theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the unit cost to developers of the Nature Restoration Fund for a new build house. \p Matthew Pennycook: When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as a barrier to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will introduce a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond simply offsetting harm to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.

The government's intention is that the aggregate cost to developers of the Nature Restoration Levy will not be greater than the status quo. By taking a strategic approach to nature recovery, we can leverage economies of scale and reduce the need for costly project-level assessments to ensure every pound spent helps deliver on our environmental goals.

We are working with Regulatory Policy Committee to ensure that the Bill Impact Assessment and Committee’s opinion are published as soon as possible.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has plans to introduce legislation to enforce (a) developers and (b) local authorities to use section 106 contributions when local developments are being built. \p Matthew Pennycook: It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to consider whether otherwise unacceptable development could be made acceptable through the use of conditions or planning obligations when determining applications.

The government is committed to strengthening the developer contributions system and made progress through the new National Planning Policy Framework in December, including changes to support the increased provision of various types of public infrastructure, and social and affordable housing delivery.

The government is also committed to updating the viability planning practice guidance to improve the operation of the developer contributions system. The government will set out further details in due course.
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Rosie Duffield:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will meet representatives of the Sex Equality and Equity Networks. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) meets with a broad range of external stakeholders to test and develop its public-facing policies and initiatives, but does not meet with internal staff networks. Matters relating to internal Civil Service policies can be discussed with the Government People Group or individual departmental HR teams as necessary.
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on developing a port strategy. \p Mike Kane: The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy sets out Government’s plans for decarbonising the domestic maritime sector, including goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and policies to support this. The Maritime Strategy will be published later this year. It will focus on our four priorities of people, growth, environment and safety. Ports have a crucial role to play across all of these.
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help the (a) ports and (b) shipping industries (a) cut emissions and (b) transition to clean fuels. \p Mike Kane: We have recently published our Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy that sets out our plans to decarbonise the domestic maritime sector. This Strategy includes a package of policy and regulatory measures across both the port and shipping industries. Reducing emissions builds on the increased efficiency of operators, combined with a transition to cleaner zero, and near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels and energy sources, and this Strategy considers the role of these fuels, and how we will support their uptake.

All policies laid out in the Strategy will be developed further and will be subject to formal consultation before implementation.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if Ministers in her Department will meet with the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss national infrastructure improvements where the A322 meets the M3 Junction 3. \p Lilian Greenwood: I would be happy to meet to discuss potential improvements to this junction and surrounding roads as the Minister responsible for this matter.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of vehicular accidents involving drivers who have not disclosed age-related health conditions on their driving license renewals in each of the last five years. \p Lilian Greenwood: This information is not held by the Department for Transport.

The Department’s data on road injury collisions is based on information reported to the police via the STATS19 data collection system. STATS19 does not capture information on the health conditions of those involved in collisions.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help promote the uptake of hydrogen powered cars. \p Lilian Greenwood: Government policy on the transition to zero emissions is technology neutral. The ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicles) Mandate credits hydrogen fuel cell cars and vans as fully zero emission. ZEVs benefit from favourable tax rates compared to the most polluting vehicles, such as the lowest first year rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) at £10. Company Car Tax rates continue to support the uptake of ZEVs, with preferential rates currently at 2%, rising to 3% in April 2025. 100% First Year Allowances (FYA) have also been extended into financial year 2025/26 for qualifying expenditure on zero emission cars.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle delays caused by (a) tolls and (b) traffic to emergency service vehicles on the Tamar (i) bridge and (ii) ferries. \p Simon Lightwood: This Government acknowledges that the Tamar Crossings are an important local issue. Toll management is a matter for local determination through the Tamar Joint Committee and we recognise the benefits of the recently formed Tamar 2050 Programme Stakeholder Panel which will help oversee key decisions.

