Perran Moon Portrait

Perran Moon

Labour - Camborne and Redruth

7,806 (16.3%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


Crown Estate Bill [HL]
29th Jan 2025 - 6th Feb 2025
Great British Energy Bill
11th Sep 2024 - 15th Oct 2024


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Perran Moon has voted in 197 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Perran Moon 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
Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op))
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(16 debate interactions)
Michael Shanks (Labour)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
(10 debate interactions)
Ed Miliband (Labour)
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
(9 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Legislation Debates
Great British Energy Act 2025
(6,097 words contributed)
Crown Estate Act 2025
(594 words contributed)
Finance Act 2025
(77 words contributed)
Employment Rights Bill 2024-26
(10 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Perran Moon's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Perran Moon

24th March 2025
Perran Moon signed this EDM on Wednesday 7th May 2025

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Tabled by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
That this House believes that Ukrainian refugees fleeing war must be treated with compassion in the UK; recognises that the war in Ukraine still wages on, more than three years after Putin first invaded; notes with concern recent reports that some Ukrainian refugees have faced losing their homes and jobs …
99 signatures
(Most recent: 19 May 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 59
Labour: 21
Scottish National Party: 7
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green Party: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Conservative: 2
Ulster Unionist Party: 1
17th July 2024
Perran Moon signed this EDM on Monday 29th July 2024

200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Tabled by: Helena Dollimore (Labour (Co-op) - Hastings and Rye)
That this House congratulates the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on its 200th anniversary of saving lives at sea; thanks all crew members who have risked their lives to save over 140,000 lives at sea; and pays tribute to all volunteers past and present who support this vital work.
54 signatures
(Most recent: 30 Oct 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 39
Liberal Democrat: 6
Plaid Cymru: 4
Conservative: 2
Independent: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Perran Moon's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Perran Moon, 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.


Perran Moon has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Perran Moon

Tuesday 1st April 2025

Perran Moon has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Perran Moon has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


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
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to make an assessment of international comparisons of support provided to (a) minerals, (b) metals and (c) processing companies through the (i) planning and (ii) permitting process.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) actively monitors support provided to companies operating across the critical minerals supply chain in comparable countries, including planning and permitting processes.

In the forthcoming Critical Minerals Strategy, DBT will outline further details of the Government’s approach to supporting the UK’s domestic mining, processing and recycling industries, and developing the UK’s competitive advantage.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled UK Critical Mineral Strategy, last updated on 13 March 2024, what recent estimate he has made of the value of critical mineral exports.

In 2024, the UK exported an estimated £10 billion worth of critical minerals. This figure was calculated using HMRC trade statistics, and the definition of “critical minerals” comes from internationally comparable HS trade codes published by the US Geological Survey. This figure does not include the many downstream products that are produced using critical minerals.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of securing the imports of critical minerals in (a) semi-manufactured materials and (b) raw materials.

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. Building on the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre’s updated criticality assessment, government will work hand in hand with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This new, targeted Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.


As part of the ongoing engagement, the government will engage with stakeholders to gather expertise and insights to shape our approach to securing critical minerals.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to extend the Energy Intensive Industries support scheme.

The British Industry Supercharger was launched in 2024 and provides support to Energy Intensive Industries to bring electricity costs for those strategically important UK industries closer in line with other major economies so that they remain competitive on the world stage. The measures save eligible businesses on average around £24 – £31 per MWh on their electricity costs. The British Industry Supercharger will be reviewed regularly.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the production of cathode active materials for use in the (a) critical minerals and (b) battery supply chain.

Our vision is to achieve a domestic battery supply chain by 2030 by accelerating the growth of domestic capabilities, collaborating with international partners, and enhancing international markets. The UK National Wealth Fund (NWF) announced in January an investment of £28m in Cornish Metals. This recognises the crucial role of a domestic supply of raw materials for electric vehicles and other technologies in the nation's transition to net zero.

We are also working on regulatory levers to incentivise reuse, repurposing, and recycling infrastructure for all battery chemistry types, including lithium-based technologies.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring District Network Operators provide (a) free and (b) national access to data on (i) power cable routes, (ii) substation locations and (iii) spare capacity.

The Government recognises the value of electricity network data to energy stakeholders, for example in helping to identify where best to connect projects. The energy regulator, Ofgem, has placed licence obligations on energy networks, including distribution network operators (DNOs), to make network data open by default, subject to certain considerations such as national security [1]. As part of this, DNOs publish free data on their networks, including network capacity ‘heat maps’ [2]. Under its review of the regulation of connections, Ofgem is also considering how best to ensure that network companies continuously improve data visualisation tools [3].

[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/decision/decision-updates-data-best-practice-guidance-and-digitalisation-strategy-and-action-plan-guidance

[2] https://www.energynetworks.org/industry/connecting-to-the-networks/connections-data

[3] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-11/Connections_End_to_End_Review_consultation.pdf

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of Behind the Metre energy systems for energy-intensive industries.

There are increasingly greater opportunities for energy-intensive industries to make use of behind-the-meter energy systems. Demand flexibility, often in tandem with on-site generation and energy storage, enables industrial consumers to be financially rewarded for shifting their energy consumption to periods where energy is cheap, green and abundant, without compromising their commercial functions.

The Department is continuing to build its evidence base on how demand flexibility, on-site generation and energy storage can be deployed to support our mission to deliver Clean Power by 2030 and beyond. This includes improving visibility of the complex challenges and barriers faced by energy-intensive industries to participating in and benefiting from demand flexibility.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to help support the adoption of smart technologies in environmental (a) data collection and (b) monitoring involved in the (i) construction and (ii) development of offshore wind infrastructure.

The Clean Power Action Plan (CPAP) committed to delivering clean power by 2030 whilst enabling nature recovery. A key action in the CPAP is to consider options for harmonising the offshore wind environmental data and modelling used for assessing environmental impacts of offshore wind projects. The use of new and innovative smart technologies will be key in collecting, monitoring, analysing and harmonising environmental data for offshore wind development and the Government has partnerships in place to facilitate development of these technologies.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to use the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund to accelerate the roll out of Ground Source Heat Pumps and Shared Ground loops.

The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund provides grant funding for social housing landlords to improve the energy performance of their properties.

Ground Source Heat Pumps and Shared Ground Loops are both eligible measures under the scheme. They are supported by both the ‘On-Gas-Grid Low Carbon Heating Incentive Offer’ and the ‘Off-Gas-Grid Low Carbon Heating Cost Cap Uplift’, which provide funding to support installations of low carbon heating technologies.

All measures installed under the scheme must be lodged onto the TrustMark Retrofit Portal, adhere to requirements within Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2035, and be installed by an appropriately certified PAS or Microgeneration Certification Scheme installer which is TrustMark registered.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of exempting Ground Source Heat Pumps from blowout prevention permitting requirements in Mining Remediation Authority Areas.

The Mining Remediation Authority are responsible for safely managing the effects of past coal mining and will request a risk assessment as part of the permit to drill phase and the heat access agreement application for projects with groundworks in or near to coal (including mine workings) to help ensure works are undertaken safely. Guidance on managing the risk of hazardous gases when drilling or piling near coal can be found on GOV.UK.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is not currently exploring exempting Ground Source Heat Pumps from coal mining risk assessments.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
19th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered implementing a licencing regime similar to the Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence to help clarify the (a) rights and (b) responsibilities of developers of geothermal energy.

The Government is considering various indirect support measures for the development of geothermal energy including regulatory approaches. However, a specific licensing regime like the Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence has not been established in the UK, and at this time the Government is not currently considering implementing a licencing regime for geothermal energy.

Kerry McCarthy
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with OFGEM on funding for shared ground loops under the Energy Company Obligation Scheme.

There is provision within the rules of ECO4 for shared ground loops to be delivered. ECO4 is not funded by government. Rather, the government requires energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency measures to eligible households. The energy suppliers fund those measures and recoup the costs from their customers’ energy bills.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
6th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to help increase the (a) production and (b) programming of Cornish language content.

The Government wants broadcasters to commission content in every part of the country and for British storytelling to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK so that more people can see themselves reflected on screen and as part of our national story.

The Media Act makes clear in legislation the importance of the UK's indigenous regional and minority languages - including Cornish - by including their provision in the public service remit for television.

The BBC additionally has an obligation to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the UK’s nations and regions, set out in its current Royal Charter.

The forthcoming Charter Review is a key opportunity to set the BBC up for success long into the future. It will look at a range of issues and, as a priority for this Government, will start a national conversation to make sure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential causes of people being not in employment, education or training in rural areas.

The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people and transform their life chances, including those in rural areas and the wider area of Cornwall.

Young people are entitled to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The department has published guidance to help local authorities identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty or disability, or poor school attendance, so they can be given extra support.

The government will establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or help to find work for all 18 to 21-year-olds, to prevent them becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age. £45 million has been allocated to eight Mayoral Strategic Authority Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The department will work with local areas on future expansion.

The government recognises that transport can be an issue for some young people, particularly in rural areas. The 16 to 19 Bursary Funding is allocated directly to schools and colleges to support financially disadvantaged young people who need additional support to help them with costs such as transport. Post-16 transport guidance requires local authorities to make the necessary transport arrangements or provide financial support to ensure young people can participate in education or training.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce numbers of people not in education, employment or training in Cornwall.

The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people and transform their life chances, including those in rural areas and the wider area of Cornwall.

Young people are entitled to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The department has published guidance to help local authorities identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty or disability, or poor school attendance, so they can be given extra support.

The government will establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or help to find work for all 18 to 21-year-olds, to prevent them becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age. £45 million has been allocated to eight Mayoral Strategic Authority Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The department will work with local areas on future expansion.

The government recognises that transport can be an issue for some young people, particularly in rural areas. The 16 to 19 Bursary Funding is allocated directly to schools and colleges to support financially disadvantaged young people who need additional support to help them with costs such as transport. Post-16 transport guidance requires local authorities to make the necessary transport arrangements or provide financial support to ensure young people can participate in education or training.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools' policy responds to increases in Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, including for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

To strengthen inclusive practice, the department has commissioned evidence reviews from University College London to identify effective strategies for supporting children and young people (0–25) with different types of needs, including SEMH needs.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes. From September 2025, the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum training entitlement for new teachers, with significantly more content on adaptive teaching and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), developed with input from SEND experts

To ensure it remains effective, the department will review the ITTECF in 2027. This will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.

The department also offers the Universal Services programme, which supports the school workforce in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, including those with SEMH needs.

The government will expand Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. ​By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.

To support education staff, the department provides guidance and practical resources on promoting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, available here: https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding through the National Funding Formula for (a) small schools and (b) rural schools.

The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor. This recognises that some schools are necessarily small because they are remote and do not have the same opportunities to grow or make efficiency savings as other schools, and that such schools often play a significant role in the rural communities they serve.

All small and rural schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26 financial year, including the NFF lump sum, which is set at £145,100. This provides a fixed amount of funding that is unrelated to pupil-led factors. The lump sum is particularly beneficial to small schools more reliant on an element of funding that is not driven by pupil numbers.

Schools can attract additional funding through the sparsity factor in the NFF if they are both small and remote. Eligible primary schools attract up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools attract up to £83,400, in sparsity funding in the 2025/26 financial year. The department is providing £100 million in total through the sparsity factor in the 2025/26 financial year.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to increase funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant to areas with (a) below average allocations and (b) deficits.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) distributes core funding for 5-16 year old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. The NFF allocates funding based on schools’ and pupils’ characteristics. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is allocated based on pupil numbers and characteristics.

It is not the purpose of the NFF to give every school the same level of per-pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs – such as those indicated by measures of deprivation, low prior attainment, or English as an additional language – receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.

The department does not fund schools based on their reserves or deficits. Schools who do find themselves in financial difficulty should contact their local authority if they are a maintained school and the department if they are an academy to see what additional support might be available.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to increase guidance available to parents on SEND (a) provision and (b) support.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to publish a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) local offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have special educational needs (SEN) or are disabled, including those who do not have education, health and care (EHC) plans.

The local offer has two key purposes:

  • To provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about the available provision and how to access it.
  • To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children and those with SEN and their parents, and disabled young people and those with SEN, and service providers in its development and review.

In developing and reviewing the SEND local offer, the local authority must work in collaboration with a wide range of partners. The SEND local offer must be co-produced with parents and young people, and information on their feedback and how it has been taken into account must be published. The local authority must also work with its statutory EHC partners, including schools, colleges and early years settings and the Integrated Care Service.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) offer information, advice and support for parents, carers children and young people with SEND. Under the Children and Families Act 2014 it is a legal requirement that all local authorities have a SENDIASS.

The department additionally supports participation by parents in local and national decision making, this has included £2.66 million in grant payments direct to local parent carer forums, and funding to maintain a national helpline providing advice and support for parents and carers.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to collaborate with training providers to increase skills levels in high voltage dynamic cables.

The skills system is designed to enable close collaboration between government, employers and training providers to equip learners with the skills they need. We encourage employers to work with providers and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and, in time, Skills England, to develop the necessary training to meet the needs of crucial clean energy sectors like floating offshore wind.

Training providers collaborate with IfATE and employers to ensure the training they deliver meets labour market needs. IfATE develops and maintains occupational standards which outline the skills and knowledge required for roles. Employers provide input on these standards, ensuring they reflect current industry requirements. The department supports these partnerships through its policy direction and funding.

Skills England will provide an authoritative assessment of national and regional skills needs in the economy now and in the future. It will also ensure that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, and which are aligned with skills gaps and the needs of employers.


Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ringfencing funding for small and specialist Higher Education Institutions.

Small and specialist higher education (HE) institutions provide a highly valuable role in nurturing talent and contributing to the UK’s academic, cultural and economic landscape.

The Office for Students (OfS) provides targeted funding to twenty small and specialist providers that they assessed as world leading. This is delivered through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG), which is funding that the government provides on an annual basis to support teaching and students in HE, including expensive-to-deliver subjects, such as science and engineering, and for students at risk of discontinuing their studies.

For this 2024/25 academic year, funding from the SPG for these small and specialist providers was maintained at £58 million. Funding for the 2025/26 academic year will be announced by the OfS, following government guidance, later this year.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children, including those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The level of funding per child in 2025/26 will allow adoptive and kinship families to access a significant package of therapeutic support. Where needed, local authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for children with SEND in rural areas.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life and we will set out plans for reforming the SEND system later this year.

The mainstream schools’ national funding formula accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factors. These factors recognise that some smaller schools are remote, limiting their ability to grow or make efficiency savings. Such schools often play a significant role in the rural communities they serve, not least in their provision for pupils with SEND. Eligible primary schools attract up to £57,400, and all other schools up to £83,400, in sparsity funding in 2025/26.

The government will also take the time needed to consider changes to the funding formulae used by the department to allocate funding for schools and for children and young people with complex SEND.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to promote training opportunities for (a) mineral processing, (b) metallurgical skills and (c) other critical minerals skills.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Camborne and Redruth to the answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 30538.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
18th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not continuing the Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund beyond March 2025 on eligible adoptive families and special guardianship order families.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Camborne and Redruth, to the answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 35389.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
10th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the future level of skills needed to attract and train young people in the responsible extraction and recycling of critical minerals in the UK.

In February, the Critical Minerals Association, in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade, will host a workshop focusing on the challenges and opportunities in developing skills for critical mineral domestic midstream and recycling capabilities. The workshop will bring together stakeholders from across the UK critical minerals value chain to identify actionable recommendations for how the government can best support skills and development.

Skills England refers to critical minerals in its September 2024 report ‘Driving growth and widening opportunities’, where it highlights the need for physical scientists and engineers to support the UK’s clean energy sectors. In the report, Skills England also commits to providing an authoritative assessment of skills needs, gathering insights from sector stakeholders including employers, sector-owning departments, and unions. This will inform priorities for technical education funding and decision-making. In November, Skills England undertook extensive engagement with over 700 stakeholders including employers in manufacturing and clean energy industries.

There is a range of skills products which help meet the skills needs of critical minerals industries, including apprenticeships and higher education courses. These include, for instance, degree apprenticeships in mine management and geoscience, as well as the level 2 material processing plant operator apprenticeship, which can be used for mining activities. The Camborne School of Mining also offers the UK’s only Bachelor of Engineering in mining engineering.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
3rd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has consulted with all local schools in the Perranporth area as part of the review of the Perranporth Academy project; and when she expects the review to be concluded.

A top priority for the government is to drive high and rising education standards for children across the country. The department is reviewing mainstream free school projects to ensure that they continue to meet localised need for places, offer value for money and are not to the detriment of other schools in the local area.

Departmental officials have worked closely with Truro and Penwith Academy Trust and Cornwall local authority to gather the required information. No decisions have yet been taken.

Stakeholders are welcome to submit their views to the department. These will be taken into consideration before a final decision is made by Ministers.

The review is ongoing. The department will update all trusts and local authorities on the next steps in the new year.

We will also provide an update on the overall review in due course.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to identify children who are educated outside school.

The department is committed to giving every child the best start in life, regardless of where and how they are educated. We cannot ignore the rising numbers of home-educated children and official data which shows that growing numbers of children have been moved into home education due to mental health concerns or lack of provision for special educational needs in their local schools.

