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 compulsory GCSE (a) English and (b) maths resit policy on the (i) wellbeing, (ii) progression and (iii) attainment of post-16 learners, including those with SEND or who experienced pandemic-related disruption; and whether she plans to expand the use of (A) Functional Skills and (B) alternative competency-based qualifications to support learners for whom repeated GCSE retakes are not appropriate.

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

The department recognises that Level 2 English and maths skills are essential for progressing in life, learning and work. That is why we require providers to continue teaching English and maths to students without these skills. This policy has seen hundreds of thousands of 16 -19 students attain Level 2, and many others improve their grade beneath that. It allows students to study towards a range of approved qualifications including Functional Skills Qualifications at Level 2, 1 and entry level.

In our Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper and response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we recognise we can further support providers to improve English and maths outcomes for all students. We have introduced a minimum teaching hours requirement, supported by additional funding, and will also introduce new Level 1 preparation for GCSE qualifications. To support student wellbeing, we have clarified our expectations around exam entry and are working with the Further Education Commissioner to share effective practice.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the safeguarding implications for children who have a parent in prison; and whether he plans to introduce a national statutory mechanism to identify those children, including a requirement for prisons and probation services to notify local authorities and schools when a parent is incarcerated.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that more can be done to ensure children with a parent in prison are identified so that they get the support they need. This is why the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education are working together to determine the best mechanism to identify these children.

We will continue to engage with those with those who have direct experience of having a parent in prison and with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to inform our approach. For example, 25 November marked the first-ever National Day to recognise children with a parent in prison. This provided a powerful opportunity for Ministers and officials from both Departments to attend a conference hosted by the charity Children Heard and Seen to hear directly from children and young people with lived experience of parental imprisonment. This demonstrates our commitment to putting children’s voices at the heart of our policymaking.

HMPPS has a statutory duty under section 11 of the Children Act (2004) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. HMPPS staff are required to check if prisoners received into custody have caring responsibilities for any children, to make enquiries with children’s services and record known safeguarding concerns. HMPPS works in partnership with police forces, children’s services and other relevant agencies to fulfil its safeguarding responsibilities. Where HMPPS professionals are concerned about the welfare of a child of a prisoner, they must consider whether a referral to local authority children’s social care is required and should always refer immediately if there is a concern that the child is suffering, or likely to, suffer significant harm. Additionally, HMPPS provides a comprehensive range of staff training and learning opportunities for staff, including an annual “Think Child” campaign, aimed at promoting children’s safety.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) implications for her policies on reforming the driving-test booking system’s of DataDome’s blog entitled Alert: Security Gaps Allow Bots to Exploit UK Driving Test Booking System, published on 16 April 2025, and (b) impact of restricting instructors from booking and managing tests on the professional driver-training sector, small businesses and learner drivers, including vulnerable and neurodiverse learners.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The public consultation sought views from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties. Further detail on the rationale, which will set out the detailed analysis, will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

DVSA has implemented a multi-layered approach to protect the integrity of its booking system and ensure fair access for legitimate users. Where bots are known to actively target, DVSA deploys and utilises advanced bot protection.

DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. However, these applications constantly evolve and change. DVSA’s work on this is ongoing. Protection measures taken by DVSA analyse multiple indicators such as typing speed, request frequency, device fingerprinting, and traffic patterns to identify non-human activity. When suspicious behaviour is detected, DVSA applied rules to block or throttle automated requests. DVSA continuously updates it approach to counter evolving tactics used by bot operators, who often attempt to mimic human behaviour.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Clause 4 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, if she will set out (a) what safeguards will be put in place to protect information shared under this clause against unauthorized access, misuse, or hacking; (b) how she will define the scope of relevant information, (c) which identifier will be used as the consistent identifier, (d) whether she has taken any independent advice on the strength of oversight procedures, and (e) what steps her Department will take to ensure that marginalized or vulnerable children and families are not disproportionately affected by this data-sharing duty.

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

Information sharing governance is crucial to Clause 4, and existing data protection requirements will apply. As is the case now, misuse of personally identifiable information is guarded against via governance processes that are the responsibility of data controllers and processors, who use systems to store sensitive children's data and follow the relevant security and processes. Consistent identifier piloting will consider what measures are needed for the number to be used securely and effectively.

“Relevant information” will be set out in statutory guidance, which relevant agencies must have regard to

The NHS number is being piloted as the consistent identifier, we will mandate the consistent identifier via regulations only when confident in the benefits, cost, security and governance

The department is working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office for both the consistent identifier and the information sharing duty to develop our approach.

Impact and equalities assessments will ensure vulnerable families are not disproportionately affected.

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