theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Luke Murphy:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure mortgage availability for people wishing to purchase residential properties that were converted from office space. \p Emma Reynolds: The availability and pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for firms in which the Government does not intervene.

However, the UK benefits from a competitive mortgage market; prospective buyers are encouraged to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker to find the best possible product for their circumstances.

We are also helping buyers who may struggle to save for a large deposit by delivering on our manifesto commitment to a permanent mortgage guarantee scheme. The scheme is permanently available and will help to ensure mortgages are available for first-time buyers and home movers with small deposits across the UK, supporting our mission to boost economic growth across the country and make sure people are better off.

More broadly, in response to the Prime Minister’s and Chancellor’s request for reforms to support growth, the Financial Conduct Authority have launched a major programme of work to refresh its mortgage lending rules, including to support first-time buyers’ access to mortgages. We welcome the actions that the Financial Conduct Authority have already taken as part of this work, including reminding firms of the flexibility available within the stress testing rules which allows lender to offer larger loans to customers, and its Discussion Paper, which is an important step towards putting home ownership within reach of many more.

The Government also welcomes the recent decision of the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England to reform the flow limit, enabling lenders to offer more mortgages at over 4.5 times buyers’ income - helping up to 36,000 more first-time buyers own their own home in the first year.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made a forecast of the GDP deflator index for each of the next 100 years. \p Emma Reynolds: HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. These forecasts, including assessments of the impact of policy decisions, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

To support their five year forecasts for the UK economy and public finances, the OBR produces long-term projections which cover the next 50 years, including for the GDP Deflator. The OBR’s latest long-term projections can be found here: Long-ptterm economic determinants – March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring the Bank of England to pay interest on its reserves to commercial banks. \p Emma Reynolds: The Bank of England has operational independence from the government to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability. Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England.

There are no plans to change the way reserves are remunerated at the Bank of England. The government continues to support the Bank to bring inflation in line with its target, including by managing the public finances responsibly.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for his policies on global debt of the publication entitled The Jubilee Report: A Blueprint for Tackling the Debt and Development Crises and Creating the Financial Foundations for a Sustainable People-Centered Global Economy, published on 20 June 2025. \p Emma Reynolds: Tackling unsustainable debt is one of the UK government’s international development priorities and we are committed to an international financial system that supports development needs and helps countries address their debt vulnerabilities, aligned with the aim of the recommendations of The Jubilee Report.

The UK supports tailored debt solutions within a consistent international mechanisms, such as the G20 Common Framework, and actively advocates for responsible lending and borrowing practices, as well as enhanced debt transparency from both creditors and borrowers. We agree that the Common Framework could be improved to deliver smoother and more timely solutions. We are advancing these priorities through initiatives like the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt, the G20, and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable.

Where necessary, we have backed early and comprehensive debt reprofiling, provided such measures credibly restore sustainability. We also agree that prioritising growth in borrower countries is essential for achieving long-term debt sustainability, and our focus remains on solutions that prevent defaults before they arise.

We have implemented contractual innovations, such as climate-resilient debt clauses (CRDCs) for which we were the first creditor to do so, to help borrowers manage liquidity pressures following shocks, and are working with the private sector to expand their adoption. We are also pushing for the integration of climate risks into debt sustainability analyses and are pressing this agenda with the IMF and World Bank.

The UK remains a strong advocate for comparability of treatment in debt restructurings. At present, we do not see a case for further legislation, as there is little evidence of private sector holdouts in negotiations, although we keep this under review.

We recognise that in many low-income countries high debt servicing costs are crowding out spending on public health. To support low-income and emerging market countries with short-term liquidity challenges we support the IMF and World Bank’s Three Pillar Approach, which combines structural reforms, domestic resource mobilisation and external financial support to reduce debt burdens. We are pushing for the Three Pillar Approach to be rolled out swiftly, including for the IMF and World to actively engage early with affected countries to ensure they are informed of what support is available.
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Daniel Francis:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made on considering the proposal for Charitable Community Benefit Societies to cease being exempt charities and to allow them to (a) register with the Charities Commission and (b) access new funding opportunities in the current challenging financial context. \p Emma Reynolds: The government is keen to ensure that the law governing co-operatives and community benefit societies is clear and supports their growth. That is why we are funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.

The Law Commission review is considering ways to update and modernise the legislation for co-operatives and community benefit societies - including charitable community benefit societies - ensuring that it fits the nature and needs of these societies as well as ensuring that regulation is proportionate and effective.

During consultation, the Law Commission asked a question exploring whether charitable community benefit societies should continue to be exempt charities. It is currently considering feedback from stakeholders on this and other proposals.

The Law Commission expects to publish its final recommendations towards the end of 2025. The government will then carefully consider its recommendations to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are informed when Scottish government Ministers meet foreign diplomats; whether permission is sought for such meetings; and whether (i) his Department and (ii) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are informed of the content of those meetings. \p Ian Murray: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has regular engagement with the Scottish Government across a range of issues, including its engagement with diplomatic representatives.

The terms of the International Relations Concordat of 2013 – agreed between the UK Government and Ministers of the devolved Governments (DGs) – reaffirm that the DGs can engage with international stakeholders, including at national and sub-national government levels.

That engagement should be done in consultation with the FCDO, and our expectation remains that where DG Ministers meet Ministers from other States, FCDO officials would routinely be in attendance. However, foreign diplomats based within the UK are able to meet a wide range of stakeholders across the UK without the need for permission from the Government.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on their meetings with foreign ambassadors. \p Ian Murray: Foreign diplomats based within the UK are able to meet a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, without the need for permission from the Government.

This principle is consistent with how we expect our own diplomats working overseas to be able to operate.

It is therefore not a requirement for the Devolved Governments to share meeting details in advance, or following an engagement with foreign diplomats. However, we will collaborate on areas of mutual interest.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on their role in international affairs. \p Ian Murray: International relations is, and will remain, a matter reserved solely to the UK Government.

The terms of the International Relations Concordat of 2013 – agreed between the UK Government and Ministers of the devolved Governments (DGs) – reaffirm that the DGs can engage with international stakeholders, including at national and sub-national government levels.

That engagement should be done in consultation with the FCDO, and our expectation remains that where DG Ministers meet Ministers from other States, FCDO officials would routinely be in attendance.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed single remote betting and gaming duty on the finances of pools operators. \p Stephanie Peacock: The tax treatment of remote gambling is a matter for HM Treasury. Following the conclusion of its recent consultation on 21st July, any legislative changes made to gambling duties will be accompanied by a tax information and impact note from HM Treasury, as is standard practice.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will ask the Office for National Statistics to change its policy that recommends excluding Jews and Sikhs from data collected on ethnicity in its ethnicity harmonised standard. \p Seema Malhotra: Public bodies usually collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The current harmonised standard is based on the 2011 Census questions used across the UK; those questions were updated for the 2021 and 2022 Censuses. The current standard does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group.

The ONS, which is independent of government, is reviewing the harmonised standard to ensure this remains appropriate and meets the needs of both data users and respondents. This will include a public consultation later this year.

We await the outcome of this review.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Education on the adequacy of political education in schools ahead of announcing that the franchise would be expanded to 16 and 17 year olds. \p Alex Norris: Empowering and equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to participate in our democracy is central to the Government’s plans for extending the franchise. We want to break down barriers and drive participation. To support this, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is already working closely with the Department for Education. We will continue this engagement to ensure the change is implemented successfully.

Teaching about democracy and elections already forms a central part of the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4 and can be taught as a non-statutory topic in primary schools. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering citizenship education as part of its work and the Government will consider any recommendations when they are published later this Autumn.

We will also work with the Electoral Commission, the devolved governments, civil society organisations - and importantly, with young people themselves - to consider what additional measures can ensure the successful implementation of votes at 16.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of additional electors who will be added to the electoral roll following the franchise being extended to 16 and 17 year olds in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Lancashire and (d) Fylde. \p Alex Norris: As outlined in the recently published ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government believes that enabling 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in all UK elections will foster early and sustained participation in civic life and enhance engagement in our democratic processes. By delivering this manifesto commitment, we want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote.

