theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_46
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_46

Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will list the providers that have entered into Prison Education Service contracts in the last 12 months. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The information requested is in the public domain. The names of contractors are published via Contracts Finder - GOV.UK. For ease of reference, Prison Education Services entered into in the last 12 months are provided below:

Supplier

Associated Training Services (ATS) Ltd

Barber Training & Education

Beating Time (also known as "Choirs Beating Time")

Belong: Making Justice Happen

Brighton Table Tennis Club

CAP Enterprise (Kent) cic

Career Connect

Catimor Ltd t/a Redemption Roasters

Changing Tunes

Chess in Schools and Communities

Chichester College Group

City and Guilds of London Institute

Combat2Coffee C.I.C

Community Arts Projects UK

Community Training Solutions Limited

Complete skills solutions

Cronin Music Ltd

Dominic Waldron

Elite Project Services Ltd

Food Behind Bars

FTW Training

Fusion21 Ltd

Get Skills Employment & Training Ltd

Get Wise Enterprise C.I.C

GLA Group

Good Vibrations

GREEN SKILLS PARTNERSHIP C.I.C.

Hampshire Cultural Trust

Independent sewing machines

Ingeus UK Limited

Inside Ecommerce Academy CIC

Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality

karenmackeyconsultants

Key Training and Learning Ltd

Kinetic Youth Ltd

Liberty Kitchen

Life Cycle UK

Lincolnshire Action Trust

LTE Group (Trading as Novus)

Mainstream Training

Maverick Sounds Ltd

Milton Keynes College

Momentic Limited

n-ergy Group Limited

Northampton Saints Foundation

Odd Arts

Open College Network London Region

Ormiston Families

PeoplePlus Group Ltd

Prison Advice & Care Trust (pact)

RECOOP

RIFT Social Reform

RMF Construction Training Academy Ltd.

Rocketeer Enterprise Ltd

Saints Foundation

Seetec Business Technology Centre Limited

SevenThreeOne

Shakespeare Un'bard

Shannon Trust

spark Inside

St Giles Trust

Synergy Theatre Project

The Clink Charity

The Growth Company Ltd

The Prison Phoenix Trust

The Restore Trust

The Safety Box

The Zahid Mubarek Trust

Unity Restorative Practices

University of Central Lancashire

Unlock Drama

WANT2ACHIEVE THE ACADEMY LIMITED
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_47
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_47

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with her Northern Irish counterpart on substance abuse in prisons. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Lord Chancellor has not yet had discussions with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive. Justice in Northern Ireland is devolved, and therefore a matter for the Executive – although we are always interested to learn from the insights and experiences of devolved governments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the impact of the electronic keypad system used to access communal facilities at night on prisoners with visual impairments at HMP Isle of Wight (Albany). \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: It is correct that the in-cell facilities at HMP Isle of Wight are not on par with newer built prisons. This does mean that some cells on the Albany site do not have any in-cell toiletry or washing facilities, however alternative provisions are provided. Feedback from prisoners on these facilities is always welcomed, and filters into the establishments wider business, maintenance, and improvement plans.

Prison staff are committed to ensuring that the religious needs of all prisoners are respected and accommodated, in line with the Equality Act 2010 and human rights legislation. It is recognised that Muslim prisoners, especially during periods such as Ramadan, may require additional time for washing rituals associated with prayer. While the standard time limit is seven minutes, the control room has the discretion to make reasonable adjustments for individual requests on a case-by-case basis. During the Holy Month of Ramadan, the system is adjusted to allow 12 minutes instead of the usual seven minutes to accommodate this important religious time.

The current system at HMP Isle of Wight (Albany) aims to provide regular access to sanitation facilities while maintaining necessary security measures. Prisoners are allowed up to five exits each night, which provides multiple opportunities for accessing facilities. Staff remain committed to ongoing assessment and improvement of policies to ensure they adequately support prisoner health and wellbeing.

