theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Appendix 2 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Impact Assessment, Annex 1: Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects reform, what the target date is for the publication of EN-8 on Nuclear Fusion Energy. \p Kerry McCarthy: The Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on a Fusion Energy National Policy Statement EN-8 soon. Further details will be available in due course.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will ban solar radiation management technologies. \p Kerry McCarthy: The Government position is that it is not deploying solar radiation management technologies and has no plans in place to do so. The government is not in favour of using Solar Radiation Modification.
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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to tackle global climate change. \p Kerry McCarthy: The Government is committed to tackling climate change at home and abroad. At COP29, the Prime Minister committed to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.

Working internationally is key to accelerating the clean energy transition – that is why the Government set up the Global Clean Power Alliance, to scale up the deployment of clean energy globally by overcoming the barriers to delivering clean power transitions. We are continuing to drive forward progress in key sectors through initiatives such as the Breakthrough Agenda and Forests and Climate Leaders Partnership.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential economic merits of upgrading the energy efficiency of homes. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Making Britain a Clean Energy Superpower is one of the five Missions set out by the government: aiming for clean power by 2030 and accelerating to net zero. Delivering the Warm Homes Plan is central to the clean energy mission. Targeting decarbonisation of heat in buildings will account for around 75% of reduction in all building emissions as well as reducing demand.

Decarbonising buildings will support 175,000 jobs by 2030 and 240,000 by 2035 – resulting in £6 billion additional GVA by 2030. It is the only certain way to permanently lower bills (through energy efficiency), protecting the UK against price shocks, reducing demand and therefore preserving energy security and helping the UK become energy independent.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of standing charges on retirees in Devon. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: We know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue. Ofgem has carried out detailed distributional analysis as part of its wider work on standing charges.

In February, Ofgem launched a consultation ‘Introducing a zero standing charge energy price cap variant’ - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/introducing-zero-standing-charge-energy-price-cap-variant. Under these proposals, consumers would have the option of tariffs with a zero standing charge within the price cap.

The consultation closed on 20 March and we stand ready to continue work with Ofgem on this matter.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the Warm Homes Plan will offer households (a) financial support to upgrade homes according to income, (b) improved consumer protections and (c) free independent advice. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency. Officials are exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs.   The government is committed to protecting homeowners across the UK, further details for improved consumer protection will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan.

The government also recognises the importance of access to trusted and impartial information, the retrofitting tool ‘find ways to save energy in your home’ (https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), provides tailored guidance to help consumers and is supported by a call centre.
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Tonia Antoniazzi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to help tackle chronic oil pollution in UK seas. \p Michael Shanks: The UK has a comprehensive environmental regulatory regime for the offshore oil and gas sector which is administered by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). The regime ensures that provisions are in place to minimise and, if required, respond to oil pollution. Non-compliance with regulations and permits is investigated by OPRED and if required enforcement action can be taken. OPRED continues to work with industry to improve their performance and further reduce the potential for oil pollution.
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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many days was more than 10 per cent of UK electricity demand imported between 1 November 2024 and 30 April 2025. \p Michael Shanks: The Department does not record daily electricity demand or import data. Half-hourly figures for electricity demand and import for Great Britain’s public distribution system are available from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) data portal. Quarter-hourly figures for Northern Ireland’s electricity demand from the public distribution system are available from EirGrid.
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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much were constraint payments to wind farm operators in Great Britain (a) in total and (b) for each month between 1 April 2024 and 30 April 2025. \p Michael Shanks: The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system, which includes managing constraints. The NESO publishes daily constraint costs here: Constraint Breakdown Costs and Volume | National Energy System Operator. Data is not available on the split of costs between different types of generators.

Constraints are a natural part of operating an efficient electricity system and electricity systems around the world use the constraint payment model. Government is working to reduce constraints and enable a more secure energy system by accelerating the build of electricity network infrastructure to increase capacity.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Warm Homes Plan will include the decarbonisation of rural off-grid households. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Our ambitious Warm Homes Plan will support investment in households, including rural off-grid households, to install energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating to save families money on their bills.