In June 2025, the House of Commons Library published constituency-level estimates of the number of 16- and 17-year-olds across the UK, based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from 2022 for Great Britain and 2023 for Northern Ireland. These figures provide indicative estimates of the population and should be treated as approximations rather than precise counts.

The government recognises the importance of understanding the implications of this policy change. Accordingly, an Impact Assessment will be published alongside forthcoming legislation in due course.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to bring into force the provisions of the section 102 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 to require planning authorities to have special regard to the desirability of preserving or enhancing a battlefield or its setting. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is reviewing heritage planning policy in the context of wider reforms to the planning system. As part of that work, we will consider the outstanding measures from the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 including the duty of regard to certain heritage assets in granting permissions in section 102 of the Act.
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Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings she has had with representatives of the Chinese Government about the proposed embassy since July 2024.. \p Matthew Pennycook: In line with published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions, Planning Ministers do not hold meetings with parties where cases are before the Department for determination. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the nature mitigation mechanisms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the use of bat tunnels in new developments. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is confident that the Nature Restoration Fund proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides a mechanism to avoid the kind of expensive intervention epitomised by the Sheephouse Wood Bat Protection Structure and instead drive meaningful outcomes for nature at the right scale.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Articles 13 and 141 of the EU Treaty Articles have been assimilated into the English planning system. \p Matthew Pennycook: Articles 13 and 14 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU have not been incorporated into the planning system in England.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of safeguards protecting residents of retirement homes from additional paid-for services from independent living providers. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is committed to ensuring that leaseholders, including those living in retirement homes, are protected from unfair and unreasonable practices.

There are currently two government-approved codes of practice in force in relation to the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing. These are the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Management Service Charge Code and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (AHRM) Code of Practice. The enforcement of standards set out in these codes can be taken into account as evidence, at court or tribunal hearings.

Individual leases set out what services leaseholders may expect to receive, and what they should pay for. By law variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges, they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here.

The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, including in relation to specialist accommodation for older people.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to consider the housing needs of older people in the development of her long-term housing strategy. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market and we will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on (a) due diligence and (b) vetting procedures for external contractors used for public service delivery. \p Jim McMahon: Local authorities are responsible for the award of contracts in line with the procurement regulations at the time of the award. This would include undertaking due diligence on suppliers as required by those regulations.

The government must ensure that there are sufficient safeguards in place to ensure appropriate suppliers are awarded public contracts. The Procurement Act 2023 has strengthened our ability to respond where issues arise and to address poor performance. Cabinet Office has published extensive guidance to support contracting authorities, in addition to a robust and wide reaching training offer to support the implementation of the Procurement Act.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish a summary of the work completed by Intertrade UK since its appointment. \p Hilary Benn: The Terms of Reference and Work Programme for Intertrade UK were published online on 26 August 2025. The body is now focused on implementing its work programme, which is based on three priorities: overcoming barriers to trade, promoting UK internal market opportunities and enhancing infrastructure and connectivity.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish a summary of the work completed by the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel which he appointed last year. \p Hilary Benn: It is for the Independent Monitoring Panel to determine how they conduct their work and then to report to Government. The Panel’s first monitoring period ended on 30 June and the Government expects to receive their first report in due course. The Government will then publish it in accordance with its commitment to do so.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what engagement he has had with the White Butterfly Foundation. \p Hilary Benn: Northern Ireland Office ministers and officials regularly engage with charities and voluntary and community sector organisations in Northern Ireland on a wide range of issues. I have not met the White Butterfly Foundation.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to undertake a review of the effectiveness of the Connect Fund by the end of the first round of funding. \p Hilary Benn: The Connect Fund will award up to £1 million to strengthen civic East-West collaboration on matters of shared interest, including mutual challenges and opportunities across a range of sectors that directly affect communities in Northern Ireland. The Government will consider the lessons learnt from the first round and apply them to the second round as appropriate.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, published on 30 May 2025, which suppliers were used to provide the Black History Talk. \p Lucy Rigby: Any expenditure on equality, diversity and inclusion is conducted in line with Civil Service policies. With reference to the specific spend listed within the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, published on 30 May 2025, the one hour Black History Talk took place as part of Black History Month in October 2024 at a cost of £150. It was delivered by a law lecturer, who has worked for a number of UK/US universities and law schools.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 45656 on Government Departments: Legal Opinion, for what reason the latest guidance removed the wording that in presenting such assessments, it is important to ensure negligible or discounted risks are not given undue weight. \p Lucy Rigby: It is evident that all professional advice should avoid placing undue emphasis on risks that are negligible.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been charged with human trafficking offences in relation to small boat crossings in each of the last three years. \p Lucy Rigby: Human trafficking flagged prosecutions data, which includes offences committed under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and comparable offences committed prior to 2015, is published each quarter. The latest information was published on 17 July and can be found here. It is not possible to distil from this data whether any of these cases involved people who arrived in the UK on a small boat without conducting a manual review of cases which would incur a disproportionate cost.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) considers all cases referred to it by law enforcement. It has increased prosecutions for immigration related offences since the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force, which introduced a new offence of illegal arrival and increased sentencing for illegal entry and related offences and facilitation offences contained in the Immigration Act 1971.

