Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, does the government plan to review the impact of the introduction of VAT on private school fees on (a) pupil numbers (b) public finances and (c) state school capacity.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will make n assessment of the potential merits of increased reporting of Financial Investigation Unit decisions and variation outcomes by the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a parent provides credible evidence that income has been misrepresented, the case may be referred to the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU). The FIU investigates whether the financial information used in the child maintenance assessment is correct and will either confirm the existing assessment or identify grounds for a revised liability.
Investigation timescales vary according to the complexity of the case. All credible allegations are investigated thoroughly and proportionately, with relevant evidence fully considered before a decision is made, helping to ensure accurate and evidence-based outcomes. The Child Maintenance Service's primary objective remains securing maintenance for children, and more intrusive investigatory action may, in some cases, risk disrupting ongoing payments.
FIU referrals and outcomes, for the last financial year, can be found at GOV.UK, table 7 in the following link: Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to March 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average investigation timescale is for referrals by the Child Maintenance Service to the Financial Investigation Unit.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a parent provides credible evidence that income has been misrepresented, the case may be referred to the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU). The FIU investigates whether the financial information used in the child maintenance assessment is correct and will either confirm the existing assessment or identify grounds for a revised liability.
Investigation timescales vary according to the complexity of the case. All credible allegations are investigated thoroughly and proportionately, with relevant evidence fully considered before a decision is made, helping to ensure accurate and evidence-based outcomes. The Child Maintenance Service's primary objective remains securing maintenance for children, and more intrusive investigatory action may, in some cases, risk disrupting ongoing payments.
FIU referrals and outcomes, for the last financial year, can be found at GOV.UK, table 7 in the following link: Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to March 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Maintenance Service cases were referred to the Financial Investigation Unit in the last financial year.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a parent provides credible evidence that income has been misrepresented, the case may be referred to the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU). The FIU investigates whether the financial information used in the child maintenance assessment is correct and will either confirm the existing assessment or identify grounds for a revised liability.
Investigation timescales vary according to the complexity of the case. All credible allegations are investigated thoroughly and proportionately, with relevant evidence fully considered before a decision is made, helping to ensure accurate and evidence-based outcomes. The Child Maintenance Service's primary objective remains securing maintenance for children, and more intrusive investigatory action may, in some cases, risk disrupting ongoing payments.
FIU referrals and outcomes, for the last financial year, can be found at GOV.UK, table 7 in the following link: Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to March 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to offer children who are eligible for free school meals with free bus travel.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Children aged 5 to 16 are eligible for free travel if they attend their nearest suitable school and cannot walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or route safety. Statutory walking distances are set at 2 miles for children under 8 and 3 miles for those aged 8 and over.
There are extended rights to free travel for children currently eligible for free school meals, to support low-income families to exercise school choice. More detail can be found in the statutory guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a10649929bb11891b1cf096/Travel_to_school_for_children_of_compulsory_school_age.pdf.
For these pupils, 11 to 16 year-olds may receive free travel to one of their three nearest schools between 2 to 6 miles from home, or to a school 2 to 15 miles away chosen on grounds of religion or belief; and the statutory walking distance is set at 2 miles for those aged 8 and over but under 11.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children adopted from care, or previously looked-after children, will lose any existing free school meal entitlement from September 2026.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, lifting 100,000 children across England out of poverty and putting £500 back in families’ pockets.
Transitional protections meant that any child who had once received FSM would continue to receive it, even if their family circumstances had changed. No child who is eligible for FSM will lose their lunch before the expansion takes effect.
From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, all transitional protections will end and schools and local authorities will need to recheck FSM eligibility annually.
Local authorities play an important role in supporting these children’s educational outcomes and should continue work with schools to identify and verify eligibility for FSM where a parent or carer meets the relevant eligibility criteria.
Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities/free-school-meals-guidance-for-local-authorities-local-authority-maintained-schools-academies-and-free-schools.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the end of free school meal transitional protections will affect any adopted children who currently receive free school meals.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, lifting 100,000 children across England out of poverty and putting £500 back in families’ pockets.
Transitional protections meant that any child who had once received FSM would continue to receive it, even if their family circumstances had changed. No child who is eligible for FSM will lose their lunch before the expansion takes effect.
From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, all transitional protections will end and schools and local authorities will need to recheck FSM eligibility annually.
Local authorities play an important role in supporting these children’s educational outcomes and should continue work with schools to identify and verify eligibility for FSM where a parent or carer meets the relevant eligibility criteria.
Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities/free-school-meals-guidance-for-local-authorities-local-authority-maintained-schools-academies-and-free-schools.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of information on animal offenders recorded on the Police National Computer to relevant third parties; and what proportion of requests for information relating to animal offenders made by organisations involved in animal rehoming and welfare were (a) granted and (b) refused in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Access to data in the Police National Computer is restricted to cleared authorised users in the Police Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies and authorisation of its use and data contained is managed via the Police; therefore, the Home Office does not hold this information, as data added loaded is the responsibilities of the Data Controllers.
The Government is committed to strong enforcement of animal welfare legislation and ensuring that those convicted of serious animal welfare offences can be subject to disqualification orders preventing them from owning or keeping animals. Animal welfare and rehoming organisations play an important role in protecting animal welfare and promoting responsible ownership. The Home Office is also working with key partners, including the RSPCA, to strengthen the recording and use of relevant animal abuse information on police systems where appropriate.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure people convicted of sexual offences are excluded from early release provisions.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
First, I would like to express my sincere sympathy with all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, including through the progression model which will help ensure there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be running out of prison space and not being able to lock up dangerous offenders.
The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.
Over 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for as long as they are now. Once released, offenders will be managed under strict licence conditions in the community. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Digital Waste Tracking service will help to reduce fly tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Once fully implemented the digital waste tracking service will require certain information about waste movements to be entered before the movement, followed by confirmation that a waste carrier has collected it and confirmation that it has been received at a waste receiving site.
If these confirmations are not provided, then this will highlight to regulators that this waste may have been ‘lost’ and potentially mismanaged. They can then act accordingly to investigate this.
This transparency and near real time data will reduce the opportunities for organised waste criminals to operate; making it much harder to commit waste crime such as fly-tipping.