The Government has committed £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency. This includes the new Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG), which will provide support for low-income households living in privately owned EPC band D-G homes both on and off the gas grid in England. The WH:LG will be delivered from 2025 to 2028 by eligible local authorities.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Warm Homes Plan will include clean heating solutions required in rural areas as well as urban areas. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Our ambitious Warm Homes Plan will support investment in households, including both rural and urban areas, to install energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating to save families money on their bills. Heat pumps, along with heat networks, will be the primary technologies for decarbonising home heating over the next decade.

The Government has committed £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency. This includes the new Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG), which will provide support for low-income households living in privately owned EPC band D-G homes both on and off the gas grid in England. The WH:LG will be delivered from 2025 to 2028 by eligible local authorities.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2025 to Question 53710 on Private Rented Housing: Energy, how the total undiscounted capital expenditure required to meet the standards was calculated. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: DESNZ’s National Buildings Model, which is based on a representative sample of properties in England, was used to simulate landlords installing measures to bring their properties up to the proposed standards. For the preferred consultation option, the measures that landlords were modelled to install by 2030 are shown in Table 5 of the Options Assessment. The total undiscounted capital expenditure incurred by landlords is based on summing the costs of installing all measures, using measure cost assumptions that are based on a range of evidence sources. Undiscounted means that costs are not discounted over time with a social discount rate.
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Andrew Ranger:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure greater compatibility between electric vehicle (EV) chargers, EV models, and electricity providers’ smart tariffs; and whether the Government plans to introduce regulations to prevent anti-competitive practices in the EV charging market that limit consumer access to cheaper overnight electricity rates. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is committed to ensuring consumers can access any electricity tariff for use with their smart electric vehicle (EV) charger, enabling all consumers to benefit from cheaper off-peak electricity. In April 2025, the Government confirmed that it will require electricity suppliers to share tariff data with the consumer’s load controller in a standardised format to facilitate this.

In addition, the Government has committed to working with industry to develop and introduce interoperability standards that ensure that all EV chargepoints are operable by any load controller on behalf of the consumer Further detail can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/delivering-a-smart-and-secure-electricity-system-implementation.
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Katie Lam:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of what the median increase in gas bills will be in (a) England and (b) Kent between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Ofgem publishes price cap levels on its website. The information is available here:

Energy price cap (default tariff) levels | Ofgem.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information his Department hold on plans for data centres to be built in areas supplied by the new reservoir announced for (a) East Anglia and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Chris Bryant: The Government does not routinely track individual plans for data centre developments. Water companies have no obligation to approve water for non-domestic uses, such as for data centres. Data centres may therefore be refused or restricted a supply connection if there are not sufficient water resources available. We encourage data centre developers to consider use of non-potable water, to embed water efficiency or water reuse in their design, and contact their proposed water and wastewater supplier early in the planning process to understand and plan for any potential water restrictions.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions his Department has had with Mobile UK on the official coverage data published by Ofcom; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the Shared Rural Network includes (a) north Gloucestershire and (b) Gotherington. \p Chris Bryant: My officials recently met Mobile UK to discuss a range of issues affecting the mobile industry currently, in their role as the trade association for the UK’s mobile network operators. This included Ofcom’s coverage reporting, and what we can do to work together to address areas of limited or no coverage.

Across Tewkesbury, outdoor 4G coverage from all four operators has increased to 95% up from 87%, since the Shared Rural Network programme begun in March 2020. These improvements were delivered via the industry-led element of the SRN which has now completed. There will not be any further coverage improvements in Tewkesbury from the programme.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how responsibility for animal welfare policy is divided between (a) his Department, (b) the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and (c) the Home Office; and who the lead ministers are. \p Feryal Clark: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for technology policy around the development, validation and uptake of alternative testing methods, led by Lord Vallance. The Home Office is responsible for regulation of the use of animals in research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 which is the legislation that protects animals used for scientific purposes, led by Lord Hanson. Defra is responsible for enacting and enforcing the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which outlines the basic duty of care for animals, led by Baroness Hayman. Defra also develops and implements specific animal welfare regulations, such as animal transport.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of government digital services in North East Somerset & Hanham constituency. \p Chris Bryant: The Government published its Digital Inclusion Action Plan in February 2025, which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including North East Somerset & Hanham.

