theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of delays to 2024-25 dental payments on NHS dental provision. \p Stephen Kinnock: The independent pay review body for doctors and dentists recommended a 6% pay uplift for 2024/25. The Government accepted the recommendation and has uplifted National Health Service primary care dentistry contract values by 4.64%, net of pay and expenses elements.

We have also increased payments for training practices for the first time in more than a decade. The Government implemented the overall uplift to contract values on 29 January. Uplifted payments will be made in March, backdated to 1 April 2024.
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Dan Tomlinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people in (a) care homes and (b) hospitals to have visitors in all circumstances. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) Fundamental Standard on Visiting and Accompanying (Regulation 9A) came into force on 6 April 2024, and requires CQC registered care homes, hospitals, and hospices to facilitate visiting, unless there are exceptional circumstances which mean that it is not safe to do so.

We continue to monitor the situation regarding visiting by looking at Capacity Tracker data and intel from sector partners. We will conduct a review of Regulation 9A from April 2025, 12 months on from the legislation coming into force, to assess whether the legislation has been effective in addressing concerns about visiting in health and care settings. Depending on the outcome of the review we will consider whether further action is needed.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to encourage schools to implement supervised toothbrushing programs in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to introducing a national supervised toothbrushing scheme in England. This will be targeted at three, four, and five year olds in the communities with the highest needs.

Further information on the timing of the implementation of the national supervised toothbrushing programme will follow in due course.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of NHS dental buses in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other remote areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The decision about whether to commission dental vans should be made locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). Local areas know the needs of their population best and are best placed to make decisions about whether or how mobile dental vans can contribute to meeting the dental care needs of their population. For the West Dorset constituency this is the NHS Dorset ICB.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with the private care home sector to improve bed capacity within the NHS. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities should determine the volume and type of services, including care home beds, that are required to meet their responsibilities under the Care Act 2014. National Health Service integrated care boards, local authorities, and providers should work together to ensure that efforts to discharge individuals from hospital into social care are joined up and make best use of available resources, in line with the duty to cooperate set out in Section 82 of the NHS Act 2006.

In December 2024 there were, on average, 12,000 adult patients in acute hospital beds per day with delayed discharges, 5% fewer than in December 2023.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing mandatory toothbrushing programs in primary schools on improving oral health outcomes for children. \p Stephen Kinnock: Supervised toothbrushing is an evidenced based intervention that reduces the prevalence and severity of tooth decay. We are committed to introducing a national supervised toothbrushing scheme in England. This will be targeted at three, four, and five year olds most in need.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support ex-blue light service personnel with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. \p Stephen Kinnock: National Health Service mental health services are available to support the mental health of ex blue light staff who have experienced trauma in their past or who might have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They can access evidence-based mental health treatment via their general practitioner or by self-referring to their local NHS Talking Therapies service, with details on how to do so available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

People with complex PTSD may be offered therapies used to treat it, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. They may also be offered treatment for other problems they may have, such as depression or alcohol addiction.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) availability of mental health services and (b) recruitment and retention of mental health professionals in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: Waiting lists for those referred for mental health support are too high all across England, including in rural communities.

People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.

We are working to consider the options to deliver this expansion of the mental health workforce, including where they should be deployed to achieve maximum effect. NHS England is also working to improve retention within the mental health workforce through clearer career progression pathways.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of additional NHS spending announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 will be directed towards NHS dental services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Health Service in England invests £3 billion into dentistry every year. NHS England is responsible for issuing guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on dental budgets, including ringfences. NHS England Planning Guidance for 2025/26 has now been published, and sets out the funding available to ICBs.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether social care providers will be allocated additional funding for measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. Overall, core local government spending power is increasing by 6% in cash terms. Local authorities have discretion over how to best use this funding, but it can be used to support care providers in meeting the increasing costs they face in delivering care services.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to recognise the positive impact of ecumenical relations with other Christian denominations. \p Marsha De Cordova: The Church of England is committed to ecumenical partnerships at every level and is seeking to increase its work with others, including newer partners

Ecumenical activity in the Church of England is overseen by the Council for Christian Unity (CCU). This is supported by a network of local clergy who act as Denominational Ecumenical Officers (DEOs).  Evidence shows that ecumenical partnerships increase the effectiveness of local projects, including food banks, warm spaces, youth work and refugee resettlement. These partnerships reduce duplication and administrative burdens, enable better resource management, provide better support for volunteers, and build stronger relationships across diverse communities. There is some evidence that ecumenical partnerships are becoming significant in the pursuit of racial justice, particularly where unity groups consciously seek wider membership.

CCU is currently working with the Church of England’s Data Services unit to study Single Congregation Local Ecumenical Partnerships (SCLEPs). This research should also be available later in the year

The Church of England works with partners through ecumenical instruments. Churches Together in England (CTE) now has more than 50 member churches and has experienced notable growth amongst Pentecostal and Orthodox members. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) works with the national ecumenical instruments and member churches, learning from the work of peace and reconciliation on these islands and building on that experience with collaboration on other areas of shared concern.  CTBI carried out research in 2024 into the work carried out by churches and charities around Climate Sunday. This research will help in the planning of future projects.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to ensure the next Archbishop of Canterbury upholds the values of Freedom of Religion or Belief. \p Marsha De Cordova: Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL was appointed by the Prime Minister to be the Chair of the Crown Nominations Committee (CNC) for the See of Canterbury on 16th December: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-of-chairman-of-the-crown-nominations-commission-for-canterbury-16-december-2024

In February and March 2025 the Church of England will undertake an extensive public consultation exercise to inform the CNC's discernment. The consultation will consider the role of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the mission of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, and the gifts, skills, and experience needed in the next Archbishop.

Through this consultation, Members of Parliament and the public will be able to submit their views on how the Church of England engages on a wide range of issues—including freedom of religion and belief—and the leadership required from the next Archbishop. Specific details of how to contribute to the consultation are expected to be made available in the next few weeks.

Once open, the consultation will be available here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/governance/archbishops/appointing-new-archbishop-canterbury The bishops of the Church of England frequently raise issues of freedom of religion and belief in the House of Lords, and seek to highlight the need for its protection overseas in their visits and public interventions. The Bishop of Winchester, in 2019 as Bishop of Truro, authored the Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians. The Church also looks forward to working with the newly appointed Prime Ministerial Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief
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David Chadwick:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of Foreign Direct Investment in Wales by country. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A holding response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 27 January is attached. A copy of the final response will be deposited in the House of Commons Library as soon as it is complete.

UKSA Holding Response (pdf, 105.2KB)
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of English language proficiency of adult migrants to the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A holding response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 27 January is attached. A copy of the final response will be deposited in the House of Commons Library as soon as it is complete.

UKSA Holding Response (pdf, 114.0KB)
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help support the Northern Ireland Executive to prepare for extreme weather events. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The UK government is committed to working closely with the devolved governments to support climate adaptation across the UK and build resilience to risks such as those from extreme weather. Adaptation is a devolved matter, and the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme sets out the steps being taken to build resilience to climate risks in Northern Ireland. The policies and actions in the third National Adaptation Programme include those taken by the UK Government for the UK as a whole on reserved matters.

The UK government also has an important role to play in coordinating the response to the impacts of extreme weather on the UK as was most recently seen during and after Storm Éowyn. Where UK Ministers and officials were in close contact throughout the response with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive to facilitate the deployment of support as needed.
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Sir Bernard Jenkin:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) officials and (b) advisers are employed by (i) his Department and (ii) Number 10 Downing Street. \p Georgia Gould: Data on the number of officials in the Cabinet Office is published monthly at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-workforce-management-data-2023-to-2024 and Business Unit level data including for Business Units in Number 10 Downing Street is published quarterly at https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/ff76be1f-4f37-4bef-beb7-32b259413be1/organogram-cabinet-office.

As was the case under the previous Administration, information about Special Adviser numbers will be published in the Annual report on Special Advisers.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ensure that public appointments of Departmental non-executive directors publish declarations of interest. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office, and indeed all departments with Non-Executive Board Members, will publish declarations of interest of departmental Non-Executive Board Members in accordance with the guidance which can be found on gov.uk.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 22044 on Council of the Nations and Regions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of inviting (a) councillors and (b) council mayors to the Council of Nations and Regions. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As set out in its Terms of Reference, the Council of the Nations and Regions is a central, driving forum that brings together governments and authorities with devolved responsibilities to determine actions for tackling some of the biggest and most cross-cutting challenges the country faces. On 16 July 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all areas in England that do not have a devolution agreement to invite them to come forward with a proposal. New mayors established through this process will be eligible to attend the Council of Nations and Regions.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contracts (a) BFS Group Limited and (b) subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited hold with (i) his Department or (ii) agencies of his Department. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office (CO) and its agencies have no record of any contracts awarded to BFS Group Limited, or its subsidiaries.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes the Crown Prosecution Service has used AI in the last 12 months. \p Lucy Rigby: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is exploring new and existing technologies, including AI, to enhance efficiency. AI has the potential to support the CPS day-to-day in the delivery of justice. I am keen to explore the opportunities for efficiency that this new technology can bring, being mindful of ethical considerations.

A pilot of Microsoft Copilot concluded in August 2024, with approximately over 400 staff across the organisation given access to Copilot to assist them in everyday tasks such as summarising emails, creating PowerPoint presentations, and analysing excel data.

The scheme established that that Copilot reduced the amount of time it took staff to complete administrative and day-to-day tasks and has the capacity to save thousands of hours across the organisation.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes the Serious Fraud Office has used AI in the last 12 months. \p Lucy Rigby: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

During the past 12 months, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been trialling the use of Technology Assisted Review (TAR), utilising AI, on a live criminal case. The trial demonstrated that TAR could help meet legal disclosure obligations more efficiently.

The trial adhered to relevant disclosure guidelines and officials are still making the decisions on what is in fact relevant and what is disclosed.

Following the success of the trial, the SFO is planning to use TAR in more SFO cases in the future.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Solicitor General, what contracts (a) BFS Group Limited and (b) subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited hold with (i) her Department and (ii) agencies of her Department. \p Lucy Rigby: The Attorney General’s Office and Law Officers’ Departments (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Serious Fraud Office, and Government Legal Department) do not hold any contracts with BFS Group Limited or with subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils have made use of the National Centre for Computing Education’s Computing Hubs since their introduction in 2018. \p Catherine McKinnell: The support offered by computing hubs is, for the most part, aimed at teachers only.

Hubs have also previously supported the National Centre for Computing Education's (NCCE) outreach programme aimed at pupils. NCCE will continue with outreach activity in 2025/26 continuing to raise awareness of careers in computing and digital. Data for the number of pupils who have attended hub outreach events since 2018 is not available.

The government will continue to fund the NCCE in the 2025/26 financial year to support the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science qualifications.
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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) teachers and (b) other teaching staff participating in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training. \p Catherine McKinnell: As set out in the cross-government autism strategy (2021 to 2026), the government wants to improve understanding and acceptance of autism and for public sector services to become more autism-inclusive.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations, including schools, are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

There is work underway in the department to improve autism awareness. High quality, evidence-based teaching is critical in ensuring that the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are met effectively.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. The department funds the £12 million Universal Services Programme, which helps the school and further education workforce to identify the needs of pupils with SEND earlier and more effectively. The programme includes autism training, delivered by Autism Education Trust training partners, to over 200,000 education professionals so far.

Also, following the recent review, the initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), which was published in January 2024, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

The department is committing to a full review of the delivery of the early career teacher (ECT) entitlement, including the content of the ITTECF, in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs based on the most up-to date-evidence. This review will focus on increasing support for mentors, as well as for teaching pupils with SEND.

In education settings, school staff can access a range of training as appropriate to their career stage. Training to support pupils with autism should include information on how to access health and social care as necessary.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce bullying in schools. \p Stephen Morgan: I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 22877.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national plan for religious education. \p Catherine McKinnell: Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. RE should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Professor Becky Francis. It will publish an interim report in the early spring and a final report with recommendations later this year.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating separate funding for (a) oral hygiene education and (b) toothbrushing schemes in schools located in areas with high levels of tooth decay. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to help promote and deliver supervised toothbrushing programmes for 3 to 5 year-olds in the most deprived communities.

We recognise that prevention is better than cure. For this reason, we will be targeting the areas of highest need in order to have the greatest impact on young children’s oral health.

Further information on the implementation timetable will be confirmed in due course.

Currently all state-funded schools in England are required to teach about good oral hygiene as part of the statutory health education set out within relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) maintenance grants and (b) other policies to help improve the level of participation of disadvantaged students in higher education. \p Janet Daby: The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background.

The government continues to provide means-tested non-repayable grants to low income full time undergraduate students with children and/or adults who are financially dependent on them. We have announced an increase to maximum dependants’ grants for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, based on forecast inflation using the RPIX inflation index. Students undertaking nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses also qualify for non-repayable grant support through the NHS Learning Support Fund.

The department is also increasing the maximum maintenance loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation, to ensure that more support is targeted at students from the lowest income families. Higher rates of loan for living costs are also paid to students eligible for benefits such as lone parents and some disabled students as well as care leavers, who are normally assessed as low income independent students. In addition, care leavers are also entitled to a £2000 statutory bursary, paid via their local authority.

However, the department recognises that there is much more to do to expand access and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. Too many people across our country do not get the opportunity to succeed. We will act to change this. We are calling for providers to go further and play a stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students, making sure that they are delivering robust and ambitious access and participation plans. By the summer, the department will set out our plan for higher education (HE) reform and the part we expect HE providers to play in this.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contracts (a) BFS Group Limited and (b) subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited hold with (i) her Department and (ii) agencies of her Department. \p Janet Daby: Following a search of the department's contract records for any supplier with “BFS Group Limited” in its name, it has been concluded that there are no live or historical contracts with that supplier.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of asylum seekers enrolled in university access programmes in each of the last five years. \p Janet Daby: The UK has a longstanding and proud tradition of providing a safe haven to those who have no choice but to leave their home country because of endangerment to their lives or to those of their families. Higher education (HE) student support is available to those recognised as refugees, as well as their spouses, civil partners and children who were family members on the date the refugee applied for asylum, provided they have been ordinarily, i.e. lawfully, resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) since being recognised by the government as a refugee and are ordinarily resident in England on the course start date. They are exempt from the three-year ordinary residence requirement.

Individuals seeking asylum are not entitled to student support in England whilst they are seeking asylum.

The department does not hold data on the number of asylum seekers that have started or are currently enrolled on an HE course at a UK HE provider in any of the last five years.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to local authorities of the provisions of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January to Question 24930.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish the impact assessments for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. \p Catherine McKinnell: The impact assessment was published on 30 January.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to language hubs on the (a) uptake of languages and (b) diversity of opportunities available to students at GCSE level. \p Catherine McKinnell: The ongoing investment in the National Centre for Language Education (NCLE) in the 2025/26 financial year will continue to support the teaching of languages and increase participation in languages qualifications, including through continued professional development and new support models which are anticipated to reach more schools.

One of NCLE’s key aims is to increase access to home, heritage and community languages. It is, however, up to schools to decide which languages are taught as part of their curricula.
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Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) schools and (b) educators are adequately (i) informed and (ii) prepared for national curriculum reform. \p Catherine McKinnell: The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is being undertaken in close consultation with education professionals, and will pay attention to the practicalities of implementation and the avoidance of unintended consequences and additional workload for staff.

It will seek evolution not revolution and seek to identify and focus on addressing the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment without destabilising the system.

The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum, and the practicalities and timing of the reforms, in light of these recommendations.

The department will ensure that we give schools, colleges and teachers sufficient time to plan and prepare for changes, particularly where they are significant. We will also consider how the reformed curriculum would affect schools as we develop it, to support innovation and implementation.

The review’s terms of reference are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-04)

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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of cancelling the computing hubs programme on the number and proportion of pupils who are likely to receive grade A or above in A-level computing in each of the next 5 years. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department’s continued investment in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) for the 2025/26 financial year will continue to support the teaching of computing, increase participation in computer science qualifications at level two and three, including from female students, and support computer science A level students in achieving high grades.

The NCCE will continue to deliver the ‘I Belong’ programme, which aims to improve schools’ awareness of the barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and supports them in taking a sustained course of action to improve the take up of computer science qualifications within their school.

The NCCE also delivers industry-led, virtual events for pupils which raise awareness of digital opportunities and careers in sectors such as cyber and artificial intelligence, and Isaac Computer Science, an online platform supporting GCSE and A level computer science students with revision support and careers information events. In the 2022/23 academic year, 98% of the 1,297 schools with computer science A level results used Isaac.

Due to the fiscal challenges inherited from the previous government, this government has had to make tough decisions across the public sector to get our finances back under control and to ensure we deliver on our priorities through our Plan for Change. Funding beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be considered through the upcoming spending review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-04)

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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of provision of secondary school places in areas of high population density in Shrewsbury constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools, and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools. The funding is not ring-fenced, subject to the conditions set out in the published grant determination letter, nor is it time bound, meaning local authorities are free to use this funding to best meet their local priorities.

Shropshire Council has been allocated just over £4.4 million to support the provision of new school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.

The department engages with councils on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, we support them to find solutions as quickly as possible.

The department is aware that Shropshire Council are exploring local solutions to address localised secondary sufficiency challenges in Shrewsbury, including the potential for a new setting in the medium term.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-04)

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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve the educational attainment levels of working class boys in Greater Manchester. \p Catherine McKinnell: All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. The Opportunity Mission will break the link between background and success, helping all children achieve and thrive wherever they are in the country.

High and rising standards in every school are at the heart of this mission. We aim to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high quality curriculum, and a system which removes the barriers to learning that hold too many children back.

The department has utilised the local needs fund and supported the delivery of bespoke school improvement across Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and Tameside schools to improve attainment at early years and at key stages 2 and 4.

More widely, to ensure all children and young people have expert qualified teachers driving high and rising standards across our schools and colleges, the department has started work to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers. We have also launched the Curriculum and Assessment Review that will look closely at the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, in particular those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or with special educational needs and disabilities.

Backed by over £20 million, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will also drive higher standards, by providing a mandatory bespoke service to schools that Ofsted identifies as needing to improve. They will also provide a universal service acting as a catalyst for improvement across all schools, with RISE teams sharing effective practice and empowering schools to better access support and learn from one another.

To further support disadvantaged children, pupil premium funding is allocated to schools to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and is worth over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

Alongside this, in 2025/26, 10.6% (£5.1 billion) of the schools national funding formula (NFF) has been allocated through deprivation factors and 17.8% (£8.6 billion) has been allocated for additional needs. Furthermore, in 2025/26, on average, the most deprived schools have attracted the largest per pupil funding amounts through the schools NFF. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps and break down barriers to opportunity.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children in foster care in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands. \p Janet Daby: The government is committed to ensuring that every child in care grows up with the love, care and support they need to achieve and thrive.

The government is supporting children in care by expanding ‘The Mockingbird Family Model’, which is an innovative, evidence-based approach. Relationships are central to the design of the programme, which involves six to ten satellite families grouped into a constellation around a hub home carer. In East Midlands, this is being delivered as part of the Foster with East Midlands recruitment hub, which launched in March 2024 and comprises of four local authorities, including Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire.

Across England, ten fostering regional hubs, covering 64% of all local authorities, have been set up to reform the way areas recruit and retain foster carers. An additional £15 million was announced to support this programme at the Autumn Budget 2024 and we intend to move towards full national roll out in the next financial year. Lincolnshire is not currently in a hub, but departmental officials have spoken with local authority leaders about their options to become part of an existing or new hub. In the past year, Lincolnshire participated in Fosterlink, a department funded diagnostic and analysis project to support improved recruitment of foster carers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-04)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support businesses to invest in skills and training. \p Janet Daby: Employers have a crucial role to play in the skills system, and the department wants all employers to invest in their workforce.

The department’s post-16 education and skills strategy will set out how we will drive up employer investment in the skills needed by their workforce. We want to start a national conversation on the role that employers, government and learners have to play in funding education and training, as part of an approach that clarifies expectations of what the right mix of funding is for the skills system. We will work with employers and others as we develop the strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-04)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that English pupils are educated to a basic level in the history of each nation of the UK. \p Catherine McKinnell: The national curriculum for history has a strong focus on British history. It gives teachers and schools the flexibility to teach pupils about the history of each nation of the UK across the three key stages.

At key stage 1, pupils should be taught about changes within living memory, events beyond living memory that are significant nationally, and the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national achievements. At key stage 2, when teaching about changes in British history, further foundations can be developed for the teaching of the history of each nation of the UK.

Teaching about each nation of the UK can take place across the time periods and themes at key stage 3 and non-statutory examples are suggested across this key stage. The nations of the UK could also be taught within the requirement for the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066 and within local history across the three key stages.

As part of the flexibility all schools have in teaching the national curriculum, schools and teachers are able to determine which examples, topics and resources to use to stimulate and challenge pupils and reflect key points in history.

The department announced a Curriculum and Assessment Review last year. The Review’s interim report is due to be published in early spring 2025, with a final report later in the year. The government is legislating so that, following the Review and the implementation of reforms, academies will be required to teach the new national curriculum, alongside other state-funded schools.