Paula Barker Portrait

Paula Barker

Labour - Liverpool Wavertree

16,304 (40.9%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 12th December 2019


Public Accounts Committee
11th Dec 2023 - 30th May 2024
Home Affairs Committee
8th Feb 2022 - 27th Nov 2023
Shadow Minister (Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government)
28th Oct 2022 - 15th Nov 2023
Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill
26th Oct 2022 - 2nd Nov 2022
Judicial Review and Courts Bill
27th Oct 2021 - 23rd Nov 2021
Justice Committee
11th May 2020 - 13th Jul 2021


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Paula Barker has voted in 232 divisions, and 6 times against the majority of their Party.

1 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Paula Barker voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 49 Labour No votes vs 333 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 335 Noes - 260
1 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Paula Barker voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 42 Labour Aye votes vs 325 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 149 Noes - 328
9 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Paula Barker voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 47 Labour No votes vs 333 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 336 Noes - 242
9 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Paula Barker voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 47 Labour Aye votes vs 331 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 149 Noes - 334
9 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Paula Barker voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 35 Labour Aye votes vs 333 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 130 Noes - 443
9 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Paula Barker voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 37 Labour No votes vs 330 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 335 Noes - 135
View All Paula Barker Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Hamish Falconer (Labour)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(8 debate interactions)
Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op))
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(6 debate interactions)
Angela Rayner (Labour)
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
(6 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Ministry of Justice
(9 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(5 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Paula Barker's debates

Liverpool Wavertree Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Paula Barker has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Paula Barker

22nd July 2025
Paula Barker signed this EDM as the primary signatory on Tuesday 22nd July 2025

Retirement of Alyson Rigby

Tabled by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
That this House sends warm wishes to Alyson Rigby upon her retirement as Headteacher of St.Michael’s Catholic Primary School in Liverpool; recognises her immense contribution as an educator with over 38 years of experience, including 20 as a Headteacher in the city of Liverpool; thanks her for outstanding leadership of …
1 signatures
(Most recent: 22 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 1
15th July 2025
Paula Barker signed this EDM as the primary signatory on Tuesday 15th July 2025

Birthday of James Furlong

Tabled by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
That this House notes the birthday of proud Scouser James Furlong taking place this week, who lost his life in the Forbury Gardens terrorist attack in 2020; sends its best wishes to James’ parents Gary and Jan Furlong; commends the parents on their fight to see lasting changes to the …
3 signatures
(Most recent: 21 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
View All Paula Barker's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Paula Barker, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Paula Barker has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Paula Barker has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by Paula Barker


A Bill to make provision about the national minimum wage; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 2nd May 2023
(Read Debate)

A Bill to make provision about the national minimum wage; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 5th February 2020

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of Capita's approach to industrial relations when administrating government contracts.

As with all strategic suppliers to the government, we continue to monitor Capita's conduct and commercial performance. The Supplier Code of Conduct expects suppliers to treat employees and service users fairly and in line with employment laws, including non-discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and human rights. It also requires adherence to ethical standards, counter-fraud policies, and whistleblowing procedures, promoting lawful and appropriate working practices throughout the supply chain. Suppliers are expected to communicate these standards internally and to their subcontractors.

As a strategic supplier to the Government, Capita has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which supports this framework through proactive risk management. It enables the Cabinet Office to monitor performance and financial health, identify breaches, and, where necessary, take action such as developing Improvement Plans to address any workplace conduct and governance issues.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to require companies with Government contracts to recognise trade unions.

This Government is committed to creating jobs that provide security, treat workers fairly, and pay a decent wage. The Government’s Social Value Model provides an opportunity to reward suppliers who provide good working conditions for staff working on public contracts. The Employment Rights Bill also supports workers’ rights to access a Trade Union.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help resolve the industrial dispute at pension administrator MyCSP.

The Government does not provide a running commentary on ongoing disputes.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the average number of men who have committed suicide in each of the last five years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 26th June is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of (a) pub and (b) restaurant closures in England in the latest period for which data is available.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
7th Jan 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on the provision of temporary accommodation for test-and-learn pilots.

