Sarah Gibson Portrait

Sarah Gibson

Liberal Democrat - Chippenham

8,138 (16.4%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Business)

(since September 2024)

Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [HL]
13th May 2025 - 15th May 2025
Employment Rights Bill
13th Nov 2024 - 16th Jan 2025


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Sarah Gibson has voted in 196 divisions, and 2 times against the majority of their Party.

26 Mar 2025 - Tobacco and Vapes Bill - View Vote Context
Sarah Gibson voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 38 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 366 Noes - 41
13 May 2025 - Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] (Second sitting) - View Vote Context
Sarah Gibson voted No - against a party majority - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 1 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 1 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 12 Noes - 4
View All Sarah Gibson 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
Justin Madders (Labour)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(24 debate interactions)
Greg Smith (Conservative)
Opposition Whip (Commons)
(22 debate interactions)
Laurence Turner (Labour)
(10 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Business and Trade
(68 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(18 debate contributions)
Wales Office
(9 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Employment Rights Bill 2024-26
(10,145 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Sarah Gibson's debates

Chippenham 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).

Sarah Gibson has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Sarah Gibson

21st July 2025
Sarah Gibson signed this EDM on Tuesday 22nd July 2025

Green House Climate Club campaign

Tabled by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
That this House congratulates the Green House Climate Club in St Albans, including students from Margaret Wix Primary School, Abbey Primary School, Prae Wood Primary School and Cunningham Hill Schools for their advocacy and campaigning to prevent plastic pollution by publishers and retailers of childrens’ magazines and comics; commends their …
9 signatures
(Most recent: 22 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 8
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
21st July 2025
Sarah Gibson signed this EDM as a sponsor on Tuesday 22nd July 2025

Tribute to David Lawrie

Tabled by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
That this House pays tribute to the life and legacy of David Lawrie, who has passed away at the age of 96 and was a stalwart of St Andrews United Football Club for over 70 years; recognises David’s remarkable service as a player, manager, committee member, secretary, and ultimately honorary …
6 signatures
(Most recent: 22 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
View All Sarah Gibson's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Sarah Gibson, 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.


Sarah Gibson has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Sarah Gibson

Tuesday 5th November 2024

Sarah Gibson has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Sarah Gibson 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
13th May 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full-time equivalent jobs there were in the low carbon and renewable energy economy in each year since 2015.

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th May is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th May 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total turnover was of the UK's low carbon and renewable energy economy for each year since 2015.

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th May is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many small and medium-sized enterprises (a) were trading and (b) ceased trading in each of the past 5 years.

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 28th April is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Invest 2035 on rural economies; and what steps he plans to use to monitor its impact on rural inclusion.

Invest 2035 was published in October last year, seeking views on the UK’s Industrial Strategy. The Modern Industrial Strategy was published on 23 June, setting out a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential, targeting investment towards eight-growth driving sectors (IS-8). The Strategy focuses efforts on the city regions and clusters where the IS-8 concentrate. There are clusters across the country, including in rural areas, and the policy package addresses the biggest constraints to growth highlighted by businesses in the IS-8 sectors.

The Government supports a robust and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the Industrial Strategy. We have chosen six economic indicators that reflect a range of desirable objectives for the IS-8 and the economy as a whole, which will be tracked at a sector and place level. Monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy will be overseen by the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council who will take a data-led approach to assess progress on the overall Industrial Strategy.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, published on 23 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that investment in advanced manufacturing is allocated to rural communities.

Deeper partnerships with mayors and devolved governments will deliver real change in local communities, ensuring Sector Plan gains across the UK.

As part of this, we will support specific city regions and clusters through a new £600 million Strategic Sites Accelerator, and by investing £160 million in each of the UK's regional Advanced Manufacturing investment zones. This targeted support will have positive spillover effects on surrounding rural and urban communities.

Government has also secured £4 billion from the British Business Bank and £27.8 billion from the National Wealth Fund to support business across the UK access the finance they need to grow.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to conduct a cross-sector review of business practices in supporting recently bereaved customers.

Government has no plans to conduct a cross-sector review of business practice in supporting recently bereaved consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority have considered this issue across financial services and have published guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers in line with the FCA’s Consumer Duty.

Outside of the financial sector, internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, companies are expected to treat consumers with compassion and understanding in such circumstances.

Business dealing with vulnerable consumers can also refer to the British Standard on Inclusive Service which utilises best practices from BS ISO 22458 on Consumer Vulnerability.

Through the Employment Rights Bill, the Department is establishing a new statutory right to Bereavement Leave. As part of this, it is also considering how to better support individuals experiencing bereavement, including by providing clearer guidance for employers.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of consolidating the functions of the Grocery Code Adjudicator and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator to create a unified regulator with a broader oversight remit.

The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The consultation to this review includes question about the GCA’s remit in relation to the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), and additionally asks if there are unfair contractual practices in parts of the supply chain not covered by either Adjudicator. The government encourages those interested to respond to the consultation by 5 August.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that fair dealing improvements under Grocery Supply Code of Practice are extended to upstream suppliers who are not covered by the Code.

The Groceries Code is a competition measure owned by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA can only change the Code in ways which address the specific effects on competition found during its original market investigation, and not to address new issues or sectors.

The government has introduced Fair Dealing Regulations under the Agriculture Act 2020 to deal with the production end of the supply chain in specific sectors. These are enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA).

The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The review additionally asks if there are unfair contractual practices in parts of the supply chain not covered by the GCA or ASCA.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria his Department is using to identify the most critical (a) subsectors and (b) technologies within the eight priority sectors outlined in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

There is no single 'best' way to identify the most critical subsectors and technologies, so the Government has used a range of quantitative and qualitative evidence and judgement. We have considered metrics which relate to the Industrial Strategy's objectives of delivering sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth and boosting business investment, such as wages, productivity, and the UK's international position to identify our current and emerging strengths. We have combined this with engagement with experts and stakeholders, including the Industrial Strategy Green Paper consultation, and multiple data sources. Further detail will be provided in the upcoming White Paper.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans his Department has to incentivise employer investment in workforce training and upskilling as part of the Invest 2035 strategy.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper is clear that the people that create and work in businesses will be central to the success of the growth-driving sectors and clusters. The government is developing proposals to ensure that the current and future skills system supports employers to invest in and develop a skilled workforce, and has already taken steps to support this, including establishing Skills England and reforming the existing apprenticeship offer into a Growth and Skills levy-funded offer which will provide greater flexibility for both employers and learners. We will set out further detail in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to align the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy with economic strategies developed by devolved Administrations.

The Industrial Strategy will unleash the full potential of our cities and regions by attracting investment and creating the best environment for businesses in them to thrive

My officials are working with the devolved governments on how we can drive growth across the UK within the context of our Industrial Strategy. This includes regular ministerial engagement through the Interministerial Group for Business & Industry. This partnership will help make the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort and support the sectoral strengths and growth-driving clusters in all four nations.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
19th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a minerals trade deal between the US and Ukraine on the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy.

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, Industrial Strategy, and clean energy transition. The Department for Business and Trade will publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year that will set out the Government’s refined approach including on international partnerships.

The UK is committed to collaborating with Ukraine on critical minerals through our 100 Year Partnership agreement to support the development of a Ukrainian Critical Minerals Strategy.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
19th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of a minerals trade deal between the US and Ukraine.

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, Industrial Strategy, and clean energy transition. The Department for Business and Trade will publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year that will set out the Government’s refined approach including on international partnerships.

The UK is committed to collaborating with Ukraine on critical minerals through our 100 Year Partnership agreement to support the development of a Ukrainian Critical Minerals Strategy.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, if he will publish a clean energy investment plan for non-urban areas.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has set out clear plans to support the development of clean energy infrastructure via the Clean Power Action Plan and the Spending Review. For example, we are making deployment easier, including the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, introduced on 11 March 2025, which is streamlining the planning process to fast-track critical projects. Additionally, we're transforming the electricity grid, its biggest overhaul since the 1960s, by building new capacity ahead of need and reforming outdated connection processes.

The Government is also seizing the growth opportunities of the clean energy transition—central to the Modern Industrial Strategy and the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan. This sets out the frontier industries where the UK has the greatest potential to boost manufacturing, innovation, and associated services. This will create good jobs across the country, including in our industrial heartlands and rural areas.

The Department will also publish a Clean Energy Workforce Strategy in 2025 to ensure high-quality, long-term jobs across the UK. Through Office for Clean Energy Jobs, we are delivering Regional Skills Pilots in clean energy hubs like Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, helping local partners grow the skilled workforce needed for the transition.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support the development of clean energy infrastructure and (b) introduce targeted support for green jobs in rural areas.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has set out clear plans to support the development of clean energy infrastructure via the Clean Power Action Plan and the Spending Review. For example, we are making deployment easier, including the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, introduced on 11 March 2025, which is streamlining the planning process to fast-track critical projects. Additionally, we're transforming the electricity grid, its biggest overhaul since the 1960s, by building new capacity ahead of need and reforming outdated connection processes.

The Government is also seizing the growth opportunities of the clean energy transition—central to the Modern Industrial Strategy and the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan. This sets out the frontier industries where the UK has the greatest potential to boost manufacturing, innovation, and associated services. This will create good jobs across the country, including in our industrial heartlands and rural areas.

The Department will also publish a Clean Energy Workforce Strategy in 2025 to ensure high-quality, long-term jobs across the UK. Through Office for Clean Energy Jobs, we are delivering Regional Skills Pilots in clean energy hubs like Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, helping local partners grow the skilled workforce needed for the transition.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the update was of the Warm Home Discount Scheme in 2024 in each region.

The most recent uptake data for the Warm Home Discount is available in the publication: Warm Home Discount statistics, 2023 to 2024- gov.uk. The scheme for winter 2024/25 closed on 31 March 2025 and is expected to have supported over 3 million households. The Department will publish the official statistics for winter 2024/25 on 26 June 2025.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of (a) cold and (b) energy-inefficient homes occupied by pensioners in Wiltshire.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does not collect local-level data specifically on cold or energy-inefficient homes occupied by pensioners. The latest estimate of the fuel poverty rate in Wiltshire, based on the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, was 9.5% of households in 2023 (Table 2 of the sub-regional fuel poverty statistics).

Statistics on fuel poverty in England in 2024 by age of the oldest person in the household can be found in Table 15 of the fuel poverty detailed tables.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the comparative merits of (a) air-to-air and (b) other heat pump technologies eligible under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not currently support air-to-air heat pumps, as heat pump installations must provide both space heating and hot water heating, using liquid as a medium for delivering that heat. We want to target support at technologies that offer the greatest potential to decarbonise our buildings.

The Government is committed to incentivising moves to cleaner, more affordable heating, and will keep its position on alternative heating technologies under review and make further assessments as the supporting evidence base develops.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what financial support his Department provides for early-phase trials into (a) neuroblastoma and (b) other rare paediatric cancers.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology invests approximately £200 million into cancer research annually via UK Research and Innovation, particularly via Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC). In parallel, the Department of Health and Social Care funds cancer research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research and invested £133 million in 2023/24. UKRI and NIHR does not ringfence funding for specific cancer types. However, from 2020-2024 MRC committed £982,632 to research on neuroblastoma, this includes a project to develop and clinically test a new probe to diagnose and aid resection of tumours in children.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
17th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of residents paying above 5% of household income on (a) broadband and (b) mobile services in Wiltshire; and what steps he is taking to monitor the affordability of connectivity in rural areas.

The Government has not estimated the number of residents spending over 5% of household income on broadband and mobile services in Wiltshire.

We regularly engage with Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, who publish research on affordability of telecoms services, including the number of households who struggle to pay for their bills, but they do not report on the number of households paying above 5% of their income.

To support low-income households, over 25 providers offer low-cost mobile and broadband packages for those on Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the number of households without home internet access in Wiltshire; and what recent estimate his Department has made of levels of digital exclusion in (a) Wiltshire and (b) Chippenham constituency.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2025 Spring Update, in the Wiltshire local authority area, 104 premises had no mobile, fixed or wireless internet service provider coverage and in the Chippenham constituency, 14 premises. And through Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network, we are continuing to deliver broadband and mobile connectivity to hard-to-reach areas with limited or no coverage.

Ofcom survey data shows that around 5% of households nationally do not have at home internet access, we do not have a more local breakdown of this figure.

The Government published its Digital Inclusion Action Plan in February 2025, which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion across the UK.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
11th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that every child has access to a library in areas of high disadvantage.

All children should have the opportunity to access books and other resources to support their learning and enjoyment.

Public libraries are delivered by local government in accordance with the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. Local authorities must have regard to encouraging both adults and children to make full use of the library service and keeping adequate stocks sufficient in number, range and quality to meet the needs of their communities.

Public libraries are free to join and there are over 2,500 static statutory libraries in England, found in every type of community, including 30 in Wiltshire. The government is committed to getting local government back on its feet. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-25.

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. Individual schools will decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils and headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by government. School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025-26, meaning that core school funding will total £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024-25. Following the Spending Review announcement, core schools funding, including SEND investment, will increase from £65.3bn in 2025-26 to £69.5bn by 2028-29.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
4th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available to support the (a) creative and (b) cultural sectors in (i) Chippenham constituency and (ii) other rural market towns.

Arts Council England has invested £539,520 in Chippenham since April 2022 through a combination of regular funding and project funding for individuals and organisations such as Folio, a dynamic, female-led new writing theatre company, which received £122,329 over 2 project grants.

In addition, Arts Council England’s open-access funds are available across England, including in market towns such as Chippenham. This includes:

  • National Lottery Project Grants – open to applications between £1000 and £100,000. Arts Council England is currently focused on three time-limited priorities: Supporting Grassroots Music, Museum Unlocking Collections and Universal Library Offers projects.
  • Develop Your Creative Practice – awards from £2000 to £12,000 that support individual creative and cultural practitioners to focus on their development and take them to the next stage of their practice.
  • Capital – financial assistance to museums, libraries and arts organisations to invest in buildings, equipment, digital infrastructure and technology with a view to securing their longer term viability and sustainability. For the financial year 2025/2026 the Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) will provide funding for public libraries of up to £500,000 (total available £5.5m).
  • Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) – Funding for urgent repairs to accredited non national museums up to £5m (total available £25m).
  • Creative Foundations Fund (CFF) – Funding for equipment and buildings for arts organisations – Strand 1 up to £1m and Strand 2 Over £1m and up to £10m (total available £85m).

The Creative Industries Sector Plan will be published shortly, announcing new measures to grow the creative industries across the whole of the UK.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) further regulating gambling companies and (b) creating a Gambling Ombudsman.

The government is committed to strengthening protections to ensure that people can continue to enjoy gambling, without the risks that can ensue from harmful gambling.

The previous government published its gambling white paper in April 2023. The white paper set out the future of regulation and legislation in the gambling sector. This included a broad package of evidence-led proposals which aim to prevent harm as early as possible, and we have delivered on the introduction of the statutory levy and online slots stake limits. We will continue to monitor the best available evidence in taking decisions on future gambling reform, and the Minister for Gambling will outline further steps in due course, including on the ombudsman.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to embed financial education and investment literacy in apprenticeship programmes.

Apprenticeships are jobs that equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for a specific occupation. Employers, working in conjunction with Skills England, develop the content of apprenticeship standards according to the needs of their industries. This will include job-specific mathematics or English skills wherever relevant.

In addition, the department funds apprentices to achieve up to level 2 qualifications in mathematics and English as part of their apprenticeship. The qualifications give apprentices the broader skills they need to thrive in work and life and the mathematics qualification includes content on calculating interest, discounts and percentage increases/decreases, probability and budgeting, as well as building confidence with numbers more generally. We require all 16 to 18-year-olds to achieve a level 1 or level 2 qualification as part of their apprenticeship, if they do not already hold one.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the national funding formula on educational outcomes in (a) rural areas, (b) Wiltshire and (c) other counties with lower levels of funding.

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.

In the 2025/26 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools up to £83,400. In 2025/26, 64 schools in Wiltshire attract additional funding through the sparsity factor. In addition to this, all small and rural schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26, including the NFF lump sum set at £145,100. The lump sum provides a fixed amount of funding that is particularly beneficial to small schools, as it is not affected by pupil numbers.

The purpose of the schools NFF is not 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 or low prior attainment, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to amend the high needs funding formula to reflect current levels of need and not historic expenditure.

Our aim is to establish a fair education funding system that directs resources to where they are most needed and enable improved support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Because it is important that we take the time needed to review the high needs national funding formula, the structure of the formula is largely unchanged for the 2025/26 financial year allocations to local authorities.

The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Dedicated Schools Grant per pupil in Wiltshire relative to comparator authorities with similar pupil numbers and demographics.

Local authorities’ dedicated schools grant (DSG) allocations are calculated using the national funding formula (NFF), by reference to their numbers of pupils and schools, and their characteristics. The purpose of the NFF is not 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 or low prior attainment, 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.

We will take the time needed to consider changes to various funding formulae going forward, ensuring that we get any changes right, and recognising the importance of establishing a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure young people in rural areas receive the financial skills needed to support long-term prosperity.

I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps her Department is taking to support further education colleges in rural areas to deliver training in (a) AI, (b) clean energy and (c) advanced manufacturing.

The department is making additional investment of over £1 billion per year in skills for young people by 2028/29. This is additional to the over £400 million extra funding already planned for 16-19 education in the 2025/26 financial year, as well as £155 million to support schools, colleges and local authorities with increased national insurance contributions. Taken together this investment demonstrates this government’s commitment to support further education, including in rural areas.

We are introducing Technical Excellence Colleges to specialise in training skilled workforces for priority sectors. Further information on locations will be published in due course.

The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy published on 23 June 2025 confirmed £200 million capital investment to tackle sector specific shortages. This is in addition to £375 million of capital investment to support post-16 capacity to accommodate additional learners entering the system and £1.7 billion from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate.

Local Skills Improvement Plans are collaborations with local employers and providers across the country, including in rural areas, which set out priorities to better meet local skills needs. They must consider the skills needed to meet net zero, climate adaptation, and wider environmental goals.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) school and (b) college funding per pupil in Wiltshire in 2024–25.

Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Wiltshire received £364.5 million for mainstream schools in the 2024/25 financial year. This represented an increase of 2.3% per pupil compared to 2023/24, excluding growth funding. On top of that, they received £20.9 million in additional grant funding to support teacher and support staff pay rises as well as increases in teachers’ pension employer contribution rates.

Funding for 16 to 19-year-olds uses the same funding formula regardless of whether the student is studying at a school sixth form, general further education college, or other provider type for their study programme or T Level.

The department publishes details of 16 to 19 Total Programme Funding allocations by academic year, with academic year 2024 to 2025 available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-allocation-data-2024-to-2025. This can be filtered by local authority to identify the funding for Wiltshire.

Allocations for the Adult Skills Fund, formerly the Adult Education Budget, are also published annually and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/adult-education-and-skills-funding-allocations#published-allocations. Whilst they cannot be filtered by local authority, they can be filtered by individual provider.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
19th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase (a) school and (b) college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation in each financial year until 2029.

Across the spending review, core schools funding, including special educational needs and disabilities investment, will increase from £65.3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year (including the additional funding announced in May 2025) to £69.5 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. Taken together, this grows per-pupil spending over this spending review period by 2.7% in real terms.

This government is making a substantial investment in skills, with over £1 billion of additional funding by the 2028/29 financial year, on top of the phase 1 settlement for the 2025/26 financial year. This funding protects opportunity, delivers the workforce needed for the Plan for Change, and fuels future growth. It includes funding to support 1.3 million 16 to 19-year-olds, including 65,000 additional learners by financial year 2028/29.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
19th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to make Relationship and Sex Education mandatory in post-16 education settings.

The department recognises the importance of promoting healthy relationships to young people. This is why relationships and sex education (RSE) is a standard element of the personal development tutorial system in further education.

These regular tutorials allow students to hear about and discuss subjects important to their lives as responsible, active citizens, such as British values, resilience and how to navigate the world of work.

Education in healthy relationships is at the core of each college’s programme. Students participate in debates about respect, consent, misogyny, gender stereotyping, coercive control, sexual violence and sexual health, and consider the impact of negative behaviours.

Ofsted’s personal development judgement evaluates a college’s intent to provide for the personal development of learners, and the quality of the way in which it does this. Education in healthy relationships is one of the areas of focus.

The department has engaged an expert college leader, Polly Harrow, to develop a toolkit for colleges to drive the quality and consistency of RSE. The toolkit, to be launched in November, will provide tutorial materials and delivery advice, giving all colleges the skills and confidence to deliver on personal development effectively, and to tackle misogyny head on.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of Relationship and Sex Education for young people aged 16 to19 in post-16 education settings.

The department recognises the importance of promoting healthy relationships to young people. This is why relationships and sex education (RSE) is a standard element of the personal development tutorial system in further education.

These regular tutorials allow students to hear about and discuss subjects important to their lives as responsible, active citizens, such as British values, resilience and how to navigate the world of work.

Education in healthy relationships is at the core of each college’s programme. Students participate in debates about respect, consent, misogyny, gender stereotyping, coercive control, sexual violence and sexual health, and consider the impact of negative behaviours.

Ofsted’s personal development judgement evaluates a college’s intent to provide for the personal development of learners, and the quality of the way in which it does this. Education in healthy relationships is one of the areas of focus.

The department has engaged an expert college leader, Polly Harrow, to develop a toolkit for colleges to drive the quality and consistency of RSE. The toolkit, to be launched in November, will provide tutorial materials and delivery advice, giving all colleges the skills and confidence to deliver on personal development effectively, and to tackle misogyny head on.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
13th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to post-16 skills and vocational training in Wiltshire since 2020.

The department publishes details of 16 to 19 Total Programme Funding allocations by academic year. These are available for each academic year since 2020, and can be accessed at the following pages:

Each publication can be filtered by local authority to identify the funding for Wiltshire.

Allocations for the Adult Skills Fund, formerly the Adult Education Budget, are also published annually, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/adult-education-and-skills-funding-allocations#published-allocations.

Whilst they cannot be filtered by local authority, they can be filtered by individual provider.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the higher education admissions system takes into account the frequent relocations of military service children.

Universities are autonomous bodies, independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions.

Universities and colleges decide who to offer a place to by considering a range of factors detailed within an applicant's UCAS application. In addition to their predicted grades, this can include their personal statement, teacher references, contextual factors and, for certain courses that have an October application deadline, their performance in admissions tests. This is a process that differs between providers and even between different courses at the same providers.

Admissions teams are accustomed to considering a wide range of personal circumstances when making decisions.

Higher education (HE) providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) intending to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS. Providers are expected to take into account the OfS Equality of Opportunity Risk Register in developing a plan. The Register identifies service children as a group in particular need of support.

The government takes a close interest in ensuring that the system is fair. We work closely with HE providers and sector bodies to make sure the system works well for students.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
9th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the regional distribution of ineligible applicants for teacher training bursaries based on degree classification; and how many ineligible applicants there were in Wiltshire in each of the last five years.

Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are designed to incentivise more applications to ITT courses from high-achieving graduates. As such, for postgraduate bursaries, we take account of the grade of the trainee’s highest academic qualification. These bursaries are only awarded to trainees with at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree classification, unless the trainee possesses a higher academic qualification, such as a doctoral or master’s degree.

Graduates who do not hold a 2:2 degree can apply for student finance in the form of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional funding is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the childcare grant.

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses are designed to provide candidates for ITT with the minimum knowledge required to train to teach their chosen subject. Completion of a SKE course is not a requirement for all ITT candidates. The ITT provider determines whether it is requirement of the candidate’s offer after assessing their prior subject knowledge. Completion of SKE is not a factor in postgraduate ITT bursary eligibility.

ITT providers determine whether their trainees are eligible for a bursary, using the eligibility criteria set by the department. The department only holds data on trainees who are eligible for bursaries, alongside data on the overall number of trainees by subject and ITT provider. The department does not hold data on why trainees were ineligible for a bursary.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
9th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the completion of a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course is considered as part of the eligibility criteria for postgraduate teacher training bursaries.

Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are designed to incentivise more applications to ITT courses from high-achieving graduates. As such, for postgraduate bursaries, we take account of the grade of the trainee’s highest academic qualification. These bursaries are only awarded to trainees with at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree classification, unless the trainee possesses a higher academic qualification, such as a doctoral or master’s degree.

Graduates who do not hold a 2:2 degree can apply for student finance in the form of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional funding is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the childcare grant.

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses are designed to provide candidates for ITT with the minimum knowledge required to train to teach their chosen subject. Completion of a SKE course is not a requirement for all ITT candidates. The ITT provider determines whether it is requirement of the candidate’s offer after assessing their prior subject knowledge. Completion of SKE is not a factor in postgraduate ITT bursary eligibility.

ITT providers determine whether their trainees are eligible for a bursary, using the eligibility criteria set by the department. The department only holds data on trainees who are eligible for bursaries, alongside data on the overall number of trainees by subject and ITT provider. The department does not hold data on why trainees were ineligible for a bursary.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
9th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of using degree classification as an eligibility criterion for teacher training bursaries in shortage subjects.

Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are designed to incentivise more applications to ITT courses from high-achieving graduates. As such, for postgraduate bursaries, we take account of the grade of the trainee’s highest academic qualification. These bursaries are only awarded to trainees with at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree classification, unless the trainee possesses a higher academic qualification, such as a doctoral or master’s degree.

Graduates who do not hold a 2:2 degree can apply for student finance in the form of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional funding is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the childcare grant.

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses are designed to provide candidates for ITT with the minimum knowledge required to train to teach their chosen subject. Completion of a SKE course is not a requirement for all ITT candidates. The ITT provider determines whether it is requirement of the candidate’s offer after assessing their prior subject knowledge. Completion of SKE is not a factor in postgraduate ITT bursary eligibility.

ITT providers determine whether their trainees are eligible for a bursary, using the eligibility criteria set by the department. The department only holds data on trainees who are eligible for bursaries, alongside data on the overall number of trainees by subject and ITT provider. The department does not hold data on why trainees were ineligible for a bursary.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve the academic outcomes of students with learning difficulties in Wiltshire.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for a number of years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement.

Wiltshire’s Ofsted and CQC Local Area SEND inspection, carried out in October 2024, identified positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The report, which was published on 6 December 2024, included no Areas for Priority Action and highlighted that children and young people with SEND typically benefit from personalised provision delivered by dedicated staff from across education, health and social care, and when children and young people transition into school practitioners have a shared vision and commitment to inclusion.

Officials from the department and NHS England meet regularly with partners from the local area, including health, education, agencies, parent/carer, children and young people representatives, to review and reflect on the SEND services.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of allocating marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar in non-English GCSE subjects on students with dyslexia.

I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 57812.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve support for SMEs to take on apprentices.

I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the publication entitled Skills England: Sector evidence on the growth and skills offer, published in June 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure vocational pathways are presented to young people on an equal basis to university routes.

The publication referred to sets out Skills England‘s findings from its analysis and engagement with sectors on the growth and skills offer, supported by its assessments of skills needs. Skills England and the department will work together to ensure the offer meets the needs of employers across the country.

Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.

The department is investing in, and promoting, a wide range of non-academic routes to support young people into employment, including:

  • T Levels, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them work.

  • Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focused level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.

  • Skills Bootcamps, which give learners the chance to build sector-specific skills and include with a job interview on completion.

  • Free Courses for Jobs, giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications.

There is also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the regional differences in the potential impact of reductions to the adoption and special guardian support fund; and what steps she is taking to help tackle any identified disparities.

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.

The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the long-term outcomes of adopted children impacted by the reduction in therapy funding.

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.

The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the therapy funding per adopted child in Wiltshire on the mental health and well-being of these children.

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.

The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria was used to assess the eligibility of schools for the Schools Rebuilding Progamme; and how many schools in Wilshire have been included since 2020. .

Schools have been prioritised because they met one or more of the following criteria:

  • They had buildings of specific construction types that require replacement.
  • Their buildings had the highest condition need, identified in data collected in the Condition Data Collection and verified through collecting additional condition information, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-data-collection-programme-information-and-guidance.
  • Their buildings had severe and urgent condition need that meant they were a high priority for replacement.
  • Their buildings had risks that have the potential to cause significant harm to pupils or staff that meant they were a high priority for replacement.

More information about how the department prioritised schools can be found in the published methodology notes, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.

The number of schools in Wiltshire that have been included in the School Rebuilding Programme is 3.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)