theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Michael Wheeler:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the increase in the number of (a) marmosets and tamarins and (b) rhesus monkeys used for the first time in scientific procedures from 2023 to 2024. \p Dan Jarvis: The requirements for regulatory testing are set by regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK.

The use of non-human primates continues to represent a very small proportion of the total number of procedures carried out in Great Britain, accounting for approximately 0.1% of all experimental procedures in 2024. The total number of procedures using non-human primates, and the total number of non-human primates used decreased in 2024 compared to 2023. Non-human primates are required by regulatory authorities for use in their assessments of whether potential medicines and other therapeutics are to be considered safe for human use. Non-human primates are also used for the safety assessment of novel pharmaceuticals in cases where they are the most appropriate and scientifically justified species.

Non-human primates are classed as specially protected species, and their use is permitted only under exceptional circumstances.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 ensures that all use of non-human primates in the UK is strictly regulated and licences that authorise testing on non-human primates are only granted where there is robust scientific justification and no viable alternative. Each project licence application is subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis, and the welfare of the animals is a primary consideration at every stage.

This Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy by the end of this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many National Fraud Intelligence Bureau 1D dating scam offences were recorded in the (a) 2024-25, (b) 2023-24. (c) 2019-20 and (d) 2014-15 financial year. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office does not collect information on romance fraud. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), which sits within City of London Police, collects data on Dating Scam Fraud. This is collected from the reports made to Action Fraud that amounted to a crime under the Home Office crime recording rules.

The table below summarises the number of dating scams recorded by NFIB on 1D dating fraud offences.

2014/15

2019/20

2023/24

2024/25

Dating scam (NFIB1D)

2,735

5,541

8,388

9,296
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of criminal records amassed in the course of exploitation and abuse on victims of child (a) sexual exploitation and (b) criminal exploitation. \p Jess Phillips: We recognise that criminal records can impact an individual’s opportunity to find work and rebuild their lives, and are committed to helping those with convictions to overcome these barriers and reintegrate into society.

Regarding victims of child sexual exploitation, the Ministry of Justice is working with the Criminal Cases Review Commission to ensure it is properly resourced to review the applications of victims of Child Sexual Exploitation who believe they were unjustly convicted when their position as a victim was not properly understood.   We are also legislating in the Crime and Policing Bill to disregard cautions and convictions issued to individuals under the age of 18 for the on-street prostitution offence.

We also know that children can be exploited into criminal activity and we are introducing a new offence of criminal exploitation of children in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime. As part of this legislation, we are also delivering new civil preventative orders to disrupt and prevent child criminal exploitation from occurring or re-occurring. Where a victim of CCE also meets the definition of a victim of modern slavery, they may have access to the statutory defence against prosecution contained in section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of the contract to house asylum seekers in the Ramada hotel in Sutton Coldfield constituency. \p Alex Norris: For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.

This Government recognises that hotels are not a sustainable or cost-effective solution for accommodating asylum seekers and remains committed to ending their use, already reducing the number in operation. We do not provide a running commentary on hotel numbers, our objective is to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, reducing costs to the taxpayer and restoring control to local communities.
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Chris Philp:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will re-open the application window for the role of Chair of the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. \p Jess Phillips: Chairs of national inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005, are appointed directly by Ministers. Under section 3 of the Act, the Minister who sets up the inquiry has the power to appoint the Chair and any other panel members.

As has long been common practice for inquiries, such appointments constitute direct ministerial appointments and do not follow a standard open public recruitment process which seeks applications.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner on responding to an inquiry by the hon. Member for East Londonderry on a parade in Central London on 20 September 2025. \p Sarah Jones: This Government is committed to working with the Metropolitan Police to ensure that the right to protest, including in parades, is balanced with the protecting communities from serious disruption or harm.

Government ministers do not intervene in how the police applies laws relating to protest, which are matters reserved for operational forces.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money from private providers with contracts to house asylum seekers is owed to her Department in excess profits since 2021. \p Alex Norris: Excess profits of £45.9m have been returned to the Department in relation to the contract’s profit share provisions.

The Home Office is supported by a Commercial Department within which is a dedicated Asylum Support Commercial Contract Management Team. This team prioritise and work on all aspects of commercial contract management, including recouping profits share amounts owed to the Home Office. On financial matters, this team work with other Home Office specialists.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing detention capacity to a level that would facilitate the deportation of between 100,000 and 150,000 people per year. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office (specifically Immigration Enforcement), is currently expanding detention capacity through an active programme that will deliver an additional 1,000 beds over the coming years at Campsfield (Oxfordshire) and Haslar (Hampshire). This expansion will significantly increase the number of enforced returns once operational.

Decisions on the required estate size will be based on several factors, including:
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for (a) voluntary and (b) enforced removal schemes of foreign national offenders in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Alex Norris: We will not provide a running commentary on discussions between the Home Office and HMT on in-year funding for removal schemes. The costs associated with voluntary and enforced removals (including foreign national offenders) are varied. The total amount spent on returning people in the 2025/26 financial year will be published in the Home Office annual report and accounts in Summer 2026.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has provided any (a) grants, (b) contracts and (c) other funding to (i) Stand Up to Racism, (ii) Unite the Union,(ii) Migrants Organise, (iv) the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, (v) the Refugee Council and (vi) Care4Calais since 2020; and how much funding was provided to each for what purposes. \p Sarah Jones: Home Office made grant payments to the Refugee Council totalling £ 3.2m for the purpose of Children’s Advisory Projects to support Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) through the asylum process., with a further £ 215,244 for Asylum Seeker Mental Health and Wellbeing Grant to provide assistance to vulnerable adult asylum seekers.

The figures represent budgeted values which may not have been spent in full.

Since 2020 the Home Office has provided contract and other funding payments to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants totalling £47,015.

Further, the Home Office provided contract and other funding to the Refugee Council totalling £8,026,673 for the same time period.

Information on purpose has been withheld and related contracts as it would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Outside of Home Office funding, for the period FY 21/22 to FY 24/25 inclusive Home Office facilitated £5.37m of EU financed AMIF Integration Funding to the Refugee Council.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Mauritius have notified her of contact with (a) India and (b) other third countries to coordinate visits to the Chagos Archipelago. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to question 69814 on 3 September 2025.
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of further investment in agricultural supply chains in northern Nigeria to help promote the region’s (a) climate resilient agriculture, (b) peace and (c) security. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK is committed to supporting peace and stability in Northern Nigeria. Our work is strengthening agricultural supply chains in the region, to boost sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, and help address drivers of conflict.

Our Propcom+ programme works with agribusiness, State and Federal government authorities, and wider development partners, to support investment and growth in climate-smart agriculture in Nigeria, including in the North. Since 2022, Propcom+ has worked with over 750,000 farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs, nearly half of which are women, to adapt to the effects of climate change. In addition, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) is working to reduce rural violence in Northwest and North-central Nigeria. It does this by supporting productive livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists, and by strengthening conflict early warning, management and response.
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Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to my letter of 15 August 2025 on Lord Mandelson; and when the Government will formally respond to the (a) Stage 1 and (b) Stage 2 complaints in the letter in line with the Cabinet Office’s complaints process. \p Stephen Doughty: We apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon Member's correspondence. We will issue a reply shortly.
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Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings the UK has participated in under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons framework on lethal autonomous weapons systems; what the financial cost of that participation has been; and what progress has been made towards delivering her Department's objectives in those discussions. \p Stephen Doughty: The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85119 on Malta: Politics and Government, whether she plans to (a) review the sovereign status of the Sovereign Order of Malta and (b) establish formal diplomatic relations with that entity. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 4 November to question 85119.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, from which budget within her Department's resources she expects to fund her Department's contributions for payments to Mauritius under the UK-Mauritius Treaty. \p Stephen Doughty: Payments will be published in the normal manner alongside other departmental spend in the annual accounts.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in her Department since 2017. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer of 25 June 2025 to question 59393.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 67377, what plans he has for the Ministerial Women Peace and Security National Action Plan (WPS NAP) steering board to meet as part of the process of refreshing the WPS NAP. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon Member to the answer she received on 21 July 2025 in response to Question 67376.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her US counterpart on the imposition of visa restrictions on officials of third countries who cooperate with Cuba in the provision of medical services. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 6 November to Question 87175.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) economic and (b) diplomatic merits of ratifying the UK–Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement. \p Chris Elmore: The UK-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) was signed under the previous Government. We are currently undertaking a cross-Government consultation before it is laid before Parliament for scrutiny, while continuing to cooperate positively with Cuba in the interim where possible, including on climate. The PDCA will support discussion on issues of common interest and will include human rights as a standing agenda item. It also offers the potential to facilitate exchanges of expertise, including on economic reform and healthcare.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models. \p Seema Malhotra: The requested information is not centrally collated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people in her Department have equality, diversity and inclusion responsibilities. \p Seema Malhotra: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's total staff headcount is approximately 17,500 employees. The number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff who cover diversity and inclusion issues among their wider human resources responsibilities is currently 2.6.
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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) training and (b) support will be provided to (i) teachers and (ii) other education staff as part of the new curriculum to support the delivery of increased levels of literacy in schools. \p Josh MacAlister: High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.

Following the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review published on 5 November 2025, we will revise the English curriculum to ensure that there is more emphasis on speaking, listening and drama, alongside creating a new primary oracy framework and a new combined secondary oracy, reading and writing framework to support its implementation.

The government has also committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme.

We will also build secondary schools' capacity to support students with reading needs by providing new reading training from January 2026.

Additionally, on 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. More information is available at www.goallin.org.uk.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on access to therapeutic support for children identified as in need in cases where parental consent is disputed. \p Josh MacAlister: The guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ is clear that local authorities should have a comprehensive range of services in place to respond to local needs. It also requires safeguarding partners to publish a threshold document setting out what services are delivered in their area across different levels of need, including targeted early help and statutory children’s social care, including under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

Any support and services provided under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 are consensual. If there are concerns that a child has suffered significant harm or is likely to do so, a referral should be made to local authority children’s social care.

Reforms to family help being delivered through the Families First Partnership programme are seeking to improve timely access to services. We are already seeing examples of senior therapists being embedded into multi-disciplinary teams to provide direct therapeutic support to families.
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Mrs Sureena Brackenridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of creating a national fostering strategy. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​Foster care is one of my top priorities as Minister. The department is already investing £25 million of transformation funding for foster care, which is additional to the £15 million announced at the Autumn Budget covering the 2025/26 financial year. We are already working with over 60% of local authorities in England to transform the way they recruit and retain foster carers.

​However, we know we need to go further and faster with recruiting and retaining more carers to create a system which provides the best possible home for children in care.

​The department will be setting out a comprehensive package of measures to improve recruitment and retention, increase the number of foster carers, and expand the types of foster care available to meet children's needs. These changes will bring meaningful benefits to thousands of fostered children. We will set out more detail on our planned investments and reforms for fostering in due course. ​
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide funding for wraparound childcare after March 2026. \p Olivia Bailey: This government is rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools, with £80 million funding available from April 2026 to bring free breakfast clubs to an additional 2,000 schools. It builds on the more than £30 million the department has invested this year to test and learn free breakfast clubs in 750 early adopter schools.

In addition, since September last year more than 50,000 new before and after school places have been delivered in schools to help working families, with more expected before March 2026. We are working with local authorities, schools, and childcare providers on the next phase with a focus on sustaining childcare places, expanding provision where there is demand, and strengthening the childcare market overall.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to local authorities of keeping children in voluntary foster care due to inadequate local education provision. \p Josh MacAlister: Where a child is accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, our care planning regulations and statutory guidance are clear that there should be a robust care planning and decision-making process to meet the day-to-day needs of the child. Where reunification is in the best interests of the child and will safeguard and promote their welfare, the local authority should set out the support and services to be provided once the child returns home, including suitable education provision.

The department has not carried out an assessment of the cost to local authorities incurred in cases where there has not been suitable educational provision and children have remained in voluntary foster care.

The department’s children’s social care reforms include the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme, which will embed a new approach to Family Help and greater use of family group decision making. Family Help will wrap support around families where children in care may be able to return home safely. This includes bringing in relevant agencies or individuals from school attendance teams to support sustainable reunification.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children in kinship care arrangements in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England. \p Josh MacAlister: The department does not collect local authority level data on the number of children in all types of kinship care placements. As such, we are unable to provide figures for Hexham constituency, Northumberland, Newcastle, or the North East. Some local authorities may publish their own data online, which can be found through individual local authorities websites or direct contact requests for more detailed local information.

Nationally, the department does collect data on children in formal kinship care arrangements, such as those placed with family or friends foster carers. This data is published annually in the Children Looked After statistics.

Local authorities in England are responsible for setting out a Kinship Local Offer, which outlines the support available to kinship carers and the children they care for. This offer should cover all types of kinship care arrangements, both formal and informal, and can include information on financial support, legal advice, training and peer support and educational and emotional wellbeing services.

Support is available to kinship carers through peer to peer support groups and a programme of training, delivered by the charity Kinship. This includes free workshops, events and access to free support and advice, as well as support from virtual school heads, who promote the education of children in kinship care and help schools better support their needs.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cut to funding the International Baccalaureate on students. \p Josh MacAlister: The department will provide transitional protection funding to institutions facing a significant reduction in funding. From calculating the initial 2026/27 large programme uplift (LPU) for each institution, the department will look at how these compare with the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year.

Institutions providing the International Baccalaureate retain the freedom to continue doing so, regardless of the changes to the LPU.
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, if she will instruct Ofqual to release the analysis quoted on the impact of reductions to allocated exam times. \p Georgia Gould: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will answer Question 83934 of 21 October 2025 on support for St Martins School. \p Josh MacAlister: ​The response to Written Parliamentary Question 83934 was published on 13 November.
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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the British Medical Association's press release entitled Medical student poverty worsened by financial drought as student loans fall short over summer, published on 9 August 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social care on the potential impact of extending eligibility to the full entitlement for student finance maintenance on students in receipt of the NHS Bursary during their (a) final undergraduate year and (b) later years of a post-graduate medical degree. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​The government needs to ensure that the student funding system is financially sustainable, and funding arrangements are reviewed each year. The department will continue to engage with the Department for Health and Social Care to consider the financial support that medical students receive.

​The cost of studying medicine is one of the important factors deterring working class students from applying to medicine. The Department for Health and Social Care is exploring options to improve financial support to students from the lowest socio-economic background so they are able to thrive at medical school.

​Students attending years 5 and 6 of undergraduate medical courses and years 2 to 4 of graduate entry medical courses qualify for NHS bursaries. The government has increased the NHS Bursary tuition fee contributions, maintenance grants and all allowances for the current academic year, 2025/26, by forecast inflation, 3.1%, based on the RPIX inflation index.

​Medical students qualifying for NHS bursaries support also qualify for reduced rate non-means tested loans for living costs from the department. The government has increased reduced rate loans by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with percentage increases to maximum loans for living costs in non-bursary years.

​To help students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds progress and excel in higher education, the government will introduce targeted, means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament. These grants will support students studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy, funded by a levy on income from international student fees. We will also future proof our maintenance loan offer by increasing loans for living costs in line with forecast inflation every academic year from 2026/27 onwards, and provide extra support for care leavers, who will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rate of maintenance loan.

​We will confirm the percentage increase to loans for living costs for the 2026/27 academic year in-line with updated inflation forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility published alongside the Autumn Budget.​
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Department’s target date is for ensuring that all schools and colleges in England are free from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​The government has set out its plans to permanently remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from schools and colleges.

​By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that is not being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free.

​Alongside this, every school needing to be rebuilt through the School Rebuilding Programme, will be in delivery, with half having started already.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_68

Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential number of redundancies as a result of changes in the level of funding for the International Baccalaureate in the state sector. \p Josh MacAlister: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_69
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_69

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with Esther Ghey to discuss her campaign for a statutory ban on mobile phones in schools. \p Olivia Bailey: Mobile phones have no place in school.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, met with Esther Ghey at the start of November to discuss her Phone Free Education campaign.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_70
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_70

Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of pre-schools that have closed due to financial difficulties in the South West in the last five years. \p Olivia Bailey: It is our 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. I can appreciate how devastating the closure of a nursery can be and the resulting impact this can have on families and the wider community. While the department does not hold the requested data, we can however confirm that childcare places in the South West region experienced a 5% increase in registered nursery places at group-based providers between 2023 and 2024.

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 with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. Childcare Works additionally provide 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.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_71
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_71

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support St Martins School in North Shropshire constituency following the recent fire. \p Josh MacAlister: St Martin’s School is a member of the department’s risk protections arrangement for schools (RPA). Regular stakeholder meetings, involving the RPA, Regions Group, and Education Estates officials, the loss adjuster, school, and trust are taking place. The RPA claim is progressing quickly, with primary pupils having been returned to face-to-face learning from 7 October.

St Martin’s School then began a phased reopening for secondary pupils following the securing of temporary accommodation to ensure a safe return to face-to-face education. The school has now undertaken the necessary repairs required to ensure the school site is safe to reoccupy.

Following the half-term break, 3 November was a planned inset day, and 4 November was dedicated to staff preparation to ensure classrooms were ready for the return of pupils. No pupils were on site either day. On 5 November, year 8 and 9 pupils returned to site, with year 10 pupils having returned on 6 November. From 7 November, all year groups were back in face-to-face education on the school site.

The school continue to work alongside the appointed loss adjustor and are being supported via the RPA.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_72
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_72

Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) buses and (b) batteries manufactured by Yutong that are supplied to bus companies operating in the UK. \p Simon Lightwood: The information on the number of Yutong electric buses operating in the UK is already published as part of the vehicle licensing statistics.

The Department does not hold data on whether batteries manufactured by Yutong are supplied separately to bus companies operating in the UK.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_73
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_73

Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had meetings with Yutong on the supply of (a) buses and (b) batteries to the UK. \p Simon Lightwood: To date the Secretary of State has not had any meetings with Yutong on the supply of buses and batteries to the UK.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_74
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_74

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether powers given to Great British Railways to (a) design and (b) implement the (i) access, (ii) contracting and (iii) pricing regime would be subject to (A) regulatory oversight equivalent to the current framework and (B) a continued presumption in favour of access growth. \p Keir Mather: The new framework will allow GBR to strategically plan the best use of the network.  This will include working with operators like freight and open access to identify services vital to growing the economy. GBR will be required to design and consult on its access and use policy which will include how it will take capacity allocation, access and charging decisions. The ORR will be a statutory consultee on GBR’s access and use policies, able to hold GBR to account, ensuring decisions are fair and consistent with its duties, and through its new and robust appeals function will be able to hold GBR to account, ensuring decisions are fair and consistent with its duties. The ORR will be able apply remedies including to direct GBR to change a decision or substitute a GBR decision with its own.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_75
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_75

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to maintain the schedule 8 compensation mechanism for unplanned service disruption for operators outside Great British Railways. \p Keir Mather: GBR will be required to have a performance and incentives scheme that covers planned and unplanned disruption to protect all users operating services on the network.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_76
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_76

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to maintain the schedule 4 compensation mechanism for planned service disruption for operators outside Great British Railways. \p Keir Mather: GBR will be required to have a performance and incentives scheme that covers planned and unplanned disruption to protect all users operating services on the network.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_77
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_77

Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Transport (Duty to Cooperate) Bill on the economy. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government will outline its position on this Bill during the scheduled second reading.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_78
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_78

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many of those cases was performance rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left following such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented. \p Ian Murray: Organisation

2024–25

2023–24

2022–23

2021–22

2020–21

DSIT

1,765 staff

1,349 staff

-

-

-

Unsatisfactory

42 (2.4%)

37 (2.7%)

Left DSIT after rating

6 (0.3%)

1 (0.1%)

BDUK

~270 staff

Unsatisfactory

5 staff

6 staff

5 staff

2 staff

1 staff

Left BDUK

4

4

2

1

0

UKSA

323 staff

313 staff

251 staff

218 staff

Unsatisfactory

-

1

-

2

0

Left UKSA

-

0

-

0

0

Met Office

2,320 reviews

2,308 reviews

2,278 reviews

2,120 reviews

2,053 reviews

Unsatisfactory

1

3

2

3

2

DSIT – Formed in 2023, data only from 2023–24 onwards; all staff in scope receive quarterly performance reviews.

DSIT’s Executive Agencies:

Building Digital UK (BDUK) - Quarterly performance reviews required. Became DSIT Directorate 1/11/2025.

UK Space Agency (UKSA) - Quarterly reviews required.

Met Office - No data on staff leaving after rating.

Intellectual Property Office (IPO) - No formal ratings; poor performance action applied as necessary
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_79
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_79

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many staff in her Department (a) did not retain employment following completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years. \p Ian Murray: DSIT’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.

Dismissals in relation to probation failure since DSITs inception occurred during years 2023-25 and totalled 2 members of staff.
wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_80
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_80

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83837 on Broadband: Rural Areas, what progress she has made on Project Gigabit in the West Midlands; how many premises in Aldridge–Brownhills constituency do not have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection; what proportion of the £2.4 billion in signed Project Gigabit contracts has been disbursed; and whether Building Digital UK plans to publish data at constituency level in its monthly reporting. \p Kanishka Narayan: Approximately 89,000 premises in the West Midlands region have received access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection through Building Digital UK (BDUK) funding.

According to the independent website, ThinkBroadband.com, 95% of premises in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, indicating only 5% (approximately 2,200 premises) do not.

As of 31 October 2025, £302 million of the £2.4 billion committed to signed Project Gigabit contracts has been paid to suppliers for their work. Supplier payments for Project Gigabit contracts are made in line with agreed contract milestones and validated delivery.

BDUK does not plan to publish data at constituency level in its monthly reporting; BDUK publishes at a contract level every month, and at a constituency level as part of the annual official statistics.