These will be targeted at local initiatives for boosting digital skills and confidence, widening access to devices and connectivity, and getting support to people in their own communities so everyone can reap the benefits of technology.

We are committed to ensuring government online and digital services are accessible as possible alongside exploring how to extend the scope of the standards further.
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her Department's policy to increase the capital budget to schools to support them in implementing the proposed EHRC changes to the Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations. \p Stephen Morgan: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is updating its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations and is seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation. The department will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) schools and (b) school leaders have engaged with A whole-school approach to food e-learning module that was launched 28 October 2024; and whether her Department is collecting data to measure the effectiveness of this training. \p Stephen Morgan: Since its launch, 903 users have engaged with the ‘A whole-school approach to food’ e-learning module.   The department receives evaluation data of the training from post-completion user-assessments. 99% of users said they were satisfied with the module and 87% of users felt their knowledge had increased as a result of completing the training.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of (a) the current Free School Meal eligibility criteria and (b) the per-pupil funding available for Free School Meals. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million additional children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

It is important that these meals follow the latest nutritional guidance. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on revising the School Food Standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) set up, (b) other one-off, (c) food, (d) staffing and (e) other operating cost funding has been allocated to schools for school breakfast pilots in total; and what estimate she has made of the (i) number of eligible children and (ii) average number of breakfasts to be taken per eligible child over the period. \p Stephen Morgan: At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government tripled its investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million in the 2025/26 financial year to help ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day.

From the start of the 2025 summer term, the first 750 free breakfast clubs with early adopter schools are opening in towns and cities across the country.

Allocated funding covers early adopter food, delivery and staffing costs. It is based on previous breakfast club schemes, and discussions with schools who run breakfast clubs, and standard school staffing rates. All schools have received £500 to cover initial set-up costs and will receive a lump sum of at least £1,000 a term, regardless of how many pupils will be in attendance. Schools will then receive an arrears payment based on the number of pupils who accessed the club, the characteristics of the pupils with and with an additional daily rate for FSM6 pupils at the school. For special schools, there is a daily rate of £3.23 per day per child who attends the club. An average primary school, with 50% take-up, will receive over £23,000 for a full year for an early adopter Breakfast Club more than £21,000 above what was provided to schools under the previous government’s National School Breakfast Programme which failed to cover all food or staffing costs.

One function of the early adopters is to test how schools utilise the funding and how many pupils access the offer. The department has a robust strategy to capture and analyse this data.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of in-school counselling services. \p Stephen Morgan: Education is a devolved matter and this response outlines the information for England only.

Timely and effective in-school pastoral support is critical to achieving high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity.

It is for schools to choose the specific wellbeing interventions that are best suited to their pupils, making the best use of their funding and taking the best available evidence-based advice. Many schools choose to provide in-school counsellors, and these can play a positive role in supporting pupil mental wellbeing.

So that every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate, this government has committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.

The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an additional £2.3 billion for the core schools budget for the 2025/26 financial year compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core schools funding will reach over £63.9 billion in 2025/26.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure school behaviour policies are (a) inclusive and (b) supportive of children with speech and language challenges. \p Stephen Morgan: All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. Any policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance is clear that a school’s culture should consistently promote high standards of behaviour and provide the necessary support to ensure all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), can achieve and thrive. The appropriate response to misbehaviour will often need to be considered in relation to a pupil’s SEND, although not every incident of misbehaviour will be connected to their SEND. When a pupil is identified as having SEND, the graduated approach outlined in the ‘SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years’ should be used to assess, plan, deliver and then review the impact of the support being provided. The guidance also includes practical examples of how schools can meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and Children and Families Act 2014.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the legal framework on the duty of care owed by (a) higher education institutions and (b) associated students’ unions to students. \p Janet Daby: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Clapham and Brixton Hill to the answer of 08 January 2025 to Question 21514.
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Cat Eccles:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what retention rates were for educators of T-Level studies in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps she is taking to ensure the quality of these educators meets a minimum standard. \p Janet Daby: The department does not hold information on retention rates specifically for teachers of T Levels. All teachers can access a free of charge continuing professional development programme, offered by the Education Training Foundation, to help update their knowledge and skills to successfully deliver T Levels. We recently updated this support, with more teacher resources, and shorter, more accessible online courses. More information about this support is available here: https://www.et-foundation.co.uk/professional-development/t-levels/.

