theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of legislation for (a) deterring and (b) prosecuting people who attack (i) wildlife and (ii) livestock with catapults; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to help tackle this. \p Mary Creagh: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. While it does not specifically include catapults in the list of weapons that must not be used to kill wildlife, it is still illegal to deliberately attempt to kill, injure, or harm protected species. There are a range of other offences found in further legislation to protect wildlife from cruelty such as the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996. Where livestock is concerned, it is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal any unnecessary suffering. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increased the sentences available for the most serious cases of animal cruelty by increasing the maximum penalty for this offence to 5 years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

The Government takes crimes against animals seriously but there is already sufficient legislation in place which protects them from targeted use of catapults. Defra therefore has no current plans to take further steps to tackle the use of catapults and nor does the Home Office have plans to change the law to make a catapult a specified prohibited weapon.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the (a) application and (b) enforcement of the UK Forestry Standard in Surrey, in the context of recent logging activities at Bummoor Copse; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the UK Forestry Standard for balancing ecological protections with commercial forestry operations in (i) bluebell season, (ii) the bird nesting period and (ii) other times. \p Mary Creagh: The Forestry Commission regulates tree felling in England under the provisions in the Forestry Act. Most felling licences require that felled trees or woodland are replaced by replanting or natural regeneration. The exception to this is a thinning licence, where sufficient woodland cover is retained so as not to require restocking. In this specific case, the Forestry Commission issued 3 felling licences covering thinning, coppicing and an area of clear felling. Felling trees is an essential part of woodland management and plays a vital role in supporting the rural economy through the production of sustainable timber.

When considering a felling licence application, the Forestry Commission will judge the proposals against the UK Forestry Standard, the government’s approach to sustainable forestry. The latest (5th) edition was published in 2023 following an extensive review process. The standard encompasses the impacts on biodiversity and recognises the importance of priority habitats and species. As a result, felling licences also include guidance on additional issues the licence holder may need to consider such as compliance with wider relevant legislation, including laws related to habitat and species conservation.

Following concerns raised by the local community, the Forestry Commission visited the site in early May to assess compliance with the felling licence conditions. The woodland has been impacted by ash dieback and therefore the felling operations will help address the health and safety risks associated with diseased trees as well as providing an opportunity to increase the structural diversity to improve biodiversity in the longer term.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has provided guidance to the police on the steps to take when the sale of single use vapes is reported to them. \p Mary Creagh: The single-use vapes ban is enforced by Local Authority Trading Standards. The Government has worked closely with Trading Standards to ensure that they are prepared for the ban, this has included supporting training for Trading Standards Officers on the single-use vapes ban.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the adequacy of access to green spaces (a) in Ashfield constituency and (b) nationwide. \p Mary Creagh: Defra does not hold information on the specific steps taken in Ashfield constituency on the adequacy of access to green spaces. However, we have committed that everyone should live within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space and are working to reduce other barriers which prevent people from accessing green and blue spaces, such as physical challenges, lack of confidence and lack of information.

Progress towards meeting the commitment is being made through work already happening across Government to both increase available natural space and make it more accessible, such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government's Green Flag Awards; Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework and Defra's Access for All and Farming in Protected Landscapes programmes.

As of May 2025, we have published two new official statistics in development on walkability within England to the nearest green or blue space. We are in the process of developing next steps which will be announced in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with retailers on limiting the sale of disposable barbecues during periods of high fire risk. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has no plans to ban disposable barbeques at present. Local authorities already have powers to apply local bans on council or public land. It would also be a crime to litter a disposable barbecue for which councils have powers to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £500 or prosecute

National Landscapes and National Parks also have specific powers to regulate and prohibit fires on access land

The public are encouraged to behave responsibly when using products which have a fire risk. We are working across government departments to increase wildfire messaging to the public. The Countryside Code also advises visitors to the countryside to only use barbecues where signs state they are allowed.

Voluntary guidelines by the British Retail Consortium encourage retailers to restrict the sale of disposable barbecues during extreme heat events, or when there are increased fire risks, or when asked to by local authorities.

Wildfires and fire risk are not in Defra’s remit, but instead fall to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). If you would like further information on wildfires, please reach out to MHCLG.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations in the Chalk Stream Recovery Pack for the (a) Loddon, (b) Whitewater and (c) Lyde rivers in North East Hampshire constituency. \p Emma Hardy: Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions.