It is, of course, essential that emergency vehicles are able to travel swiftly to deal with urgent incidents. The Joint Committee maintains a very close working relationship with the emergency services. Although it is not possible to offer a dedicated emergency route on the bridge, this close level of engagement helps to ensure that emergency vehicles can cross as quickly as possible.

Ferry crews are given clear guidance when managing access for emergency vehicles and their subsequent departure.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to reduce congestion at the meeting of the A322 with the M3 Junction 3 in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: National Highways undertook an early-stage study of the M3 junction 3 in 2023. As well as a long-term large-scale enhancement to address both congestion and incidents, it is considering smaller, tactical solutions that can be delivered in the short-term. It is commencing a feasibility study on small-scale improvements, working closely with Surrey County Council who are responsible for the A322. This work will form the evidence base for potential future enhancements to be delivered during RIS3, beyond 2026.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Under 17 Car Club on the geographical scope of the Pathfinder Initiative; and whether she has plans to hold such discussions. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any discussions with the Under 17 Car Club but the Government welcomes initiatives to help young people drive safely.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for driving tests is in Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The table below shows the average waiting time for driving test centres that serve customers living in the Edgbaston constituency, as of the 17 March 2025.

Driving test centre

Average waiting time as of the 17 March 2025 (in weeks).

Birmingham (Kings Heath)

24

Birmingham (South Yardley)

24

Birmingham (Shirley)

24

Birmingham (Garretts Green)

24

Birmingham (Kingstanding)

24

The current national average for driving tests as of February 2025 is 21.3 weeks.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many infrastructure contracts awarded by her Department have included mandatory collective bargaining clauses since 5 July 2024. \p Mike Kane: There are no infrastructure contracts awarded by the Department since 5 July 2024 that have included mandatory collective bargaining clauses.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of planned housing developments in Bedfordshire on Thameslink services. \p Simon Lightwood: Any assessment on the impacts of housing developments on public transport is a matter for local partners through development of their local plans.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 28 January 2025 in the debate on Road Safety: Young Drivers, Official Report, Column 49-51WH, what steps she is taking to support local-level interventions to make roads safer. \p Lilian Greenwood: As work progresses on the new road safety strategy, we are considering measures, including those in the Driver2020 project, and assessing their potential impacts to tackle the root causes of young driver collisions without unfairly penalising young drivers.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on her planned port strategy; and what plans she has for future funding of port infrastructure. \p Mike Kane: My Department is not currently planning on publishing a ports strategy, however, on 25th March we published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and we are continuing to develop a Maritime Strategy. Both address the Department’s priorities for the ports sector.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy sets out Government’s plans for decarbonising the domestic maritime sector, including goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and policies to support this. The Maritime Strategy will be published later this year. It will focus on our four priorities of people, growth, environment and safety. Ports have a crucial role to play across all of these.

The Department is engaging with colleagues at the National Wealth Fund given Ports are a priority area for NWF investment.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of road networks in Mid Leicestershire constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with the local authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. They will decide what measures may be appropriate to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents” and they are also responsible for the management of local roads, within the rules set by Government, including setting local speed limits where the national limit would not be appropriate.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 28 January 2025 in the debate on Road Safety: Young Drivers, Official Report, Column 49-51WH, which (a) channels, (b) content providers and (c) mechanisms other than LADBible her Department is using to increase awareness of the THINK! campaign among young drivers. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

THINK! plays an important role in raising awareness of risky driving behaviours amongst young people. This has recently included campaigns on drink-driving and speeding on rural roads, two of the leading factors in fatal collisions and areas where young male drivers are overrepresented in the casualty data.

THINK! campaigns target digital channels and platforms that are frequently used by young people. This includes paid advertising on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and being amongst the first campaigns to trial advertising on TikTok as part of a Government pilot), digital audio (including podcasts, digital radio and music streaming apps such as Spotify), online video (for example on Youtube, Twitch and via digital display advertising), and working with popular online influencers in collaboration with LADbible. THINK! also uses traditional channels, such as broadcast radio, cinema and out-of-home advertising, to target environments and situations that are contextually relevant to young drivers (i.e. around or during an actual car journey).

THINK! frequently uses interactive and innovative approaches to drive up ad engagement with young men. Recent examples include an interactive Snapchat lens for a drink drive campaign, a ‘perception test’ game to illustrate the dangers of speeding, and a gamified quiz to highlight the facts on seatbelt usage.

The THINK! campaign partnered with alcohol brands, including Heineken and Eisberg, to launch the THINK! 0% platform in December 2024, reaching young drivers at the point-of-sale in pubs and bars and encouraging them to choose a non-alcoholic alternative if driving.

Throughout the year, the THINK! campaign engages with local stakeholders and partners, including road safety officers, local councils and police forces to promote road safety and support further education on the subject of dangerous driving.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, If she will assess the (a) economic and (b) road safety impact of delaying the (i) implementation and (ii) construction of the A12 widening scheme. \p Lilian Greenwood: It was announced in the Autumn Budget that Phase 2 of the Spending Review will conclude in late spring 2025. Until this time, it is not possible to assess the full impact of the extremely challenging financial inheritance this Government received on the A12 widening scheme and in turn its impact on (a) the economy and (b) road safety.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure effective prosecutions in cases of violence against women and girls in Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency. \p Lucy Rigby: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a national emergency and through the Safer Streets Mission, this Government will deliver on our ambition to halve VAWG in a decade. A key part will be delivering effective prosecutions, and we continue to see improvements in the prosecution of VAWG offences.

As Solicitor General, I superintend the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is continuing to transform its approach to adult rape prosecution through the implementation of its new national operating model, based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria. Through this work, the CPS has seen substantial increases in referral, charge, and prosecution volumes for adult rape.

These improvements have also informed the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing which launched in November 2024. Better partnership with policing has already led to modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements.

To address the increasingly complexity of VAWG offending and the holistic needs of victims, the CPS will also begin implementation of its 2025-30 VAWG strategy this spring. This will ensure prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively.

I was delighted to give a keynote address at a joint CPS, Home Office, and National Police Chiefs’ Council conference on tackling honour-based abuse held in Birmingham last week. On the same day, I met with the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the West Midlands and the Area’s Victim Liaison Unit and heard directly from CPS staff about the critical work they are doing to prosecute VAWG offences.

In the West Midlands police force area in 2023-24, the CPS prosecuted 1,596 domestic abuse flagged cases (an increase from 1,543 in 2022-23), 135 rape flagged cases (an increase from 108 in 2022-23), and 419 sexual offences (excluding rape flagged) cases (an increase from 295 in 2022-23).
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure effective prosecution rates (a) serious and (b) violent crime in Birmingham Edgbaston constituency. \p Lucy Rigby: Reducing serious and violent crime is integral to this Government’s Safer Streets Mission and commitment to halve knife crime in a decade.

Our new Crime and Policing Bill will back our police by giving them enhanced and tougher powers to keep our streets safe, to tackle anti-social behaviour, and to crack down on knife crime.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes serious and violent crime robustly, providing early investigative advice on complex and serious offending to build strong cases and deliver justice for victims.

The CPS is working with cross-government partners to support the delivery of the Safer Streets Mission, and all CPS guidance and training is kept under constant review to ensure front-line prosecutors are equipped to prosecute these serious offences. Serious and violent crime encompasses many different types of crime but is more commonly associated with drug crime, knife crime, gun crime, and homicide.

In 2023-2024, the CPS prosecuted the following serious and violent offences in the West Midlands Police force area, in which the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency is located:

1,249 defendants for drug offences under the principal category offence for drugs (which includes possession of controlled drugs, supplying or offering to supply controlled drugs, unlawful importation of controlled drugs, and manufacturing a scheduled substance) (up from 942 in 2022-23).

