theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Gregor Poynton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing targeted funding support for the purchase of used battery electric vehicles; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure parity of financial assistance between the (a) new and (b) used battery electric vehicle markets. \p Lilian Greenwood: We continue to work with industry to support a sustainable second-hand zero emission vehicle market. The Government expects that the Electric Car Grant (ECG) will have some benefit in the used market due to a higher supply of affordable vehicles in future years, and the grant’s requirement for an 8-year or 100,000-mile warranty for the vehicle’s battery, ensuring it will have a long useful life.
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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing mutual recognition of commercial pilot licences between the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency; and what steps she is taking to help streamline the current licence conversion process for European Union Aviation Safety Agency-qualified pilots seeking to work in the UK. \p Mike Kane: The Government has been clear that it will work to reset the relationship with Europe, to strengthen ties and tackle barriers to trade. Agreements on UK-EU licensing recognition must be established through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and agreed by the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety. The Government continues to seek expansions to the Aviation Safety Chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement where appropriate. An effective aviation licensing regime that supports UK aviation remains a priority, and the UK is keen to establish closer cooperation on personnel licensing where possible to ease the current burden on UK and EU personnel and industry.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to help (a) address delays in Citroën’s airbag recall repairs and (b) ensure drivers receive appropriate (i) support and (ii) reimbursement. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Secretary of State recently wrote to Stellantis to express serious concerns about the customer impact of the stop-drive recall currently affecting Citroën and DS Automobiles cars in the United Kingdom. That correspondence urged Stellantis to take immediate steps to:

Improve the effectiveness of their customer support, and that they make effective their commitments for ensuring that all affected owners – especially those with urgent mobility needs – are provided with viable alternatives, whether through courtesy cars, financial compensation, or at-home repair services

Prioritise vulnerable customers who rely on their vehicles for essential travel – such as key workers, carers, and individuals with disabilities

Enhance transparency by clearly communicating the timelines for resolution, and the alternative transport or compensation provisions that are in place.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question HL9412 on Heathrow Airport: Planning Permission, what the provisional timetable is for the review of the Airports National Policy Statement; and what her planned target date is for (a) publication for consultation and (b) ratification by Parliament of a revised National Policy Statement. \p Mike Kane: The Government published a letter to potential promoters inviting proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. The Government is now assessing the proposals against the criteria set out in the letter. Once this is complete the Government will move quickly to review the Airports National Policy Statement. We cannot speculate on the timings of the review at this stage, however when conducting the review, the Secretary of State will comply with the requirements in the Planning Act 2008, including consultation, publicity and parliamentary requirements.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has a policy on airlines using (a) individualized and (b) surveillance pricing when setting air fares. \p Mike Kane: The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector with the cost of flights determined by airlines according to a range of factors. The Minister for Aviation and officials from the Department for Transport meet regularly with airlines to discuss a range of topics, including pricing.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has statutory competition functions in relation to airline markets. In addition, the CMA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) both have responsibilities for enforcing consumer protections relating to price transparency, contract terms and passenger rights, including those during flight disruption.
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Electric Car Grant to include used electric vehicles. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Electric Car Grant (ECG) is designed to cut costs for drivers who want to switch to a new electric car, as well as supporting environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes. The Government expects that the ECG will have some benefit in the used market due to a higher supply of affordable vehicles in future years, and the grant’s requirement for an 8-year or 100,000-mile warranty for the vehicle’s battery. We continue to work with industry to support a sustainable second-hand zero emission vehicle market.
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Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers with three or more driving-related convictions retained their driving licence in each of the last five years. \p Lilian Greenwood: A scan of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s driving licence database is required to provide the information requested. DVLA officials will write to the Honourable Member with this information when it is available.
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Mark Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to help reduce waiting lists for Approved Driving Instructor exams; and what recent progress her Department has made in reducing those backlogs. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is seeing an increased demand for Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) tests for those wishing to qualify as driving instructors. Since 2018-19, DVSA has seen a 152% increase in the number of those applying to start the ADI qualification process. This number continues to rise significantly and has increased to over 19,000 in 2024-25, a 17% increase compared to 2023-24

DVSA recommends trainee ADIs use the ‘Book to Hold’ service. All tests must be paid for at the time of booking, including where tests are booked to ‘hold’. This gives DVSA an accurate picture of where demand is, and it can then ensure that it deploys its examiner resources in the right areas. Once ADI examiner programmes have been finalised, the DVSA will contact those on the hold list in the order they booked their test to hold to arrange a test.

