Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support university employees.

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

The department is aware that some providers are making difficult decisions around staffing to safeguard their financial sustainability. Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions, and the government therefore cannot intervene in pay and workforce matters, unlike in other sectors. Nevertheless, we expect providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution.

The department remains committed to creating a secure future for our HE sector so it can continue to deliver for students, taxpayers, staff and the economy. Our decision to increase tuition fees annually in line with inflation, demonstrates this commitment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what a) amount and b) percentage of the total of the apprenticeship levy, now the Growth and Skills Levy has been spent on under-25s for each of the past 5 years.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The table below shows the amount and percentage of the English Growth and Skills Levy (formerly apprenticeship) budget that has been spent on under-25s over the past five years.

This government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in the number of them starting apprenticeships which has fallen by 40% over the last decade.

To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people starting apprenticeships by March 2029, we are investing an additional £1 billion in the Growth and Skills Levy taking the budget to record levels. This is being used to fully fund apprenticeships for all eligible young people aged under 25 and to introduce a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that recruit young people as apprentices.

We have also introduced foundation apprenticeships specifically to provide entry level opportunities for young people in sectors such as construction, hospitality and retail, and have made £140 million available to pilot, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, new approaches to better connect young people aged 16-24 to local apprenticeship opportunities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were in receipt of (a) Statutory Maternity Pay, (b) Statutory Paternity Pay, (c) Statutory Adoption Pay and (d) Statutory Shared Parental Pay in the (i) 2024-25 and (ii) 2025-2026 financial year.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Counts of employees receiving Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory

Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, and Statutory Shared Parental Pay for tax years 2024-25 and 2025-26 are included in the table below.

Table 1 – Claims by Statutory Payment.

Notes:

1) Data collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) and extracted in July 2026. RTI is subject to revision or updates.

2) Counts of claims have been rounded to nearest 100.

3) Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Government department is responsible for leading work on climate adaptation in the UK.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra leads the UK Government’s work on climate adaptation. Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government is required to produce a Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme setting out how the identified risks will be addressed. The National Adaptation Programme covers areas within the UK Government’s responsibilities in England and its non-devolved functions across the rest of the UK. Although Defra leads this work, climate adaptation is a cross-government responsibility.

Found: distribution of palliative and end of life care” within a year of the bill becoming law (tabled by Munira Wilson

Found: Manuela Perteghella MPStratford-upon-avonCV37 6LUPublic sectorCommittedWest MidlandsOffice of Munira Wilson

Found: Manuela Perteghella MP Stratford-upon-avon CV37 6LU Public sector Committed West Midlands Office of Munira Wilson