theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to rail links in rural communities in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government knows that public transport needs to be better integrated in order to improve the experience for passengers, providing access to services and keeping communities connected. We also know that in rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing services, including other modes of transportation such as rail links. The Government is taking action to help improve local bus services and encourage greater integration between transport modes.

We introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across the area.

The Government will also be publishing an Integrated National Transport Strategy this year to set the vision for transport in England. It will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it, including those in rural areas.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the affordability of rail fares in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire. \p Simon Lightwood: We are overhauling the fares and ticketing system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare, with the move to Great British Railways (GBR) passengers will be able to receive a more consistent offer across the network. We need to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers as we reform fares and deliver GBR, ensuring everyone gets a fair deal.

Passengers traveling in the South East and London, which includes a) the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and b) Hertfordshire, can also benefit from one third off the price of fares after 10:00 with the Network Railcard.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the length of time for which a driving theory test certificate is valid. \p Lilian Greenwood: It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time.

The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.

Ensuring learner drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the learning to drive process as new drivers are disproportionately casualties on our roads. Learners therefore need to pass another theory test if their two-year theory test certificate expires.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the average impact of judicial reviews on the cost of road infrastructure projects between 2015 and 2025. \p Lilian Greenwood: The impact of judicial reviews on the cost of road infrastructure projects will vary by scheme. National Highways has calculated that the increase in costs to its schemes, caused by legal challenges, is between £66 million and £121 million per scheme.
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Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will (a) respond to and (b) support the provisions outlined in the Transport (Duty to Cooperate) Bill; and if she will meet the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge to discuss the Bill. \p Mike Kane: I understand that the second reading of this Bill is scheduled for 13 June. The Government will set out its position as part of that debate.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people who applied to register a non-GB driving licence were rejected in each of the last three years. \p Lilian Greenwood: The table below shows the number of applications to exchange a non-GB driving licence for a GB equivalent that were successful and those which were rejected for the period requested.

Year

Non-GB licences accepted for exchange

Non-GB licences Rejected for exchange

2022

146,672

98,006

2023

137,662

106,762

2024

117,721

80,798
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has issued on the use of bilingual street signs in England. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport has not issued guidance on the use of bilingual traffic signs as these are not permitted on roads in England.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the difference between travel concessions for (a) Metropolitan Police Officers and (b) NHS staff working in Central London; and whether she plans to introduce similar subsidised travel schemes for essential medical staff using National Rail services. \p Simon Lightwood: Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.

There are no current plans to review concessions in advance of the transition to Great British Railways, but it will have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of concessionary schemes.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of sexual offences on public transport in (a) England and (b) Romford. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department is committed to ensuring everyone, including women and girls, is safe on the transport network. The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling.

As part of the Government’s aims to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade, the Department has an ambitious, evidence-based programme of work to help tackle VAWG on transport. This includes proposals in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill such as training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour.

The Department supports BTP’s zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexual offences. This includes using a range of policing techniques to pursue offenders on the rail network to ensure it remains a safe environment and encourage reporting of incidents via BTP’s 61016 text number or 999 in an emergency. Romford is currently part of Operation Cerium which sees proactive patrols from BTP officers across the underground and rail network in London to reduce the number of sexual offences and identify offenders swiftly.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the amount of new rolling stock required to be purchased to deliver East West Rail services. \p Simon Lightwood: Work is ongoing to establish demand levels and the optimal Train Service Specification (TSS) between Oxford & Cambridge, this details the frequency and stopping pattern of the proposed services and rolling stock requirements. These factors continue to evolve and develop as East West Rail Company refines the proposals for the scheme which will be set out in a Statutory Consultation
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Peter Lamb:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on the daily ticket sales from stations on Southern duty railway lines to London terminals. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not hold this information. The Rail Delivery Group and individual TOCs hold the data.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled Multi-billion pound investment secured as Universal theme park and resort set to be built in Bedford, published on 9 April 2025, if she will request that East West Rail add an additional station to their consolidated plan on the Marston Vale line. \p Simon Lightwood: East West Rail Company consulted on options for stations and services along the Marston Vale Line as part of its 2024 non-statutory consultation. It is now considering feedback to this as well as the recent Government announcement of a new Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire. Further details on serving Universal’s site will be presented at a future statutory consultation on East West Rail.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to allocate a multi-year funding settlement for (a) revenue and (b) capital to Great British Railways. \p Simon Lightwood: The recent consultation on reforming our railways proposed that the Secretary of State will be required to issue a High-Level Output Specification (HLOS) and Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) for GBR’s Infrastructure Operations, Maintenance and Renewals. GBR would be required to create a business plan in response to the HLOS and SoFA, setting out its proposed activity over the next 5 years. Passenger services and enhancements would continue to be funded through the spending review process when these occur. The consultation has now closed, and Government will publish a response in due course.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who represented her Department at the second annual review of the Cyprus-UK bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in December 2024. \p Mike Kane: The annual review of the Cyprus-UK bilateral Memorandum of Understanding is led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director General for Europe. The Department was not represented during the second annual review which took place in December 2024. However, the Department worked with the FCDO to review the UK-Cyprus Joint Statement and provided written contributions on transport related issues covered in the strategic dialogue as part of the second annual review.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of rail (a) capacity and (b) performance of Manchester Airport Station. \p Lilian Greenwood: I recognise that Manchester Airport station needs to be improved, both in terms of its capacity and its passenger experience. That is why Network Rail is working with TransPennine Express as the station operator and local stakeholders including Manchester Airports Group to extend the platforms to allow more trains to serve the station. At the same time, we are looking at how to improve the experience for passengers, including those from overseas, for whom this station is a major gateway to Manchester and the whole of the North.
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Mary Kelly Foy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making the wearing of cycle helmets a legal requirement for cyclists. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport considered the case for mandating the wearing of cycle helmets as part of a cycling and walking safety review in 2018. The review concluded that the safety benefits were likely to be outweighed by the fact that this would put some people off cycling. This would, in turn, reduce the wider health and environmental benefits.

The Department recommends that cycle helmets should be worn and this is set out in The Highway Code, but does not intend to make it a legal requirement.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a distinct form of nationality status for children born in the UK to British Nationals (Overseas) visa holders. \p Seema Malhotra: The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future. We keep all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many seizures of (a) cigarettes, (b) hand rolling tobacco and (c) other tobacco products have been made by Border Force at (i) seaports, (ii) airports and (iii) postal services, in each of the last five years. \p Seema Malhotra: The below statistics from Border Force’s transparency data outline the number of cigarettes and weight of tobacco seized in each of the last five years, but are not broken down by the location where they were seized.

2020 – 509,032,596 Cigarette sticks, 110,774.2kg Tobacco

2021 – 961,939,889 Cigarette sticks, 136,835.9kg Tobacco

2022 – 827,211,419 Cigarette sticks, 93,717.57kg Tobacco

2023 – 823,818,908 Cigarette sticks, 67,730.03kg Tobacco

2024 – 934,104,940 Cigarette sticks, 72,143.33kg Tobacco
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45772 on Passports: Sex, whether the sex marker confirms the (a) biological and (b) legal sex of the passport holder. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 31 March to question 41234.
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which month the findings of the Migration Advisory Committee's review on financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules will be published. \p Seema Malhotra: The Migration Advisory Committee were commissioned to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules in September and the review is expected to take approximately 9 months.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to process visa applications. \p Seema Malhotra: Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Short-Term Student (English Language) Route Visa applications refusals were due to belief that the applicant was applying to use the route without the intention to study. \p Seema Malhotra: Published data on short term student visas can be found here, Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK including refusal volumes.

Visa applications can be refused for a variety of reasons, and we do not publish data detailing these. Short term student visa applications must meet the criteria as published here; Short-term students caseworker guidance (accessible) - GOV.UK.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of arson in (a) England and (b) Romford. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We are committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to do their vital work and to keep the public safe from fires, including those caused by arson. However, decisions on how resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

As part of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s strategic role across fire and rescue services (FRSs), it supports partnership working to promote the consistent recording and investigation of deliberate fires by the Police and FRSs.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the reforms to allow a limited pool of UNHCR recognised refugees and displaced people living overseas to apply for employment through existing sponsored worker routes. \p Seema Malhotra: Refugees who have had to leave their home country because of persecution often lack the opportunity to apply for jobs and skilled worker visas in the UK, even where they have the talent and training to do so.

The Home Office’s Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot ended on 1 November 2024. Its findings will inform consideration of further efforts to enable skilled refugees and displaced people to work in the UK.

Further details of all the measures announced in our Immigration White Paper will be set out in due course.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed 10-year pathway to settlement on people nearing their five-year eligibility. \p Seema Malhotra: We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at the time.
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Lee Pitcher:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the use of drones to record footage over police cordons at emergency scenes on privacy; and whether she plans to introduce additional (a) legal protections and (b) enforcement powers to prevent drone use impacting the (i) privacy and (ii) dignity of people involved in such incidents. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The use and deployment of drones by policing is an operational matter made independently by police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public.

However, in the use and deployment of drones, police forces must have due regard to Data Protection legislation and the Air Navigation Order (ANO) 2016, which specifies the requirements and conduct drone operators must abide by to use drones in a manner which is both safe and does not unduly endanger or negatively impact members of the public.

To support development of a national drone capability for policing which is effective and safe, in FY24/25, the Home Office allocated over £4m to national police-led programmes of work to drive standardisation and improve coordination in police drone operations to support public safety outcomes.

Furthermore, to support development of these programmes and improve the safe and legal use of drones by policing, police forces work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Drone activities conducted by members of the public is a matter for the CAA, who are responsible for regulating the activities of civilian drone operators.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with her international counterparts on the potential cost to the public purse of proposed agreements with third countries to take failed asylum seekers from the UK. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We do not provide a running commentary on discussions with our overseas partners.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that people on (a) family and (b) student visas do not claim asylum when there has not been a material change in circumstances in their country of origin. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the announcements made in this area in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May 2025, further details of which will be set out in due course.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what type of (a) tenancy and (b) licence (i) her Department and (ii) its contractors use to house asylum seekers. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office’s Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract providers grant licences for the occupation of accommodation under section 4 or Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, whether she plans to make changes to English language requirements for (a) asylum seekers and (b) their dependents. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues – including English language requirements – details of which will be set out in due course.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the penalty is for foreign national offenders who breach the conditions of their tag. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Available information on the number of individuals electronically monitored (EM) in each of the last five years is available here: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Annual Publication, March 2024 - GOV.UK, but is not broken down by nationality.

When an FNO breaches the conditions of their EM, the action taken will consider the nature and frequency of breach, the level of harm posed by the person and any previous history of non-compliance, including potential prosecution where the breach relates to refusal to comply with induction onto electronic monitoring (EM), deliberate attempts to remove or damage a device, or tampering with the device so that it fails to operate correctly.

Further details of potential sanctions for non-compliance with EM are set out on Page 93 of the Immigration bail guidance, available at Immigration bail.docx.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which scientific methods will be used to strengthen the age verification process of asylum applicants. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Government is committed to strengthening the age assessment process and continues to review all options for improving the accuracy and efficiency of the age assessment system.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) international counterparts on the establishment of return hubs for illegal migrants to the UK. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range stakeholders, including other government departments.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of terrorist organisations impacted by India's Operation Sindoor. \p Catherine West: The UK condemns all forms of terrorism and both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have expressed their outrage at the horrific attack in Pahalgam on 22 April. We are aware of India's actions under Operation Sindoor and the UK, along with our international partners, urged both India and Pakistan to de-escalate from military confrontation. The UK has not assessed the material impact of India's Operation Sindoor or Pakistan's Operation Bunyaan Marsous.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate they have made of the number of UK residents with properties in the EU that are affected by post-Brexit restrictions; and what steps they are taking to (a) address and (b) remediate these. \p Stephen Doughty: There is no requirement for UK residents with properties in the EU to record these details with the UK Government.

The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the EU allows for travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. Applications for visas to visit or stay for longer periods of time would be processed according to the rules of individual Member States.

The UK Government is using diplomatic channels to facilitate conversations with EU Member States about a range of issues affecting our citizens. We will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with European counterparts on the detention of demonstrators in Novi Sad, Serbia. \p Stephen Doughty: We and international partners continue to track ongoing political protests and responses in Serbia, including a number of arrests and detentions of demonstrators in Novi Sad and other cities. The UK continues to stress to Serbia's leaders the importance of respecting citizens' rights to freedom of assembly and expression, as the Foreign Secretary did when visiting Belgrade last month.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department. \p Catherine West: Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support adults with dyslexia to access further education. \p Janet Daby: All education and training providers, including further education colleges and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with dyslexia, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010.

There is a range of support on offer for dyslexic students. Students should discuss their needs with the college or education provider before the course begins. The college must explain what support they will provide to meet the person’s individual learning needs, and this support will be reviewed on a regular basis. Support can include assistive technology, coloured overlays or question papers printed on coloured paper note-takers, specialist tuition or additional time in exams.

Disability Rights UK have information available which describes how reasonable adjustments can be provided for students with disabilities.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact removing Apprenticeship Levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on the public sector. \p Janet Daby: I refer the hon. Member for Chichester to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43275.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the (a) educational attainment and (b) progression of young carers with their peers in Wiltshire. \p Janet Daby: The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.

The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide (a) guidance and (b) training to (i) local authority careers services and (ii) college course providers on the (A) rights and (B) eligibility of British National (Overseas) visa holders for post-16 (1) education and (2) adult learning programmes. \p Janet Daby: The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.

The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.

Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.

Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including financial education for (a) primary and (b) secondary education in the national curriculum. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.
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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including cycle training in the national curriculum. \p Catherine McKinnell: Schools are best placed and have the flexibility to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education to suit their pupils’ needs. This includes cycling training programmes such as Bikeability. Physical education (PE) is a foundation subject in the national curriculum and compulsory at all four key stages.

The department welcomes the opportunity for continued collaboration with Bikeability to create sustainable improvements in physical activity for young people, including through active travel and promoting the overall wellbeing benefits of physical activity, such as through cycling.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools' policy responds to increases in Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, including for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

To strengthen inclusive practice, the department has commissioned evidence reviews from University College London to identify effective strategies for supporting children and young people (0–25) with different types of needs, including SEMH needs.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes. From September 2025, the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum training entitlement for new teachers, with significantly more content on adaptive teaching and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), developed with input from SEND experts

To ensure it remains effective, the department will review the ITTECF in 2027. This will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.

The department also offers the Universal Services programme, which supports the school workforce in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, including those with SEMH needs.

The government will expand Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. ​By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.

To support education staff, the department provides guidance and practical resources on promoting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, available here: https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how young people will be able to use the National Centre for Arts and Music Education. \p Catherine McKinnell: On 18 March, the department announced our intention to launch a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education.

The National Centre will support the delivery of high-quality arts education in schools, including through online training, local partnership and better information for teachers, parents and young people.

By widening access to a high-quality arts education, the National Centre will aid schools and others in teaching a rich and broad arts education to all children. It will also support a globally respected creative economy by opening up career paths to a new generation of musicians, artists, film-makers and creatives.

Our plan is to launch the National Centre in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement. Further details, including funding, will be released in due course.

The new National Centre will also take over the management of the existing Music Hubs programme.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to enable parents who need to withdraw their child from school when SEND support is insufficient to do so. \p Catherine McKinnell: Parents have a right to educate a child of compulsory school age otherwise than at school, provided that the education is suitable. Home education can be demanding and so should only ever be an informed and positive choice. If their child is in a mainstream school, parents can withdraw their child by notifying the school that they wish to home educate. If their child is in a special school under arrangements made by a local authority, then the parent must first seek local authority consent. This additional check is not intended to keep children in a setting that does not meet their needs, but rather to ensure that there are no educational suitability issues resulting from the loss of the support at the school.

If parents have concerns that their child’s special educational needs (SEN) are not being met in school, then they should discuss these concerns with the school. If their child has an education, health and care plan, then they should also talk to their local authority. In either case, the package of support may need to be reviewed.

The department is aware of the challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities SEND system, and the government has been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of grammar school places in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: There are no grammar schools in the Parliamentary constituency of Romford and the law prohibits new ones from opening. The department no plans to change this.

The national funding formula, and wider education policies, support all state-funded schools equally, including grammar schools.
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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on how children travel to school. \p Catherine McKinnell: The National Travel Survey, conducted by the Department for Transport, includes data about how children travel to school and is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts03-modal-comparisons.

In February 2025, the department launched a data collection about the home to school travel arrangements local authorities make for eligible children. We are currently analysing the data. Information about home to school travel for eligible children is available in the statutory guidance for local authorities, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) promote and (b) support co-operation between the state and private education systems in England. \p Stephen Morgan: Around 70% of private schools affiliated with the Independent Schools Council hold charitable status. As charities, they are required to demonstrate public benefit and one way in which they do that is through partnerships with state schools. This activity should continue.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of five-year-olds in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire who met a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile in the most recent year for which figures are available. \p Stephen Morgan: Information on the proportion of five year-olds who have a good level of development by local authority is published annually in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results statistics release. The release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results/2023-24.

The proportion of five year-olds in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire who had a good level of development in the latest academic year, 2023/24, can be accessed at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c7642b61-084e-46e3-a412-08dd8e33d0bf.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to implement (a) recommendations on guidance for parents on the effects of screen time on infants and (b) other recommendations in the former Education Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2023-24 entitled Screen time: impacts on education and wellbeing, HC 118. \p Stephen Morgan: The department recognises the Education Committee’s concerns about the impacts of screen time and we are committed across government to protecting children online. We have responded to the Committee’s report.

The department and cross-government partners including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) are taking action now, based on robust evidence and good practice, to provide guidance and support to schools, children and parents. Across government we are taking strong action on regulation to ensure the technology industry is clear on the government's expectations of how they should and must support children’s safety and wellbeing. The effective implementation of the Online Safety Act is a government priority. With leadership from DSIT and Ofcom, the Act is putting in place wide reaching protections for children.

There are areas where further evidence is needed, and it will also take time to understand the impact of guidance and how it could be improved in future. However, we have set out how all recommendations will be carefully considered as future actions are developed.