Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of early years education in (a) schools and (b) non-school sites on educational outcomes.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
The 2024 Department for Education Provider Survey shows that there were 322,000 registered places at school-based nurseries in 2024.
School-based nurseries are one part of this country's childcare and early years market.
Nurseries located on a school site can operate under different delivery models, such as nursery classes run by the school, a private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nursery leasing space on a school’s premises or operating on the school’s behalf, or provision run by a childminder, or group of childminders, leasing space on a school premises.
School-based nurseries are more likely to be led by graduate qualified staff, which is associated with higher quality provision for children. Additionally, the benefits of school-based nursery provision, including transition to school, were highlighted by many teachers working in schools with a nursery in the Kindred Squared school readiness report.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of full-time early years places at school-based nurseries.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
The 2024 Department for Education Provider Survey shows that there were 322,000 registered places at school-based nurseries in 2024.
School-based nurseries are one part of this country's childcare and early years market.
Nurseries located on a school site can operate under different delivery models, such as nursery classes run by the school, a private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nursery leasing space on a school’s premises or operating on the school’s behalf, or provision run by a childminder, or group of childminders, leasing space on a school premises.
School-based nurseries are more likely to be led by graduate qualified staff, which is associated with higher quality provision for children. Additionally, the benefits of school-based nursery provision, including transition to school, were highlighted by many teachers working in schools with a nursery in the Kindred Squared school readiness report.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department conducted a Disability Impact Assessment of the Public Switched Telephone Network migration.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department has not conducted a Disability Impact Assessment. The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration is an industry-led programme and does not result from a government decision.
The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the PSTN to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK. In November 2024, at Government’s behest, all major communication providers agreed additional safeguards to protect vulnerable customers, including for people living with disabilities.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made representations to the Court of Appeal on the unduly lenient sentencing of those convicted of causing the death of Bhim Kohli.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Law Officers have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider any requests received under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal. I can confirm my department has received such referral requests in relation to the sentencing of two youths responsible for causing the death of Bhim Kohli. The deadline for any referral to the Court of Appeal is 3 July 2025. The hon. Member will be informed in due course of the Law Officers’ decision.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on when the full redevelopment of the Animal and Plant Health Agency headquarters in Weybridge will be completed.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is making good progress with the redevelopment of the APHA Weybridge site. Planning consent is in place, construction of interim science facilities is underway, work is proceeding on the design of the main National Biosecurity Centre and with the appointment of construction partners. The main construction works are expected to begin in 2027, be completed by 2032 with licensing and commission complete by 2034.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long the Global Combat Air Programme development phase is expected to last.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Work is ongoing with our GCAP Partners Japan and Italy to establish the core platform concept and set up the structures needed, ready to launch the Development Phase in 2025.
The programme's ambition remains to deliver an aircraft into service from 2035, and the detailed milestones will be agreed following completion of the Concept and Assessment phase.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 54377 on Veterans: Housing, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using data from Op Fortitude to undertake a review of the supply and demand of single occupancy housing for veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2025 to Question 57385.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the 2.5% increase to defence spending on 25 February 2025 will fund the Chagos deal.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The costs of the Chagos Archipelago Treaty will be met from within the FCDO and MOD budgets set out at the spending review. The NATO qualifying status of these costs will be considered in the usual way.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to answer Question (a) 56739, (b) 56740 and (c) 56741 on Strategic Defence Review, tabled on 3 June 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I responded to the right hon. Member's Questions 56739 and 56740 on 11 June 2025 and to Question 56741 on 10 June 2025.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using AI technologies in the national recycling system for (a) waste separation and (b) material recovery.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has not conducted a specific assessment of use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to support recycling in England.
However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) conducts ongoing engagement with local authorities and businesses that collect and dispose of waste, including as part of the Simpler Recycling Collections reforms. Through this engagement, Defra is aware of the use of AI technologies to support improved separation and recovery of recyclate from material recovery facilities (MRFs). At some MRFs such as Sweeep Kuusakoski in Kent which I visited recently, AI technology is helping to sort materials that could not previously be easily sorted for reprocessing, including plastic films.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Defra are funding research to help overcome the challenges faced when seeking to build a circular economy. An example of this is the work that the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and Defra are funding to accelerate UK recycling capabilities.
Moreover, Defra has recently published its AI Strategy and has appointed a new AI Enablement team within its Digital, Data, Technology and Security directorate. Our approach is to seek out opportunities to apply AI technologies but to do so by taking a reasonably cautious approach as to ensure that this is done responsibly and ethically as we continue to develop our expertise and harness the expertise and learning from others.