Prison staff are committed to ensuring that all prisoners, including those with disabilities, have equal access to facilities and opportunities, in line with the Disability Discrimination Act. Although no issues have been raised directly with staff by any prisoner who is visually impaired, staff do recognise that the electronic keypad system may present challenges for visually impaired prisoners. Visually impaired prisoners can also call the control room on their intercom to request assistance with re-locking their doors, ensuring they can safely return to their cells after accessing communal facilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Chris Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the building maintenance backlog relating to prisons. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: To keep our prisons safe and secure, we are investing £220 million in prison and probation service maintenance in 2024-25, and up to £300 million in 2025-26. This is the largest investment in maintenance per annum since 2021-22.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to increase penalties for repeat offenders for crimes against women. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. Violence against women and girls is a term which encapsulates a wide range of behaviours and offences including domestic abuse, so-called honour-based abuse and sexual offences, many of which carry high maximum penalties, including life imprisonment. It does not relate to any single offence.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused, and any aggravating and mitigating factors.

Section 65 of Sentencing Act 2020 provides a statutory aggravating factor, that a court must ‘treat each previous conviction as an aggravating factor if (in the case of that conviction) the court considers that it can reasonably be so treated having regard’. Judges must consider the appropriate level of any sentence uplift justified by the factor, as part of considering the full circumstances of the case.

The Government is of course dedicated to ensuring that the harm caused by this form of offending is appropriately and proportionally reflected in the sentencing framework. Our manifesto committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. The Independent Sentencing Review has been asked to specifically look at the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Kevin McKenna:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help improve transitions between closed and open prisons; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) resources allocated to the open estate, (b) the (i) approvals and (ii) transfer process and (c) measures to safeguard the (A) public and (B) prison officers on those transitions. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: There are 13 Category D (or “open”) prisons in the adult male prison estate, as well as two open units linked to closed establishments. There are two open prisons in the women’s estate. HM Prison & Probation Service has developed and implemented a ‘National Allocation Protocol’ and ‘National Offender Flows’ to guide prisons on allocating male prisoners from a reception prison to the next-stage establishment. Together, these two documents determine how prisoners are moved, to help ensure that they are in the right prison at the right time during their sentence to access the services they need to manage their risks. Depending on their behaviour and progress, prisoners may be transferred to different prisons with varying security levels, including open conditions. As in the men's estate, women are assigned to the lowest security category appropriate to managing their risks.

There has not been any need to review resources for transitions or the open estate, other than as part of general reviews of staffing levels as and when additional capacity is added. In those cases, the time to recruit additional staff is factored into the process for capacity expansion.

The criteria for transferring prisoners to open conditions ensure that only those whose risk is assessed as suitable will be transferred. This process balances rehabilitation opportunities with public safety concerns.

The safety of prisoners and prison staff is our priority, and measures are in place to assess and manage risks associated with transfers to open conditions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12091 on Prisons: Staff, whether her Department has provided guidance to successful bidders for the Prison Education Service contracts on the application of the New Fair Deal on employee pensions; and if she will publish this guidance. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Guidance on the application of the New Fair Deal was included in the Invitation to Tender for the current procurement for prisoner education services. Successful bidders will be supported to mobilise new services, including addressing any questions relating to New Fair Deal. Further information can be found using the following links: Prisoner Education Services Panel (Inc. Core Education) - Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) and Procurement for the Provision of Prisoner Education Services (Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG)) - Find a Tender.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the level of pay rise that would be required for probation officers for their salaries to be at the same real-terms level they were in 2010. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Probation is currently in a multi-year pay deal covering the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

This pay deal has provided certainty in pay increases throughout the period while securing necessary reforms to the pay structure helping to resolve some longstanding pay issues. Engagement will shortly commence with Trade Unions about a new pay deal effective 1 April 2025, working within the parameters set by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. We have already brought forward the pay increase for 2024/25 from October to April of that year to provide earlier access to increased pay for our hardworking probation officers, who we acknowledge are under acute pressure.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of probation officer salary levels on staff retention rates. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We are committed to supporting probation staff. We brought forward planned increases to pay, impacting the majority of staff, from 1 October 2024 to 1 April 2024, enabling access to improved pay earlier than planned. These improvements will benefit staff at a time of exceptional pressure for the Probation Service and recognises their resilience and dedication.

We shortly intend to engage with Trade Union colleagues about a new pay deal effective April 2025 following the current multi-year deal coming to an end in March 2025. Recruitment and Retention data is a critical piece of information used to inform pay discussions.

Probation Officer leaving rates to September 2024 can be found in Table 11 of our published statistics: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673de4672ff787d4e01b0886/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-sep-2024.ods
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences on licence in the community have taken their own lives in each year since 2005. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Table: Self-inflicted deaths of offenders serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence supervised on licence in the community, financial year 2019/20 to 2023/24, England and Wales (1) (2) (3)

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24 (p)

Total

6

11

9

7

4

(p) The 2023/24 figures are provisional and may be updated in future publications to account for any changes or additions to the data since they were originally collected.

