theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he plans to provide financial support to local authorities seeking to rename (a) streets and (b) roads currently named after Prince Andrew where there is support from local residents for such a change. \p Matthew Pennycook: Section 81 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 enables Local Authorities to make changes to street names if they determine they command ‘sufficient local support’ and sets an expectation of local engagement prior to any change. Local Authorities are funded for their street naming and numbering functions in the usual manner.
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Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness among renters about the provisions of the Renters’ Rights Act ahead of its implementation date. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government intends to set out detailed implementation plans for the Renters’ Rights Act in the near future.

As part of those plans, we will support all stakeholders through detailed guidance and communications.
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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will include provisions to grant leaseholders of houses the same Right of First Refusal as leaseholders of flats. \p Matthew Pennycook: Leaseholders who receive notice that they are in breach of their lease should look at the terms of their lease and take independent legal advice. They can also access advice and guidance from the government supported Leasehold Advisory Service.

Where a leaseholder considers that they have been subject to improper or unfair practices then they should also consider contacting their local authority trading standards team.

Landlords cannot force leaseholders to pay for breaches of covenant or take their property without getting an Order from the County Court or First-tier Tribunal. Freeholders should give the leaseholder opportunity to rectify any breach before taking formal action. By law, claims for most individual breaches can only go back 6 years (or 12 years if the lease was created by deed).

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, property listings must not omit information that the average consumer needs to make an informed transactional decision. We would strongly advise prospective buyers and their legal representative to check that all relevant information has been provided to understand the ongoing costs and obligations involved in purchasing their home. If this information was not provided at the time of purchase, a legal representative could advise on possible options.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 21 November (HCWS244) which sets out further detail on the steps the government intends to take to implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and to progress the wider set of reforms necessary to end the feudal leasehold system for good; the proposals set out in the consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services published on 4 July 2025 which can be found on gov.uk here; and the Commonhold White Paper published on 3 March 2025 which can be found on gov.uk here.

We will publish an ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold reform Bill later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of mandating a minimum aftercare period for trees planted as a condition of planning permissions for new homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that appropriate measures are in place to secure the long-term maintenance of newly-planted trees.

The National Design Guide, which supports the Framework, adds that management and maintenance regimes should be considered from the early stages of the design process and documented in a management plan.

A Local Planning Authority can attach conditions to the grant of planning permission. These could be used to secure the implementation and protection of trees within a development. If a development has been carried out without complying with any associated planning conditions, local planning authorities have a range of planning enforcement powers which they can use to tackle alleged breaches of planning control.

Planning authorities can also use planning obligations to restrict or prescribe the use of land, require specific activities to be carried out in relation to a development, and require payment to a local authority. Planning obligations could include requiring a developer to make payments towards the management and maintenance of trees.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many employment tribunal claims (a) for unfair dismissal and (b) under the Equality Act 2010 have been brought against his Department in each of the last five years. \p Samantha Dixon: The Department had less than 5 employment tribunal claims brought in each of the last five years.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new homes were built within areas classified as flood zone 3 in 2024-2025. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not hold data on how many new homes were built within areas classified as flood zone 3 in 2024-2025.

The proportion of new residential addresses built on national Flood Zone 3 is published by financial year in live table P320 of our ‘Land use change: new residential addresses’ release. The most recent figures are for 2021-22 and can be found on gov.uk here.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his 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 Samantha Dixon: MHCLG’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.

(a) The number of staff who were not retained for employment following completion of their probationary period was fewer than or equal to five in each of the last five years.

(b) Information on staff whose probationary period was extended was not held centrally prior to 2024-25. For the last two years, for which data is available, the number of staff who had their probationary period extended was also fewer than or equal to five in each year.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff have left his Department in each of the last five years, listed by grade. \p Samantha Dixon: Information on the number of civil servants leaving each government department and organisation by responsibility level for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually through the ‘Civil Service data browser’ as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Information can be accessed through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following web address: https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases awaiting trial are related to non-payment of the BBC license fee by (a) age and (b) sex. \p Sarah Sackman: The Ministry of Justice holds data on cases awaiting trial related to non-payment of the BBC licence fee. As of 6 November 2025, there were 76 such cases.

By age:

Age Categories

Case Count

Under 25

1

25-44

31

45-64

40

65 and over

3

No age recorded

1

By sex:

Gender

Case Count

Female

58

Male

17

Not recorded

1

Source: HMCTS management information Common Platform: extracted 6 November 2025

Data Caveats:

1) The count is based upon cases in which a hearing is scheduled for 6 November 2025 or the future and contains the following offence codes CT0310 - Use a television set without a licence; CA03010B - Aid / abet / counsel / procure the use of a television receiver without a licence; CA03011 - Possess a television set with intent to install / use without a licence; CA03501 - Use a television set without a licence - other address (manual entry).

2) Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available.

3) Data are management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics.

4) Data are taken from a live management information system and can change over time and for that reason might differ slightly from any previously published information.

5) Data has not been cross referenced with case files.
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Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to (a) Section 51(2) of the Children and Families Act 2014 and (b) the powers of the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) to issue binding orders following appeal hearings, what (i) monitoring and (ii) reporting arrangements on compliance with binding Tribunal orders have been implemented following appeal hearings, broken down by local authority; what formal route of escalation is available to people where rulings relating to those appeal hearings are not implemented; and how many (A) notifications and (B) complaints relating to non-compliance have been received from (1) appellants and (2) local authorities since 2022. \p Sarah Sackman: Data about how many notices of intention under Rule 7 (3) (by local authority) have been issued, and whether any barring orders have been made, by the First Tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) in each of the last three years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Data on non-compliance, complaints about non-compliance, or binding orders made, following a decision made by the Tribunal is not held centrally. The Tribunal does not have powers of enforcement over local authorities. Escalation of non-compliance of a Tribunal’s decision is to the Local Authority. If the decision is still not being complied with, this could be escalated to the Local Authority Ombudsman. Guidance about this is provided to appellants.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prison officers subject to dismissal following recent changes to Skilled Worker visa salary thresholds; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those dismissals on prison operations. \p Jake Richards: We are clear that net migration as a whole must come down after quadrupling in recent years as we replace Britain’s failed immigration system with one that is controlled, selective and fair.

Assessments of the number of individuals subject to dismissal following the Immigration Rule changes are not held, as sponsorship decisions depend on individual circumstances at the time of application. Sponsorship is not the sole visa route, and while individuals may be ineligible, this does not necessarily result in dismissal, as they may secure alternative right-to-work arrangements.

We will of course provide support to those who affected by these changes. Under current arrangements, prison officers already sponsored via the Skilled Worker route will be able to remain in post and extensions will be considered in line with policy. We are exploring options to support staffing, including renewed efforts to prioritise domestic recruitment.

Working in prison is an extraordinary job and we are always looking for people who want to help keep the public safe to join.

The Department carefully monitors resourcing levels to ensure that we are able to manage current staffing levels and make accurate predications around future requirements. We have recruitment activity ongoing for all sites with a current or future recruitment need.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to improve its search procedures, in the context of the research and analysis entitled Security Investment Programme Evaluation, published by his Department on 5 September 2024. \p Jake Richards: A full evaluation of the £100 Security Investment Programme, aimed to reduce crime in prison including reducing smuggling of drugs, was published on 5 September 2024 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-investment-programme-evaluation.

Airport-style enhanced gate security, comprising of metal detectors and X-ray baggage scanners, is used in 54 high-risk prison sites (both private and public sector), enabling routine searching of prison officers. In addition, local security strategies allow for routine and random rub-down searches of prison officers and other staff upon entry to, or within, prisons.

This year, we are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons to further prevent contraband entering prisons.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with publishers on the potential impact of free access overseas to UK-government funded educational resources from Oak National Academy on their exports. \p Georgia Gould: The department is keeping the geo-restriction of Oak National Academy’s (Oak) resources under review. Oak does not promote or market its resources overseas.

The department recently completed a new market impact assessment (MIA) of Oak, which was published in September 2025, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-independent-review-and-market-impact-assessment.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support working parents with childcare costs in Northern Ireland. \p Olivia Bailey: The early education and childcare entitlements are a devolved matter.

Parents may be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare which are UK-wide offers. Tax-Free Childcare can help with an additional 20% contribution to their childcare costs outside the entitlements, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0 to 11 or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children until they are 17.

Universal Credit Childcare aims to support parents to become financially resilient by moving into work and progressing in work. Eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work.

Support and guidance from pregnancy to early childhood is available here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve early intervention for SEN children. \p Georgia Gould: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

We know that early identification of needs is crucial to children’s development, health and life chances. This ensures that the right support is put in place as early as possible to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can get the best start in life.

​On 7 July, we published our commitment to Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life. We have pledged to invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to realise the Opportunity Mission and ensure every child has the best start in life. Through this investment, we will expand and strengthen family services, make early education and childcare more accessible and affordable, and improve the quality of early education and childcare.