The Test & Learns are a new way of working. The Cabinet Office, in close partnership with MHCLG, will be working across government and with local partners to codesign the detailed approach to the allocation of the Public Services and Innovation Fund in early 2025. We will partner with the Local Government Association (LGA) on this process. The initial projects include work on temporary accommodation with Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Essex County Council.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the independent hospitality sector with rising costs.

Independent hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.

The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the resilience of the independent hospitality sector to absorb the rising costs of (a) national Insurance, (b) alcohol duty, (c) energy prices and (d) food prices.

The government will protect the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that in 2025/26, 865,000 employers (43%) will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.

The alcohol duty cut on qualifying draught products impacts approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall cut in duty bills of over £85million a year.

Since 19 December 2024, Small and Medium Enterprises with fewer than 50 employees have been able to access free support to resolve issues with their energy supplier through the Energy Ombudsman. Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and other manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates.

We continue to work closely with HM Treasury on the challenges facing high street and other businesses.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to small businesses to help meet additional costs arising from the Autumn Budget 2024.

The Government remains committed to helping small businesses thrive and will be publishing our Small Business Strategy next year. This will set out our vision for all small businesses, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy.

At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced £250 million for the British Business Bank’s small business finance programmes in 2025/26. Additional funding for two key growth-driving programmes was also announced for 2025/26: Growth Hubs in England and Help to Grow: Management across the UK. These programmes aim to help businesses and entrepreneurs unlock their potential through bespoke support and resources.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise businesses to employ young people.

The Government’s plan to Make Work Pay is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all, including young people.

In addition, the Department for Education has established Skills England to sit at the heart of a system that provides young people with the skills required to thrive in life.

Skills England has set out a package of financial support to businesses which provide apprenticeships for young people to help drive up participation among this group.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will bring forward proposals to regulate the de facto monopoly of ticket sales by Ticketmaster.

Under competition law, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as the UK’s competition authority, is responsible for investigating anti-competitive practices such as an abuse of a dominant position. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that businesses are behaving anti-competitively in a market. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate.

With respect to the secondary ticketing market, the Government has committed to introducing new consumer protections in relation to ticket resales and we will be launching a consultation in the autumn to seek views on potential options.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
14th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41589 on Rented Housing: Housing Improvement, whether (a) landlords who have received a Warm Homes local grant and (b) local authorities are required to notify tenants of a declaration not to raise rents following the improvements.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant requires landlords to declare that they will not raise rents as a direct result of the upgrades being installed funded by government grants. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is monitoring the impact of the scheme, including on rents and may make changes if needed.

There is not a requirement on either landlords or local authorities to notify tenants of this declaration.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has undertaken a risk assessment on solar radiation modification.

The Government is not in favour of using Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). Given the significant uncertainty around the possible risks and impacts of deployment on the climate and environment, the Government is not deploying SRM and has no plans to do so.

The Department works closely with the research community to evaluate the latest research on the potential risks and impacts of solar radiation modification.

Kerry McCarthy
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will take steps to help households with the cost of energy during winter 2024-25.

The Government is committed to supporting households with the cost of energy this winter, and we are continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills for eligible low-income households.

I have also outlined our expectation to energy suppliers that they should do everything they can to support customers who are struggling with their bills, especially vulnerable consumers. Last month I met with energy suppliers and encouraged them to sign up to the Voluntary Debt Commitment for this winter, and I will work closely with them in the weeks ahead to ensure vulnerable consumers are supported through this winter.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of the potential impact of energy price rises on levels of child poverty.

The Government has not made an assessment on the impact of energy price rises on child poverty. The latest statistics on fuel poverty in England cover 2023 and can be found in the published Official Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics. Table 22 provide estimates of the number of households in fuel poverty by age of the youngest person in the household. Statistics for 2024 will be published in early 2025.

The Government is working with the recently announced Child Poverty Taskforce to deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the UKRI on its funded research projects on solar radiation modification.

The Department engages regularly with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and its constituent Councils, on a range of research and innovation priorities.

In April 2025, UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) invested £10 million in four research projects on solar radiation modification (SRM). These projects cover stratospheric aerosol intervention; marine cloud brightening; the environment’s response to SRM; and the cooling potential of lesser-known SRM approaches. These projects will not involve outdoor experiments.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect (a) women and (b) girls from deepfake pornography.

