Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that educational institutions in England have adequate policies to ensure the safety of staff and students during heatwaves.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The responsible body, whether a local authority, academy trust, or voluntary-aided body, must ensure the health, safety, and welfare of pupils and staff, including maintaining safe internal environments during hot weather.
The department’s Education Hub offers guidance on managing heatwaves. Additional advice on emergency planning, including extreme heat, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.
The UK Health Security Agency provides resources for educators on protecting children in hot weather:
The department also allocates annual capital funding to improve school conditions and sustainability.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of schools in England that have a fast food facility within 400m.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has not made an estimate of the number of schools in England that have a fast food facility within 400 meters, as the department has no remit over the locations of fast food outlets.
As part of the summer 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation, the government sought views on how national planning policy could better support local authorities in promoting healthy communities, specifically in tackling childhood obesity.
The revised NPPF published in December 2024 introduced a new policy to restrict new hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate unless the location is in a designated town centre. Applications should also be refused where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social behaviour.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support workers to train in new sectors when facing unemployment due to artificial intelligence.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
At the recent Spending Review, the government announced substantial investment in skills in England with an additional £1.2 billion by 2028/29. This includes supporting targeted skills packages for key sectors such as construction, digital and technology, engineering, and defence.
The government will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund in the 2025/26 academic year. This includes funding the Free Courses for Jobs offer, which gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualifications for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job.
The government will also support adult learners to retrain through our technical education offer, including through a range of apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps. Our new levy-funded growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England.
From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for funding from the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which will be the new student finance system for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. The LLE will allow people to retrain, upskill and gain new qualifications across their working lives, at a time that is right for them, such as those returning from a career break.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of interim data or findings from the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, and the success of the programme in building professional expertise among school staff.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
An independent evaluation of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is underway. Further information on this evaluation is available on Contracts Finder here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/0a81fac4-1f16-427a-82d2-b4bbc44d9f21?origin=SearchResults&p=1. This evaluation will thoroughly explore the implementation and outcomes of the PINS programme so far, including to what extent the programme may have improved schools’ capability and capacity to support neurodivergent pupils. Interim findings from this evaluation are expected in autumn 2025 and will be published, in accordance with Government Social Research protocol.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to evaluate the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme commissioned in April; and whether any evaluation will be made public.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
An independent evaluation of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is underway. Further information on this evaluation is available on Contracts Finder here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/0a81fac4-1f16-427a-82d2-b4bbc44d9f21?origin=SearchResults&p=1. This evaluation will thoroughly explore the implementation and outcomes of the PINS programme so far, including to what extent the programme may have improved schools’ capability and capacity to support neurodivergent pupils. Interim findings from this evaluation are expected in autumn 2025 and will be published, in accordance with Government Social Research protocol.
Asked by: Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held any meetings with the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church regarding the protection of cathedral schools and their choral traditions.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Ministers and departmental officials hold regular meetings with both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. The most recent meetings with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education took place earlier this month. There have been no issues or concerns raised about the protection of Cathedral Schools and their choral traditions.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to page 12 of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator 2023 Survey, published in June 2024, which shows that 28 per cent of new medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency had full public availability for patients in England in 2019–2022, what assessment they have made of the impact of the uniform pricing policy on the full availability of new multi-indication medicines.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In January 2025, following public consultation, NHS England published an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. This framework includes the approach for assessing the eligibility for medicines that may treat multiple indications to qualify for indication-specific pricing, and the terms for doing so. Following consultation, NHS England adopted the following criteria for the use of indication-specific pricing:
- the medicine for the indication under consideration meets an unmet clinical need;
- the company can demonstrate with a high degree of confidence that uniform pricing would reduce the total revenue for a medicine across all indications;
- sufficient data is available within existing National Health Service systems to make such arrangements operationally feasible; and
- the cost-effective price is highly differentiated for all indications under consideration.
NHS England’s approach to indication-specific pricing has supported patient access to medicines for many new indications which would otherwise have been unavailable if the only alternative was a uniform price for all indications. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is able to recommend the vast majority of medicines for use in the NHS, including medicines licensed for multiple indications. The latest European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association’s Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator report 2024, published in May 2025, reports that the 37% of medicines licensed between 2020 and 2023 were fully available to NHS patients in England, compared with an European Union average of 29%.
As agreed under the terms of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, and subsequently set out in the NHS England consultation response, indication-specific pricing agreements will continue to be reserved for medicines that are normally expected to have value propositions at or below the lower end of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness range.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to faster patient access to medicines and reduced industry costs, while ensuring good value for the NHS. A new, proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisals and indication-specific pricing will streamline access for multi-indication medicines with strong outcomes and low affordability risk. This will create a more agile, predictable commercial environment that supports investment into the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the NHS commercial framework for new medicines, published on 29 January, whether they will consult on the principle to provide additional value for medicines at or below the lower end of the standard National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness threshold range in the second phase of the review of that framework.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In January 2025, following public consultation, NHS England published an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. This framework includes the approach for assessing the eligibility for medicines that may treat multiple indications to qualify for indication-specific pricing, and the terms for doing so. Following consultation, NHS England adopted the following criteria for the use of indication-specific pricing:
- the medicine for the indication under consideration meets an unmet clinical need;
- the company can demonstrate with a high degree of confidence that uniform pricing would reduce the total revenue for a medicine across all indications;
- sufficient data is available within existing National Health Service systems to make such arrangements operationally feasible; and
- the cost-effective price is highly differentiated for all indications under consideration.
NHS England’s approach to indication-specific pricing has supported patient access to medicines for many new indications which would otherwise have been unavailable if the only alternative was a uniform price for all indications. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is able to recommend the vast majority of medicines for use in the NHS, including medicines licensed for multiple indications. The latest European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association’s Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator report 2024, published in May 2025, reports that the 37% of medicines licensed between 2020 and 2023 were fully available to NHS patients in England, compared with an European Union average of 29%.
As agreed under the terms of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, and subsequently set out in the NHS England consultation response, indication-specific pricing agreements will continue to be reserved for medicines that are normally expected to have value propositions at or below the lower end of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness range.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to faster patient access to medicines and reduced industry costs, while ensuring good value for the NHS. A new, proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisals and indication-specific pricing will streamline access for multi-indication medicines with strong outcomes and low affordability risk. This will create a more agile, predictable commercial environment that supports investment into the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people applied for legal consultation under the Detained Duty Advice Scheme in the last 12 months; and how many people received such legal advice.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The requested information is not centrally held.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights by providing funding to strengthen grassroots organisations.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government strongly values the work of grassroots organisations in improving access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in their communities and countries, especially in the context of growing international pushback on women and girls' rights. On World AIDS Day in December 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback Programme. This programme will strengthen local and national civil society organisations, movements and their networks. This will support SRHR in their own communities and countries, and build efforts in the front line facing intensified international pushback against SRHR. It will focus on neglected issues, such as safe abortion, and marginalised groups, whose rights and access to services are often denied or curtailed.