Organised crime groups are highly adaptable and are exploiting people for gain with no regard for their safety or our border controls. A multi-agency response is key to tackling this. The CPS plays an important part in the whole system response to organised immigration crime in the Border Security Command. The CPS has also increased engagement with overseas partners to maximise opportunities to collaborate on information and evidence gathering, to prosecute more swiftly.

Under the Modern Slavery Action Plan, the Home Office has commissioned research to better understand the links between organised immigration crime and modern slavery.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Solicitor General, whether guidance has been issued by the (a) Law Officers and (b) Government Legal Service on the (i) Venice Commission and (ii) Rule of Law Checklist since July 2024. \p Lucy Rigby: Since July 2024, no guidance has been issued in regard to the (i) Venice Commission or (ii) Rule of Law Checklist by the Law Officers or Government Legal Profession.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to her oral answer in response to the question from the hon. Member for Lichfield of 16 July 2025, Official Report, Column 282, over what period that £445 million covers; and what the allocated spending is in each financial year. \p Jo Stevens: Following the Spending Review, the UK Government is investing at least £445m into Welsh rail infrastructure upgrades, with the vast majority of this funding to be spent within the Spending Review period.

This investment will mean new stations and more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales. The UK Government is working in collaboration with the Welsh Government, Network Rail and Transport for Wales, through the Wales Rail Board.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps his Department has taken to help mitigate the environmental impact of data centres in (a) Slough and (b) the South East. \p Michael Shanks: The Government’s forecasts for data centre demand to 2030 are consistent with its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The Government expects to be able to meet this demand through its plans to increase renewable power capacity, other low carbon generation and flexible and dispatchable power. The Department is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in considering potential AI Growth Zone sites and the interaction with delivering our Clean Energy Superpower Mission. The two Departments are jointly running the AI Energy Council, with a meeting and working group on the topic of sustainability currently being set up.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the use of subsea cables for energy transmission. \p Michael Shanks: An extensive offshore network is being built to meet the rising demand for electricity and connect new renewable generation. The strategic, coordinated approach National Energy System Operator (NESO) is taking to network planning has allowed them to recommend extensive use of offshore “bootstraps” to reinforce the onshore grid, and design integrated offshore networks in some areas, where they are the most optimised designs. The recommendations in NESO’s recent strategic network plans (‘Pathway to 2030’ (2022) and ‘Beyond 2030’ (2024)) could mean that by 2035, three times as much undersea cabling could be laid than new pylons across Britain.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has issued guidance to people affected by multiple planning applications for (a) battery energy storage systems and (b) solar storage near to their villages that have been approved by him. \p Michael Shanks: As Minister for Energy, I do not personally approve any individual planning applications. The Department approves energy projects classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, and the process is governed by the Planning Act 2008, which includes some large solar farms, including those with batter storage systems attached. Stand-alone battery energy storage systems are not classed as nationally significant infrastructure. Guidance for nationally significant infrastructure project projects is available on Planning Inspectorate website, including how local communities can engage with the examination process, register as an interest party and raise concerns about proposed developments.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what comparative estimate his Department has made of the costs of transmitting energy by (a) undersea cables and (b) pylon networks. \p Michael Shanks: The Department has not conducted its own assessment of the comparative costs of undersea cables and pylon networks. However, in April 2025, the Institution of Engineering and Technology published average lifetime cost estimates which suggest that 400kV AC overhead lines cost approximately £1,190/Megawatt-kilometre (MWkm), while subsea HVDC connections between onshore substations cost around £6,170/MWkm—over 5.2 times more.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Strategic Priorities Grant funding changes on long-term skills provision in (a) journalism and (b) publishing. \p Janet Daby: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Easington to the answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 63373.
