Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile in each of the last five years; and how many children have gone through that assessment in each of the last five years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The early years foundation stage profile assessment (EYFSP) is undertaken by teachers at the end of the academic year in which children turn five, usually reception year. No fee is charged per child for the EYFSP. Any costs incurred by schools would primarily relate to staff time in connection with undertaking the assessment and submitting the data to their local authority. The department does not collect data on the time spent to complete the assessment at school level or time spent processing the data by local authorities.

The number of children assessed under the EYFSP in the last five years is available alongside further details on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cf4c5896-b574-421b-70de-08de5e4c1b9a.

The 2020/21 EYFSP data collection was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the department does not hold information for that year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the Metropolitan Police of the proposals set out in her Department's policy paper entitled From local to national: a new model for policing published on 27 January 2026.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The reforms set out in the White Paper are fully funded to the end of the Parliament with nearly half a billion pounds invested. These reforms will make policing both more effective and more efficient with savings made through removal of duplication across the policing system. These savings will be reinvested into neighbourhood policing, including in London.

In addition, this Government has already announced record funding for policing of £18.4 billion next year to tackle crime and improve community safety. The Metropolitan Police will benefit from increased funding of up to £4.0bn next year, a 4.7% cash increase.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was originally made available for the provision of the planned 92 new special and AP free schools that were commissioned by the previous Government and were subject to a value for money review by this Government.

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

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much alternative funding has been provided to the local authorities who have decided to not proceed with the building of the proposed special and AP free schools, following the review of planned special and AP free schools.

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

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much alternative funding has been provided to the local authorities of the 18 cancelled special and AP free schools, to create specialist spaces in mainstream schools.

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

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to promote community engagement on the new Air Navigation Guidance.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport consulted on potential changes to the statutory guidance (The Air Navigation Guidance) it provides to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This guidance is used by the CAA to inform its airspace change process. The consultation closed on 26 January 2026 and responses are now being reviewed.

The consultation was open to everyone and a number of groups representing local communities, as well as individuals and companies, responded.

Engagement and consultation has always been part of the airspace change process. The proposals in the draft Guidance aim to retain and enhance the principle that anyone potentially affected by an airspace change should have the information they need and the ability to feed in their views before final decisions are taken. The sponsor for an Airspace Change will be responsible for ensuring this happens effectively as a key part of the airspace change process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to improve accessibility for SMEs to the research and development tax credit system.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important role that research and development (R&D) plays in driving innovation and economic growth as well as the benefits it can bring for society.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to maintaining the generosity of the rates in both the merged R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme and the Enhanced Support for R&D Intensive SMEs (ERIS) scheme. This, combined with the commitment to cap the headline rate of Corporation Tax, means that companies doing qualifying R&D will continue to receive between £15 to £27 for every £100 spent on R&D. Notably, the ERIS scheme will provide around £1.3 billion of relief per year to roughly 20,000 R&D intensive, loss-making SMEs.

The Government is also taking steps to improve the administration of the reliefs, to make it easier and more reliable for legitimate claimants while continuing to protect taxpayer money from unacceptable levels of error and fraud in the system. HMRC is working with the Expert Advisory Panel which will provide it with cutting edge technical expertise to inform policy and operations. HMRC also operates an advance assurances service to help SMEs applying for the tax credits and will pilot an expanded service this spring, enabling more firms to use it.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department's reviews into the a) economics and b) environmental impacts of Heathrow expansion are seeking external expert input.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department’s review into the economic and environmental impacts of Heathrow expansion includes both internal and external expert input.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will set up a meeting between the Aviation Minister and the Hon. Members for Twickenham and Richmond Park following his correspondence referenced MC 00050628.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials have scheduled a meeting for the end of February.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what powers does she have to help ensure schools comply with (a) paragraph 6.81 of the SEN Code of Practice and (b) Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND regulations set out the detail that schools must include in special educational needs (SEN) information reports. The SEND Code of Practice states that schools should ensure that the information is easily accessible by young people and parents, and is set out in clear, straightforward language.

The Ofsted inspection toolkit states that, in gathering evidence about supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), inspectors must consider the extent to which published SEN information reports are easily accessible and accurately describe the school’s provision and support for pupils with SEN.

The department has published guidance to help schools understand their legal duties under the Equality Act 2010: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7e3237ed915d74e33f0ac9/Equality_Act_Advice_Final.pdf.