DVSA aims to train four more ADI examiners by the end of 2025. The agency has an ongoing national campaign to recruit more ADI examiners. This will help to increase the number of available ADI tests.
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Jim Dickson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to reform the role of the Traffic Commissioner function for Great Britain. \p Lilian Greenwood: A functional review conducted by the Ministry of Justice, published in May 2023, found the function generally effective and offered proposals for improvement. My Department is considering these proposals, alongside a range of reform options, aiming to ensure that the powers and functions of Traffic Commissioners remain robust and effective.
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Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the DVLA on reducing the number of vehicles with no registered keeper on the roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: There are long-standing and robust measures, including legislative requirements, in place to ensure that keepers notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when they buy and sell a vehicle. It is already an offence to use a vehicle that does not have a registered keeper.

The DVLA is working to reduce the number of vehicles on UK roads that have no registered keeper or are unlicensed. The DVLA works with more than 80 local authorities and police forces to identify and act on vehicles which do not have a registered keeper. It also deploys Automatic Number Plate Recognition vehicles to detect unlicensed or unregistered vehicles.

Based on the latest available data, more than 93 per cent of vehicle keepers are contactable and traceable from the information held on the DVLA’s vehicle record. Of the remainder, around 6% are in the motor trade, where a vehicle may legitimately have no registered keeper.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rural areas are not disproportionately impacted by the rollout of the expanded childcare offer, in the context of levels of (a) job availability and (b) childcare capacity in rural areas. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is working closely with all local authorities on the rollout of the expanded childcare offer. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing, including impacts to rural areas. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we support the local authority, where needed, through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

To support delivery of the expansion, our national recruitment campaign urges the public to ‘Do something BIG’ and consider working in nurseries or pre-schools, as a childminder, or in wraparound care roles. On average, the campaign website receives over 37,000 visits weekly, which directs potential applicants to the Department for Work and Pension’s ‘Find a Job’ vacancy platform to search for early years roles.

To address childcare capacity, schools could apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding in autumn 2024 to create or expand a school-based nursery, creating up to 6,000 places with most available from September 2025. This is the first stage in a long-term commitment to expand school-based nurseries across England.

The latest data shows there are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements than last year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018. This comes alongside an 18,000 increase in the number of staff delivering the entitlements in private, voluntary and independent nurseries. This is backed by significant government investment totalling over £8 billion for early years entitlements in 2025/26.
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Lauren Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has any plans to reopen Senior Mental Health Lead training grants. \p Stephen Morgan: The government has committed to expand coverage of mental health support teams (MHSTs) to cover every school, and one of the functions of an MHST is to support mental health leads to introduce or develop a whole school or college approach in their setting.

Training grants for mental health leads in education settings were available from October 2021 until December 2024.

Demand for training grants fell in the final months of the scheme and education staff surveys identified a different need, for practical resources. The department now provides a mental health lead resource hub, a targeted support toolkit for schools and colleges.

There are no plans to re-open the scheme providing mental health lead training grants.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided guidance to local authorities on (a) forecasting and (b) meeting childcare demand in areas of rapid population growth. \p Stephen Morgan: It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Childcare Works, a government-supported initiative designed to help local authorities, schools, and early years providers deliver our childcare reforms, additionally provides one-to-one targeted support for local authorities who need it, alongside a wider package of support for all local authorities to support them to deliver the childcare expansion programme.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has taken recent steps to support social workers, in the context of increases in Social Work England registration fees. \p Janet Daby: Social Work England (SWE) fees have remained static since it became the regulator in 2019. The increase was agreed after a consultation exercise undertaken by SWE. Social Work England released an equality impact assessment alongside their consultation response.

Registration and renewal fees have not increased since 2015, and whilst we appreciate that many people, social workers included, may be experiencing financial difficulties, the decision to increase fees brings the fee in line with inflation and better balances the relationship between grant-in-aid and fee income. This will ensure a balanced and stable funding base to fulfil SWE’s regulatory responsibilities to protect and serve the public.

Social workers may be able to claim tax relief on professional member fees. Details on how to do this are available here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions.

Additionally, social workers have the option to pay registration and renewal fees in full or in two instalments in October and the following April.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) published and (b) unpublished research her Department has considered as part of its preparation for establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body; and what the titles are of each piece of research. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce, which is why the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established through the Employment Rights Bill.

To inform the establishment and operation of the SSSNB, the department has commissioned new and detailed research into the role and value of school support staff. The research was conducted by Ipsos and findings are expected to be published by around late 2025 and early 2026. The government also included a call for evidence on pay and conditions for school support staff as part of its consultation on setting up the SSSNB, which closed on 18 July, with findings expected to be published in the autumn.

Beyond this, departmental officials regularly review published research and evidence on school support staff, including statistical publications such as the School Workforce Census, survey data, and the Education Endowment Foundation’s publications on teaching assistants.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has held with the (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish governments on the potential impact of the establishment of School Support Staff Negotiating Body on (i) recruitment and (ii) retention in border areas. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the application of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body provisions in the Employment Rights Bill is therefore for state-funded schools in England only.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 65451 on the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing the body in shadow form ahead of the introduction of secondary legislation. \p Catherine McKinnell: We anticipate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will be operational from April 2026. In advance of this, departmental officials have established a regular working group with recognised trade unions representing school support staff and employer representative organisations to provide a forum for stakeholders to give views on the design of the body. We also engage with wider stakeholders who can share knowledge and expertise on the school support staff sector.

It would not be appropriate to establish a more formal shadow SSSNB before we have confirmed which staff are in scope of the SSSNB. We have consulted on this matter and expect to publish findings in the autumn. There is also a duty for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to consult the Trades Union Congress before appointing employee representatives. It is important that we work closely with stakeholders but that we do not pre-empt the findings from these consultations.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the extension of the PINS programme on children with developmental language disorder. \p Catherine McKinnell: The partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools (PINS) programme covers all neurodivergence and so includes developmental language disorder. An independent evaluation of the PINS programme is underway. This evaluation will thoroughly explore the implementation and outcomes of the PINS programme, including to what extent the programme may have supported children with developmental language disorder. Interim findings from this evaluation are expected in autumn 2025 and will be published in accordance with Government Social Research protocol.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for the national rollout of digital education, health and care plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government will publish a White Paper in the autumn setting out plans for reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, including any changes to education, health and care plans.

More broadly the department is looking at the role new technology can play in helping improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. For example, we recently launched an assistive technology lending libraries pilot to allow up to 4,000 mainstream schools in participating areas to borrow and trial technology on a temporary basis. Combined with other SEND reforms, lending libraries have the potential to improve early intervention and enable more children and young people with SEND to achieve and thrive in a mainstream setting.
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Graham Stuart:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to support Down syndrome-specific training for teachers as part of its response to the Down Syndrome Act consultation. \p Catherine McKinnell: High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

From September 2025, the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for new teachers. The ITTECF places greater emphasis on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND. The department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of early career training to develop SEND training materials. This approach, developed with input from SEND educational experts, supports the principle of quality-first teaching to improve outcomes for all.

The department has been working collaboratively with the Department of Health and Social Care on upcoming statutory guidance on Down syndrome. This includes case studies on teachers supporting children and young people with Down syndrome in the classroom, and involved engagement with individuals with Down syndrome and other conditions, their parents and carers, as well as various experts and practitioners across many organisations. The guidance will be published in due course and the Down Syndrome Act 2022 sets out that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education must consult on this guidance.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to make a statement on the recommendations of the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group upon the reports publication. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg, brought together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.

The Group has recently concluded its work and have shared their report and recommendations with ministers for consideration. The recommendations will inform the development of the Schools White Paper which will be published in the autumn.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost to schools of increases in employers' National Insurance contributions over the next four years. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department is providing almost £1 billion to support schools with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. The department publishes the schools’ costs technical note, which provides an annual assessment of schools’ costs and funding, including the impacts of employer NICs. The most recent publication covers the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years, and later financial years will be included in future publications.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Education, Health and Care Plans include (a) measurable and (b) enforceable targets. \p Catherine McKinnell: Local authorities must ensure that education, health and care (EHC) plans comply with the Children and Families Act 2014 and the special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice.