This funding is going to essential local project, to deliver real improvements to chalk streams. In 2025/26, South East Rivers Trust are receiving £25,000 from the Environment Agency’s Chalk Partnership Fund for the ‘Fish Recovery on the Whitewater’ project. This will enable the development of a fish recovery plan, focusing on improved fish passage and resilience to low flows. At Basingstoke Wastewater Treatment Works on the River Loddon, a reduction in phosphorous discharge to 0.25mg/l is planned for delivery by 2030, with storm overflow improvements following in future AMP cycles to meet government targets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the impact of the increased water regulation budget on water company compliance by the end of the regulatory period. \p Emma Hardy: This Government has been clear there is no excuse for poor performance, and we will not look the other way while companies routinely fail to meet agreed standards. Water companies must take seriously their role in meeting the public and regulators expectations.

Ofwat is financed by licence fees that are recovered from the water companies and are accountable to Parliament for the money they spend.

The Environment Agency, who are in charge of water company inspections and prosecutions for environmental damage, will receive a cash injection of over £189 million this financial year. This will fund more enforcement officers, improved equipment and the latest technology for the regulator. This year alone it will carry out more than 10,000 inspections of water company assets and has already launched a record 81 criminal investigations into water company pollution incidents since July 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help support tenant farmers to access the capital grants scheme. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra reopened the Capital Grants offer from 3rd July, with £150 million available for this new round, allowing farmers to buy equipment or services that help them make environmental improvements. We have made the offer as accessible as possible to tenant farmers. Tenants can apply if they either have 5 years remaining on their tenancy or have the countersignature of their landlord, who is agreeing to take on the responsibilities of the agreement if the tenancy ends during the 5 year period. This is because they need to be able to install and maintain any items funded through the offer for 5 years from the start of their agreement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that schemes funded through the flood investment programme are resilient to climate change risk scenarios. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency’s (EA) flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) Appraisal Guidance factors climate change allowances into the design of all FCERM schemes. This ensures that projects in the EA’s investment programme provide good value for money, are fit for the future, or can be adapted over time to mitigate future increases in flood risk.

The recently published new national flood risk assessment and national coastal erosion risk map account for climate change and underpin all flood risk planning and investment activities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to local environmental improvement projects through the Water Restoration Fund. \p Emma Hardy: The Water Restoration Fund (WRF) was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, with a total of £11 million, based on water company fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023, due to be invested into local projects to improve our waterways.

Going forwards, this government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters, which could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out later in the year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Simon Hoare:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more young people into farming. \p Daniel Zeichner: Encouraging more young people into farming and land-based careers is vital to ensure a skilled workforce is in place and the longer-term viability of the sector.

Defra works closely with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) which is encouraging young people and new entrants into farming in its capacity as an industry led professional body for the farming industry. This includes leading a cross-industry initiative to address common negative misconceptions about the sector and providing free TIAH membership for students.

Furthermore, the Government has launched Skills England to ensure there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need. It will work with its partners to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofwat on the use of its increased budget to help improve enforcement activity. \p Emma Hardy: Ofwat delivers enforcement activities to secure companies’ compliance with their legal obligations and improve company behaviours in order to protect the interests of customers and the environment. Where companies are in breach of obligations that it enforces, Ofwat will step in and hold companies to account through enforcement action.

At this year's multi-year Comprehensive Spending Review, HM Treasury approved Ofwat's plans to increase its budget to recruit more resources. This includes increases to its capacity and capability for enforcement Ofwat will be able to ensure its enforcement activities continue to hold water companies to account. With these additional resources, Ofwat will be better equipped to ensure that its enforcement activities continue to hold water companies accountable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to reduce regulation on the plant breeding sector. \p Daniel Zeichner: Precision breeding offers huge potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England. By reducing the regulatory requirements on the use of these plant breeding technologies, it will enable innovative products to be commercialised in years instead of decades.

The secondary legislation needed to implement The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England was passed into law on 13 May 2025. Following a six-month implementation period, the new regulatory framework is due to commence on 14 November 2025.

This will unlock the potential benefits for British farmers and consumers, enabling the development of crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and more beneficial to the environment.

Furthermore, through consultation across the relevant industries, the development of the first UK Plant Varieties and Seeds Strategy will look to support the UK plant breeding sector in meeting the challenges and opportunities of a changing world, and to maintain and enhance the UK’s global reputation in plant breeding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the expansion of school-based nurseries is focused on addressing childcare deserts and areas with significant unmet need. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is committed to ensuring that the expansion of school-based nurseries targets areas of need, while complementing the existing childcare market. In the first phase of the programme, schools could only apply with local authority endorsement, ensuring alignment with local demand and strategic oversight. In some areas, no bids were supported, due to a lack of identified need. In the first phase of the programme, the majority of new nurseries are in the North or Midlands, increasing access to childcare in cold spots and supporting the communities that need it most.

The department is currently reviewing the targeting and implementation approach for future phases of the programme. We will learn from the initial phase and will continue working closely with the sector to inform our planning, ensuring new provision meets the needs of children, parents, and the local community.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the potential impact of new nursery provision on childcare (a) availability and (b) affordability in areas already served by existing providers. \p Stephen Morgan: Local authorities are required by legislation to secure sufficient childcare places for children in their areas, and the department will continue to speak to local authorities in England about their sufficiency of childcare. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will publish a list of (a) the proposed locations for new school-based nurseries and (b) the criteria used to select them. \p Stephen Morgan: Phase one of the School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024/25 was open to all state funded primary-phase schools across England. We published a list of the successful schools, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-application-outcomes.

The criteria used to determine the location of the new and expanded school-based nurseries was published in our applicant guidance and included local demand for nursery places.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has consulted with local early years providers when identifying locations for new school-based nursery provision. \p Stephen Morgan: Local authorities are required by legislation to secure sufficient childcare places for children in their area. To be eligible for phase 1 of the school-based nurseries programme, schools had to obtain the endorsement of their local authority by evidencing local early years demand.

Schools were required to confirm that their local authority early years lead and pupil place planning lead were content with their proposal to create new or expanded nursery provision. Local authorities also had the opportunity to provide further comments to the department on any applications from schools in their area, as part of the assessment process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children eligible for free school meals who are not currently receiving them in Epsom and Ewell constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

The department publishes data on FSM eligibility and the number of eligible pupils taking a free school meal on school census day in the annual 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' accredited official statistics. These statistics can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to source (a) fresh and (b) seasonal food produced in the UK. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on the school food standards to help us understand the challenges around school food.

Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they choose to buy their produce. Schools can voluntarily follow the government's buying standards.

Additionally, the National Procurement Policy Statement, published in February 2025, underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts, which we believe our high quality British producers are well-placed to meet.

Alongside this, the government’s wider food strategy will create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system, boosting our food security, improving our health, ensuring economic growth, and delivering environmental sustainability.

As with all aspects of the school food standards review, the department will review our guidance and consider our approaches to procurement of UK-grown produce.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of fines that were issued to parents for unauthorised school absence in (a) South Holland District Council and (b) South Kesteven District Council in the last 12 months. \p Stephen Morgan: The information is not held by the department at local authority district level.

Information on penalty notices for unauthorised absence is collected at local authority level. The latest available data, covering the 2023/24 academic year, is available in the parental responsibility measures statistical release, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures/2023-24.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of independent schools closing in each (a) Council and (b) Mayoral Combined Authority in England. \p Stephen Morgan: His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note concerning the introduction of VAT on private school fees and school closures. That assessment can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees.
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Andrew Pakes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided for the (a) operation of the Independent Schools Inspectorate and (b) cost of inspections undertaken by the Inspectorate in each financial year since 2015-16. \p Stephen Morgan: The department does not provide funding to the Independent Schools Inspectorate, and does not cover the cost of inspections undertaken by the inspectorate.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to increase the level of support available to help schools meet the needs of pupils with learning disabilities in South Holland and the Deepings constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department wants to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in mainstream settings through early identification, effective support, high-quality teaching and effective allocation of resources.

We are engaging extensively with stakeholders, including our Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, on the best ways to drive inclusive practice and how to improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND.

Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support STEM skills development in (a) secondary schools and (b) colleges in Fylde constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Spending Review announced investment of over £1 billion per year in skills by 2028/29. This aims to equip learners with the skills needed for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce, and expand technical and work-based training across all sectors and age groups. Key initiatives providing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities include a broadened apprenticeships offer, T Levels with industry placements, Higher Technical Qualifications at levels 4–5, and Free Courses for Jobs providing access to high-value level 3 qualifications for students wherever they live, including in Fylde.

The department recently announced an £8.2 million investment in the Advanced Maths Support Programme to support rising standards and progression to advanced mathematics post-16 across England, and ultimately, support the STEM and artificial intelligence pipelines of the future. We have also introduced the advanced maths premium (revised from 2024) and core maths premium (new from 2024) for 16-19 providers to support greater provision for students to achieve a mathematics qualification post-16.

The department also supports a range of initiatives to support high-quality STEM teaching in schools across England, including the National Centre for Computing Education, the Maths Hubs programme and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teachers programme.
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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62446 on Schools: Asthma, what steps his Department is taking to increase the (a) purchase of and (b) storage for emergency inhalers in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department does not hold data on emergency inhalers in schools.

Under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units must make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Schools are responsible for deciding how best to fulfil this duty. They are permitted to buy salbutamol inhalers, without a prescription, for use in emergencies, but there is no requirement to do so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring state schools to engage with music hubs. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government is investing £25 million capital for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year, across all Music Hub partnerships in England. The proportion of the funding distributed to date by region is set out below, with the remaining funding to be distributed by the end of the 2025/26 academic year.

England region

Proportion distributed to date

East Midlands

43%

East of England

30%

London

36%

East and South East

30%

North East

30%

North West

37%

South East

52%

South West

47%

West Midlands

29%

Yorkshire and The Humber

34%

England

38%

The independent evaluation is focussed on implementation, delivery and impact of the partnerships and capital investment, and reported benefits for pupils and schools. Interim findings are due by autumn 2025.

Data on progression at pupil level is outside of the scope of the evaluation, however Arts Council England publishes management information on standards achieved through whole class ensemble teaching, and individual and group lessons, on their Music Hubs data dashboard.

It is for schools to decide whether to seek the support of Music Hub partnerships. Guidance on schools’ annual music development plans strongly encourages them to do so.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has consulted (a) families in Lancashire and (b) Lancashire County Council on the future of education, health and care plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department has not made any decisions about the future of education, health and care plans. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and to enable them to move on to fulfilling adult lives.

We are determined to restore confidence in the system of support for children with SEND so that every child and young person gets the chance to achieve and thrive in their education. More detail of reforms will be set out in the Schools White Paper in the autumn.

As part of developing our approach, we have been engaging with a range of interested parties, including parent representatives, local authorities, SEND organisations and education settings across the country.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of secondary schools provide two weeks of work experience. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department has asked the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to collect national baseline data on the delivery of two weeks’ worth of work experience for every secondary pupil, across schools in England. CEC plan to publish this data by the end of 2025.

The most recently published data by CEC regarding work experience relates to the 2023/24 academic year. 76% of schools self-report that the majority of their pupils have had an experience of the workplace by the end of year 11.84% of schools report that the majority of their pupils had received experience of the workplace in year 12 or year 13.

The department recently updated careers statutory guidance to set out expectations for the 2025/26 academic year, including multiple, high quality experiences of the workplace for every pupil.
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Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered allowing local education authorities to open new maintained schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the government is removing the legal presumption that all new schools are opened as academies, allowing local authorities to welcome proposals for all types of school, and to put forward their own proposals where they choose to do so.

These changes will better align local authorities’ responsibility to secure sufficient school places with their ability to open new schools.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure political (a) neutrality and (b) balance in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Ashfield to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43267.
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Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support structured partnerships between mainstream schools and specialist SEND education providers. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government has committed to enhancing the capability of mainstream schools to better support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We are encouraged by emerging examples of effective collaboration, where special schools are working in partnership with mainstream settings to share specialist expertise.

Through our Change Programme, we are currently piloting approaches whereby alternative provision settings provide outreach support to mainstream schools. The insights gained from these pilots will inform future policy development and help shape sustainable, effective partnerships between mainstream schools and specialist SEND providers.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_87
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_87

Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the pupil premium will be linked to the current income unit only. \p Catherine McKinnell: The allocation of pupil premium funding to schools will continue to be based on the existing earned income threshold for free school meal eligibility of £7,400 in the 2026/27 financial year.

The pupil premium eligibility criteria also includes children looked-after or previously looked-after by their local authority.

The department is reviewing how we allocate pupil premium funding in the longer term.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_88
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_88

Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing schools currently managed by multi-academy trusts to return to local education authority control. \p Catherine McKinnell: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that there are no immediate plans to develop options that will enable academy schools to convert to local authority-maintained status.

The department’s priority is to ensure that all children receive the best possible education. Where the existing leadership of a school does not have the capacity to improve an underperforming school we will continue to intervene structurally. We are also strengthening our tools for school improvement through regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, who will provide mandatory, targeted intervention to drive improvements for schools.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_89
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_89

Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support teachers' mental health. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Torbay to the answer of 9 May 2025 to Question 44781​.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_90
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_90

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing dog bite prevention to the school curriculum. \p Catherine McKinnell: Dog bite prevention is not taught within the statutory curriculum at present. Schools have the flexibility to include it within their local curriculum if they wish, for example in relationships, sex and health education or citizenship.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_91
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_91

Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the statutory walking distance for free school transport. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport.

Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there due to the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families, intended to help them exercise school choice.

The government is committed to creating opportunities for all children so that they can achieve and thrive and is working with department officials to understand how well home-to-school travel supports children to access educational opportunity.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_92
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_92

Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include (a) financial and (b) other citizenship education in the school syllabus. \p Catherine McKinnell: The national curriculum for citizenship equips pupils to manage their money effectively and provides a framework to explore a range of important concepts to prepare pupils for adulthood, such as democracy, human rights, justice, media literacy, the law, and the need for mutual respect.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. During their public consultation, the Review Group heard consistently from parents and children that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education. The Review is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of these skills within subjects, and how content can remain relevant and support young people to thrive in a fast-changing world.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_93
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_93

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support teachers in Continuous Professional Development programmes in state schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: High quality teaching is the most significant in-school determinant of pupil outcomes and is essential to reducing the attainment gap. The department supports new and experienced teachers with continuous professional development (CPD) to ensure teachers remain highly skilled. We will introduce a new teacher training entitlement to ensure teachers stay up to date on best practice.

The department offers National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) that help boost teachers and leaders’ existing knowledge and confidence as they progress in their careers. We are currently reviewing NPQ courses to ensure they align with the latest evidence and best practice.

The department has also established a network of 87 Teaching School Hubs across the country, which act as centres of expertise for CPD.

The department provides support across a range of subjects via networks of hubs that help build teacher capability and pupil access to subjects. Examples include English Hubs, Maths Hubs and the Advanced Maths Support Programme. We are continuing and expanding the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching Programme, and are moving to an online national CPD offer which can support all teachers in computing and languages.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_94
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_94

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list the key subjects into which her Department is recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. \p Catherine McKinnell: There are 2,346 more full-time equivalent teachers in secondary and special schools in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24 and there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.

The department is driving teacher recruitment and retention across all subjects to deliver our pledge. We recognise that workforce shortages are more acute in some subjects which is why we have invested £233 million in recruitment incentives, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free for trainees in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.

In addition, for 2025/26 the department is offering targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools or teach technical subjects in further education colleges.

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wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_95
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_95

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including financial education in the curriculum for GCSE Maths. \p Catherine McKinnell: Currently pupils receive financial education through both the mathematics and citizenship curricula, for example covering compound interest in mathematics GCSE.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking into the current programmes of study within its work to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.

As set out in the Review Group’s interim report, they have heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education.

The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which time the government will respond.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_96
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_96

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with higher education organisations on tackling the potential implications of increased use of artificial intelligence by students. \p Janet Daby: There are huge opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) as it becomes more sophisticated, particularly through generative AI, and we know higher education (HE) providers and the industries they work with are at the forefront of this. There will be many benefits which we are already seeing, but there are also challenges in how the HE sector and students incorporate AI, particularly for teaching, learning and assessment.

The experience and expertise of the sector is contributing to the department’s evidence base for how generative AI is used in education. We published research in January 2024 containing insights from interviews with teachers and experts in HE and the education technology (EdTech) industry, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-ai-in-education-educator-and-expert-views.

The Quality Assurance Agency has been exploring the implications of AI, particularly in relation to academic integrity, and published a briefing for its members in February 2024 focusing on the challenges, underpinned by insights from HE sector leaders.

The Office for Students set out its approach to the use of AI in HE in a recent blog which can be accessed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/blog/embracing-innovation-in-higher-education-our-approach-to-artificial-intelligence/.
wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_97
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-17 conversation_97

Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the average weekly cost of (a) student accommodation, (b) food and (c) living for university students in the latest period for which data is available. \p Janet Daby: The latest Student Income and Expenditure Survey for 2021/22 collects data on income and expenditure across the academic year, assumed to be 39 weeks.

In the 2021/22 academic year, full-time undergraduate students’ total median living costs were £5,841 including spending on food, entertainment, personal items and other spending not directly related to students’ courses.

Full-time undergraduate students had a median spend of £1,814 on food in the 2021/22 academic year.

The median expenditure on housing costs across full-time undergraduate students who incurred those costs was £4,940.