The department has also issued further guidance to help support school governing boards understand their roles and responsibilities, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sen-and-disability-duties-guidance-for-school-governing-boards/special-educational-needs-sen-and-disabilities-guidance-for-school-governing-boards.

There are a range of resources available to school leaders and governors to support in the creation of accessible SEN Information Reports.

We will set out our proposals for SEND reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper and will consult widely on these proposals, continuing to work with a wide range of partners to refine and deliver them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has she taken to help ensure schools comply with (a) paragraph 6.81 of the SEN Code of Practice and (b) Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND regulations set out the detail that schools must include in special educational needs (SEN) information reports. The SEND Code of Practice states that schools should ensure that the information is easily accessible by young people and parents, and is set out in clear, straightforward language.

The Ofsted inspection toolkit states that, in gathering evidence about supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), inspectors must consider the extent to which published SEN information reports are easily accessible and accurately describe the school’s provision and support for pupils with SEN.

The department has published guidance to help schools understand their legal duties under the Equality Act 2010: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7e3237ed915d74e33f0ac9/Equality_Act_Advice_Final.pdf.

The department has also issued further guidance to help support school governing boards understand their roles and responsibilities, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sen-and-disability-duties-guidance-for-school-governing-boards/special-educational-needs-sen-and-disabilities-guidance-for-school-governing-boards.

There are a range of resources available to school leaders and governors to support in the creation of accessible SEN Information Reports.

We will set out our proposals for SEND reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper and will consult widely on these proposals, continuing to work with a wide range of partners to refine and deliver them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of providing written guidance to schools on how to write accessible SEN Information Reports.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND regulations set out the detail that schools must include in special educational needs (SEN) information reports. The SEND Code of Practice states that schools should ensure that the information is easily accessible by young people and parents, and is set out in clear, straightforward language.

The Ofsted inspection toolkit states that, in gathering evidence about supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), inspectors must consider the extent to which published SEN information reports are easily accessible and accurately describe the school’s provision and support for pupils with SEN.

The department has published guidance to help schools understand their legal duties under the Equality Act 2010: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7e3237ed915d74e33f0ac9/Equality_Act_Advice_Final.pdf.

The department has also issued further guidance to help support school governing boards understand their roles and responsibilities, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sen-and-disability-duties-guidance-for-school-governing-boards/special-educational-needs-sen-and-disabilities-guidance-for-school-governing-boards.

There are a range of resources available to school leaders and governors to support in the creation of accessible SEN Information Reports.

We will set out our proposals for SEND reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper and will consult widely on these proposals, continuing to work with a wide range of partners to refine and deliver them.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to respond to the letter sent on 12 December 2025 by the hon. Member for Twickenham.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon Member, a response was issued on 18 February 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce diagnostic waiting times for endometriosis in (a) England and (b) Twickenham constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patients waiting for an endometriosis diagnosis may receive diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, though the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is by a laparoscopic procedure. A laparoscopy is also used to treat endometriosis.

To improve diagnosis times, we are transforming diagnostic services and taking steps to increase diagnostic capacity. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs), building up to five new ones as part of the £600 million of capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 and opening more CDCs 12 hours per day, seven days a week.

The NHS South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB), in which the Twickenham constituency sits, is commissioning additional diagnostic activity over the next three years, with an estimated 17% growth by 2028/29. This will be supported through the well-established CDC programme developed by the ICB. Four CDCs operate across south west London, including the Kingston CDC. These CDCs are delivering key diagnostic tests, including MRI and ultrasound.

The ICB has also prioritised the development of women’s health hubs across south west London, based on a pilot in Kingston and Richmond Borough to improve use of community gynaecology services. This will reduce demand on acute hospital services and improve waiting times for those patients requiring access to specialists, including for endometriosis diagnostics and management.

The Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust plans to carry out additional treatments in February and March for endometriosis, delivering 600 additional ultrasounds to reduce the waiting time for patients waiting for gynaecology services.

New US sanctions on Cuba

Situation in Iran

Public inquiry into Epstein links

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026

World Cancer Day

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Newborn bloodspot screening for spinal muscular atrophy

Marking the 60th anniversary of the University of the Air White Paper

Found: In answer to a Parliamentary Question from Munira Wilson MP in April 2025, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary