Sarah Jones Portrait

Sarah Jones

Labour - Croydon Central

First elected: 8th June 2017

Shadow Minister (Industry and Decarbonisation)

(since September 2023)

Shadow Minister (Home Office)
10th Apr 2020 - 5th Sep 2023
Public Order Bill
25th May 2022 - 21st Jun 2022
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
12th May 2021 - 24th Jun 2021
Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Housing)
15th May 2018 - 10th Apr 2020
Home Affairs Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 18th Jun 2018


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Sarah Jones has voted in 698 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

6 Dec 2022 - NHS Workforce - View Vote Context
Sarah Jones voted No - against a party majority - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 1 Labour No votes vs 154 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 226 Noes - 0
View All Sarah Jones Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 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
Kit Malthouse (Conservative)
(131 debate interactions)
Victoria Atkins (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
(39 debate interactions)
Sarah Champion (Labour)
(34 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Home Office
(452 debate contributions)
Ministry of Justice
(34 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(26 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Public Order Act 2023
(49,697 words contributed)
Fire Safety Bill 2019-21
(19,822 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Sarah Jones's debates

Croydon Central 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).

Petition Debates Contributed

Revoke all licences (PEL) for commercial breeders of laboratory animals. Require all Project Licences (PPLs) applications be reviewed by an independent Non Animal Methods (NAMs) specialist committee. Revise s24 ASPA 1986 to allow review. Urge International Regulators to accept & promote NAMs.

The right to peaceful assembly and protest are fundamental principles of any democracy and the proposed part of this bill that gives the police new powers to tackle disruptive peaceful protests should be removed from The Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

The Government's manifesto stated “we will make intentional trespass a criminal offence”: an extreme, illiberal & unnecessary attack on ancient freedoms that would threaten walkers, campers, and the wider public. It would further tilt the law in favour of the landowning 1% who own half the country.


Latest EDMs signed by Sarah Jones

16th November 2021
Sarah Jones signed this EDM as a sponsor on Tuesday 16th November 2021

Town and Country Planning

Tabled by: Keir Starmer (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
That the Town and Country Planning (Napier Barracks) Special Development Order 2021 (SI, 2021, No. 962), dated 26 August 2021, a copy of which was laid before this House on 27 August 2021, be revoked.
18 signatures
(Most recent: 24 Jan 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 9
Liberal Democrat: 3
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 1
Green Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
19th April 2021
Sarah Jones signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 19th April 2021

Public Health

Tabled by: Keir Starmer (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
That the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) (Amendment) (No. 7) Regulations 2021 (S.I., 2021, No. 150), dated 12 February 2021, a copy of which was laid before this House on 12 February 2021, be revoked.
10 signatures
(Most recent: 19 Apr 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 9
Green Party: 1
View All Sarah Jones's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Sarah Jones, 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.


1 Urgent Question tabled by Sarah Jones

Thursday 3rd November 2022

1 Adjournment Debate led by Sarah Jones

Monday 20th September 2021

Sarah Jones has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

1 Bill co-sponsored by Sarah Jones

Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018
Sponsor - Steve Reed (LAB)


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
1 Other Department Questions
19th Jul 2021
To ask the President of COP26, what steps he is taking to further develop financial support to help prevent loss and damage as a result of climate change ahead of the COP26 summit.

The UK Presidency is clear about the importance of developed countries meeting and surpassing the commitment to jointly mobilise $100bn of climate finance per year through to 2025, from a range of public and private sources.

At COP25, countries highlighted that existing sources of funds from a wide variety of sources, including disaster reduction and response funds, respond to loss and damage. They also urged donors and these other funds to scale up support relevant to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage in the most vulnerable countries. At COP26 and in the run up, we will push for progress on these actions and renew calls for coherent action using climate, development and disaster preparedness and response finance.

Through the COP26 Presidency, we are also calling for greater quantity, quality and access to finance and for responses to be joined up. The Taskforce on Access to Finance aims to align support behind the national climate action plans of developing countries to improve access to climate finance. The outcomes will be to agree a new approach to access, marshalling coherent, programmatic support for countries’ own, nationally-determined climate priorities, alongside specific, implementable recommendations to address the system of climate finance as a whole which includes enabling them to better prepare, build resilience and respond to disasters - averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage.

Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
28th Feb 2023
To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions have been made under the Night Poaching Act 1828 in each year since 2010.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants charged with and prosecuted for offences created by the Night Poaching Act 1828. However, management information is held showing the number of offences of charged by way of the Night Poaching Act 1828 in which a prosecution commenced from each year from 2010/11. The table below shows the number of these offences to the latest available year, 2021/22.

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

Night Poaching Act 1828

49

56

74

58

75

64

46

17

22

14

21

28

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

The figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants and it can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence.

Michael Tomlinson
Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government response to the Intelligence and Security Committee report entitled Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism, published on 30 March 2023, in what circumstances a person who is a member of a proscribed organisation could have their application for vetting clearance approved.

It is an offence under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to belong to, or profess to belong to a proscribed organisation in the UK or overseas.

United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) provides national security clearances to government, including certain posts in policing. As part of this, UKSV assesses an individual’s vetting application and any related risks. Where an individual is known to have or has declared affiliations or membership to a proscribed organisation, their application for national security vetting will not be approved.

UKSV and government organisations have ongoing controls in place to manage staff and review their security clearances. These include annual reviews of security clearances for higher level clearance holders, change of circumstances forms, and additional reporting mechanisms through which concerns may be raised for all clearance holders. If subsequently there are security concerns relating either to an individual’s involvement with, or connections to proscribed organisations, their clearance will be withdrawn.

27th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department made of the adequacy of proposals from Solway Community Power Company for the development of small modular reactors at Moorside; how much land is required for that proposed development; and how many meetings have taken place between the Department and that company.

The Department has had multiple engagements with Community Power Limited but has not at present made any assessment on their proposal. The Government launched the Alternative Routes to Market for New Nuclear Projects consultation on the 11th January 2024. This consultation explores what steps Government can take to enable different routes to market for Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) and how Government can support the private sector to bring forward new nuclear projects. In the case of Moorside, it would be natural for the site’s location adjacent to Sellafield to be factored into any decision.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the decision-making process is for the potential release of land by the Nuclear Development Authority for nuclear development sites at Moorside.

Moorside is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects. Whilst Great British Nuclear is working with the Government to support access to potential sites, no decisions have been made at present. In the case of Moorside, it would be natural for the site’s location adjacent to Sellafield to be factored into any decision.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment her Department has made of the viability of Moorside as a nuclear development site; and whether her Department has had recent discussions with Sellafield Ltd on the land requirements for developing that site.

Moorside is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects. Whilst Great British Nuclear is working with the Government to support access to potential sites, no decisions have been made at present. In the case of Moorside, it would be natural for the site’s location adjacent to Sellafield to be factored into any decision.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
21st Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) Sellafield Ltd and (b) the Nuclear Development Authority on its plans for nuclear power developments at Moorside.

Moorside is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects. Whilst Great British Nuclear is working with government to support access to potential sites, no decisions have been made at present. In the case of Moorside, it would be natural for the site’s location adjacent to Sellafield to be factored into any decision.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
21st Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the extent of regulatory support for potential nuclear power developments at Moorside.

There is currently no project at Moorside, but any new developer will need to meet the requirements of our independent regulators. The Government’s Nuclear Roadmap has set out plans to streamline future nuclear development to make Britian the best place in the world to invest in nuclear. We believe the existing EN-6 sites, such as Moorside, are likely to retain inherent positive attributes that make them suitable for consideration for development.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that energy suppliers promptly remunerate customers who sell renewable energy back to the grid.

Suppliers make payments to householders in line with their Smart Export Guarantee contract terms and conditions. Whilst some suppliers have chosen to make payments on a yearly basis to minimise the administrative costs associated with the very small amounts of export involved, there are other suppliers that offer more frequent renumeration.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
27th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many homes in Croydon Central constituency were installed with solar power panels by 31 January 2023.

At the end of January 2023, there were 815 domestic installations of solar panels recorded in Croydon Central constituency.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
27th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that members of the public who sell solar powered energy back to the state are reimbursed in a timely way.

Under the market-led Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), it is for suppliers to determine the frequency of payments they make to householders exporting excess electricity to the grid. Suppliers are required to have a process in place to deal with complaints relating to their SEG obligations.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding his Department plans to allocate to local authorities to enable (a) the development of local retrofit supply chains and (b) insulation of local authority housing stock.

In 2020 and 2021, the Government spent almost £6 million on the BEIS Skills Training Competition scheme which delivered around 7000 training opportunities for energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains. The Government is exploring options for further funding but at present has no plans to directly fund local authorities for supply chain development.

The Government has allocated £800m to Wave 2 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which is planned to be open to all registered providers of social housing, including private and local authority providers.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
1st Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will establish an insulation programme that offers grant funding for people who are not able to afford the up-front costs of home insulation.

The Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve energy efficiency, supporting schemes such as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant, and Local Authority Delivery scheme.

The Government also published the consultation response for the next Energy Company Obligation, helping low-income households across Great Britain benefit from insulation and heating measures.

For those not eligible for funding, the Government recognises long-term finance will be essential. The Government is working with mortgage lenders to support homeowners improve the energy performance of their properties, and with the UK Infrastructure Bank as it considers investment opportunities including those to improve energy efficiency.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make funding available to local councils to (a) insulate council housing stock and (b) invest in developing local supply chains able to retrofit home insulation.

The 2019 Conservative Manifesto committed to a £3.8billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of social homes. Around £240million has been awarded to social landlords through the SHDF Demonstrator and Wave 1 schemes. A further £800million was secured for SHDF in the 2021 Spending Review.

BEIS has spent nearly £6million on skills training, delivering around 7000 training opportunities for the energy-efficiency and low-carbon-heating supply chains. BEIS will continue to monitor the market and is considering options on how to work with industry to support training to increase capacity and reduce shortages.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
15th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to support the insulation of privately owned homes in order that they may achieve EPC band C by 2035.

The Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out the actions being taken to reduce emissions from homes and buildings, including investing an additional £3.9 billion to support people to make energy efficiency changes, including insulation.

This funding will support the Home Upgrade Grant which will provide grants to low-income households to upgrade the energy performance of the worst quality, off gas grid homes in England.

Alongside this, the Green Home Grants Local Authority Delivery Scheme (LAD) is also providing financial support to those in low-income households to install measures such as solid wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and underfloor insulation.

In addition, the Energy Company Obligation scheme, launched in 2013, is an obligation that the Government has placed on larger energy suppliers to install energy efficiency and heating measures to low income and vulnerable households across Great Britain. This scheme has delivered around 3.29m measures in 2.31m homes, up to the end of July 2021.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
13th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on changing market rules to enable community energy groups to supply renewable energy on a local basis; and what steps his Department is taking to support local renewable electricity generation as a way of meeting the UK's Carbon Budget.

The current Ofgem regulatory regime allows for a company to supply a specified geographic area, and small scale electricity operations may be able to operate without being regulated by Ofgem.

We are supporting community energy through the Rural Community Energy Fund and there are already mechanisms in the market to allow local supply. We will work with Ofgem to ensure that local communities can play their role in delivering Net Zero and a Green Recovery.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the G7 Climate and Environment: Ministers’ Communiqué, published on 21 May 2021, when the long-term strategy for the UK’s pathway to zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 will be published.

The Net Zero Strategy will be published before COP26, and will build on my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. This will be our Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in our information to facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding that accompanied the UK’s new nationally determined contribution back in December.

A number of sector strategies are also being published this year, as well as the Net Zero Strategy, including the Heat and Buildings Strategy and the Hydrogen Strategy.

We have also recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan – the first such Plan in the world – setting transport on the path to net zero by 2050.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what policies his Department (a) has proposed and (b) plans to propose to help the Government meet the 2050 net zero target. ​

My Rt. Hon. Friemd the Prime Minister has set out his Ten Point Plan for the UK to lead the world into a Green Industrial Revolution. This innovative programme sets out ambitious policies and £12 billion government investment to support up to 250,000 green jobs, accelerate our path to reaching net zero by 2050 and lay the foundations for our green recovery by building back greener from COVID-19.

The Energy White Paper sets out our plans for the transformation of our energy system, including actions to fully decarbonise electricity generation by 2050. This drives forward the Ten Point Plan commitments, reaffirming how clean energy means jobs and economic growth for the whole country, moving on from COVID-19 to build back better, support green jobs, and accelerate our path to net zero.

In March this year we published the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, the first by a major economy which sets out how industry can decarbonise in line with net zero while remaining competitive and without pushing emissions abroad. The strategy includes ambitions and expectations such as emissions in industry needing to fall by around two thirds by 2035, as well as policy priorities for the next ten years and seeks to provide industry with the long-term certainty it needs to invest in decarbonisation. We also recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan – the first such Plan in the world – setting transport on the path to net zero by 2050.

Through the above plans, we have set out the concrete steps that we will take to build back greener from the pandemic and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Ahead of COP26, we will bring forward further bold proposals, including a Net Zero Strategy, to cut emissions and create new jobs and industries across the whole country.

We are also publishing a number of sector strategies this year, as well as the Net Zero Strategy, including the Heat and Buildings Strategy and a Hydrogen Strategy.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many home owners have applied successfully to the Green Home Grants scheme from Croydon Central constituency, to date.

Official statistics for the Green Homes Grant (Voucher) Scheme were released on 18 March. From this release, 64 applications were received from households in the Croydon Central Parliamentary Constituency, up to the end of February.

The next statistical release will be published on 22 April.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress has been made on (a) removing and (b) replacing fossil fuel boilers in (i) public sector and (ii) private sector homes.

BEIS have been supporting the installation of renewable heating systems in public and private sector homes and buildings via the Renewable Heat Incentive. The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive has supported 84,707 installations as of December 2020 and the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive has supported 20,673 installations as of December 2020.

The Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme aims to deliver energy efficiency and clean heat upgrades to 600,000 homes across England. Clean heat measures (including heat pumps, solar thermal panels and biomass boilers) are one of the groups of primary measures funded through the scheme.

The £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provides grants for public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures, including low carbon heating. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan included a commitment for further funding for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in the 2021/22 financial year, with more information to be announced in due course.

In addition to this, BEIS’ Heat Networks Investment Project has awarded over £125m for the development and construction of heat networks in England and Wales since its launch in 2018. This will enable greater deployment of heat networks as an alternative to domestic boilers.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on banning the installation of fossil fuel boilers by 2025 in new build homes.

The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for heating is not compatible with that ambition.

When it is implemented in 2025, the Future Homes Standard will ensure that all new build homes are zero carbon ready. While building regulations themselves do not mandate or ban the use of any specific technologies, we intend to set the performance standard at a level which means that new homes will not be built with fossil fuel heating.

In line with that ambition, the 2020 Energy White Paper committed to consulting on whether it is appropriate to end gas grid connections to new build homes from 2025, in favour of clean energy alternatives. We will provide more detail on the Government’s approach in our Heat and Buildings Strategy, which we will publish in due course.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
24th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will ensure that insulation products used in the public sector decarbonisation scheme are aligned with the Government ban on combustible materials.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will invest £1 billion by giving grants to public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and low carbon heat measures, supporting up to 30,000 skilled jobs.

All measures installed using the scheme must comply with all relevant legislation.

6th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support hydrogen development as a sustainable energy resource in order to meet the Government's pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050.

The Government is committed to exploring the development of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier, alongside electricity and other decarbonised gases. We are investing in innovation, with up to £108m supporting a range of projects to explore and develop the potential of low carbon hydrogen across the value chain from production to end use. We are investing in production at scale through the development of the £100m Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund, announced in 2019, and developing sustainable business models to support low carbon hydrogen production at scale. Alongside this we are working with a range of stakeholders to develop opportunities for scale up of UK hydrogen, notably through the Industrial Clusters Mission and the Offshore Wind Sector Deal.

14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of changes to Level 3 Qualifications on the education of 16 to 18 year-olds.

The department has published impact assessments to reflect the potential effect of reforms to Level 3, post-16 qualifications in England on the education of 16 to 19 year olds.

The most recent impact assessment, published in March 2023, provides an overview of the potential effects on students aged 16 to 19 resulting from the proposed removal of public funding approval from those qualifications that have been assessed as overlapping with T Levels. This can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1146228/EIA_updated_final_wave_1_2_T_Level_overlap_inc_Health_and_Science.pdf.

A further impact assessment, published in July 2022, which reflects all planned reforms to qualifications at Level 3, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1091841/Revised_Review_of_post-16_qualifications_at_level_3_in_England_impact_assessment.pdf.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to review statutory guidance on school uniforms in the context of increases in the cost of living.

Schools must regard the statutory guidance when they are developing and implementing their uniform policy. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to keeping the cost of school uniform reasonable. The Department will monitor the impact of the guidance on an ongoing basis.

It is important that schools carefully consider the cost of their uniform and comply with the guidance, which is designed to ensure the cost of uniforms is reasonable and secures best value for money for parents.

Headteachers know their school communities best and can make decisions on the branded items that are most appropriate to their school. Branded items create a sense of common identity and prevent pupils from competing against one another in the latest fashion trends. The guidance requires headteachers to carefully consider the overall cost implications of their chosen approach, including whether requiring a branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform. To ensure that school uniform acts as a social leveller, optional branded items should be kept to a minimum.

Schools should be compliant with the majority of the guidance by September 2022, except where this would mean breaching a pre-existing contract, or where they need time to put a contract in place.

There are currently no plans to review the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, published in November 2021, in the context of current increases in the cost of living. The guidance comes into force this month and requires schools to ensure their uniform is affordable.

2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering more support to families on low incomes with school uniform costs.

Schools must regard the statutory guidance when they are developing and implementing their uniform policy. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to keeping the cost of school uniform reasonable. The Department will monitor the impact of the guidance on an ongoing basis.

It is important that schools carefully consider the cost of their uniform and comply with the guidance, which is designed to ensure the cost of uniforms is reasonable and secures best value for money for parents.

Headteachers know their school communities best and can make decisions on the branded items that are most appropriate to their school. Branded items create a sense of common identity and prevent pupils from competing against one another in the latest fashion trends. The guidance requires headteachers to carefully consider the overall cost implications of their chosen approach, including whether requiring a branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform. To ensure that school uniform acts as a social leveller, optional branded items should be kept to a minimum.

Schools should be compliant with the majority of the guidance by September 2022, except where this would mean breaching a pre-existing contract, or where they need time to put a contract in place.

There are currently no plans to review the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, published in November 2021, in the context of current increases in the cost of living. The guidance comes into force this month and requires schools to ensure their uniform is affordable.

2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance limiting the amount of branded clothing that schools may require pupils to wear as part of school uniform, in order to reduce the financial burden on low-income families.

In November last year, the department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, to which schools must have regard when designing and implementing their uniform policies. The guidance, which comes into effect this month, requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and secures best value for money for parents, including keeping branded items to a minimum and limiting them to low-cost or long-lasting items.

It also requires schools to:

  • Give the highest priority to cost and value for money in their supply arrangements.
  • Make second-hand uniform available for parents to acquire.
  • Publish their uniform policy on their website and ensure that this is easily understood.
  • Engage with parents and pupils on cost issues when they are developing their uniform policy.

School leaders know their pupils and the community they serve best and can make decisions on the branded items that are most appropriate to their school. Branded items create a sense of common identity and prevent pupils from competing against one another in the latest fashion trends. The guidance requires school leaders to consider carefully the overall cost implications of their chosen approach, including whether requiring a branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform.

The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms.

5th May 2020
What steps he is taking to ensure that the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers does not widen during the covid-19 outbreak.

The government has already committed over £100 million to boost remote education, including by providing devices and internet access to vulnerable children who need it most.

Schools also continue to receive the pupil premium – worth around £2.4 billion annually – to help them support their disadvantaged pupils.

5th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Ofwat effectively challenges water companies for breaches of their responsibilities.

The Government has established a robust system of independent economic regulation for the purpose of ensuring the public receive value for money from their water companies. The Government’s Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat makes it clear that we expect Ofwat to work with other regulators and wider stakeholders to ensure security of supply and protect and enhance the environment.

Through the Environment Act 2021, the Government has given Ofwat improved powers to modify water company licenses without consent. On Monday 20 March 2023, Ofwat announced a new measure that will enable it to take enforcement action against water companies that do not link dividend payments to performance for both customers and the environment.

Where companies fail to meet their obligations, regulators have not hesitated to act. Ofwat’s annual performance assessment process, and the automatic penalties that apply to companies who underperform, represents an excellent example of strong economic and environmental regulation. In November 2022, Ofwat announced financial penalties of £132 million applying to 11 water companies, in response to underperformance in areas such as water supply interruptions, pollution incidents and internal sewer flooding. Money from Ofwat’s penalties will rightly be returned to customers through water bills in 2023-24.

Ofwat is currently undertaking the largest ever civil investigations into over two thousand wastewater treatment works.

The Government will continue to work with water sector regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
5th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with local government leaders on water and river quality.

The Secretary of State frequently holds meetings with key stakeholders on water and river quality.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of local government on water quality.

On drinking water quality there have been no recent discussions with local government. Local authorities are the regulators of private drinking water supplies and are responsible for identifying risks to the quality of drinking water with comprehensive monitoring programmes in place. In England, in 2021, private water supply compliance with the drinking water regulations was 96.9% which has been steadily improving (96.4% in 2020, 96.6% in 2019 and 95.2% in 2018).

The Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate publishes an annual report that provides an overview of the quality of private water in supplies in England. https://www.dwi.gov.uk/what-we-do/annual-report/.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has plans to monitor the volume of storm overflow events.

Using powers in the landmark Environment Act, we will significantly improve transparency by requiring companies to make discharge data available in near real time to the public and monitor water quality upstream and downstream of their assets.

The Environment Agency has instructed water companies to install flow monitors at 2000 wastewater treatment works. These provide important data on the volume of treated final effluent discharges to the environment.

Earlier this month, the Government launched our consultation on Continuous Water Quality Monitoring and Event Duration Monitoring. This outlines the Government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflow and final effluent discharges.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps with Ofwat to help ensure that water companies deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of pollution incidents with a target of zero serious incidents by 2030.

Our Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) for Ofwat sets clear priorities for the water sector in England. This includes an expectation that Ofwat will challenge water companies to demonstrate how they will achieve zero serious pollution incidents by 2030 and we will continue to work with the regulator to ensure this happens.

The Environment Act 2021 gave Ofwat increased powers to modify water company licence conditions to improve water companies’ performance. This means Ofwat can modify company licenses.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
13th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ban the (a) export of plastic waste and (b) most polluting single use plastics as part of its plans to tackle the causes of plastic pollution.

(a) The Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). We will consult before the end of 2022 on options to deliver the ban.

(b) The Resources and Waste Strategy for England sets out the Government's plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the 25 Year Environment Plan. For the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025. We have made significant progress, introducing one of the world's toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and significantly reducing the use of single-use carrier bags use with our 5p charge. In May we increased the charge to 10p and extended it to all retailers.

In general, we prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright. It is ultimately for businesses to decide what materials they use to supply products to customers. There may, however, be times when a ban is appropriate as part of a wider strategic approach. In October 2020, we introduced a restriction on the supply of plastic drinking straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers, and we are currently in the process of preparing a public consultation on banning the supply of single-use plastic plates, cutlery and expanded polystyrene drinks containers. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/ or materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.

We have included a number of measures in the Environment Bill to enable us to tackle plastics and plastic waste. These include measures to impose charges on single-use plastic items; introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers; and make producers cover the costs of collecting and managing plastic packaging waste. As well as this, the Bill gives us powers to provide consistent recycling services for household and businesses; ensure all packaging is labelled either 'recyclable' or 'not recyclable'; set requirements regarding design and material usage for products; and will allow us to better control the export of plastic waste.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's commitment to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025 set out in the England Tree Strategy consultation document published in June 2020, how many trees have been planted to date; whether those trees are (a) whips or (b) adult trees; where he plans to plant trees in the future; whether he plans to plant trees in Croydon; who will be responsible for maintaining those trees; and which Minister is accountable for that programme.

The Forestry Commission produces statistics on new planting of woodland for the UK. These are Official Statistics produced to meet the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics and can be found on the Forest Research web site together with background information at: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/. The statistics are produced annually and show recorded new planting from administrative records and grant schemes with estimates for planting without grant aid. It is assumed nearly all the trees newly planted are whips with small stems or relatively small planting stock rather than larger trees.

The most recent statistics show there was 13,660 hectares of new planting (woodland creation) in the UK in 2019-20, of which 2,340 hectares were in England. At least a further 842 hectares have been reported as newly planted between 1 April 2020 and 31 December 2020 in England.

In addition, the Urban Tree Challenge Fund supports the planting of larger, ‘standard’, trees outside of woodlands in England. The Fund supported the planting of 7,630 standard trees in 2019-20 and 11,839 standard trees in 2020-21. Of these, 734 were planted in Croydon.

Grant schemes are demand led so it is not generally possible to state where the trees will be newly planted, although a range of sensitivities will prevent permission to plant being granted in some locations. We are aware of plans to plant a further 66 standards trees in 2021-22 in Croydon supported by the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. Additional planting will be dependent on future applications.

The maintenance of new trees and woodland is usually the responsibility of the grant agreement holder and the grant award includes a contribution to costs to ensure successful establishment of the newly planted trees.

The Minister who has forestry in his portfolio and is accountable for the programme is Lord Goldsmith.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
27th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support local authorities' delivery of the Transport decarbonisation plan.

The Department is supporting local authorities to decarbonise with funding and tools, helping them to build their capacity and capability. Key programmes include the £5.7 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements and the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which supports local delivery of transport decarbonisation alongside other government objectives.

The Government has also established Active Travel England to help local authorities deliver high quality walking and cycling schemes and last month announced an additional £56 million of public and industry funding to support the rollout of local electric vehicle chargepoints across the country.

The Government will shortly be consulting on new Local Transport Plan (LTP) guidance that will support better and more integrated strategic planning and provide new guidance to authorities in quantifying the carbon impact of their plans. This is in addition to work underway to update its Local Authority Transport Decarbonisation Toolkit on a range of interventions.

10th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of (a) the results of Germany's recent rail ticket subsidy scheme and (b) the potential merits of applying a similar approach to public transport in the United Kingdom.

In considering any new rail fare discounts, the Government would need to carefully consider the potential benefits to passengers, costs to taxpayers and impact on the operation of the railway.

On 3 September, the Government announced plans to provide up to £60 million to help bus operators cap single fares on most services in England, outside London, at £2 per journey. The fare cap will run for three months from January to March 2023 and could help millions save on travel costs.

10th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to encourage people to choose to travel by rail instead of by car in order to reduce demand for petrol and diesel and lower vehicle emissions.

As set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, supporting people to choose sustainable travel choices, including rail, has the potential to reduce carbon emissions and fuel demand, whilst also improving congestion and air quality.

We are continuing to work with the sector to tackle the challenges that continue to face the railway as it recovers from the pandemic. We remain committed to reforming our railways, improving journeys for passengers and creating a better, more modern UK rail industry.

15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publication of the independent evaluation of the NHS England special schools eye care service.

The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment to ensure that children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism in special residential schools have access to sight checks in school. To fulfil that commitment, NHS England commenced a proof-of-concept programme in 2021, piloting sight testing and the dispensing of glasses in special schools.

This programme is currently subject to independent evaluation, which includes engagement with a wide range of parents, special schools and other stakeholders with an interest. We expect the evaluation to have concluded by May 2023. The evaluation of and learning from this work will inform decisions about how the eye care needs of people with learning disabilities should be commissioned.

The Department will also be hosting a roundtable currently scheduled for 28 March 2023, to discuss eye care services for people with learning disabilities.

15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to conduct a public consultation to inform the (a) structure, (b) funding and (c) commissioning of a potential model of eye care in special schools.

The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment to ensure that children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism in special residential schools have access to sight checks in school. To fulfil that commitment, NHS England commenced a proof-of-concept programme in 2021, piloting sight testing and the dispensing of glasses in special schools.

This programme is currently subject to independent evaluation, which includes engagement with a wide range of parents, special schools and other stakeholders with an interest. We expect the evaluation to have concluded by May 2023. The evaluation of and learning from this work will inform decisions about how the eye care needs of people with learning disabilities should be commissioned.

The Department will also be hosting a roundtable currently scheduled for 28 March 2023, to discuss eye care services for people with learning disabilities.

15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve access to eye care for people with learning disabilities.

The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment to ensure that children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism in special residential schools have access to sight checks in school. To fulfil that commitment, NHS England commenced a proof-of-concept programme in 2021, piloting sight testing and the dispensing of glasses in special schools.

This programme is currently subject to independent evaluation, which includes engagement with a wide range of parents, special schools and other stakeholders with an interest. We expect the evaluation to have concluded by May 2023. The evaluation of and learning from this work will inform decisions about how the eye care needs of people with learning disabilities should be commissioned.

The Department will also be hosting a roundtable currently scheduled for 28 March 2023, to discuss eye care services for people with learning disabilities.

7th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding is spent on providing glasses for patients with the myopia nystagmus condition annually.

The information requested is not held centrally.

7th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many individuals are provided with publicly-funded support for glasses associated with the Myopia Nystagmus condition as of 6 December 2022.

The information requested is not held centrally.

24th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Legionnaires Disease (a) cases and (b) deaths in hospitals there have been since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic; what steps hospitals have taken to protect people with that condition from additional harm during the pandemic; and whether this will be investigated as part of the covid-19 Inquiry.

The data is not available in the format requested. The COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidance aimed to support healthcare organisations to maintain the safety of patients and staff. Organisations continue to be responsible for managing the risks associated with infectious agents, such as legionnaires, by completing risk assessments approved through local governance procedures.

The recommended terms of reference for the COVID-19 Inquiry include examining the management of the pandemic in hospitals, including infection prevention and control and the consequences of the pandemic on provision for non-COVID-19 related conditions and needs. The Government will consider these recommendations and publish the Inquiry's final terms of reference in due course.

16th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on how the £50 million for targeted motor neurone disease research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Motor Neurone Disease Research Unit can be accessed.

The Government delivers research on motor neurone disease (MND) through the Department of Health and Social Care, via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and through the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Government has committed to make £50 million available for MND research over the next five years through NIHR and UKRI. The Government has also committed to establish an NIHR MND research unit to coordinate innovative research applications. The NIHR and UKRI rely on researchers submitting high-quality applications to access funding. All applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
12th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether money allocated to people under the Windrush Compensation Scheme is exempted from consideration in means testing for social care.

Where a local authority charges a person for their care and support, they may take most of the income and benefits people receive into account when determining how much they should pay. This is unless it is specifically required to be disregarded by The Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014 or the associated statutory guidance. The Windrush Compensation Scheme is not currently disregarded, although we are keeping this under active review.

Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education