Question to the Department for Education:

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.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

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.

Question to the Department for Education:

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.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that hospices in (a) South Shropshire constituency and (b) the West Midlands receive (i) adequate and (ii) sustainable funding.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including those in Shropshire and the wider West Midlands, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people, and their loved ones, at the end of life.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth and range of palliative and end of life care provision within their ICB footprint.

The Government is going to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community, and we recognise that it is vital to include palliative and end of life care, including hospices, in this shift.

We will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date he expects UK defence spending to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Suffolk on 22 July to Question 117.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his proposed timetable is for UK defence spending reaching 2.5% of GDP.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Suffolk on 22 July to Question 117.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the sufficiency of funding to the National Police Air Service.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) provides borderless, round-the-clock, crewed police air support across England and Wales.

The Home Office supports NPAS through the provision of an annual capital grant. For the Financial Year 2024/25, this grant is £11.46m. The NPAS revenue budget is funded through contributions from police forces. For Financial Year 2024/25 this budget is £49.6m.

Funding for future financial years will be agreed as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to continue the Libraries Improvement Fund.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

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

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will include (a) shotgun licences and (b) veteran ID cards as accepted forms of voter identification in (i) general and (ii) local elections.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 1157 on 30 July 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Strategic Defence Review will conclude in its entirety before the next Spending Review commences.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The reviewers will report regularly on progress to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Defence and will make their final report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Defence Secretary - with recommendations - in the first half of 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish a land use framework.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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.