Stuart Anderson Portrait

Stuart Anderson

Conservative - South Shropshire

1,624 (3.1%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 12th December 2019


Stuart Anderson is not a member of any APPGs
6 Former APPG memberships
Armed Forces Covenant, Black Country, Black Country Economy, British Sikhs, Reserves and Cadets, Veterans
Opposition Deputy Chief Whip (Commons)
8th Jul 2024 - 6th Nov 2024
Shadow Minister (Defence)
19th Jul 2024 - 6th Nov 2024
Committee of Selection
30th Jul 2024 - 14th Oct 2024
Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
14th Nov 2023 - 5th Jul 2024
Committee of Selection
21st Nov 2023 - 30th May 2024
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
16th Feb 2023 - 14th Nov 2023
Assistant Whip
8th Jul 2022 - 16th Feb 2023
Defence Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 25th Oct 2022
Defence Sub-Committee
6th Mar 2020 - 25th Oct 2022
Committees on Arms Export Controls
16th Nov 2021 - 21st Oct 2022
Finance (No.2) Bill
8th Dec 2021 - 11th Jan 2022
Nationality and Borders Bill
16th Sep 2021 - 4th Nov 2021
Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill
23rd Jun 2021 - 6th Jul 2021
Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill
25th Feb 2021 - 14th Apr 2021
Armed Forces Bill Select Committee
22nd Feb 2021 - 22nd Feb 2021
Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill
22nd Feb 2021 - 22nd Feb 2021


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Stuart Anderson has voted in 56 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Stuart Anderson 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
James Murray (Labour (Co-op))
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
(8 debate interactions)
David Lammy (Labour)
Foreign Secretary
(4 debate interactions)
Tulip Siddiq (Labour)
(3 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
HM Treasury
(22 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(4 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(2 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Stuart Anderson's debates

South Shropshire 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).

Petitions with highest South Shropshire signature proportion
Stuart Anderson has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Stuart Anderson

2nd September 2024
Stuart Anderson signed this EDM on Monday 2nd September 2024

Social Security

Tabled by: Rishi Sunak (Conservative - Richmond and Northallerton)
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 869), dated 22 August 2024, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August 2024, be annulled.
81 signatures
(Most recent: 10 Sep 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 75
Independent: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Stuart Anderson's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Stuart Anderson, 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.


Stuart Anderson has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Stuart Anderson has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Stuart Anderson has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Stuart Anderson 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
2 Other Department Questions
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Commissioners are taking to help churches in rural areas undertake renovations in (a) parish halls and (b) other assets that can serve the wider community.

Church buildings are community assets as well as places of worship and almost 80% of churches are involved in 35,000 social action projects annually.

Church Halls are able to apply for support from our Net Zero Carbon programme’s Quick Wins Fund (currently £2.4 million total),which can help church halls become more sustainable and energy efficient.

Through the Archbishops’ Council, the Church Commissioners funded the Buildings for Mission project, which has so far provided £6.2 million to all 41 dioceses across England for grants for repairs to churches. A further £3.2 million has funded over 30 Church Buildings Support Officers to help parishes most in need in rural and urban areas to keep their church buildings in good repair and extend their use by the wider community.

St Michael and All Angels in Lydbury North, which is within the South Shropshire constituency, has received Buildings for Mission funding for urgent roof repairs and heritage at risk. St John the Evangelist in Newcastle on Clun has also received funding for urgent ceiling plastering work restoration, supported by the Buildings Support Officer in the Diocese of Hereford.

30th Oct 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to encourage participation in UK Parliament Week.

The Commission fully supports UK Parliament Week, the largest single public engagement campaign delivered by the UK Parliament.

This year, UK Parliament Week (18–24 November) will reach over two million people, who will take part in over 15,500 activities being organised by schools, youth organisations and community groups all over the UK, in British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies, and many countries around the world. Every parliamentary constituency will host some form of UK Parliament Week activity.

UK Parliament Week activities are registered by the public via the UK Parliament Week website. Activities can take many forms. They have previously ranged from themed assemblies and meeting Members of Parliament to artistic and creative activities with a Parliament or democracy theme. All those who register activities are sent either a printed or digital resource to help participants learn about Parliament. The resources include board games and quizzes aimed at school-aged learners.

The Commission invites all Members to participate in UK Parliament Week by encouraging constituents to sign up for events and activities that will help them learn more about the role of Members, the work that Members carry out both at Westminster and in their constituencies, and the importance of parliamentary democracy.

