Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance her Department has issued on whether parents may make enquiries in respect of the availability of state school places for their children to more than one (a) local authority and (b) academy trust.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The rights of parents to make enquiries about the availability of school places, including across multiple local authorities or academy trusts, is set out in the School Admissions Code. This is mandatory and imposes requirements and guidelines relating to the functions of the local authority and all state schools’ admission authorities, including academy trusts. The School Admissions Code was last updated in 2021 and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf.

Paragraph 2.23 of the Schools Admissions Code states that a parent can apply for a place for their child at any school and at any time to the relevant admission authority.

Paragraph 2.27 of the School Admissions Code states that local authorities must provide information on available places in their area to prospective parents. To enable local authorities to do this, the admission authorities for all schools in the area must provide the local authority with details of the number of places available at their schools whenever this information is requested.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what is his Department's planned timescale for the review of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is committed to ending the injustice of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme and the first increased payments due to the transfer of the Investment Reserve Fund to members were made at the end of November. The Government will soon start talks with the MPS Trustees on the future arrangements for surplus sharing.

The Government is happy to consider any proposals for changes that the BCSSS Trustees wish to make once the new MPS arrangements have been agreed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate access to education for children who are certified blind in Sherwood Forest constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government’s ambition is that all children and young people receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need.

It is the responsibility of local authorities, schools, and further education settings to commission appropriately qualified staff to support the education of children and young people in their area. All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. To teach a class of pupils with vision impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant Mandatory Qualification for Sensory Impairment (MQSI). The department is committed to ensuring a steady supply of teachers of children with vision impairment in both specialist and mainstream settings.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires all local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in their area, to ensure that families are aware of services that are available in their area and are able to contribute to shaping the services to meet local needs. Information about the support available for children with sensory impairment should be included within that local offer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many young people are (a) classified homeless and (b) in emergency accommodation in Sherwood Forest constituency.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The annual homelessness statistics includes age of applicants in temporary accommodation by local authority as of 31 March 2024. This information is available at table TA5 - Additional_temporary_accommodation_breakdowns__31_March_2024.ods.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that new housing developments are supported by adequate local infrastructure.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. This will remain the case irrespective of whether any proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework or wider national planning policy are taken forward.

When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.

The government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

The changes proposed as part of our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework are intended to support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure.

The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure that new developments provide appropriate affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce reoffending rates in Sherwood Forest constituency.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by giving people the tools they need to turn their backs on crime. To do that, we will increase prisoners’ access to purposeful activity, including education and employment, which we know can reduce reoffending by up to 9 percentage points.

For example, we have recruited specialist education and employment roles in prisons to support and prepare prisoners for work on release. This includes Prison Employment Leads who match prisoners to jobs, and Neurodiversity Support Managers to help neurodiverse offenders to access education, skills and work opportunities. Both roles are currently in place at HMP Nottingham and HMP Ranby, two prisons close to Sherwood Forest constituency.

We are determined to help ensure our hard-working probation staff can continue to deliver high-quality supervision and focus their time on those cases which need most attention including for offenders who reside in the Sherwood Forrest constituency. Operationally, we are focusing probation officer time and energy on the higher risk individuals they have to supervise outside of prison to ensure that the public continue to be protected. We have also committed to bring in at least 1,000 new trainee probation officers across the 2024/25 financial year, allowing for greater oversight and management of offenders once they leave prisons.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have used probation services in Sherwood Forest constituency in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The table below shows the number of people under supervision on the last day of each of the last 12 months.

Notes:

[1] Offenders may be subject to multiple sentences. Each person is counted once only in the total even if they are subject to several types of probation supervision on the date shown. For example, if a person is subject to both a community order and a Supervision Default Order on the date shown, then the person would be counted once only within the total of all Probation Service supervision.

[2] Includes offenders subject to a court order or pre- or post-release supervision.

[3] Excludes suspended sentence orders without requirements attached.

[4] These statistics are a further breakdown of the probation caseload in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication. A published breakdown by Probation Service region is included in table 6.8.

[5] The figures presented in this table are based on offenders subject to probation supervision on the date shown who have a recorded main (home) address in the parliamentary constituency of Sherwood Forest. This table does not account for those with no fixed address or recorded postcode. Over the time periods covered in the table, the number of offenders with no fixed address or recorded postcode ranged from 12% to 14% of the total number of offenders subject to probation supervision in England and Wales.

[Note 6] The constituency was formerly known as Sherwood. It was renamed as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, with minor boundary changes. These changes came into effect for the 2024 general election. All periods in this table are based on the latest composition of the constituency.

25th anniversary of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Submit Evidence (by 27 Jan 2025)

Following the publication of the Electoral Commission report on the general election 2024, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee are considering the issue of the administration, process and conduct of the 2024 general election and how these could be improved for future elections.

Submit Evidence (by 7 Feb 2025)

Governments have created Public Bodies when it is felt that certain functions are best conducted outside the normal departmental structures and at some distance from direct ministerial control. There are currently around 500, though classification can be vague. They vary hugely in terms of their size, governance arrangements, and the types of roles they perform. They are ‘owned’ by their sponsoring department but subject to Cabinet Office and HM Treasury guidance. This states that that they should only be created and continue to operate as a last resort and when: