Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether guidance is issued to schools on assessing the eligibility of pupils to wear kirpans on school premises.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Headteachers have my full support in ensuring schools are safe. Schools are advised by the department that decisions on uniform need to consider their individual circumstances, taking into account both religious freedom and pupil safety.
It should be possible for most religious requirements to be met within a uniform policy and many schools have arrangements in place to allow the wearing of kirpans alongside sensible safeguards, for example limiting their size and requiring them to be sheathed and further enclosed in a securely fastened cushioned pouch.
The department’s advice for schools on developing school uniform policies is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms. The government keeps all its guidance under regular review.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's guidance permits schools to make participation in school events, trips, and extracurricular activities conditional on achieving a minimum attendance rate.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s guidance does not prescribe how school attendance rewards and incentives are applied. Decisions about their operation are generally matters for individual schools, reflecting their circumstances and the needs of their pupils.
Where schools choose to link attendance to access to particular activities, we would expect them to do so carefully, proportionately and without discrimination. They should consider reward systems that are inclusive and appropriate for all pupils including those with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals evacuated under Operation Pitting and granted indefinite leave to remain have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan; and whether such travel negates a continuing need for protection in the UK.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes Afghan Operational data, including information on arrivals and grants of indefinite leave to remain under the Afghan schemes. This publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data.
Data on the number of individuals evacuated under Operation Pitting and subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain who have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan are not included in and are not available at this time
Travel to Afghanistan does not automatically negate an individual's eligibility for, or benefit from, an Afghan Resettlement Scheme.
Afghan Resettlement Schemes do not prohibit individuals who have been granted settlement in the UK from travelling to Afghanistan. As with other holders of ILR, settled status will normally lapse automatically if an individual remains outside the UK for a continuous period of two years or more.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight and accountability arrangements are in place to regulate the content of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) is subject to statutory guidance, which schools must have regard to when developing and delivering their curriculum. Governing bodies, academy trusts and school proprietors are responsible for ensuring that RSHE is taught in accordance with legal requirements and the statutory guidance, including consultation with parents. Ofsted inspects schools’ safeguarding arrangements and wider personal development, which includes evaluating whether pupils receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate RSHE curriculum.
All schools must have an up-to-date written policy for relationships education or, where they teach sex education, for relationships and sex education (RSE). Statutory RSHE guidance requires schools to consult parents on their RSHE policy and provide examples of the resources they plan to use. The department is clear that parents should be able to view curriculum materials on request, and schools should not enter into arrangements that prevent them from sharing RSHE resources with parents.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools are required to make relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) teaching materials available for parental scrutiny.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) is subject to statutory guidance, which schools must have regard to when developing and delivering their curriculum. Governing bodies, academy trusts and school proprietors are responsible for ensuring that RSHE is taught in accordance with legal requirements and the statutory guidance, including consultation with parents. Ofsted inspects schools’ safeguarding arrangements and wider personal development, which includes evaluating whether pupils receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate RSHE curriculum.
All schools must have an up-to-date written policy for relationships education or, where they teach sex education, for relationships and sex education (RSE). Statutory RSHE guidance requires schools to consult parents on their RSHE policy and provide examples of the resources they plan to use. The department is clear that parents should be able to view curriculum materials on request, and schools should not enter into arrangements that prevent them from sharing RSHE resources with parents.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what procedures exist for investigating complaints concerning the content of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) taught in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
All schools are required to have a school complaints procedure. Concerns about the content of relationships, sex and health education taught in a school should, in the first instance, be raised with the school through its complaints process. If a complainant has concerns about the way the school has handled their complaint, they may raise the matter with the department to consider whether the school has followed its published complaints procedure and complied with relevant legal and statutory requirements.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role Ofsted plays, if any, in assessing schools' compliance with statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms exist to provide an independent review of decisions by the Student Loans Company to recover alleged outstanding loan balances arising from administrative errors by public bodies; and whether she has assessed the adequacy of those mechanisms in cases where borrowers were previously informed that their accounts had been settled.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In instances where the Student Loan Company’s (SLC) internal appeals and complaints process has been exhausted, borrowers may appeal to the Independent Assessors (IA). IAs are appointed by ministers to review any appeals and complaints made against the SLC and their independence from the SLC provides assurance that the process to consider complaints and appeals is sufficiently rigorous.
In cases where an outstanding balance is identified after a borrower believes they have settled their account in full, regulations provide the SLC with the ability to restart repayments where appropriate. Any action taken will be subject to the circumstances of the individual case and relevant policy considerations.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which groups are eligible to receive free Radar keys for accessible toilets through government-funded or government-supported schemes; and whether the Government plans to extend eligibility for free Radar keys to any additional groups.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 16248 on 20 January 2025 and UIN 72112 on 8 October 2025. The sale or use of RADAR keys is not a government backed scheme. Use of RADAR keys is not an expectation of Part M of the Building Regulations. The functional requirement in Part M of the Building Regulations is for new building works to make reasonable provision for people to access and use a building and its facilities.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many applications were (a) received, (b) approved and (c) paid for the Business Recovery Grant in each financial year since 2023-24; and what the value of grants paid was in each year.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Business Recovery Grants following Storm Babet and Storm Henk were administered by eligible Local Authorities who hold the full application data for their areas.
Local Authorities were reimbursed by DBT for eligible expenditure as detailed below:
FY 24-25:
Storm Babet
Number of grants reimbursed by DBT as eligible | 509 |
Total value reimbursed by DBT | £1,269,200.00 |
Number of LAs reimbursed | 39 |
Storm Henk
Number of grants reimbursed by DBT as eligible | 328 |
Total value reimbursed by DBT | £823,500.00 |
Number of LAs reimbursed | 40 |