Online safety is a priority for government. Services in scope of the Online Safety Act must remove illegal content and protect children from harmful content - including when this content is AI-generated. Services providing pornographic content must use highly effective age assurance to ensure that children cannot access it.

We are committed to tackling the atrocious harm posed by the creation of non-consensual intimate images and are bringing in legislation to criminalise this behaviour in the Data (Use and Access) Bill.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether funding made available for the AstraZeneca vaccine project in Liverpool will remain available for other life science projects in the Liverpool City region.

The Government supports the vibrant life sciences sector, which contributes £108 billion to the economy and 300,000 jobs nationwide. A new Life Sciences Sector Plan, part of the upcoming Industrial Strategy, is due to be published in late Spring. This will set out a comprehensive plan of how the Government intends to drive growth in the sector. In addition, the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund will allocate up to £520 million to deliver economic growth and build health resilience, and is available UK-wide, including to projects in the Liverpool City region

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for research into the role of technology in gender based violence.

The government is working with Ofcom, the independent online safety regulator, to implement the Online Safety Act. The Act requires platforms to proactively tackle illegal content and content harmful to children, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls.

Ofcom and the government have ongoing online safety research programmes. On 6 February, DSIT published research entitled ‘Platform design and the risk of online violence against women and girls’ which can found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a39e2cad556423b636cadd/Platform_design_risk_of_online_violence_against_women_girls_A.pdf

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the growth of AI on individual employment sectors.

We are already witnessing AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and displacing old ones. The Government will work to harness the benefits that AI can bring – such as productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing – while managing potential risks.

The Get Britain Working White Paper from DWP, HMT and DfE sets out how we will address key labour market challenges. We continue to work closely with these and other government departments through the AI Opportunities Action Plan.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of social media algorithms on recent trends in the level of misogynistic content targeted at (a) boys and (b) young men.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) places safety duties on in-scope user-to-user and search services. Services must employ age-appropriate measures to protect children from legal abusive and hateful misogynistic content. Additionally, the largest services (category 1) will need to remove misogynistic content where it is prohibited in their terms of service.

Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety and its draft codes include steps regarding algorithm design and operation. Ofcom will keep its codes under review.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of potential impact of the cost of energy required to power AI capabilities on the feasibility of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, published on 13 January 2025.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.

We recognise that data centres face sustainability challenges, from energy demands to water use. Through the AI Energy Council, we will be exploring bold, clean energy solutions — from next-generation renewables to small modular reactors — to ensure our AI ambitions align with the UK’s net zero goals.

This builds on DSIT’s contribution to make Britain a clean energy superpower by investing in relevant research on clean energy and climate change.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether artificial intelligence is being used to make decisions on individual caseworks (a) across government departments, (b) in the Home Office and (c) in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Individual departments have responsibility for their specific adoption of Artificial Intelligence. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) supports their adoption by providing frameworks, guidance and a community of practice. DSIT is currently implementing the mandatory rollout of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) which establishes a standardised way for public sector organisations to publish information about how and why they are using algorithmic tools.

Artificial Intelligence is not being used within the Home Office to make caseworking decisions. DWP does not use artificial intelligence to make decisions in relation to fraud and error. All decisions that impact payments involve human intervention.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning social media for under-16s.

We continue to consider all options in the pursuit of online safety for children. We live in a digital age and it is important we strike the right balance. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so children can benefit from its wide-reaching protections as quickly as possible. We are building the evidence base to inform any future action and have launched a research project looking at the links between social media and children’s wellbeing.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect young people from (a) misogynistic behaviour and (b) unrealistic expectations of young women on social media platforms.

The Online Safety Act requires in-scope services to protect users from harmful illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. Services must also employ age-appropriate measures to protect children from legal abusive and hateful misogynistic content. User-to-user services and publishers of pornography must also prevent children from encountering online pornography.

Services over the designated threshold will need to remove misogynistic content where it is prohibited in their terms of service. Companies will need to have effective, accessible mechanisms in place for users to be able to report abuse and receive an appropriate response from the platform.

Media literacy helps address online safety issues by raising awareness that online actions have offline consequences, encouraging critical engagement with content and fostering a respectful online environment. Since 2022, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology has provided almost £3 million in grant funding for a range of media literacy projects. This covered funding for the National Literacy Trust’s ‘Empower’ programme which includes delivering media literacy education with a focus on women and girls’ online experiences to students aged 11-16.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of cricket participation rates among state school pupils.

Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey for Academic Year 2023-24 shows that 252,500 (6.6%) children in academy schools have participated in cricket at least once a week or more, and 253,000 (7.3%) children in maintained schools have participated in cricket at least once a week or more.

The Government is committed to protecting time for physical education in schools. The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the National Governing Body for cricket, has committed to making the sport as inclusive as possible for children and young people through their new strategy and state school action plan. I have also seen the work of their charitable arm, Chance to Shine, to encourage more children to take up cricket, at the Mill Academy in Worsbrough last year.

We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million of National Lottery and government money. The ECB receives £10.2 million funding from Sport England across up to five years to help deliver strategic objectives, including tackling inequalities and improving access to sport.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of (a) the long-term viability, (b) the financial position and (c) levels of participation in cricket clubs in cities.

This Government is committed to ensuring everyone, no matter their age, background or ability, should be able to play sport and be active.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.

This includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives. This includes programmes that will benefit everyone, including people who live in cities, as set out in their “Inspiring Generations” strategy for 2025-2028.

On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK following the Spending Review, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the England and Wales Cricket Board on increasing levels of access to cricket in cities.

This Government is committed to ensuring everyone, no matter their age, background or ability, should be able to play sport and be active.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.

This includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives. This includes programmes that will benefit everyone, including people who live in cities, as set out in their “Inspiring Generations” strategy for 2025-2028.

On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK following the Spending Review, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the (a) Premier League and (b) English Football League on the cost of football tickets; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent trends in the cost of football tickets on supporters.

Football is nothing without its fans and the Government is keen to see as many people as possible benefit from and enjoy the spectacle of live sport.

The matter of ticket prices is a commercial decision for individual clubs and leagues to take. However, the Government remains in conversation with stakeholders to ensure that fans are engaged properly.

This is also why the Government has introduced legislation to establish an Independent Football Regulator to protect and promote the sustainability of English football in the interests of fans and the local communities football clubs serve.

As a result of changes made by this Government, the Football Governance Bill will now explicitly require clubs to consult their supporters on ticket prices making sure their voice is heard on this key issue.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that growth in the British film industry is shared across the UK.

The government is firmly committed to supporting the growth of the film industry across every nation and region. Through our UK-wide funding programmes, investment in infrastructure, tax reliefs and support for independent British content, we want the UK to be the best place in the world to make films.

We fund the British Film Institute (BFI) to support the film sector through nationwide funding and initiatives. The BFI’s ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out its core principle to reach across the full breadth of our nation. The BFI have sought to devolve funding, share power, and support networks across regions, in particular through their Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) which is a collaboration of 8 film hubs, managed by leading film organisations and venues around the UK. Film Hub North covers Liverpool.

The BFI is also tackling skills shortages in the sector to underpin growth across the UK. Under the BFI’s National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund, £8.1 million has been awarded to enable six Skills Clusters across the UK to identify skills gaps, coordinate local skills training, and develop clearer pathways to long-term employment in the sector. This programme includes £2.3m awarded to Screen Alliance North - created by the Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester, and Screen Yorkshire - over 2023-2026.

We support the British Film Commission (BFC) work, with £6 million in funding, to support the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK, by investing in infrastructure and attracting global film productions that bring inward investment into the local and national economy. This includes support for Liverpool, most recently supporting and advising on the Liverpool Littlewoods film studio development.

We also want to support independent British content, to ensure stories from across the UK are told on screen. We recently brought in the Independent Film Tax Credit to support homegrown talent, and we support indie content to grow internationally through the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF). Daliland and The Almond and The Seahorse, both of which were shot in Liverpool, received international distribution awards from UKGSF.

In addition, to boost the contribution of film tourism to local economies, DCMS Arm’s-Length Body VisitBritain uses high profile filming locations as part of its international tourism marketing activity.


Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to use the (a) expertise and (b) capacity of the voluntary and community sector to help (i) develop and (ii) deliver the Government's policy objectives.

