Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) secondary schools, and (2) Further Education colleges, offer (a) GCSEs in film and media, (b) A levels in film and media, and (c) Level 3 Qualifications in film and media, broken down by region; what percentage of the total numbers of each institution this represents; and how this is broken down by region.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold data on the subjects offered by schools and colleges.
School and college data on the number of entries in each subject is published in the ‘Qualification and subject data’ found on the Compare school and college performance website, available on GOV.UK.
This includes schools and colleges which had entries in GCSE, A level and Level 3 film and media qualifications, their institution type and local authority.
The number of schools and colleges with entries in film and media subjects by region and institution type are provided in the tables below.
Number of schools and colleges with entries in GCSE film and media subjects:
| State-funded secondary schools | % of state-funded secondary schools | Independent schools | % of all independent schools |
East Midlands | 107 | 34.5% | 3 | 3.7% |
East of England | 157 | 38.2% | 9 | 7.8% |
London | 178 | 31.7% | 16 | 8.4% |
North East | 26 | 15.0% | 0 | 0% |
North West | 94 | 17.9% | 5 | 3.5% |
South East | 209 | 37.0% | 26 | 10.1% |
South West | 90 | 25.0% | 8 | 6.5% |
West Midlands | 93 | 21.5% | 4 | 2.9% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 63 | 18.1% | 3 | 3.7% |
England | 1,017 | 27.6% | 74 | 6.3% |
Number of schools and colleges with entries in A level film and media subjects:
| State-funded secondary schools | % of state-funded secondary schools | Independent schools | % of all independent schools | Further Education colleges | % of all Further Education colleges |
East Midlands | 92 | 49.5% | 2 | 6.9% | 7 | 58.3% |
East of England | 151 | 63.4% | 13 | 20.3% | 9 | 45.0% |
London | 183 | 44.4% | 16 | 16.5% | 11 | 45.8% |
North East | 33 | 45.2% | 1 | 9.1% | 7 | 53.8% |
North West | 78 | 43.1% | 0 | - | 24 | 60.0% |
South East | 201 | 61.7% | 20 | 14.2% | 17 | 54.8% |
South West | 103 | 55.4% | 5 | 7.9% | 11 | 55.0% |
West Midlands | 89 | 37.2% | 3 | 6.1% | 9 | 42.9% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 68 | 46.9% | 2 | 5.7% | 13 | 52.0% |
England | 998 | 50.3% | 62 | 11.6% | 108 | 52.4% |
Number of schools and colleges with entries in all Level 3 qualifications in film and media subjects:
| State-funded secondary schools | % of state-funded secondary schools | Independent schools | % of all independent schools | Further Education colleges | % of all Further Education colleges |
East Midlands | 110 | 59.1% | 5 | 17.2% | 7 | 58.3% |
East of England | 170 | 71.4% | 20 | 31.2% | 10 | 50.0% |
London | 224 | 54.4% | 17 | 17.5% | 11 | 45.8% |
North East | 46 | 63.0% | 4 | 36.4% | 8 | 61.5% |
North West | 109 | 60.2% | 2 | 4.4% | 26 | 65.0% |
South East | 234 | 71.8% | 33 | 23.4% | 18 | 58.1% |
South West | 118 | 63.4% | 11 | 17.5% | 11 | 55.0% |
West Midlands | 123 | 51.5% | 7 | 14.3% | 11 | 52.4% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 88 | 60.7% | 5 | 14.3% | 13 | 52.0% |
England | 1,222 | 61.5% | 104 | 19.5% | 115 | 55.8% |
GCSE figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ GCSEs by pupils at the end of key stage 4. A level figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels by students at the end of 16 to 19 study.
Level 3 qualifications include entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels, AS levels, and other Level 3 academic qualifications, and ‘Multimedia’ and “Film/Video/Television Production” Applied General and Tech Level qualifications by students at the end of 16 to 19 study. Each school and college are counted once only, regardless of whether they offer multiple courses.
Teaching began on the ‘Media, Broadcast and Production’ T Level pathway in September 2024. Provider level data will be published for the first time in spring 2027.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the evidential basis for their decision to support high-cost STEM courses and cut high-cost creative courses, as set out in the letter from the Secretary of State for Education to the Office for Students on 6 July.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises the cultural and economic value of performing and creative arts courses. However, given the fiscal constraints, our approach is to prioritise funding for subjects with the highest delivery costs and where there is stronger evidence of current and future skills shortages.