Local authorities have legal duties to be satisfied that all children are receiving a suitable education. However, this duty is undermined by the fact that parents have no obligation to inform their local authority of their decision to home educate. This means that local authorities are unable to fulfil their duties. There is a risk that children are going under the radar and missing out on the education they deserve that will enable them to access the best opportunities in life.

For this reason, the government will use the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to require English local authorities to maintain registers of children not in school. Parents and certain out-of-school education providers will be required to provide information for those registers. This will help local authorities piece together a fuller and more accurate picture of those children who are receiving education otherwise than at school and target resources to locating and supporting those who are missing out on education. Local authorities will also have a duty to provide support to those home-educators who request it, which will act as an incentive for families to register.

The registers will contain information on those children who are registered on a school roll and are receiving education otherwise than at school. It will not include children who are on a school roll but failing to attend. The department is taking separate action on that important issue of persistent absence.

In terms of this new system of registration, parents can be assured that the registers will not be used to criminalise any parent who does not send their child to school. Parents who do not provide information for the registers will result in their local authority being unable to be satisfied that a child is not receiving a suitable education and so the local authority will need to proceed to a formal request for evidence about that education. If that evidence is not forthcoming, or is insufficient, this will usually lead to the local authority needing to issue a School Attendance Order. This is the same mechanism that exists in the current law; no change will be made.

The government takes the matter of data protection very seriously, including any threats to privacy and personal data. Local authorities will be legally restricted as to whom they may share register information with and for what purposes. The usual provisions of the UK-GDPR will apply to all data processing activities.

The department continues to work with local authorities on existing non-statutory registers and to collect data from those registers.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including a farm education option in the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Educational access features as part of the wider Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes and we are developing it further as a new 3-year capital item; we expect this to be available later in 2025. It will be a stand-alone capital item, though applicants must have an agri-environment or woodland agreement with management actions for this capital item. In countryside stewardship, currently eligible visitor groups are school age children and care farming groups only, but in the new educational access capital item, more diverse groups of people will be able to visit and benefit from an educational experience on farms and woodland across England.

As part of the development of the new educational access capital item, funding levels were considered, and agreement holders will receive £363 per visit, up to a maximum of 25 visits per agreement year.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he would make it his policy to create exemptions for Extender Producer Responsibility depending on (a) a producer’s sustainability and (b) B-Corp status.

There are no exemptions planned for producers with B-Corp status. While private ESG schemes like B-Corp certification can play an important role in driving sustainability, they are complementary to, rather than a replacement for regulatory measures like pEPR.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) polluted and (b) unsafe (i) beaches and (ii) bathing areas have signage to alert the public.

At designated bathing water sites in their area, local authorities have a statutory duty to display information on a static sign about water quality and pollution sources, and to display advisory notices during pollution incidents. The information on the signage required by the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, consists of: the current classification symbol, with the “advice against bathing” symbol if the bathing water quality classification is Poor; a general description of the bathing water, based on the Environment Agency profile; and the address of a website where more detailed information can be found.

If the bathing water is subject to short-term pollution, the notice includes this information, and the number of pollution risk forecasts made during the preceding bathing season.

Other signage regarding safety and pollution is a matter for the relevant local authority.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) expedite payments and (b) improve the payment structure of the Rural Payments Agency.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands the importance of cashflow for farmers and rural businesses and has in recent years made more payments for the schemes they administer, earlier in the payment window. The agency has also taken steps to improve the flow of payments. This includes making Delinked payments from August in 2024, compared to historically Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments from December, earlier partial payments on Countryside Stewardship, and moving to a quarterly payments structure for the Sustainable Farming Incentive. Schemes will continue to be administered with payment frequency in mind.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve data in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment system.

The Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment regulations make producers responsible for the electrical products they place on the market when they become waste. Data is collected on the tonnage of electrical products every producer sells within the UK and the tonnage of waste that they recycle appropriately to ensure they are meeting the requirements of the regulations. Defra is also updating the WEEE Regs to create a separate reporting category for vapes, so vape manufacturers pick up their fair share of recycling costs.

We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy, including in electronic waste, as we develop our Strategy.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
21st Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the classifications of waste to help ensure that critical minerals in (a) used batteries and (b) other e-waste are used as (i) feedstock for connected and automated mobility research and development and (ii) other (A) recycling and (B) circular economy projects.

We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what further interventions may be needed in the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) sector as we develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
3rd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report entitled REview24, published by the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology on 14 November 2024, what steps he plans to take to tackle the potential increase in methane emissions from landfill sites.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Defra is aware of the issue raised in the REview24 report. We are actively engaging with the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) and the landfill gas industry to establish the scale of the potential impact of the ending of the Renewable Obligations Scheme from 2027.