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Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the Oxford-Cambridge Partnership on ensuring that business needs are met through the delivery of (a) apprenticeships and (b) technical skills by further education institutions. \p Janet Daby: The department, through Skills England, is actively engaged in the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor. This engagement is supported by local skills improvement plans (LSIPs), which cover all the areas within the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. LSIPs are overseen by Skills England, helping to ensure all parties play their part.

Skills England works closely with employer representative bodies who develop LSIPs to ensure that local technical skills priorities support employers, empower learners and enable regions to respond to future workforce needs.

Employers have consistently engaged with and contributed to the development of LSIPs to articulate skills needs, outline issues faced and establish solutions to tackle these.
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Helen Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Young Futures Hubs to launch offering vulnerable young people lifeline, published on 15 July 2025, when she plans to publish details of the local areas chosen to be early adopters of this programme. \p Janet Daby: To roll out Young Futures Hubs, we will first establish eight early adopter hubs supported by £2 million in this financial year. These, and work with local areas, will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of Young Futures Hubs. We will announce these eight areas later in the year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective delivery of two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, in the context of business operational constraints. \p Catherine McKinnell: Employers that offer high quality work experience opportunities see direct business benefits, from a more diverse future pipeline of talent, which helps to address local and national economic needs.

The department is piloting a new model of work experience to reduce barriers to participation for young people, schools and employers. This includes small and medium-sized employers, for whom traditional block work experience placements in the summer term can be challenging, and provides the flexibility and scope to tailor their work experience offer while still realising business benefits.

Based on a more flexible and progressive approach, young people will have access to two weeks’ worth of meaningful and varied workplace experiences throughout key stages 3 and 4, allowing access to different industries and occupations, including in priority growth sectors.

The Careers and Enterprise Company has developed a suite of tools and resources to help employers understand and prepare for September 2025 when schools will begin to prepare and introduce the multiple, meaningful and varied workplace experiences. The department will set out more detail in due course.
wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_196
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_196

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has with the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies on the potential merits of issuing an apology to people affected by the adoption of children of unmarried women between 1949-1976. \p Janet Daby: Departmental officials have had, and will continue to have, discussions with the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly to understand and learn from their approaches. We are considering all aspects of this issue with the seriousness and sensitivity it deserves.
wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_197
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_197

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of teaching of the works of William Shakespeare in secondary schools in England. \p Catherine McKinnell: The national curriculum for English aims to ensure an appreciate of our rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems, and plays to foster the development of a lifelong love of literature.

Maintained schools must follow the English programmes of study, and once passed, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will extend this requirement to academies.
wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_198
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_198

Andrew Pakes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided to Ofsted for the inspection of independent schools in each of the last five years. \p Stephen Morgan: Ofsted inspects around 50% of the 2,496 (July 2025) registered private schools in England. There is currently disparity between the fees charged for inspections and full cost recovery.

The table below sets out the budgeted cost of inspections compared to the fee income, over the last three years. Ofsted do not hold comparable data for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years as Ofsted inspections were still in part affected by Covid and were therefore not typical years of inspection activity.

Year

Full cost - £million

Fee income - £million

% of costs recovered

2022/23

6.8

1.9

28%

2023/24

6.4

2.3

36%

2024/25

6.5

2.2

34%

Government policy is that costs associated with inspections by government bodies should be recoverable. This will reduce the need for government subsidy. The government is considering options to close the gap.
wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_199
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_199

Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning schools who have evicted PVI settings from their premises in the last two years in order to apply for the school-based nursery grant from future expansions of the school-based nursery scheme. \p Stephen Morgan: High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers operating from school sites.

The department continues to work closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively. We will use learnings from the first phase of the programme in relation to PVI providers operating from school sites to help inform future phases so any new provision continues to meet the needs of children, parents, and schools, and supports a thriving and diverse market.

The establishing school-based nurseries guidance includes advice about co-location with other providers and was published on 24 October 2024. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision.
wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_200
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-02 conversation_200

Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press notice entitled £740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND, published on 25 March 2025, what steps her Department has taken to establish the criteria for prioritising spending for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities capital investment. \p Stephen Morgan: The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital funding in 2025/26 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision.

Of this funding, Oxfordshire Council has been allocated just under £8 million.

This funding is intended to support local authorities to adapt or create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs, and to create high quality special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. It is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their high needs capital funding to address local priorities.
wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_1

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 47830 on House of Commons: Morning Star, what estimate the Commission has made of the level of demand for copies of the Morning Star across the Parliamentary Estate. \p Nick Smith: The Commission does not monitor the use of the copies of the Morning Star or other newspapers provided across the Parliamentary Estate. They are made freely available for Members in the Library and communal areas and there is no means for recording their use.
wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_2

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve school attendance. \p Stephen Morgan: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity. The latest data shows that we are making progress, with children spending 3.13 million more days in school than last year. The department continues to work directly with academy trusts and local authorities to support and challenge them on improving attendance in their schools and to reduce variation in attendance outcomes. We are providing schools with market-leading, artificial intelligence-powered data tools to help them target their efforts most effectively.

Alongside this, we have established 31 attendance hubs, led by schools with strong attendance practice, to offer support to around 2000 schools, and published an attendance toolkit to give schools practical advice on how to diagnose their attendance problem and implement great practice.

Attendance is priority for the new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory, targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools.

The department recently announced an additional investment of £15 million to expand mentoring, which will see at least 10,800 secondary school pupils supported to improve their attendance.
wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_3

Greg Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference pages 19-20 of StandWithUs' report entitled StandWithUs UK Report: Voice of Students 2024/25 Report, published in May 2025, if she will have discussions with the Vice Chancellor of Brunel University of London on (a) reported comments made to a Jewish student at that University and (b) that University's subsequent actions in response. \p Janet Daby: This government condemns antisemitism in the strongest possible terms and we are actively taking steps to prevent and tackle it on campus, as in all parts of society. The antisemitic incidents detailed in StandWithUs UK’s report are wholly unacceptable and the wellbeing and safety of our Jewish students remains a priority.

Universities have a duty to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law, but the department has been clear that this does not extend to unlawful hate speech or incitement of hatred against any individual or group.

It is important to recognise the efforts that university Vice Chancellors and their staff are making to foster cohesion on campuses across the country. However, as the StandWithUs UK report highlights, there is still more for us to do. That is why my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is hosting a roundtable on antisemitism to which she has invited several leading Vice Chancellors, many whose students and universities are featured in StandWithUs UK’s testimonials, including Professor Andrew Jones, Vice Chancellor of Brunel, University of London. This will be an opportunity to discuss what more can be done collectively, and at all levels, to make our universities a safe and inclusive environment for all.
wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_4

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend eligibility for university grants. \p Janet Daby: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government is looking at its position on Lifelong Learning Entitlement-targeted grants policy and student finance and will make an announcement in due course.