(1) Apparent cause is as reported in annual returns (prior to 2020/21 only) or the national Delius case management system (nDelius), and has not been independently verified.

(2) The reporting period for these statistics (financial year 1 April to 31 March) relates to when the death occurred.

(3) A new set of death classifications was implemented on 1 April 2022 and, as such, figures for 2022/23 onwards are not comparable to those presented for previous years. The category of 'self-inflicted death' up to 31 March 2022 includes any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life, irrespective of intent. The category of 'self-inflicted death' from 1 April 2022 includes any death of a person at their own hand, including where intent is undetermined. This includes some drug poisonings (e.g. where a suicide note is found or the circumstances are suspicious) but not drug poisonings which appear to have been the accidental result of consumption for another purpose. Refer to the guide to deaths of offenders supervised in the community statistics for further details about the new set of classifications.

Data Sources and Quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Source: National Delius case management system.

Data is only provided from April 2019 as prior to this the data was collected via manual returns and identifying IPP offenders in this data would require a manual matching exercise of thousands of offender records. Therefore, information for the period before April 2019 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were given a custodial sentence for not paying a fine further to a School Attendance Order by (a) race and (b) gender during the 2023-24 school year. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data concerning sentence outcomes by offence as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly ‘Outcomes by offence’ tool which is available at this link: Criminal justice statistics quarterly.

However, information is not held and separately identifiable concerning outcomes relating to non-payment of fines imposed following a conviction for the offence of failure to comply with a School Attendance Order (section 443 of the Education Act 1996). To provide this information would require a review of individual case files and would be disproportionate to costs incurred.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the role of (a) Solicitors Regulation Authority-regulated lawyers and (b) Financial Conduct Authority-regulated financial advisers in facilitating qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes. \p Sarah Sackman: The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. As part of its role, the SRA investigates consumers’ complaints when allegations of solicitor misconduct are made and has a number of disciplinary powers, including the power to issue fines and refer an individual to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which can suspend or strike a solicitor off the roll. Given the sector’s independence, it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to interfere with the legal activities of regulated professionals. Complaints about a solicitor’s conduct can be made directly to the SRA, via the following link: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/.

Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS) are designed to offer individuals the flexibility to transfer their UK pension savings to an overseas pension scheme, for example if relocating abroad. Queries regarding these pension schemes are best directed to the Department for Work and Pensions.

HM Treasury is responsible for financial services policy and matters relating to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that the concerns of pension fraud victims are being handled correctly by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. \p Sarah Sackman: The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government, with regulation overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and law firms. As part of its role, the SRA investigates consumers’ complaints when allegations of solicitor misconduct are made. It has a number of disciplinary powers, including the power to issue fines and refer an individual to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which can suspend or strike a solicitor off the roll. If someone wishes to complain about the conduct of a solicitor to the SRA, they can do so via the following link: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/. The effectiveness of the SRA’s actions in this sphere is overseen by the LSB.

The Government also has a key role to play in combatting pension fraud. In particular, the Government supports the Pension Scams Action Group (PSAG), a multi-agency taskforce which includes the Department for Work and Pensions, His Majesty’s Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator amongst other members. The PSAG works to improve public awareness of pension scams and share intelligence leading to enforcement and disruption activity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of coroners working in (a) the UK and (b) North Yorkshire. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Coroner services are locally funded and administered across 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. Statutory responsibility for coroner appointments lies with the funding local authority in each area, and the assessment of resource is based on local caseload and other relevant factors. The Chief Coroner has published guidance and advice to support local authorities in this context.

In 2023, the average time taken to complete the inquest process across England and Wales was 31.5 weeks; and 33 weeks in the North Yorkshire and York coroner area. The average for individual coroner areas is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and we will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Pathfinder family court scheme being rolled out in (a) Wales, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Greater Manchester. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Pathfinder pilot started in February 2022 in Dorset and North Wales. It was expanded to Southeast Wales and Birmingham in 2024. On 3 February this year we announced it will start in Mid and West Wales on 3 March and in West Yorkshire on 3 June.

Data published in February showed that Pathfinder courts in North Wales and Dorset resolve cases 11 weeks earlier on average and the backlog of cases has reduced by over 50% since the pilot started.

A two-part evaluation of the pilot in North Wales and Dorset is underway and will be published this year. That will include a process evaluation based on the experience of practitioners, as well as research with children and families who have taken part in the pilot. A feasibility study is currently underway which will develop feasible options to inform our longer-term evaluation strategy.

No assessment has been made to date about the potential implications of the Pathfinder pilot being rolled out in Greater Manchester.
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Alison Griffiths:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to provide and Answer to Question 25500 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 21 January 2025. \p Alex Davies-Jones: A substantive answer was given to PQ 25499. PQ 25500 was a duplicate question and as such was withdrawn by Table Office on Wednesday 22 January.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what purposes the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Alex Davies-Jones: 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. CICA has not used AI technology for any live or past applications for compensation. It is exploring the use of AI to enable the extraction of key information from large documents to add further efficiency to its decision-making process.
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Tony Vaughan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to help promote the uptake of apprenticeships in areas with high levels of youth unemployment. \p Janet Daby: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity and to grow the economy. Too many young people are struggling to access high-quality opportunities, and this government wants to ensure that more young people can undertake apprenticeships.

The department is developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth. This signals an important step towards realising a Youth Guarantee, which brings together a range of existing and new entitlements and provision so that 18 to 21-year-olds can access training, an apprenticeship, or support to find work in England. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are developing the Guarantee with mayoral authorities to provide local, tailored support and will work with local areas on future expansion.

The department is promoting apprenticeships to students in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme and targeting young people through the Skills for Life campaign. The department is also transforming career opportunities and advice to increase awareness of the range of high-quality options available to young people, including apprenticeships. The department has committed to improve careers advice and guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, as well as establish a national jobs and careers service to support people into work and help them get on at work.
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Michael Wheeler:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeships have started in Worsley and Eccles constituency in each of the last six years. \p Janet Daby: Apprenticeship starts by Parliamentary constituency between the 2018/19 and 2023/24 academic years are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ac6bc11a-b1ec-45a2-021e-08dd45ba797d.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an assessment of the value for money of vice-chancellors’ salaries in universities which are in receipt of public money. \p Janet Daby: Higher education (HE) providers are independent and therefore responsible for decisions around pay, including for Vice-Chancellors and other senior staff. The government does not have a role in intervening in pay and staffing matters.

The department acknowledges that Vice-Chancellors manage large and complex organisations, and therefore, deserve a salary that reflects the responsibilities and challenges of their roles.

However, Vice-Chancellors' salaries should not be excessive or disproportionate. Where providers are facing financial challenges, we expect them to work with staff and unions to help identify how best to reduce unnecessary spend. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide better long-term value both for students and for the country.

In addition, transparency is crucial for students, staff, and the public. Therefore, the Office for Students, the independent regulator in England, requires HE providers to provide and publish justifications for Vice-Chancellors' remuneration. If concerns arise regarding senior staff pay, the Office for Students has the authority to conduct independent reviews to ensure that a provider’s governance arrangements are appropriate and effective.
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Lauren Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of functional skills requirements on access to apprenticeships; and what the cost of Functional Skills training for people who already have a degree was in each of the last five years. \p Janet Daby: The government has announced changes to the rules relating to achievement of English and mathematics qualifications as part of an apprenticeship for those aged 19 or over at the start of their programme. Upskilling in English and mathematics will continue to remain a key feature of all apprenticeships, and we have listened to employers and will be offering more flexibility over when a standalone qualification is required in addition to this.

All apprentices will be required to secure and be assessed on the job-specific skills English and mathematics they need, but moving forward employers will have more flexibility over whether adult (19+) apprentices are required to achieve a standalone English and mathematics qualifications.

In future, adult apprentices will be able to complete their apprenticeship if they have demonstrated they have the skills, including relevant English and mathematics skills, to be effective in the role without undertaking a standalone English and mathematics qualification.

All apprentices who are aged 16 to 18 at the start of their apprenticeship will continue to be required and funded to secure up to a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics if they do not hold one, consistent with our expectation that all young people should have a meaningful further opportunity to secure a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics post-16.

This delivers the flexibility that employers have long called for and we expect it to lead to thousands more qualified apprentices in a range of key sectors, including in social care and construction.

