Toby Perkins

The Department recognises that the planned expiry of Renewables Obligation accreditation in April 2027 for many landfill gas generators, could affect their commercial viability.

The Government is exploring implementation of a long-term methane capture scheme with appropriate transitional arrangements.

DESNZ, with support from Defra, intend to consult on a potential transitional arrangement later this year. Any support provided will be subject to rigorous value for money and impact assessments.

Government recognises the role that landfill gas generation can play in reducing methane emissions. As set out in the Methane Action Plan, we are committed to exploring the implementation of a long‑term methane capture scheme with appropriate transitional arrangements.

The Department, with support from Defra, intends to consult later this year on transitional arrangements. No final decisions have yet been taken, and any proposals would be subject to consultation outcomes and value‑for‑money considerations.

The emissions of some foundational industries, such as refining and cement and lime, are mainly from processes that cannot be reduced by fuel switching. The CCC have said that CCS would be responsible for 62%% of emissions reductions in the cement and lime sectors by 2050.

We have signed a contract with the UK’s first carbon capture-enabled cement plant at Padeswood, which located in the HyNet carbon capture cluster, to receive support under the ICC business model. This will forge a cleaner future with secure, long-term jobs for workers and businesses in the cement industry.

The Peak Cluster project plans to deploy CCS to decarbonise cement and lime sites in the Peak District. This could decarbonise 35% of the UK’s cement and lime emissions, as well as create and protect 3,500 jobs.

DESNZ has been working with Defra to consider the potential impact of the end of the Renewables Obligation for landfill gas generation, including impacts on methane emissions.

Government is exploring implementation of a long‑term methane capture scheme with appropriate transitional arrangements.

DESNZ, with support from Defra, intend to consult on a potential transitional arrangement later this year. Any support provided will be subject to rigorous value for money and impact assessments.

The Secretary of State regularly engages with the government’s independent adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), on a wide range of issues including the CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget advice. The government will choose its own pathway and will ensure that this increases energy security, protects billpayers, and creates good, well-paid jobs while also considering future trends in energy demand.

Space is a priority for this Government, supporting national security, economic growth, and scientific excellence. The integration of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a strategic opportunity to strengthen the UK’s position as a leading space power.

This transformation will better align our space capabilities with the wider science and technology agenda, enabling stronger links between space, innovation, and industry. We are committed to maintaining the Agency’s specialist expertise and operational focus, while unlocking new opportunities through DSIT’s broader reach and ministerial oversight.

ARIA is a small body with limited administrative capacity to handle Freedom of Information Act requests. It is important that ARIA is focused on funding long-term transformational research for the benefit of the UK.

ARIA is, however, dedicated to transparency. ARIA has other statutory commitments to transparency, including requirements for it to submit an annual report and a statement of accounts, which are laid before Parliament and audited by the National Audit Office or a commercial auditor. In addition to this, ARIA regularly publishes transparency information on its website, including on its financial transactions, contracts and funding recipients.

The Government tracks activity levels through Sport England’s Active Lives surveys. Two surveys run annually: Active Lives Adult, and Active Lives Children and Young People. These surveys measure the activity levels of people across England and allows the Government to collect accurate data on what and how much sport and physical activity different groups are participating in. You can find out more about the surveys on Sport England's website.

The figures for the Active Lives Adult Survey covering November 2024 to November 2025 will be published by Sport England on 23 April 2026.

The figures for the Active Lives Children and Young People survey who participated at least once a week in the Academic Year 2024/25 can be found in the attached PDF.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review.

We will now work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England provides long term investment to the LTA, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis initiatives.

The Government has also announced another £400 million to transform facilities across the UK following the Spending Review. We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review.

We will now work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England provides long term investment to the LTA, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.

The department allocates the bulk of 16 to 19 bursary funding in advance for institutions to make discretionary bursary awards to students.

For mainstream schools and academies, allocations are made to individual institutions. Each local authority-maintained school, or academy within a multi-academy trust, will get its own allocation from the department. It is up to these organisations how to allocate this funding.

Calculations for an institution’s discretionary bursary funding are based on data around the financial needs and costs faced by its students. The methodology for calculating discretionary bursary allocations has two elements:

• Element One: financial disadvantage is based on students’ home postcodes, matched against the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

• Element Two: student costs is intended to provide a general indicator of the main costs faced by students. It includes funding for travel costs by using the rurality of the student’s home postcode and the delivery location of their learning, together with funding for industry placement costs for students on T Levels.

The department has collected data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education from local authorities on a termly basis since autumn 2022. Figures are available by local authority in the publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

In most cases, there is no legal obligation on parents to request permission or notify the school or local authority that they are withdrawing their child from school to home educate them.

As parents currently have no legal duty to inform local authorities when they are home educating, local authorities cannot be assured that they are fulfilling this duty towards all children living in their areas.

This is why the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will introduce compulsory Children Not in School Registers in every local authority in England and Wales. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those not in receipt of safe or suitable education, and to act where this is the case.

The department has collected data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education from local authorities on a termly basis since autumn 2022. Figures are available by local authority in the publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

In most cases, there is no legal obligation on parents to request permission or notify the school or local authority that they are withdrawing their child from school to home educate them.

As parents currently have no legal duty to inform local authorities when they are home educating, local authorities cannot be assured that they are fulfilling this duty towards all children living in their areas.

This is why the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will introduce compulsory Children Not in School Registers in every local authority in England and Wales. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those not in receipt of safe or suitable education, and to act where this is the case.

The department has collected data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education from local authorities on a termly basis since autumn 2022. Figures are available by local authority in the publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

In most cases, there is no legal obligation on parents to request permission or notify the school or local authority that they are withdrawing their child from school to home educate them.

As parents currently have no legal duty to inform local authorities when they are home educating, local authorities cannot be assured that they are fulfilling this duty towards all children living in their areas.

This is why the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will introduce compulsory Children Not in School Registers in every local authority in England and Wales. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those not in receipt of safe or suitable education, and to act where this is the case.

Support for high quality science teaching mainly comes from core school budgets which will increase by £2.3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.

Funding allocations for continuing professional development in science were £8,385,649 for the 2022/23 financial year, £8,384,137 for the 2023/24 financial year and £4,455,281 for the 2024/25 financial year.

The department has made no such assessment.

The department has made no such assessments.

The Department has not considered the potential impact of non-compostable fresh produce stickers on the bio-waste industry and soil health and does not currently have plans to discourage or ban the use of these stickers.

However, we remain committed to supporting sustainable packaging solutions and continue to monitor developments in this area.

The Department has not considered the potential impact of non-compostable fresh produce stickers on the bio-waste industry and soil health and does not currently have plans to discourage or ban the use of these stickers.

However, we remain committed to supporting sustainable packaging solutions and continue to monitor developments in this area.

The number of fly-seine vessels operating in English waters including the Channel increased from 29 to 54 vessels between 2019 and 2024, while landings of non-quota stocks increased by some 50% between 2018 and 2023.

Many non-quota stocks are data limited and have little management. It is for this reason Defra prioritised the development of Fisheries Management Plans for Non Quota stocks.

In 2023 Defra published the Channel Demersal Non-Quota Stock Fisheries Management Plan to protect 19 vulnerable species and improve data collection. We also introduced precautionary measures including a minimum 100mm mesh size restriction for fly-seine vessels.