The government has announced funding for Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or those with additional vulnerabilities, can access it.  Hubs will be open to all families, but we expect them to be located mainly in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed.

​To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support the recruitment of teachers that have a background in industry to enhance (a) vocational and (b) technical education in (i) Hexham constituency, (ii) Northumberland, (iii) Newcastle, (iv) the North East, and (v) England. \p Josh MacAlister: The department is committed to strengthening the pipeline of industry expertise into teaching across the country, particularly in the further education (FE) sector.

The 'Teach in Further Education' marketing campaign and online platform provides support to those interested in teaching, with a focus on industry professionals changing career. The ‘Taking Teaching Further’ programme offers early career support and training to those industry professionals entering teaching with the relevant knowledge and experience. To boost retention of early career FE teachers in priority technical and vocational subjects, we offer retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In the 2024/25 academic year, almost 6,000 FE teachers received these payments. As announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we are investing £20 million to support partnerships between construction employers and FE providers, and promote industry expertise in the classroom.

In schools, we offer several pathways into teaching, including postgraduate salaried courses like apprenticeships, which can support industry career-changers into teaching. Similar targeted retention incentives are also available.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in her Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade. \p Olivia Bailey: The department collects diversity and inclusion data through its internal HR system, and encourages staff to update their data voluntarily to support effective monitoring and inclusion. Whilst the system records whether an individual has declared a disability or permanent/long-term health condition, it does not capture the specific nature of that condition. As a result, it is not possible to provide separate figures for staff declaring a mental health condition and those declaring a physical disability.

The table below shows the number of staff in the department who have declared a disability or permanent/long-term health condition, broken down by grade, as at 30 September 2025. Figures are rounded to the nearest five, and values fewer than five have been withheld to protect anonymity.

Grade

Count of staff that have declared a disability or permanent/long-term health condition

EA

10

EO

100

HEO

180

SEO

305

Grade 7

230

Grade 6

90

SCS

25

Information on the number of people declaring a disability in each government department is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. The latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found in Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025.

Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.
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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reform the childcare sector for pre-school children; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a long-term funding model for pre-school childcare to (a) support working families and (b) increase economic growth. \p Olivia Bailey: It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and work choices for every parent.

The department is delivering more support to working families than ever before. Working parents are now benefiting from the rollout of 30 hours per week of government-funded early education and childcare. This is expected to save eligible families using their full entitlement up to £7,500 per eligible child, transforming the costs of having children for families.

To support the expansion of entitlements, the government is boosting the availability of early years places through the School-Based Nurseries programme. The first phase of the programme saw £37 million allocated to 300 schools, enabling the creation of over 5,000 new nursery places from September 2025. Following the June spending review, which confirmed nearly £370 million in additional funding, two further phases have been announced. Phase 2 is set to support at least 300 more school-based nurseries from September 2026. Phase 3 will launch in early 2026 and aims to deliver tens of thousands of additional places nationwide.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to review her Department's guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024. \p Olivia Bailey: The department’s guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.

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

Research from the Children’s Commissioner published in April 2025, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness of school mobile phone policies and keep the guidance under review.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to include schools in the Erasmus+ programme. \p Josh MacAlister: The department has agreed to work towards association to Erasmus+, on mutually agreed financial terms. Negotiations are under way, and the terms of association are subject to further discussions.

The current Erasmus+ programme is open to a broad audience and provides mobility opportunities for learners and staff across the education, training, youth and sport sectors including for school pupils and school staff. As part of the programme, schools can also develop partnerships and collaborate with other schools or educational organisations.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to dispose of the redundant site of the former Parkfield School at Hurn; and what estimate she has made of the (a) security and (b) opportunity costs of the premises remaining unused. \p Josh MacAlister: The school building was officially handed back to the department on 29 August 2025. Since that time LocatED have been managing the site on behalf of the department.

The department has sought expressions of interest from academy trusts to use the site for alternative educational uses. It has also been working closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council over a possible reuse of the property for special educational needs provision.

Whilst discussions as to an alternative educational use are ongoing, the department is finalising arrangements for an interim use of the site by neighbouring Bournemouth airport, which will create an income for the department and avoid ongoing site management costs. This should be in place by the end of the year.
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of freezing the accrual of interest on student loans for individuals on maternity or paternity leave. \p Josh MacAlister: Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.

The student finance system protects borrowers if they see a reduction in their income for whatever reason, including those on maternity or paternity leave. Student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022, and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to publish data on graduate career progression to assess the long-term impact of higher education on entry into high-skilled employment. \p Josh MacAlister: As set out in the Post-16 education and skills white paper, this government is determined that our world leading higher education (HE) system drives economic growth by creating a highly skilled workforce.