The changes were made effective from 11 February 2025.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued on the use of Shared Parental Leave by teachers in maintained schools to extend their paid leave entitlement by returning to work during school holidays; and if she will make an estimate of the average cost of this practice on the budgets of affected schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for the overall policy on shared parental leave, but how it applies in schools specifically is covered by the Burgundy Book, a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisations. Further information can be found on the Local Government Association website.

The department has no authority or responsibility for the Burgundy Book and, therefore, we are unable to provide any further information on this matter.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Brighton and Hove City Council on its proposed new school admissions policy. \p Catherine McKinnell: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had discussions with Brighton and Hove City Council on its proposed new school admissions policy.

When changes are proposed to admission arrangements, paragraphs 1.45 – 1.48 of the school admissions code require admission authorities to consult for at least six weeks with relevant parties. Brighton and Hove City Council held their consultation between 6 December 2024 to 31 January 2025. The council are then required to determine (agree) the final admission arrangements by 28 February 2025. Once the council have determined their admission arrangements they must publish a copy of the determined admission arrangements on their website by 15 March 2025.

Once the admission arrangements have been determined anyone who considers them to be unfair may raise an objection to the Schools Adjudicator. Objections to admission arrangements must be referred to the Adjudicator by 15 May 2025.

The Adjudicator’s role is to consider whether the admission arrangements and consultation comply with the school admissions code and admissions law.

The Adjudicator can only act on an objection that they have received through the correct channels. Information on how to object to an admission authority’s admission arrangements can be found on the Office of the Schools Adjudicator’s website, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-admissions-arrangements.

As Brighton and Hove City Council’s admission arrangements have not yet been determined, an objection cannot be raised.
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Tom Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with industry to identify which workplace skills should be taught in the National Curriculum in the future. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE.

The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, and builds the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to seize opportunity and thrive in the changing workplace.

The review group ran a call for evidence, receiving over 7,000 responses, and held events over the autumn term to gather the views of stakeholders including employers. The feedback received will help the review group to consider its next steps and recommendations.

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 publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. We will take decisions on what changes to make in light of these recommendations.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of people fined following the issuance of a School Attendance Order in the 2023-24 academic year, broken down by (a) race and (b) gender. \p Stephen Morgan: The department collects aggregate data on penalty notices from local authorities in England through the annual parental responsibility measures attendance census. Information is not collected on measures previously used before issue of a penalty notice, nor the characteristics of the children concerned.

The available data is published in the following statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures.

The department also collects aggregate data on school attendance orders issued from local authorities in England through the collection on elective home education and children missing education. No information is collected on characteristics of the children concerned.

The available data is published in the following statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Michael Wheeler:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) people enrolling on a second undergraduate degree course, (b) people enrolling on a five-year degree course and (c) other returning learners receive adequate support via the additional entitlement within the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement scheme. \p Janet Daby: Under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, new learners will be able to access a full entitlement equal to four years of full-time tuition. This is currently equal to £38,140 based on the fee rates for the 2025/26 academic year. Returning learners who have previously received government support to undertake higher-level learning will have a reduced entitlement that is dependent on the level of funding they have already received.

For example, a typical graduate who completed a 3-year degree worth £28,605 based on current fees will have a £9,535 residual entitlement (or 1 year of full-time study). This amount will be adjusted should the modern fee limit change.

An additional entitlement above the core four year entitlement will be available for some priority subjects and longer courses, such as medicine. This will ensure that learners can always gain skills in priority areas, regardless of remaining entitlement or previous qualifications.

The government will publish a list of subjects eligible for additional entitlement in 2025. This will include information on degrees longer than 4 years. We will also work with the Student Loans Company and the sector to ensure that learners have access to high-quality information, advice and guidance which supports them to make informed decisions about their entitlement and learning journey.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_72

Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of safeguarding leads in schools being violence against women and girls accredited. \p Stephen Morgan: Children’s wellbeing and safety, including reducing violence against women and girls, is a key priority for this government. A robust safeguarding framework is in place that schools and colleges must have regard to in the form of keeping children safe in education (KCSIE).

This guidance is clear that every school must have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. Annex C of the guidance sets out the role and expectations placed on DSLs.

The department does not prescribe the training and accreditation that DSLs should receive. However, DSLs are required to undergo the training needed to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out their role effectively within their school and community context. This includes how to identify, understand and respond to the specific needs that increase the vulnerability of children, as well as the many specific harms that put children at risk, which includes violence against women and girls.