The code states that EHC plans must detail the outcomes sought for the child or young person. These should be specific and measurable, and the plan should be used to monitor a child or young person’s progress towards them and their longer term aspirations.

Plans must be reviewed by the local authority at a minimum every 12 months.

Reviews must consider whether the outcomes and supporting targets remain appropriate and may include setting new interim targets for the coming year or agreeing new outcomes.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carry out joint inspections of area SEND arrangements. These will consider the effectiveness of local SEND arrangements, including whether children and young people with SEND are well prepared for their next steps.

Where a local authority does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure the provision of high-quality library services in primary schools in Yeovil constituency by the end of this Parliament. \p Catherine McKinnell: School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school.

​It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.

The Dormant Assets strategy, published on 2 June 2025, announced that more than £130 million from the Dormant Assets scheme will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. Some of this will be used to invest in helping to foster a culture of reading for pleasure amongst disadvantaged children and young people in the spaces and places that matter to them, including schools, youth clubs and other settings like early years providers and libraries, through targeted intervention and increased access to reading material.

Additionally, the English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, and they deliver the Transforming School Reading Cultures programme, as part of the English Hubs continuous professional development offer. For schools in the Yeovil constituency, the local English Hub is Cornerstone Hub.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to set out her planned timetable for the urgent review of the 2014 Reforms to the SEND Code of Practice. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for East Grinstead and Uckfield to the answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64225.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on pupil premium allocations in (a) Stockton West and (b) Stockton North constituency since 2020. \p Catherine McKinnell: Pupil premium allocations at constituency level by year since 2020/21 can be accessed using the links below:
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new SEND places have been created in (a) Stockton-on-Tees and (b) the North East since 2019. \p Catherine McKinnell: The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Stockton-on-Tees has received £2.2 million for 2025/26.

As of 1 May 2024, Stockton-on-Tees had 667 specialist places and the North East had 9,873.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Opportunity North East funding. \p Catherine McKinnell: The funding for Opportunity North East (ONE) ended in 2022. The programme aimed to improve 28 secondary schools in the region through the ONE Vision school improvement programme. ONE also delivered projects that aimed to improve transition from primary to secondary, teacher recruitment, and post-16 outcomes.

18 of the 28 schools that were in the ONE Vision programme now have Ofsted judgements with single headline grades of good or better or, where schools have been inspected since September 2024, sub-judgements that are all good or better. However, it is hard to establish the cause and effect of this programme in isolation from other changes and government interventions that have happened over time. Of the remaining ten ONE Vision schools, four schools have not been inspected in their current structure, and six schools that have not yet improved their Ofsted performance are all part of the targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) programme.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure consistent access to mental health support in secondary schools in the North East. \p Stephen Morgan: The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% at the end of March 2025. In the Northeast, 57% of pupils in schools and learners in further education were covered by an MHST in March 2025.

Expansion to all schools and colleges by 2029/30 will prioritise rollout based on local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first. The operating principles and core functions of MHSTs ensure consistency in their support offer, whilst also allowing for flexibility in the model to best meet local needs.

To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and quality assured resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
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Sir Oliver Dowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken through the education system to educate young people on the harms of radicalisation. \p Stephen Morgan: All schools are under a statutory duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being radicalised into terrorism.

Every school should actively promote the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Promoting shared British values is a way of building pupils’ resilience to radicalisation and enabling them to identify and challenge extremist views.

The department publishes comprehensive advice and has made a range of resources freely available on our Educate Against Hate website, supporting teachers across all sectors to educate children and young people about the risks of extremism and radicalisation. This includes talking about Prevent and discussing controversial issues with children to raise awareness of and build resilience to radicalisation.

We have a team of regional co-ordinators who work directly with education institutions across all sectors in England to provide advice, support and training to ensure providers are well equipped to prevent children and young people from being drawn into terrorism.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) schools and (b) other education settings have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Stephen Morgan: There are no schools and colleges in the constituency of Fylde with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The number of schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC in Lancashire is 3.

The government has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the North East. \p Stephen Morgan: All schools and colleges with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) have suitable mitigations in place.

The department has supported schools and college to put in place mitigations.

The government has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 66321 on Schools: Electronic Cigarettes, whether she has had recent discussions with education providers on the potential impact of the ban on single use vapes on the prevalence of vaping in schools. \p Stephen Morgan: The sale of vapes to under 18s is illegal, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the sale of all consumer nicotine products to anyone under 18. Since 1 June 2025, it is illegal for businesses to sell or supply all single use vapes.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, engages consistently with school leaders and education providers on a range of topics, including pupil behaviour, and will continue to do so.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure school buildings in the North East are resilient to extreme weather. \p Stephen Morgan: I refer the hon. Member for Stockton West to the answer of 12 August 2025 to Question 68739.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that the proposed reforms of the student finance system include (a) refinancing and (b) reform options for historic student loan repayments. \p Janet Daby: The government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.

The student finance system removes upfront financial barriers so that everyone with the ability and desire to enter higher education (HE) can do so. Student loan debt is not like other debt, as monthly repayments depend on earnings, not on interest rates or the amount borrowed. No-one who earns under the student loan repayment threshold is required to make any repayments at all. At the end of the loan term, any outstanding loan balance, including interest built up, is be written off. This write-off is a deliberate investment in our people and the economy. No commercial loan offers this level of protection.

The department aims to publish our plans for HE reform soon as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White paper.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the rate at which asbestos is removed from schools in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Stockport borough and (c) Hazel Grove constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: The department expects all local authorities, governing bodies and academy trusts to have robust plans in place to manage asbestos in school buildings effectively, in line with their legal duties, drawing on appropriate professional advice and our published guidance.

Asbestos management in schools and other buildings is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive. We follow their expert advice that, provided asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, it is generally safest to manage them in place, otherwise, they should be removed.

Asbestos is often removed over time as part of wider rebuilding, refurbishment or major repairs work, including projects delivered by the department, such as the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), or delivered by responsible bodies, such as local authorities or academy trusts.

The government has given a long-term commitment for capital investment through to 2034/35 to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This is in addition to investment in continuing and expanding the SRP, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has been made of the number of (a) retail, (b) hospitality and (c) leisure hereditaments ineligible for the retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief under the £110,000 cap per business. \p Dan Tomlinson: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief has been extended year-by-year by previous Governments since the pandemic – creating uncertainty for businesses and an unsustainable fiscal pressure for the Government.

Without any Government intervention, the RHL relief scheme would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff-edge for businesses. Instead, the Government decided to provide a 40 per cent discount to RHL properties up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business in 2025/26, ahead of permanently lower rates for RHL properties from 2026/27. Like all business rates multipliers, these lower RHL multipliers will not be subject to a cash cap. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance, which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to exempt donations to verified carbon offsetting projects from VAT. \p Dan Tomlinson: Payments that are made voluntarily, without expectation of receiving goods or services in return, fall outside the scope of VAT. This is a core principle of the VAT system. As such, donations to verified carbon offsetting projects are not subject to VAT, and VAT should not be charged on these donations.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the harmonisation of gambling duty rates on levels of promotion of more addictive forms of online gaming. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025.

If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC plan to respond to the correspondence of (a) 13 March, (b) 10 June and (c) 10 July from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs. \p Dan Tomlinson: A response was issued on 30 July 2025.
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James Wild:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her proposal for a remote betting and gaming duty on (a) rugby league, (b) snooker and (c) darts. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025.

If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative assessment of (a) the data in UCL’s report entitled Trends in smoking prevalence and socio-economic inequalities across regions in England: A population study, 2006 to 2024, published on 18 March 2025 with (b) the decrease in HMRC’s tobacco duty receipts in the Tobacco Bulletin in (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-2025. \p Dan Tomlinson: Tobacco duty receipts reported in HMRC’s Tobacco Duty Bulletin fell 10% between 2023/24 and 2024/25. This publication reports on receipts collected at the UK level.

UCL’s “Trends in smoking prevalence and socio-economic inequalities across regions in England: A population study, 2006 to 2024” report discusses a range of issues and suggests that smoking prevalence in England declined from 25.3% in 2006 to 16.5% in 2024. This report looks at English smoking prevalence only and so is not directly comparable with the UK receipts published in HMRC’s Tobacco Bulletin.
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Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of taxing horse racing at the same rates of other types of gambling on the horse racing industry. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025.

If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.