1,645 offences for possession of a knife under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and Prevention of Crime Act 1953 (up from 1,408 in 2022-23).

189 offences under the Firearms Act 1968 (up from 117 in 2022-23).

124 defendants were prosecuted for homicide offences under the principal offence category for homicide (which includes offences of murder, attempted murder, causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult, child destruction, conspiring or soliciting to commit murder and causing death by dangerous or careless driving) (up from 73 in 2022-23).
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 36473 on Human Trafficking: Cambridgeshire, how many of the (a) 56 cases flagged for modern slavery and (b) 11 cases with a monitoring flag for child abuse, involved (i) victims and (ii) perpetrators from (A) Guinea-Bissau and (B) Portugal. \p Lucy Rigby: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has conducted a full manual review of the 11 case files with a monitoring flag for child abuse. It could not ascertain whether the defendants and victims were from Guinea-Bissau or Portugal from the information provided by the police.

The CPS were unable to undertake a full manual review of the remaining cases with a monitoring flag for modern slavery as to obtain this information would incur a disproportionate cost.
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Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children's voices are included in family court cases. \p Alex Davies-Jones: When deciding an issue relating to the upbringing of a child, the child’s welfare must be the court’s paramount consideration. The court must have regard for the wishes and feelings of the child, considered in light of the child’s age and level of understanding.

In most proceedings relating to a child, Cafcass or Cafcass Cymru will engage with children to establish their wishes and communicate these to the court. Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru social workers use various methods to ensure children can make their feelings and wishes clear to the court in their own words and will also submit their own professional analysis to the court.

We are implementing reforms to improve the family court experience for all users, including children. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder pilot, which seeks to enhance the voice of the child and better support survivors of domestic abuse. The pilot launched in courts in Dorset and North Wales in 2022, expanded to Southwest Wales and Birmingham in 2024 and to Mid-West Wales on 3 March. Pathfinder will next launch in West Yorkshire on 3 June and this Government is committed to further expansion between April 2025 and March 2026.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what information his Department holds on whether foreign political donations from outside the Republic of Ireland are channelled through Irish (a) people, (b) companies and (c) unincorporated associations to Northern Ireland. \p Hilary Benn: This information is not held by the Government. The Electoral Commission verifies donations and loans to Northern Ireland parties, assesses the proof of identity of Irish citizens and verifies these with the Irish Government. Details of donations and loans received above the set thresholds for all UK registered parties are published by the Electoral Commission on their website.
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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to revoke the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. \p Hilary Benn: The Government has already begun the process of repealing and replacing the previous Government's Legacy Act. On 4 December 2024, I laid a proposed draft remedial order before Parliament that, if adopted, will remove from the Act a number of provisions that have been found by the NI courts to be incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations. These include all those relating to the immunity scheme, and the bar on new civil cases.

The Government will introduce primary legislation when Parliamentary time allows. While we want to make progress as swiftly as possible, we remain committed to engaging widely with all interested parties to help determine what provisions should be included in that legislation.
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Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason the investment reserves for the (a) Mineworkers Pension Scheme and (b) British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme were not transferred to members at the same time. \p Sarah Jones: The transfer of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme investment reserve was a manifesto commitment which the Government has fulfilled. The BCSSS scheme has some differences to the MPS, but we are working with the BCSSS Trustees to consider their proposals.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to introduce minimum community compensation funding for communities impacted by (a) Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project solar developments and (b) solar developments assessed through the local planning system. \p Michael Shanks: Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area, and we are exploring all options to ensure communities can benefit from our clean power mission.

In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the main trade body for the solar sector, will publish later this year a voluntary community benefits protocol and guidance for solar.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37760 on Solar Power, how many new solar installations excluding those below 50kW have been consented since 2008; and what capacity each one had. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not hold the precise data requested. However, relevant information is available in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), which provides details of individual solar projects that have received planning consent, including the capacity of each. It covers projects larger than 150kW, dating from 2010 onwards.