The independent regulator of the HE sector, the Office for Students (OfS) defines high-skilled employment as those working in occupations within the Standard Occupation Classification codes 1-3 (managers, directors and senior officials; professional occupations; and associate professional occupations).

The OfS publish progression rates for graduates measuring the proportion with positive outcomes including those in high skilled employment and/or further education as part of the student outcomes dashboard. Data for the English HE sector and by provider is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/student-outcomes-data-dashboard/data-dashboard/. This data is published annually and was last published in August 2025.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency also publish annual statistics in the ‘Graduate Outcomes’ publication. This looks at the outcomes of graduates 15 months after their graduation, including high skilled employment, defined as above. This data is published annually and was last published in July 2025 here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/graduates.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of financial pressures on universities on their international recruitment practices. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​The government has been clear that we welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK and positively impact our higher education (HE) sector. However, we will not tolerate abuse of the student visa system in any way and measures set out in the Immigration white paper in May, set out a balanced approach, helping the government achieve our manifesto commitment on reducing net migration and whilst maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness.

​The Office for Students (OfS) has identified reliance on international student fee income as a risk to HE providers’ sustainability. It has been clear that providers will need to change their business models to protect their financial health as a response to this risk and others.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that students studying subjects with historically low graduate earning outcomes receive value for money from their degree. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​The Post-16 education and skills white paper, published in October 2025, sets out plans to ensure the higher education system drives economic growth. This includes policies to incentivise delivery of courses that produce the skills needed for the economy and, therefore, employment.

​The department is reforming the Strategic Priorities Grant from the 2026/27 academic year to ensure funding for courses aligns with the Industrial Strategy and future skills needs. We have also announced that we will introduce targeted maintenance grants to support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the Industrial Strategy and our Missions before the end of this Parliament.

​The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator for higher education in England. The regulatory system is designed to help ensure all courses lead to positive employment outcomes. The conditions of registration set minimum expectations for the percentage of students in professional employment or further study 15 months after graduating. Our proposals to ensure that large franchised providers are registered with the OfS will also help tackle the poor outcomes some students are getting from franchised courses.

​The OfS is currently consulting on proposals to consider a wider range of employment outcomes when awarding quality ratings for student outcomes, including earnings data and data on whether graduates are utilising the skills they learned in higher education in future jobs. ​
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to international student policy on the finances of universities. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​The government has been clear that we welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. International students positively impact our higher education (HE) sector, economy, and society as a whole and enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK.

​The Immigration White Paper, published in May, sets out a balanced approach - helping the government achieve our manifesto commitment on reducing net migration while maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness.

​The Office for Students (OfS) has identified reliance on international student fee income as a risk to HE providers’ sustainability. It has been clear that providers will need to change their business models to protect their financial health as a response to this risk and others. HE providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their finances.

​This government has taken action to support the financial sustainability of universities after seven years of frozen tuition fee caps. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year was increased by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. To provide long-term certainty over future funding for the sector, so that it can focus on reform, we will increase tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28 and then legislate to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing an annual cap on the number of student visas issued. \p Josh MacAlister: The government is committed to a United Kingdom that is outward looking and welcomes international students, who make a positive contribution to the UK’s higher education sector, our economy and society as a whole. Universities in England received an estimated £12.1 billion annually in tuition fee income from international students in the 2023/24 academic year, which supports provision of places for domestic students and research and development.

The department has recently published the Immigration White Paper, which sets out a balanced approach, helping the government achieve our manifesto commitment of reducing net migration while maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting the UK’s skills base. We have also announced a levy on international students’ fees to fund the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students.

The department is reviewing the International Education Strategy to ensure that it increases the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education organisations and businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_64

Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when sixth form colleges will be able to access the £375m of capital expansion funding earmarked in the Industrial Strategy. \p Josh MacAlister: We know that the 16 to 19 population has been increasing in some parts of England and that extra capacity has been needed in post-16 places in some areas.

The post-16 Capacity Fund has already invested £282 million between 2021 to 2025 for additional capacity and we will be investing a further £375 million between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to provide additional places.

We will make announcements in due course and provide further information about the delivery of the £375 million capital funding secured for the post-16 sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_65

Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of pupils who were persistently absent from school in (a) north east Somerset and (b) South Gloucestershire between September 2024 and July 2025. \p Olivia Bailey: The department publishes figures from the school census on pupil absence in England. The latest data covers the autumn and spring terms of the 2024/25 academic year and is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england/2024-25-autumn-and-spring-term. This data has been available since 23 October 2025.

The published data includes numbers and rates of persistent absence by local authority, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/917c09ab-3598-4b7e-95ac-08de11382822. Absence data from the school census is not yet available for the full 2024/25 academic year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_66

Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) University of Kent and (b) University of Greenwich on potential redundancies of (i) teaching and (ii) other staff following the formation of the London and South East University Group. \p Josh MacAlister: The department sees collaboration of this type as a positive pathway towards building greater resilience in the sector, especially where this will bring positive benefits to students.

This partnership has been led by the universities themselves. However, the department will continue to work with both universities on any regulatory barriers to the proposed changes.

As independent institutions, universities are responsible for decisions around staffing. Nevertheless, we expect all universities to engage constructively with their workforce when making decisions which may affect them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_67

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence her Department has on the number of parents unable to (a) increase their working hours and (b) return to work due to limited access to (i) affordable and (ii) reliable out-of-school childcare. \p Olivia Bailey: The government is committed to deliver on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children, which will provide a free, healthy breakfast as well as 30 minutes childcare. Breakfast clubs remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring primary school children, no matter their circumstance, are well prepared with a supportive start to the school day, and helps to drive improvements to behaviour, attendance and attainment, and provides families with more affordable childcare choices.

Parents can receive support with costs for childcare, if eligible, through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit childcare. The Flexible Support Fund also helps individuals overcome financial barriers to employment and can provide support costs such as childcare, enabling claimants to access opportunities that improve their chances of finding or starting work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_68

Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) University of Kent and (b) University of Greenwich on the potential impact of the formation of the London and South East University Group on courses available to students. \p Josh MacAlister: The department sees collaboration of this type as a positive pathway towards building greater resilience in the sector, especially where this will bring positive benefits to students.

Universities are autonomous and independent from government. As such, they must make their own decisions about their business model and sustainability, and this partnership has been led by the universities themselves. However, the department will continue to work with both universities on any regulatory barriers to the proposed changes.

Collaboration, if done effectively, can improve financial sustainability. This means providers may be better positioned to remain open, invest in their course provision, campus facilities and student support services, ultimately enhancing the overall student experience.

When undertaking significant transformative activity, it is essential that providers consider the potential impact on students and staff. We would expect providers to clearly and proactively communicate any changes, ensuring transparency and minimising uncertainty during periods of transition.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_69

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of pupils in Fylde constituency who are eligible for free school meals but do not take them. \p Olivia Bailey: The department publishes data on free school meals (FSM) in our annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. The most recent data was published on 5 June, and the next publication is planned for summer 2026.

The department does not hold information on the proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for FSM but do not take them. However, we collect data on the proportion of pupils who are eligible for FSM and the number and proportion of pupils who had taken lunch recorded as taking a FSM on census day.

To access data from previous academic years, visit the 'Releases in this series' section on the publication website. Then, locate the 'School level underlying data' file under 'Additional supporting files'.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_70

Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing ringfenced funding for school counselling services. \p Olivia Bailey: School-based counselling services can play an important role in supporting pupil mental wellbeing, and many schools already provide access to counselling support.

However, counselling is not suitable for all needs, and many pupils benefit from other in-school support, including from trained pastoral staff, NHS-funded mental health support teams, school nurses, educational psychologists and other professionals. It is important that schools retain the freedom to decide what pastoral support to offer pupils based on their specific needs, making the best use of their funding. School funding increased by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion.

​The government has also committed to provide access to mental health support teams (MHSTs) in every school. ​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% in April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_71

Emma Foody:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many holding objections have been issued by National Highways on applications in the North East of England due to the potential impact on Moor Farm roundabout. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_72

Emma Foody:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many holding objections have been issued by National Highways in (a) England and (b) the North East of England in each of the last five years. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_73

Jim Dickson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when further details on the Structures Fund will be announced. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-12 conversation_74

Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support car dealers in Northern Ireland unable to access the UK market for vehicles due to manufacturers choosing not to dual approve under the UK–NI type approval system. \p Simon Lightwood: This Government is committed to meeting our obligations under the Windsor Framework relating to the approval of vehicles for the market in Northern Ireland, and to ensuring that dealers and consumers in NI are not restricted in their choice of vehicles.

Since the requirements for vehicle approval in Great Britain are derived from the EU's it makes sense to consider amendments made by the EU favourably. This government closely monitors those amendments and takes an explicit presumption in favour of alignment with them.