Creative arts subjects already attract lower rates of funding than the science and technology subjects in price groups A and B, with Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding representing only a relatively small proportion of their overall funding when fees are taken into account. For 2025/26, the SPG funding rate for performing and creative arts courses was £130.54 per student full time equivalent. This is just over 1% of the total funding for these courses including tuition fees that are supported by subsidised student loans.
Performing and creative arts courses will, like other subjects, benefit from future inflationary increases to tuition fees.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the impact of the delayed announcement of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for 2025-26 resulted in (1) fewer applications being received, (2) lower-quality applications being received, (3) lower value of awards made, (4) lower average spend per recipient, and (5) unmet demand for therapeutic support.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Applications approved in 2025/26 remained broadly consistent with the previous year, with 20,000 approvals compared to 20,085 in 2024/25. No applications were refused because the overall fund budget had been exhausted. It continues to monitor application levels, spending trends and outcomes for children and families as part of the routine management of the fund.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the 8.2 per cent fall in the number of boarding pupils at independent schools recorded in the 2026 Independent Schools Council’s annual census, published on 24 June; and whether they plan to review the policy of applying VAT to boarding fees as a result of this figure.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The decline in pupil numbers is not out of line with expectations given the removal of the VAT exemption, population decline and historical trends in private schools. There are no plans to make any related policy changes.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of non-EU allies to European defence and security; and what discussions they have had with NATO and EU counterparts on ensuring that the capabilities, expertise and strategic contributions of non-EU NATO allies including the UK, Türkiye, Norway and Canada are incorporated within the Alliance’s efforts to reinforce Euro-Atlantic security.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I recognise the significant contribution that non-EU NATO Allies make to European defence and security, including the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Norway and Canada. As NATO Allies, we share responsibility for collective defence and Euro-Atlantic security, providing substantial military capabilities, operational expertise and leadership that underpin the Alliance's deterrence and defence posture. The UK works closely with other non-EU NATO Allies to strengthen NATO's collective capability and readiness, including through major bilateral partnerships such as the UK-Norway Lunna House Agreement, which deepens defence cooperation and is supporting the delivery of a joint Type 26 frigate programme.
The UK engages regularly with NATO and EU partners to promote cooperation that complements NATO and enables non-EU NATO Allies to contribute fully to fundamental Euro-Atlantic security.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders are being enforced overseas.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The UK fully supports the operation of international treaties for the reciprocal (cross border) enforcement of maintenance orders (REMO). Children have the right to care and support and parents have a responsibility to provide it, including when the paying parent and the child are living in different countries. The Government encourages suitable countries to become party to REMO treaties, in particular the 2007 Hague Convention on International Child Support and Family Maintenance.
While the enforcement of orders is a matter for the country of enforcement, the UK raises systemic issues on Hague Conventions at the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Officials regularly discuss individual cases and the country-to-country operation of REMO treaties bilaterally.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on their commitments to support the protection of tropical forests and oceans.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers given to HL1340, HL1341 and HL1342 on 7 July 2026.
The UK remains committed to halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030. Through programmes and partnerships across the Amazon, Congo and Indonesia forest basins, we support stronger governance, Indigenous Peoples' and local community rights, sustainable trade and finance mobilisation for forest protection.
On oceans, the UK continues to support global marine conservation through initiatives including the Blue Planet Fund, action to advance the 30by30 target, and ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement on 10 July 2026.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains Government policy to transfer ownership of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answer on 30 July to question HL2205.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of greenfield new towns compared to urban extensions when implementing the New Towns Programme.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The consultation into the draft New Towns Programme closed earlier this year. The government continues to make progress with the programme and plans to publish our consultation response, and confirm the New Town locations, later this year.
The government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that figure. The Taskforce recommended that new towns should aim for at least 40% affordable housing, with half for social rent.
The government is considering the Taskforce's recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Lord Massey of Hampstead (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to establish specific enforceable benchmarks, sanctions, or funding conditions linked to Palestinian Authority curriculum reform in the 14 months since signing the UK–Palestinian Memorandum of Understanding.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-Palestinian Memorandum of Understanding sets out the Palestinian Authority's (PA) commitment to reform. The PA is undergoing a multi-year curriculum reform in which textbooks are systematically being updated to meet the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards. We welcome initial progress since 2018 to strengthen alignment of PA textbooks with UNESCO recommendations but, we are clear that further progress is needed. We regularly engage the Palestinian Authority on the implementation of these commitments.