The Government is committed to tackling methane emissions from landfill. We will achieve this by developing and delivering policies to support diverting waste from landfill, carrying out ground-breaking research in measuring and managing methane emissions in the waste sector, and exploring how to support and enable additional ways of managing legacy emissions such as passive capture.

Methane emissions from organic waste was a priority at COP29 and the Government was pleased to endorse the Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste, building on our Global Methane Pledge commitments.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
15th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a fund which is financed through a charge on the sale or transfer of benefiting properties to support (a) coastal protection and (b) flood prevention.

To speed up the delivery of new defences and ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account, a consultation will be launched in the new year which will include a review of the existing formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences.

We want to ensure that floods funding policy drives close partnership working and brings in wider financial contributions to flood and coastal erosion schemes, to make Government funding go further. We plan to consider this as part of the abovementioned review.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban trail hunting during this Parliament.

This is a devolved matter with regard to Scotland and Northern Ireland; hunting with dogs is a reserved matter with respect to Wales and therefore, the information provided relates to England and Wales only.

The Government committed to enacting a ban on Trail Hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Further announcements will be made in due course.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil in the domestic production of sustainable aviation fuel.

Hydrotreated vegetable oil is a low carbon fuel made from oils and fats, which is used in rail or road transport.

Oils and fats are also used to make a type of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) called HEFA or hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids. HEFA will play a vital role in our aviation decarbonisation journey. The UK is already producing and supplying this type of SAF, and we welcome the further development of this industry. The supply of HEFA SAF is incentivised by the UK’s SAF Mandate, which came into force this year. The SAF Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of potential merits of introducing a new public media campaign to promote the (a) financial and (b) environmental benefits of electric vehicles.

The Government is committed to accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles and increasing awareness of the benefits of electric vehicle ownership. We are working closely with the electric vehicle sector and key partners to ensure that we are delivering consistent and clear information to drivers about making the switch to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Combating misinformation is a key part of this, and we continue to assess how we can do this most effectively.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandating parking bays for electric vehicles through traffic regulation orders.

Traffic regulation orders (TRO) can already be used to designate and enforce electric vehicle only, on-street parking bays. Their use is at the discretion of the local traffic authority.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of granting electric vehicle charging infrastructure statutory rights.

In December 2024, the Government published the outcome of a consultation on a proposal to include chargepoint operators into the street works permitting regime, removing the requirement for a Section 50 licence. A clause to make this change has been included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the grid connection process for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

We are radically reforming the grid connections process to remove speculative projects and accelerate connections for investments that will support our clean power and growth missions, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Ofgem has committed £22.2 billion over five years to upgrade local grids vital to this transition.

In December 2024, the Government published the outcome of a review on improving the grid connection process for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The review addresses common issues surrounding the rollout of EV infrastructure and grid connections, outlines best practice, and clarifies roles and responsibilities. Addressing these issues will ensure the transport and energy sectors can deliver charging infrastructure at the pace needed to support the transition.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure local authorities are adequately staffed to (a) build and (b) organise electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Government’s £381m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund includes £37.8m capability funding to ensure local authorities can hire staff to plan, procure and tender the delivery of local chargepoints.

The LEVI Fund also supports local authorities through one-to-one guidance, workshops and an online knowledge repository with expert advice on chargepoint planning, procurement and delivery. This is in addition to a dedicated electric vehicle training course, completed by over 150 local authority officers to date. In December 2024 the Department announced a £22m extension to the LEVI Capability Fund in financial year 2025/26, building on the successful work to date.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle theft of electric vehicle infrastructure.

I have raised this issue with the Home Office and my Department will continue to work with them on this.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing 90 day termination convenience clauses from charge point operator contracts.

The Department has worked extensively with stakeholders including industry to develop procurement guidance for local authorities which encourages private investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This includes recommendations around the appropriate termination clauses, where termination at convenience is explicitly excluded.

Local authorities are the contracting authorities responsible for their procurements, who need to make the assessment and determination on termination clauses in their contracts.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of PAS1899 guidance for electric vehicle charge points.

PAS 1899 was developed jointly by OZEV and Motability Foundation and launched in October 2022. My Department has recently undertaken a review of this standard alongside the British Standards Institution, charging industry, disabled users, accessibility experts, consumer groups and the devolved administrations. The Department will consider the outcome of this review and potential next steps.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)