SBR) task force to address the unique risks posed by these services. The task force sits in Ofcom’s Online Safety Group. Ofcom has previously stated that there are 202 full-time equivalent posts in that wider Group. Ofcom published details of the taskforce’s work, including its priorities, in a letter to the Secretary of State on 11 September 2024.
Ofcom started enforcing the Online Safety Act in March. Sections 149 and 150 of the Act require publication of enforcement action. As an independent regulator, Ofcom does not report directly to government but publishes bulletins of all enforcement actions. Ofcom has confirmed that some companies are currently under investigation and some small services with harmful content have voluntarily blocked access to their sites for UK users since the Act came into effect.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he expects Ofcom to publish updates on the (a) progress and (b) outcomes of the investigations conducted by the online safety small but risky taskforce.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has regular meetings with Ofcom on matters relating to online safety, including on how it will enforce against non-compliant providers.
Ofcom established the Small but Risky (SBR) task force to address the unique risks posed by these services. The task force sits in Ofcom’s Online Safety Group. Ofcom has previously stated that there are 202 full-time equivalent posts in that wider Group. Ofcom published details of the taskforce’s work, including its priorities, in a letter to the Secretary of State on 11 September 2024.
Ofcom started enforcing the Online Safety Act in March. Sections 149 and 150 of the Act require publication of enforcement action. As an independent regulator, Ofcom does not report directly to government but publishes bulletins of all enforcement actions. Ofcom has confirmed that some companies are currently under investigation and some small services with harmful content have voluntarily blocked access to their sites for UK users since the Act came into effect.