Education can be a significant protective factor for children who are vulnerable, either as victims and/or perpetrators of violence against women and girls. KCSIE requires schools to implement whole-school behaviour policies to reduce incidents of violence, put pastoral support in place to support both victims and perpetrators of violence, and to ensure that all school staff understand their role within their local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements in escalating concerns about children to local authority services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_74

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with supermarkets on the inheritance tax changes to agricultural land and property. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of issues pertinent to the food supply chain including food supply, environmental policies and food security. However, IHT policy is primarily under the jurisdiction of HMT as it is a tax policy. Defra does not routinely engage supermarkets on matters concerning tax policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_75

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes the Animal and Plant Health Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Daniel Zeichner: 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.

In the last 12 months, APHA have participated in a cross-government trial of Microsoft Co-pilot. The trial involved a small number of APHA staff using Microsoft Co Pilot to test functionality and identify opportunities for improving how services are delivered. Participants were from the project delivery profession and used the co-pilot software to summarise meeting actions, transcribe key points, and to develop presentations. The insights from these trials are being collated across Defra and are informing future years’ business planning conversations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_76

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including (a) the Cane Corso and (b) crossbreeds between a Cane Corso and a Rottweiler under S.1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government currently have no plans to add these breed types to Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Owners of any breed of dog which is dangerously out of control are breaking the law. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_77

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications his Department has received for the (a) Sustainable Farming Incentive and (b) Environmental Land Management scheme; and what the status is of each application. \p Daniel Zeichner: (a)The Sustainable Farming Incentive has a rolling application window and as of 04 February the RPA has received 46,765 applications of which 42,497 agreements have been offered and 35,949 accepted. ** Farmers can have more than one agreement in SFI schemes (including SFI Pilot, SFI 2023 SFI EO).

The Get Funding to Improve Animal Health and Welfare Review scheme has a rolling application window and as of 04 February the RPA has received 8,992 claims, of which 8,079 claims were accepted.

(b) Rural Payment Agency received 9,105 applications for Countryside Stewardship revenue agreements to start 01 January 2024. 8,313 agreements were offered, and 8,308 agreements were accepted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_78

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason Sustainable Farming Incentive and Environmental Land Management scheme payments have been delayed. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme has a rolling application window, and quarterly payments begin four months after the start of an accepted agreement. As of 04 February, the Rural Payments Agency has 35,949 accepted agreement offers for which a payment is due with around 98% having received their quarterly payments.

The Countryside Stewardship payment window runs from 1 December 2024 to 30 June 2025. Rural Payments Agency received 35,596 claims and as of 04 February 2025, payments have been released for 25,540 (74%) of these.

The Environmental Stewardship payment window runs from 1 December 2024 to 30 June 2025. Rural Payments Agency received 5,950 claims and as of 04 February 2025, payments have been released for 5,559 (93%) of these.

The Get Funding to Improve Animal Health and Welfare Review scheme has a rolling application window and as of 04 February the RPA has received 8,992 claims, of which 8,079 claims were accepted and 80.2% paid.

RPA received 125% more Countryside Stewardship revenue claims in 2024 than in 2020. Recognising payments are made between December and the following June, as at end of December 2024 we’d made 22,000 payments (worth over £278.5m) which is 11,900 more payments (worth £214m more) than we had by end of December 2020.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_79

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of insect-based novel foods on the farming industry. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Food Standards’ Authority’s (FSA) role, as set out in law, is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. In Great Britain, edible insects are considered novel foods and so food businesses that wish to sell them need to submit an application for a safety assessment by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland, before they can be placed on the market.

The FSA is in regular contact with companies submitting applications for the use of edible insects in or as food.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_80

Alison Griffiths:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day. \p Daniel Zeichner: All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated. Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_81

Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Foot and Mouth outbreak in Germany. \p Daniel Zeichner: Following confirmation of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Germany on the 10 January 2025, the Government took rapid action to protect the UK including suspending from Germany, the commercial import of susceptible animals, their untreated meat, dairy products and animal by-products, and hay and straw, and restricting personal imports of animal products from across the EU.

The UK has been free of FMD since 2007 and has plans in place to manage the risk of this disease as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England. Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) keep preparedness under continual review but are refocusing effort following the confirmation of FMD in Germany. APHA leads government action on animal disease control and is in the planning stages of a national exercise to test and validate our response to an outbreak of FMD, scheduled for 2025/26.