Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students starting an undergraduate degree course in 2025 at each Russell Group University had achieved a) 3 or more A Levels and b) a T Level and c) a BTEC; and what was this as a proportion of the number of students passing those qualifications in 2025.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education (HE) sector. These data are shared with the department and includes information on the qualifications held by students on entry to their course at a UK HE provider. The latest student data held by the department refers to the 2024/25 academic year and covers students starting degree courses in 2024.
The number of English-domiciled entrants to undergraduate courses in each Russell Group university in the 2024/25 academic year reported by HESA to have achieved either three or more A Levels, a T Level, or a BTEC, can be found in the attached spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet also presents the undergraduate entrant figures as a proportion of the total number of pupils in England achieving three or more A Levels, a T Level, or a BTEC in the 2023/24 academic year. Caution is advised when interpreting the data in this spreadsheet due to low and inconsistent reporting rates for HE entry qualifications. Counts in the spreadsheet have been rounded to the nearest 5.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the expiry of the Renewables Obligation scheme in April 2027 on the number of landfill gas to energy plant closures.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
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.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on access to fampridine for people with multiple sclerosis in England.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in the devolved administrations are a matter for their own governments.
Ministers and Department officials have had no recent discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about access to fampridine. NICE’s updated guideline on the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults, published in June 2022, recommends that fampridine should not be offered to treat mobility issues in people with MS as it is not found to be a cost-effective treatment at the current list price. NICE keeps its guidance under active surveillance and decisions on whether published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by the NICE Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE has indicated that it has no current plans to review its recommendations on fampridine.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the adequacy of availability of fampridine (fampyra) for patients across the four nations of the UK.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in the devolved administrations are a matter for their own governments.
Ministers and Department officials have had no recent discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about access to fampridine. NICE’s updated guideline on the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults, published in June 2022, recommends that fampridine should not be offered to treat mobility issues in people with MS as it is not found to be a cost-effective treatment at the current list price. NICE keeps its guidance under active surveillance and decisions on whether published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by the NICE Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE has indicated that it has no current plans to review its recommendations on fampridine.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of capital investment in SME industrial units in former coalfield communities, including proposals put forward by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, on economic growth.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recognise the excellent work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, supporting coalfield communities across the country reach their full potential. I met with the Trust recently to hear more about this work and their future ambitions.
Our Pride in Place strategy sets out how we will support the most in-need communities to deliver their local priorities. The £5.8 billion Pride in Place programme and the £150 million Pride in Place Impact Fund will support many coalfield communities. However beyond these, every part of the country benefits from our wider Pride in Place strategy to put people in control of their neighbourhoods.
We are working to improve high streets through initiatives such as High Street Rental Auctions; the Community Right to Buy, giving communities the chance to take ownership of valued buildings; and streamlining the compulsory purchase process to support regeneration.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the proposed £50 million capital investment in the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support SME industrial development.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recognise the excellent work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, supporting coalfield communities across the country reach their full potential. I met with the Trust recently to hear more about this work and their future ambitions.
Our Pride in Place strategy sets out how we will support the most in-need communities to deliver their local priorities. The £5.8 billion Pride in Place programme and the £150 million Pride in Place Impact Fund will support many coalfield communities. However beyond these, every part of the country benefits from our wider Pride in Place strategy to put people in control of their neighbourhoods.
We are working to improve high streets through initiatives such as High Street Rental Auctions; the Community Right to Buy, giving communities the chance to take ownership of valued buildings; and streamlining the compulsory purchase process to support regeneration.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of place-based employment support programmes such as JobsPlus on levels of economic inactivity and unemployment.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobs Plus is a community-led model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The Department is testing the model in ten social housing neighbourhoods to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.
We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer and make decisions on future funding.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the number of JobsPlus sites.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobs Plus is a community-led model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The Department is testing the model in ten social housing neighbourhoods to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.
We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer and make decisions on future funding.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will provide long-term funding for the JobsPlus programme.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobs Plus is a community-led model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The Department is testing the model in ten social housing neighbourhoods to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.
We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer and make decisions on future funding.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to support the national rollout of community-led employment programmes such as JobsPlus following the conclusion of the pilot phase.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobs Plus is a community-led model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The Department is testing the model in ten social housing neighbourhoods to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter and remain in work.
We will carefully consider what we have learnt from these pilots as we develop our future employment support offer and make decisions on future funding.