Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to promote media literacy among child users.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Supporting parents and children is central to our media literacy approach. On 10 February, DSIT launched a pilot media literacy communications campaign to give parents tools to help children build resilience and critical thinking skills online. A new Online Safety hub, developed with DfE, will provide everyone in the UK with clear guidance on media literacy and online safety.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has a media literacy strategy that prioritises support for children and families, especially those with additional needs.
In formal education, the Department for Education has committed to strengthening media literacy in the updated national curriculum.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential data processing measures to enable automatic registration for free school meals.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.
We are introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026. This will make it easier for parents to know whether their children are entitled to receive free meals. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty and putting £500 back in families’ pockets.
We are also rolling out improvements to the Eligibility Checking System, the digital portal currently used by local authorities to verify if a child meets the eligibility criteria for free lunches. Giving parents and schools access will accelerate eligibility checks, making it easier to check if children are eligible for free meals.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help support parents of students with SEND with having Education, Health and Care Plans in place.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department works closely with a range of charities, who support parents, carers, children and young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans currently in place.
We have extended our current participation and family support contract to guarantee continuity of vital support services for parent carers and children and young people throughout 2026/27. These services include a national helpline which gives independent advice, support and resources to parent carers, and also the training of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) staff to ensure they are up to date with legal advice and information, and that they can support families locally. SENDIASS offer independent impartial information, advice and support on the full range of education, health and social care for parents, carers, children and young people with SEND. They also provide advocacy support for individual children, young people, and parents, which includes representation during a tribunal hearing if the parent or young person is unable to do so.
These services are designed to help families understand the impact of changes to the SEND system particularly in relation to EHC plans.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of financial support for new parents who are (a) self-employed and (b) limited company directors.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review in July 2025, as part of the Plan to Make Work Pay. The Review is exploring how the system can better support working families, including those where parents are self-employed, and reflect the realities of modern work. It provides a much-needed opportunity to consider our overall approach to parental leave and pay, with all current and upcoming entitlements in scope.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the eligibility rules for receiving 30 hours of free childcare.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
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.
We are delivering more support to working families than ever before with the rollout of the 30 hours government-funded childcare entitlement since September 2025.
To be eligible, each working parent in a household must expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage, and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year.
Childcare support is made up of several different systems and has developed gradually over time, with add-ons and expansions made by subsequent governments. This can make it confusing for both parents and early years providers to understand and apply for the help available. We will continue improving the system so that all children, regardless of background, can benefit from high-quality early education and childcare, and parents are supported to work.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many workers in Glasgow are estimated to benefit from day-one rights when the Employment Rights Act comes into force on 1 April 2026.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Across the UK from 6 April 2026, new day one rights will now allow 32,000 more dads and partners each year to take paternity leave and 1.5m more parents to take unpaid parental leave. This will support working families to juggle the modern demands of work with raising children. The government is also bringing in changes that will mean up to 1.3 million more employees, particularly in lower-paid or part-time roles are able to access Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) through the removal of the Lower Earnings Limit and ensuring all employees can access SSP from the first day of sickness absence.
Analysis also shows Scotland is expected to disproportionately benefit from the Employment Rights Act. Further detail on this analysis can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of statutory maternity pay rates that do not allow parents to receive 30 hours of free childcare on the ability of those parents to access childcare; and what steps he is taking to ensure that parents on statutory maternity pay can access childcare support while on maternity leave.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 30 hours free childcare entitlement aims to support parents to return to work or to take on more hours if they wish. To be eligible, each working parent in a household must expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum/Living Wage (£195 per week/£10,158 per year for those over 21 in 2025-2026), and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year. The minimum income threshold rises in line with National Minimum Wage increases at the beginning of the financial year.
Eligibility is based on expected income for the next 3 months following a parent’s declaration. To ensure parents continue to meet the income criteria for the entitlement, it is right that parents confirm they still meet the income threshold.
There is an exception for parents on parental leave or in receipt of statutory pay who are applying for an older child, not the subject of the parental leave. They can apply online at GOV.UK. For parents who are applying for the child that is the subject of their current parental leave, their return-to-work date will affect when they can apply and take up their free childcare place.
The Government is committed to making life better for families and has committed to review the parental leave and pay system. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements are in scope of the Parental Leave and Pay Review, including Statutory Maternity Pay.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the benefit cap on children's physical and mental health outcomes, including nutrition, stress and access to early intervention services.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The benefit cap aims to incentivise work as, where possible, it is in the best interest of children to be in working households. Living in a working family has a positive impact on children’s educational attainment, mental health, and long-term aspirations. The Government is driving forward labour market interventions that will deliver a step-change in support and help parents to enter and progress in work.
Alongside employment support, the department supports families in work through an exemption from the benefit cap for households earning at least £846 each month. There is also protection for the most vulnerable as those who are caring or are severely disabled are exempt from the benefit cap.
The Government is investing in the future of our children and introducing a fundamental change by removing the two child limit on Universal Credit and therefore reinstating support for all children. This comes alongside a package of measures that will drive down working poverty by raising the minimum wage, creating more secure jobs by strengthening rights at work, and expanding free childcare.
Furthermore, the Government is committed to rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority by April 2026 and creating up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028. Family Hubs will offer universal, open access support for families and connect them to other local services such as healthcare, welfare, early education, and housing.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the provision of youth autism advocacy programmes in local authorities in England.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust in it. To help us deliver this, we are having a further period of co-creation with families, teachers, children and young people and experts from across the sector to test our proposals further. We will bring forward a full Schools White Paper soon.
Through our Participation programme, we fund support and training to local authorities to strengthen and grow children and young people’s participation at a local level.
The department continues to strengthen co-production with children and young people via monthly meetings with our national SEND young people’s group and regional SEND young people’s groups across England, who share their views and experiences with us.
Local authorities should use existing organisations and young people forums to enable engagement with children, young people and their parents. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Support Services offer information, advice and support for parents, carers children and young people with SEND.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to capture the needs of adoptive and kinship families as part of the SEND White Paper.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to ensuring parents and carers play a central role in helping shape the future special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system through our National Conversation including in-person and online events, as well as inviting views online.
Our SEND regional engagement events bring together diverse stakeholder groups for meaningful dialogue. In addition, we have organised online sessions with Ministers and expert panels to discuss the department’s five principles of reform. Full details, including ways to share views and resources for engaging children, young people, teachers, and others, are available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform-national-conversation/.
This is not a formal consultation but an expansion of ongoing engagement to ensure parents’ voices are heard. The Schools White Paper, due early next year, will outline our proposed SEND reforms and will be followed by a formal consultation and further engagement.