The REPD is publicly available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-monthly-extract.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered implementing a licencing regime similar to the Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence to help clarify the (a) rights and (b) responsibilities of developers of geothermal energy. \p Kerry McCarthy: The Government is considering various indirect support measures for the development of geothermal energy including regulatory approaches. However, a specific licensing regime like the Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence has not been established in the UK, and at this time the Government is not currently considering implementing a licencing regime for geothermal energy.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press release entitled Households near new pylons to save hundreds on energy bills, published on 10 March 2025, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of an electricity pylon being erected within 500 meters of an average house on the capital value of that house. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not assess the impact of new transmission network infrastructure on house prices.

However, landowners, businesses, and homeowners that have electrical equipment, such as pylons or towers, sited on their land have the right to compensation for the value of their land, as well as any losses or expenses incurred. Acquiring authorities can also put in place discretionary schemes offering additional compensation.

The proposed bill discount scheme is not a house price compensation scheme. It aims to ensure those closest to eligible new transmission infrastructure can directly benefit from supporting the nationally critical Clean Power by 2030 mission.
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Kirsteen Sullivan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of (a) the report and (b) recommendation 27 of the report by the National Infrastructure Commission entitled Second National Infrastructure Assessment, published on 1 October 2023. \p Michael Shanks: The government is working with regulators to ensure that the future telecommunications requirements of the energy, water and transport sectors are understood. And the government will draw on the National Infrastructure Commission’s analysis for the forthcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that the prioritisation of overhead pylons in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not adversely impact (a) local communities and (b) the natural environment. \p Michael Shanks: The Government’s position on overhead lines is set out in the National Policy Statement for electricity networks, NPS EN-5. In England and Wales, the Planning Act 2008 requires developers to demonstrate that they have consulted adequately with local communities, ensuring their feedback is considered and incorporated into the project proposal, before submitting their application for consent. Developers will also assess the environmental impacts of their projects through the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRA), which will include the natural environment. These assessments are then considered as part of the consenting process by the Secretary of State.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the criteria for eligibility are for proposed energy bill compensation for people living near new pylons; and whether (a) type of infrastructure and (b) other factors will impact qualification for that scheme. \p Michael Shanks: The bill discount scheme will apply to eligible domestic households. We are currently proposing the scheme applies to new onshore, above ground transmission cables and associated infrastructure such as substations and certain significantly upgraded existing projects in Great Britain. Our aim is that major new transmission projects needed for 2030 will be eligible. Both infrastructure and resident household eligibility criteria will be set out in regulations.

The bill discount scheme is not a compensation scheme. It aims to ensure those closest to eligible new transmission infrastructure can directly benefit from supporting the nationally critical mission of achieving clean power by 2030.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of public sector projects contracted by his Department have had cost overruns due to mandatory net zero requirements since 5 July 2024. \p Michael Shanks: This information is not held centrally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support workers in the North Sea Oil and Gas industry in the transition towards net zero. \p Sarah Jones: The consultation on ‘Building the North Sea’s energy future’ sets out the Government’s plans for accelerating investment in net zero, creating high-quality jobs for oil and gas workers. It seeks views on how to best support workers and communities through the transition and closes 30 April.

The Government has worked with industry and unions to launch the 'Energy Skills Passport’ for oil and gas workers transitioning to offshore wind roles and announced that Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, to reflect the commitment that communities which powered our country’s energy past will power its clean energy future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_1

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking help to ensure that teachers are trained to (a) identify and (b) support children with dyslexia; and if she will take steps to introduce universal dyslexia screening checks for children within their first two years of school. \p Catherine McKinnell: ​​I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402. ​
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_2

David Baines:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) help children with dyslexia and (b) improve the availability of early screening. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for St Helens North to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_3

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to children with dyslexia. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. member for Ashfield to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_4

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve training for teachers (a) in the early identification of dyslexia and (b) to ensure minimum standards of SEND support are in place across all primary schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_5

Antonia Bance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which state schools are taking part in the Early Language Support for Every Child Programme by (a) local authority and (b) constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: A list of state schools that have taken part in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme up to the end of June 2025 is provided. Please note that as this is a pupil-led and not school-led programme, a small number of schools may have engaged in the programme during the last few weeks of the 2024/25 academic year in July, and we are awaiting an updated list from one of the nine pathfinder areas, the East Midlands, which covers the Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland local authority areas. A further list will therefore be provided by the end of August 2025 capturing this information.

ELSEC participating schools (xlsx, 27.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_6

Antonia Bance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which state schools took part in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme in the most recent financial year by (a) local authority and (b) constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: State schools that took part in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme in the 2024/25 financial year by (a) local authority and (b) constituency is available in the attached table.

PINS schools (pdf, 1712.4KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_7

Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking through (a) teacher training, (b) early screening and (c) other methods to ensure (i) early identification and (ii) effective support for pupils with dyslexia in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that all pupils, including those with dyslexia or other types of SEND, are given the best possible opportunity to achieve. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed. From September 2025, Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Teacher induction training must be based on the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) which contains significantly more content on adaptive teaching and supporting and improving inclusivity for pupils with SEND. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of early career teacher training to develop training materials that support the needs of children with SEND.

This academic year, Reading Ambition for All, a continuous professional development programme was launched. The programme explores the appropriate teaching, support and provision for the lowest attaining children in reading, with a particular focus on those with SEND. It is delivered by English Hubs and is primarily aimed at reading leaders, special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinators and senior leaders.

Reading Ambition for All draws on the latest research about how children learn to read and explores effective approaches to teaching those who need specific adaptations to make progress.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_8

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to improve the safety of students with serious allergies in English educational institutions. \p Catherine McKinnell: Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. Policies should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.

Schools can purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors from a pharmacy without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation.

The department intends to consult on updated statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions later this year. The full guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_9

Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) businesses and (b) charities that provide activities for children with SEND. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department provides funding to deliver £24 million worth of grants each year to provide support to low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people. We have also funded innovative grants that promote best practice for delivering services for short breaks.

To support young people aged 16 to 24 with an education, health and care plan to secure and sustain employment, we are continuing to invest in supported internships by providing up to £12 million to March 2026. This funding will support local authorities to sustain their special educational needs and disabilities Employment Forums, training on employer engagement and training for job coaches. Indicative data from local authorities shows we reached our previous target of doubling the number of supported internships to 4,500 per year and our continued support will enable areas to sustain this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_10

Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for encouraging children with SEND into mainstream schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department has published independently commissioned insight from the Delivering Better Value programme. This research suggests that, if the system were extensively improved, including using early intervention and better resourcing mainstream schools, tens of thousands more children and young people could have their needs met without the need for lengthy waits and assessments, and have their needs met in a mainstream setting, rather than a specialist placement. Further detail on the research is available here: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63b6e5debb4b0114060dc226/66421eaae18cb50ccc378780_66421a046d5569ec0ad11674_DBV%20-%20Phase%201%20Insights%20Summary_Website%20v1.0_Final.pdf.

Further details of the government's intended approach to special educational needs and disabilities reform will be set out in a White Paper in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-01 conversation_11

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support the recruitment of teachers in (a) Eastbourne constituency and (b) East Sussex. \p Catherine McKinnell: High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest impact on children’s outcomes. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

To support this key pledge, we recently announced a 4% pay award for 2025/26, building on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a near 10% pay award for teachers since this government came to power. We also announced a teacher training financial incentives package worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax free. We also announced targeted retention payments worth up to £6000, with 10 schools in the Eastbourne constituency, and 31 schools in East Sussex qualifying for these.

The teaching workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers, between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools. In Eastbourne constituency there are 30 more secondary and special school teachers, with 457 FTE teachers this year.