UK Parliament Week is delivered by the Participation team, Parliament’s bicameral public engagement specialists.

4th Nov 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for rural crime.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of rural crime – broadly classified as any crime and anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas. We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

We are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors work closely with local police officers to tackle farm equipment theft, fly-tipping and other rural crime, and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle wildlife offences.

The CPS provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute rural crime.

Each CPS Area also has a crown prosecutor dedicated to act as a Wildlife, Rural and Heritage Crime Coordinator to ensure the specialist knowledge needed to prosecute such offending is readily available.

Sarah Sackman
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help increase participation in UK Parliament Week.

The Parliamentary Capability Team within the Cabinet Office designs and delivers training for civil servants on all aspects of parliamentary procedure. Parliament Week is an important part of the training calendar every year. This year a programme of events will take place each day designed to improve the awareness and understanding of Parliament across the Civil Service. This will include discussions with the right honourable Leaders of both houses, officials and members. These events are advertised across all departments and open to all to attend.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
16th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help tackle barriers to export for small businesses.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting small businesses grow and export. UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.

DBT is also piloting an enhanced partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, taking a targeted place-based approach to accelerate small business growth through exporting across the region. This will be rolled out to other regions across England over the next 12 months.

We will bring forward further measures in due course.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make the Responsible Car Wash Scheme’s Code of Practice mandatory.

The Department of Business and Trade does not currently have any plans to make the Responsible Car Wash Scheme’s Code of Practice mandatory.

I also refer the member for South Shropshire to the answer I provided to UIN 21371 on 9 January for further information.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish a licensing regime for hand carwashes.

The Hand Car Wash sector is one of Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (ODLME) priority areas. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) have taken a proactive stance working closely with the Responsible Hand Car Wash scheme and Nottingham Trent University to understand the issues and maximise opportunities to address them within current legislation.

As the scheme has concluded, the Government is assessing these evaluations to understand how both to bolster compliance, and support sector-led initiatives. The Home Office and enforcement bodies, such as the GLAA, continue to support industry initiatives aimed at improving standards.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to support small businesses in rural areas with international trade.

Under the umbrella of the recently announced Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.

DBT is piloting an enhanced partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, taking a targeted place-based approach to accelerate small business growth through exporting across the region. This will be rolled out to other regions across England over the next 12 months.

We will bring forward further proposals next year.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve protections for whistleblowers.

Workers who blow the whistle are entitled to protections from detriment or dismissal as a result of making a protected disclosure and a route of redress through the Employment Tribunals if these protections are infringed.

The Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
13th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on the effectiveness of Royal Mail's delivery of the universal service obligation on letter delivery delays.

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector, including the overall provision of the universal service obligation.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to monitor and enforce Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) affordability of Post Office services in rural areas.

To help ensure that there are affordable post office services in rural areas, the government provides an annual £50m network subsidy to support the delivery of both a minimum number of branches and strong geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
24th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to help support economic growth in (a) Craven Arms and (b) other rural areas.

Craven Arms lies within Shropshire County Council area which has been allocated a total of £10.8m of core UK Shared Prosperity Funding, as well as a total allocation of £2.6m in Rural Prosperity Funding. Under the UKSPF delegated delivery model, Shropshire Council can choose to invest in supporting economic growth within specific towns like Craven Arms.

In addition, the Council has received Department of Business & Trade funding of £1.2m since FY21/22 for the Shropshire Growth Hub. Growth Hubs provide local business support and advice, to help drive regional economic growth. Growth Hub support is available across England and businesses of all sizes and sectors can contact their local Growth Hubs, including in rural areas.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase levels of community energy infrastructure.

The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will support Local and Combined Authorities and Community Energy Groups to roll out small and medium‑scale renewable energy projects, to develop up to 8GW of cleaner power by 2030.

The Government also supports the community energy sector through the £10 million Community Energy Fund, which enables communities across England to access grant funding to develop local renewable energy projects for investment.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase energy efficiency in (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) other public sector buildings.

The Government continues to improve the energy efficiency of hospitals, schools and other public buildings primarily though the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which provides public sector organisations a funding stream to help them install low carbon heating and efficiency measures.

The current application round for funding is open for applications until 25 November 2024. In addition over £80m has been made available through the Low Carbon Skills Fund for owners of public sector buildings to develop their decarbonisation plans.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the use of artificial intelligence in farming and agriculture.

AI is a general-purpose technology, with a wide array of applications. The government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will make the most of this transformative technology by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology engages regularly across government departments, including the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, to understand how they are considering AI-related policy opportunities within their remit.

In addition, Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme supports AI adoption across four sectors, of which agriculture is one.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps he has taken to help improve broadband connectivity in rural areas.

The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that over 85% of UK premises can now access a gigabit-capable connection.

To improve coverage further, we currently have over 30 Project Gigabit contracts in place to bring fast, reliable broadband to over 1 million more homes and businesses. In the last few months, the first premises have been connected as part of Project Gigabit contracts in areas including Norfolk, West Yorkshire and South Wiltshire, and the build has now started in earnest in other parts of the country too.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of rural areas with no wifi access.

Presuming that the Member is referring to broadband access via Wi-Fi in the home or premises, rather than public Wi-Fi, Project Gigabit is delivering gigabit-capable broadband (accessible to consumers as Wi-Fi) to UK premises, with the goal for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030, ensuring at least 99% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection. For parts of the UK where this is not possible, the government is considering alternative ways to improve connectivity. These may include wireless or satellite provision.

Premises unable to access a decent broadband connection, may be able to get an improved connection through the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), which provides a right to request a decent broadband service of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speed.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve gigabit broadband connectivity in (a) South Shropshire constituency and (b) other rural areas.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, 99% of premises in the South Shropshire constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and 48% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.

Remaining premises that are not expected to receive a gigabit-capable connection through suppliers’ commercial rollout are being considered for support through Project Gigabit. This includes approximately 3,400 premises in the constituency that are currently in scope of Project Gigabit contracts across Shropshire.

Overall, 36 Project Gigabit contracts, with a total value of over £1.9 billion, have been signed to date, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to over 1 million rural and hard-to-reach homes and businesses.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to help increase agricultural productivity.

Through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), we fund and support interdisciplinary research linking agriculture, nutrition and health to food security, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity.

In 2023-24, BBSRC funded around £140 million on research to improve crop and livestock health and enhance food safety and nutrition, whilst reducing food loss and waste. BBSRC’s wider investments to increase agricultural productivity include the Roslin Institute’s research programmes which have contributed to an estimated ~£18.9bn GVA in 2019-20 through global productivity improvements in agriculture and aquaculture.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of detached youth work in rural communities.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and the vital role that youth workers play in delivering those services and building trusted relationships.

This government has committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the training, recruitment and retention of youth workers, including detached youth workers. As part of the Strategy, we will be engaging closely with young people and the youth sector from across the country over the coming months to fully understand their needs and the issues they consider to be most crucial in addressing.

The Strategy will be published next year.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support places of worship in rural areas with building conservation projects.

There is a range of funding available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies that supports places of worship, including in rural areas. These include Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund's £15m Heritage in Need: Places of Worship initiative, funded through the National Lottery between 2023 and 2026; the Churches Conservation Trust, which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England's Heritage At Risk grants, funding £9 million worth of repairs to buildings on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register between April 2024 and March 2025.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help leisure centres conduct renovations to reduce their energy consumption.

The Government recognises that leisure centres are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active.

The ongoing responsibility of conducting renovations to public sport and leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level. Local Authorities work in partnership with operators who manage leisure services.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support sports development in rural communities.

The Government is committed to improving access to sport and physical activity for everybody. This is central to achieving the aims set out in the manifesto around the health and opportunity missions. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they are in the country, should have access to the best possible facilities and opportunities to get active.

The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £123 million will be invested UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25, working with our delivery partner the Football Foundation. Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to continue the Libraries Improvement Fund.

Any decision as to the future of the Fund is a matter for the current Spending Review process.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new teachers will be delivered in (a) South Shropshire and (b) other rural areas.

Delivering the government’s agenda to break down the barriers to opportunity relies on a highly skilled workforce in schools, and high-quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education.

There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England but numbers have not kept pace with demand. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament. This will help ensure that children in South Shropshire and all other areas of the country, including rural areas, have the expert qualified teachers they need in order to achieve and thrive.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
6th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many youth hubs will be established in rural areas.

The government is committed to breaking down barriers to success and opportunity. Too many children and young people today do not have access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers, suffer from poor mental health, and, in some cases, end up being drawn into crime rather than going on to achieve and thrive.

Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Ensuring young people from rural areas are included in the rollout of Young Futures Hubs is incredibly important.

As part of the development process, the department is engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities and other key stakeholders to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. This will ensure we are making use of the vast knowledge and experience that already exists, and will include considerations of the most suitable locations, as well as how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from their support. The number of Young Futures Hubs, their specific locations and their reach are still being determined, and we will share further information regarding these Hubs in due course.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to further education facilities for young people in rural areas.

This government is committed to driving economic growth and supporting opportunity for all. To help achieve these missions, we announced £300 million in the 2025/26 financial year for further education (FE) at the Autumn Budget 2024. We will set out how the additional funding will be distributed in due course.

The department has a number of schemes available to support young people in accessing FE facilities.

The Residential Bursary Fund (RBF) provides financial help towards the costs of accommodation for students attending a number of designated institutions delivering specialist provision. These specialist colleges mainly offer support for study programmes in the land-based sector, for example agriculture and horticulture.

The Residential Support Scheme (RSS) provides financial help for students aged 16 to 18 with the costs of living away from home to participate in a study programme where the substantial level 2 or level 3 qualification within their study programme is not available within daily travelling distance.

The department recognises that the cost and availability of transport can be difficult for some students in rural areas.

The 16-19 Bursary Fund helps young people who couldn’t otherwise afford the costs of education to participate. In the 2024/25 academic year, over £166 million of bursary funding has been allocated to institutions to help disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds with costs such as travel. The allocation to institutions is based, among other factors, on whether students live in rural areas and how far they travel to learn.

It is the responsibility of local authorities to put in place transport arrangements to help young people aged 16 to 18 to access education or training, using funds they have available locally. All local authorities have to prioritise their spending carefully. Local authorities in rural areas face unique challenges, but in these difficult economic times authorities in other types of areas face challenges too.

The actual transport provided by local authorities varies, but sometimes involves giving 16 to 18 year olds access to school transport or bus travel for payment of a flat fee. Unlike for school travel, provision does not need to be free.

Many young people in rural areas have access to a discount or concession on local bus or train travel, either from their local authority or local transport providers. The government also supports local bus travel, including in rural areas, through the Bus Service Operators Grant.

The government publishes guidance for local authorities on their post-16 transport duty. Guidance makes it clear that local authorities need to look at the transport needs of those who live in particularly rural areas where the transport infrastructure can be limited.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
20th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the introduction of VAT on private school fees does not negatively impact the academic progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring every child has access to high quality education. The government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced a £1 billion uplift in high needs funding for the 2025/26 financial year, providing additional support and improving outcomes for the more than a million children in the state sector with SEND.

Pupils who need a local authority funded place in a private school, including those with local authority funded education, health and care (EHC) plans, will not be impacted by the changes. This is because local authorities can reclaim the VAT that will be charged.

Most children with SEND, including most with an EHC plan, are educated in mainstream state funded schools. All state funded schools support children with SEND and all children of compulsory age are entitled to a state funded school place that is free for parents. Where a private school place is necessary to support a child with SEND, the local authority will fund it through an EHC plan.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient state school places in their area. Local authorities routinely support parents who need a state funded school place, including where private schools have closed or where pupils move between schools. The department works with local authorities to support place planning and ensure there is capacity in the state funded sector to meet demand.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to careers advice in rural communities.

The National Careers Service in England provides free, up to date, impartial information advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market, helping customers make informed choices about their career options, whatever their age, ethnic group and background.

The service is delivered via three channels. These are face to face, telephone and webchat. It is delivered by local, community-based contractors in nine geographic areas, drawing on localised labour market information to provide guidance, helping those who face barriers, including those within rural communities.

The National Careers Service website gives customers 24/7 access to information and advice. Careers advisers are co-located in the majority of Jobcentre Plus offices, providing specialist careers guidance.

The service operates in other settings including community centres, training providers, libraries. A recent initiative in the South West used a specially equipped bus to take careers advice directly to local communities. In some rural settings, where travel can be an issue, telephone appointments are arranged. Virtual jobs fairs and online webinars are offered for customers who may find it difficult to access face to face workshops.

Looking ahead, alongside the Department for Work and Pensions we are working in England to bring together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers, as well as join-up between employability and careers provision, enabling everyone to access and progress in good, meaningful work.

The new service will be a one-stop shop for anyone, including those in rural areas, who wants to look for work, wants help to increase their earnings, or who wants help to change their career or re-train. Employment and careers support will be available to all, not just those on benefits, who want support to find or progress in work.

The department will ensure the service is responsive to local employers, inclusive for all users, and works in partnership with other local services. We will set out more details about this and other labour market reforms through our forthcoming White Paper to Get Britain Working.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of childcare places in rural communities.

High quality, affordable early education and childcare is essential to ensuring that all our children get the best start in life.

The department recognises that there are differences in the availability of childcare depending on where you live.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics and Ofsted shows variations in the level of access to childcare places across the country, with the most deprived local authorities and rural areas the most likely to be areas that have faced low childcare accessibility over time. The data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-access-to-childcare-in-england/commentary-changes-in-access-to-childcare-in-england.

The government has committed to working with the sector to embed early years within the wider education system, and to find new ways to shift the early education system to better support parents in poorer and rural areas. This starts with the plan to utilise unused space in primary schools to create much needed places in 3,000 nurseries, working in partnership with all parts of the sector and local authorities.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the 'Early education and childcare' statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing

Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. We have recently launched a termly local authority readiness self assessment tool, which is intended to enable local authorities to gauge their progress as we move towards rollout. This will enable the department to work with local authorities to address issues as they emerge.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of resources to support the further education sector in (a) South Shropshire and (b) other rural areas.

Further education (FE) plays a critical role in delivering the government’s missions and ensuring that everyone has access to the opportunities they need, breaking down the barriers to their success and boosting economic growth.

FE funding, including the adequacy of resources across the country including South Shropshire and other rural areas, will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to continue the Half-Term Activities Fund in (a) Shropshire and (b) the UK.

The future of the holiday activities and food programme beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn and the department will communicate the outcome of that process in due course.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of funding for rural schools (a) in South Shropshire constituency and (b) nationally.

The national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factors. The lump sum provides a fixed amount of £134,000 that is unrelated to pupil numbers, and so is particularly beneficial to small rural schools. The department is also providing £98 million in total through the sparsity factor in 2024/25 to support small and remote schools, which typically benefits rural schools. In 2024/25, 75 schools in Shropshire local authority area attract sparsity funding in the NFF, including 40 in the South Shropshire constituency.

In July 2024, the department also announced almost £1.1 billion through the Core Schools Budget Grant to support schools with their overall costs. All schools, including rural schools, will receive funding through this grant in 2024/25.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the planned 6,500 new teachers will be delivered in South Shropshire constituency.

Delivering the government’s agenda to break down the barriers to opportunity relies on a highly skilled workforce in schools. There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but the department needs to do more to recruit additional teachers, especially in shortage subjects in secondary schools.

The department knows that high quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, which is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers. The department has taken the first steps towards this mission by restarting and expanding the teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’. The Secretary of State for Education and her ministerial team are dedicated to working alongside education partners and have already begun restoring the relationship with the sector. The Secretary of State has already addressed over 14,000 people from the workforce in the first of many regular engagements and has committed to working alongside them to re-establish teaching as an attractive and expert profession.

The number of teachers in South Shropshire has remained stable, with 526 teachers in the 2023/24 academic year. The department is doing more to attract teachers in this area. Financial incentives are one of the most effective ways to increase teacher supply. The minimum starting salary for teachers in South Shropshire increased to £30,000 from the start of the 2023/24 academic year. Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers, who chose to work in disadvantaged schools, receive retention payments worth up to £3,000 after tax. As the department works towards its ambition of recruiting 6,500 more teachers, it will do more to ensure teachers are attracted to the areas with the highest levels of need.

Alongside recruiting more teachers, the government is also committed to tackling retention challenges, making work pay, and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive. We will be making further announcements on these issues in due course.

The department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and to support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department's 'Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff service', which was developed alongside school leaders, includes a workload reduction toolkit to support schools to identify opportunities to cut excessive workload. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter also sets out commitments from the government, Ofsted, schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
15th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase funding available to national landscape teams.

This Government is committed to empowering Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder, and more accessible to all. We understand the uncertainty around resourcing remains a challenge for National Landscapes teams. Defra business planning is ongoing, and we will communicate the outcomes of this as soon as possible.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
9th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department will continue to support the Rural Housing Enablers Scheme.

The Government is committed to funding the Rural Housing Enabler programme until 31 March 2025.

It is also providing over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025-26 to boost the supply of new housing, including in rural areas. This includes a £500 million top up to the Affordable Homes Programme.

Funding allocations for individual programmes for the next financial year will be determined in upcoming months through the department’s business planning exercise and announced in due course.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
8th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent hand carwash operators from disposing of chemicals illegally down public storm drains.

It is the responsibility of hand car wash businesses to ensure that they are not polluting the environment as a result of their activities. This is set out in guidance on Gov.uk.

Chemicals in car wash products may become classed as waste (including containers with residual chemicals in them). A site operator will need to establish if this is the case and ensure that Hazardous Waste Regulations are followed in respect of correct disposal.

For discharges to water and sewerage company networks, a site operator may need to apply for a trade effluent consent from the water and sewerage company. If a discharge is to surface water drain/sewer, or the ground, a permit under Environmental Permitting Regulations may be required.

If a hand car wash business were to cause an environmental incident, the Environment Agency would respond to the incident as it would any other environmental incident. The Environment Agency responds to substantiated reports of environmental incidents and will take appropriate action under the enforcement and sanctions policy dependent on the nature and severity of any offence. The Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy can be found on Gov.uk.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
5th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support farmers to receive higher prices for their produce.

Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 we can introduce regulations, applying to businesses who purchase agricultural products from farmers, which increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices.

More broadly, the Government will focus on enabling a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, supporting profitability for farmers. In the Budget announced in October, the Government committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production.

Furthermore, our new deal for farmers includes using the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce and seeking a new veterinary agreement with the European Union to cut red tape at our borders.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
28th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of extending the Rural England Prosperity Fund on (a) small business, (b) farmers and (c) community infrastructure.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is intended to support new and existing rural businesses, including farm businesses, to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy and to support new and improved community infrastructure that will provide essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy.

An evaluation of REPF is underway and will report in Spring 2025.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the enforcement of animal welfare penalty notices.

Enforcement authorities have been able to issue penalty notices for a range of animal health and welfare offences since 1 January 2024. At the end of each financial year, enforcement authorities are required to submit an annual report to Defra on how many penalty notices they have issued. The first annual report from enforcement authorities on penalty notices issued is to be submitted to Defra by June 2025.

Defra is funding training to enforcement authorities such as local authorities and the police to support the effective implementation of penalty notices within their enforcement regime and their effective use as an enforcement tool.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of animal welfare penalty notices.

The first annual report from enforcement authorities on penalty notices issued is to be submitted to Defra by June 2025 and a consolidated report will subsequently be published.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to increase engagement with public consultations undertaken by Forestry England.

Forestry England remains committed to ensuring the public has the opportunity to comment on its future plans, such as in cases of new woodland creation.

Forestry England will continue to make sure that its consultation process supports its duty to balance and maximise the multiple benefits offered by forestry as a land use.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish a land use framework.

The Government will publish a Land Use Framework for England in due course in the form of a Green Paper, accompanied by a public consultation.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that farmers are fairly remunerated for their produce.

The Government will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness in the supply chain across all sectors. Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling contractual unfairness wherever it exists.

Defra will continue the work closely with stakeholders from all farming sectors on the best way to achieve this.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
22nd Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how his Department plans to spend its budget allocated to agriculture in the 2024-25 financial year; and how much and what proportion of that budget will be spent on support for farmers in South Shropshire constituency.

We will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal for farmers that works for farmers, food security and nature.

The only way to do this effectively is to listen to farmers and others with a stake in our food system, countryside and nature. Defra are doing this and assessing data and information about what’s working and what isn’t before setting out detailed plans. The Department will confirm plans for further optimisation and rollout of farming grants and schemes shortly.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
10th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with local authorities to develop integrated transport systems in rural areas.

We are committed to empowering local leaders to design and operate transport systems that better serve local needs. The Integrated National Transport Strategy will establish a people-first approach to transport across all areas and set the vision for better integration. The Department is already supporting rural connectivity through the Rural Transport Accelerator, and the Buses Bill which will place power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders across England.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps to increase funding available for very light rail projects.

We are considering how best to support mass transit long-term as part of the Spending Review and we will work closely with local authorities to understand what is needed to improve and grow their networks by learning from their experiences and building on their successes.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)