The Government is committed to resetting the relationship with civil society and treating them as an equal, expert partner who will be integral to delivery of the Government’s vision for national renewal.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has policy responsibility for civil society. Ministers and senior officials are engaging regularly with a range of civil society leaders to discuss the contribution that civil society can make to Government priorities.

Work is currently underway across Government to shape and define the five core missions and DCMS is working closely with lead departments to ensure that civil society is appropriately involved in delivery of these missions.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to engage with civil society on the delivery of the Government's programme.

The Government is committed to resetting the relationship with civil society and treating them as an equal, expert partner who will be integral to delivery of the Government’s vision for national renewal.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has policy responsibility for civil society. Ministers and senior officials are engaging regularly with a range of civil society leaders to discuss the contribution that civil society can make to Government priorities.

Work is currently underway across Government to shape and define the five core missions and DCMS is working closely with lead departments to ensure that civil society is appropriately involved in delivery of these missions.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department provides to support the growth of grassroots rugby league.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Since 2019, Sport England has provided over £34 million of support to programmes which facilitate participation in grassroots rugby league.

The Rugby Football Union (RFL) is the National Governing Body for rugby league and receives £11 million of funding from Sport England across up to five years to help deliver strategic objectives, including tackling inequalities and improving access to sport.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure children from deprived backgrounds can participate in sport.

The Government believes that every child - no matter their background or ability - should have the opportunity to play sport and be physically active.

We provide the majority of our funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. The expansion of Sport England’s Place Partnerships will invest up to £250 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funding and enhance engagement in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

The Government has also committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities which will ensure that children and young people have access to high-quality, inclusive facilities, no matter where they live.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with schools on the potential impact of (a) children buying vapes from their peers and (b) preventing the use of vapes in schools on levels of (i) behaviour and (ii) teacher morale.

The sale of vapes to under 18s is illegal, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the sale of all consumer nicotine products to anyone under 18.

Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including what items are banned from school premises. The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour and the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, including vaping anywhere in school.

The relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance states that, in both primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks. This includes smoking, alcohol use, and drug taking.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the average weekly cost of (a) student accommodation, (b) food and (c) living for university students in the latest period for which data is available.

The latest Student Income and Expenditure Survey for 2021/22 collects data on income and expenditure across the academic year, assumed to be 39 weeks.

In the 2021/22 academic year, full-time undergraduate students’ total median living costs were £5,841 including spending on food, entertainment, personal items and other spending not directly related to students’ courses.

Full-time undergraduate students had a median spend of £1,814 on food in the 2021/22 academic year.

The median expenditure on housing costs across full-time undergraduate students who incurred those costs was £4,940.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support university students with the cost of living.

The government recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students.

The government has therefore announced that maximum loans for living costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. A 3.1% increase is in line with forecast inflation based on the Retail Prices Index Excluding Mortgage (RPIX) inflation index.

We continue to provide means-tested non-repayable grants to low-income full-time students with children and adults who are financially dependent on them.

In addition, students with disabilities can apply for non-means tested disabled students’ allowance to support additional disability-related study costs. For the 2025/26 academic year, maximum dependants’ grants and disabled students’ allowance are being increased by 3.1%.

Students undertaking nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses also qualify for additional non-repayable grant support through the NHS Learning Support Fund.

The department aims to publish our plans for higher education reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White paper in the summer, and work with the sector and the Office for Students to deliver the change that the country needs.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) teaching bodies on using vapes in school settings.

In the UK, it is against the law to sell nicotine vaping products to under 18s or for adults to buy them on their behalf. Young people should not have these products in schools.

Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including which items are banned from school premises. School staff can search pupils for banned items as outlined in the department’s Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance.

Schools have an important role in educating pupils about the dangers of harmful substances. Primary pupils should be taught about legal and illegal harmful substances while secondary pupils are also taught about the associated legal and psychological risks. The relationships, sex and health education curriculum is currently being reviewed and will consider vaping as part of the review of the statutory guidance.

FRANK, the government-funded national drug and alcohol advisory service, has also been updated with relevant information on vapes, including the risks, physical effects and addictiveness of nicotine vapes.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools reported finding students in possession of illegal drugs.

The department does not collect such information centrally.

The Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance emphasises the importance of the school’s duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils. Searching can play a critical role in ensuring that schools are safe environments. Authorised members of school staff have the statutory power to search a pupil when they have reasonable grounds to suspect them to be in possession of prohibited items, such as illegal drugs. At all times, schools must ensure they continue to adhere to their statutory safeguarding duties as outlined in the Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance documents.

The relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance states that, in both primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including drug-taking. To support schools to deliver this content, the department has published a suite of teacher training modules, including one on drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with teachers on recent trends in the level of (a) misogynistic and (b) violent attitudes towards women and girls expressed by boys in education settings.

As set out in the government’s Plan for Change, the Safer Streets Mission aims to reduce serious harm and increase public confidence in policing and in the criminal justice system. Integral to this is the ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. The department plays an important role in delivering that ambition.

The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, currently under review, is designed to provide a comprehensive basis, from primary school onwards, for building respectful, healthy relationships, recognising prejudice and the impact of stereotypes, and understanding what counts as harmful or abusive behaviour. The guidance is clear that schools should be alive to issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled. The RSHE curriculum is supported by teacher training modules available online.

The department’s Ministers and officials engage regularly with school staff and their representative bodies on a wide range of issues, including on the behaviour of pupils and students. As part of the work to review the current RSHE statutory guidance, we have been discussing with stakeholders and are planning further engagement directly with teachers.

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Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in university tuition fees on university enrolment.

An Equality Impact Assessment of changes to tuition fees and student support for the 2025/26 academic year was published on GOV.UK on 20 January when the Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 were laid before Parliament. These regulations increase maximum tuition fee limits in 2025/26 by 3.1%, based on forecast inflation using the RPI All Items Excl Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation index.

The government expects that a 3.1% increase in maximum tuition fees, which will be accompanied by a similar increase in fee loans in 2025/26 for full-time, full-time accelerated and part-time undergraduate courses, will have a broadly neutral impact as the total level of debt for students who qualify for up-front tuition fee loans should remain unchanged in real terms.

The government also considers that the increase in maximum tuition fees will not significantly alter participation decisions for most students as the value of tuition fees will remain unchanged in real terms.

The government plans to lay further regulations in February increasing maximum fee loans for 2025/26 by 3.1%.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to support students with (a) the cost of living and (b) accommodation costs.

The government is determined that the higher education funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.

The government recognises the impact that the cost of living crisis has had on students. That is why we are increasing the maximum maintenance loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation, to ensure that more support is targeted at students from the lowest income families.

Maximum maintenance loans will increase in line with forecast inflation, giving students up to an additional £414 a year of support in the 2025/26 academic year. This is the increase in the maximum loan for living costs for students living away from, and studying in, London from £13,348 to £13,762.

Therefore, a student living away from home and studying outside London on a household income of £25,000 or less will qualify for a maximum loan for living costs of £10,544 for the 2025/26 academic year, an increase of £317 compared to 2024/25. Students living away from home and studying in London will qualify for higher rates of loan, as will students eligible for benefits and some disabled students.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to provide mandatory training for social workers on identifying signs of coercive and controlling behaviour.

The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets the professional standards which all social workers must meet. The professional standards include that social workers must be able recognise the risk indicators of different forms of abuse and neglect and their impact on people, their families and their support networks. Social workers complete initial education and training courses which are approved by the regulator against the education and training standards. The provision of continuous professional development for employed social workers is a matter for their employer.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will pause the defunding of applied general qualifications scheduled for 2025 and 2026.

In July 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a short pause to the defunding of qualifications to enable a review of 16-19 qualification reforms at Level 3 and below. This ensured that 95 qualifications set to lose funding this summer continue to be available to students, in accordance with the decisions of awarding organisations. This was followed by a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Smith, on 25 July, which is available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-07-25/hlws20.

The department is now working to review defunding decisions and qualifications available at level three and it will set out the position before Christmas.

The department has not announced any defunding for 2026.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure Kings Leadership Academy in Liverpool is ready to accept pupils from September 2025.

To open a free school, the department must be satisfied that the site is suitable and deliverable. The department has acquired the site for the school. However, there are a number of planning conditions that the department needs to satisfy before the school opens. The department is working closely with the Local Planning Authority, Liverpool City Council and the Great Schools Trust to address the planning requirements for the school.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)