Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of exams on mental health.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Exams and other assessments are an essential part of ensuring that young people have acquired the knowledge and skills they need in order to succeed in further study and in later life.
We recognise that exams, like other things in life such as job interviews, have the potential to exacerbate feelings of stress amongst young people. But when pupils receive the right support, for many of them the level of stress from exams is manageable.
We encourage schools to provide safe, calm and supportive environments that help young people to understand and look after their mental health and wellbeing and develop healthy behaviours that can support them to stay well during stressful periods.
There is also a range of advice and guidance on how to beat exam stress. This includes guidance from the NHS, accessible at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/advice-for-parents/help-your-child-beat-exam-stress/.
Additional guidance by Ofqual can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-exam-pressure-a-guide-for-students. The information provides some useful advice which pupils can use to help alleviate or lessen the anxiety they have about sitting exams.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of SAT exams on primary school students.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
End of key stage 2 tests and teacher assessments, often known as SATs, are an essential part of ensuring that primary school pupils master the basics of reading, writing and mathematics to prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering key stages 1 to 5, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy. The panel’s interim report, published on 18 March 2025, is clear that assessments in key stage 1 and 2 are an important part of assessing children’s progress throughout primary school, and that the system of primary assessment is generally working well. The review panel is now considering where there are challenges and how to make any necessary improvements to support the attainment of all children. The panel intend to deliver their final report in autumn 2025.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to consider introducing a range of alternative assessment methods to exams in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy, including curriculum and social inequality. The Review is evaluating the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England, to ensure they are fit for purpose.
The Review’s Interim Report, published in March 2025, is clear that traditional examined assessment should remain the primary means of assessment. The Review will take a subject-by-subject approach to consider assessment fitness for purpose and consider the impact of different assessment methods on teaching and learning.
The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, and the department will take decisions on what changes to make in light of these recommendations.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a record of all full deck replacements of s-joint bridges in England.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways have advised that the below half-joint structures are planned to have a full deck replacement: (this is assuming that the reference to a s-joint structure is similar to that of National Highways definition of half-joint structure)
A47 Great Ouse - Kings Lynn
M67 St Annes Road
M53 Upton Road
M53 Clatterbridge North
M53 Clatterbridge South
M53 Raby Hall Road
M6 Tebay
M6 Castle Howe
M6 Roundthwaite
M6 Jeffreys
M6/A685 Lawtland House Rly
M6 Borrowbeck Viaduct
M6 High Gill North
M6 High Gill South
M6 Galloper Well
A27 Pook Lane
A21 Old Cock footbridge
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the risk management plan for the M6 Lune Gorge structures project.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The M6 Lune Gorge structures project Risk Management Plan is a working document owned by National Highways. Therefore, it is not available for publication.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts to ensure aid supplies are able to enter Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains in close and regular contact with international counterparts to press for increased humanitarian access into Gaza. On 19 May, the UK, Canada, and France issued a joint statement calling on Israel to cease its renewed military offensive and lift restrictions on humanitarian assistance. In parallel, on 20 May, I summoned the Israeli ambassador to demand the immediate, full, and unhindered flow of aid, making the UK's position unequivocally clear. Alongside international partners, we continue to call for Israel to allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with UN officials to ensure aid supplies are able to enter Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has held regular discussions with UN agencies, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP), to support aid delivery and address access challenges in Gaza. On 19 May, the UK issued a joint statement calling for full aid resumption and for Israel to allow UN and non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners to operate independently. We will continue to convene international partners to increase pressure and take further steps to address the catastrophic situation on the ground. We have committed £101 million this financial year in humanitarian support to trusted partners including UN agencies and NGOs.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding his Department has provided to Natural England’s National Landscapes programme in each year since 2015.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are unable to provide detailed information prior to 2022 due to time/cost involved. Limited landscape designation work was delivered and funding for this was from Natural England’s baseline’ settlement.
Defra provided direct funding of £1.1 million per annum for years 2022/23 - 2024/25. As well as the four National Landscape designation cases, this covered wider work on landscape designations and alternatives.
For 2025/26 the direct funding for National Landscape designation work was not continued. Natural England is using baseline budget to fund a reduced programme of landscape designation work.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the adequacy of his Department's guidance on the (a) labelling and (b) information on country of origin for beef products in (i) food service and (ii) retail.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK maintains high standards on the information provided both online and on food labels and packaging so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.
A range of Defra guidance is available on the Gov.uk platform for both consumers and retailers. This guidance sets out the requirements for general food labelling and specific product labelling, including details on the country of origin for beef and other meats.
Defra guidance on food labelling, including country of origin for beef products, is kept under regular review to ensure it remains accurate, up to date, and in line with current labelling regulations.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions under the Equal Pay Act there have been; and what the scale of the fines issued is.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on how many convictions under the Equal Pay Act there have been; or what the scale of the fines issued is.