Ofsted inspects further education and skills providers in England under part 8 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and must state whether education or training inspected is of adequate quality. Inspections will encompass T Level provision where offered.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the contribution from the apprenticeship levy to level 7 apprenticeships provided by (a) the NHS and (b) other bodies in the health and social care sector to apprentices (i) under 21 (ii) over 21 in (A) 2023/24 (B) 2024/25 (C) 2025/26 and (D) 2026/27. \p Janet Daby: The apprenticeship levy is collected by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from all UK employers with a pay bill above £3 million. HMRC publish overall levy receipts at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.

The department is responsible for apprenticeships in England only. The funding for apprenticeship training comes from the annual protected apprenticeship budget agreed at Spending Reviews. Although closely linked, this is distinct from the total levy income collected and the funds in employer accounts.

The department is therefore not able to provide information about how individual levy contributions link to the amount of the budget that is spent supporting level 7 apprenticeships in specific bodies.

The department publishes official statistics on apprenticeships that include information on apprenticeship starts by sector, level, standard and age at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25.

Details of apprenticeship standards by route at level 7 can be found at: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeships/?levels=7&includeApprovedForDelivery=true.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Safety Valve agreement on the provision of special educational needs support in Surrey. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department is continuing to work with Surrey to deliver their safety valve plan, including providing ongoing support from both expert advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process, which takes place 3 times a year. Safety valve agreements were only made if both the local authority and the department’s expert special educational needs and disabilities advisers agreed that the proposals would give children and young people a better service and comply with the local authority’s statutory obligations.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to apprenticeships on (a) young people and (b) businesses in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency. \p Janet Daby: This government’s first mission is to kickstart economic growth. We know that across the country skills gaps are holding back business growth and that we need to support employers to invest in skills training. That is why we are transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners, aligned to the industrial strategy.

As part of the offer, we are introducing new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, allowing them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first foundation apprenticeships will be focussed on industrial strategy and priority areas including construction, social care, digital and engineering, with seven new foundation apprenticeship standards introduced from August 2025. We expect this to drive up to 30,000 apprenticeship starts across this Parliament, creating more skilled jobs for young people and fuelling innovation for businesses across the country, including North East Somerset and Hanham.

The growth and skills offer is informed by Skills England’s engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, to ensure that levy-funded training meets the needs of employers and learners.
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Yuan Yang:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost for (a) universities and (b) students of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations. \p Janet Daby: The Equality and Human Rights Commission is updating its code of practice for services, public functions and associations and seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage all interested parties, including universities and students, to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ending the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme on regional equality of access to apprenticeship (a) information and (b) advice. \p Janet Daby: Enabling access to apprenticeships and technical education remains a key part of this government’s education policy. The decision not to continue the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme was based on:

Schools and colleges seeking support to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical education can continue to access the following support:
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on changing the eligibility criteria for free school meals to include children whose parents claim Universal Credit. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help protect freedom of faith in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Religious education (RE) is a compulsory part of the basic curriculum in state schools. The government firmly believes in the importance of RE in helping to foster understanding amongst different faith and culture.

All state-funded schools must also provide a daily act of collective worship. It is for schools to tailor their provision to suit the needs of their pupils.

Faith schools, which remain an important element of our education system, have greater freedom to maintain their religious ethos. This could include teaching religious education and providing collective worship in accordance with the tenets and practices of their faith.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from all or any part of religious education or collective worship.

All schools have specific duties to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of their pupils and to prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life. Furthermore, schools are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. Ofsted inspects how schools and colleges develop their pupils' understanding of these values.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support supply teachers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Catherine McKinnell: Supply teachers perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools.

Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers. There are various approaches to providing supply teachers.

The department, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, has established the agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. More information about the deal can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the employment of supply teachers through private supply agencies on the (a) pay and (b) pension rights of early career teachers. \p Catherine McKinnell: No specific assessment has been made of the impact of the employment of supply teachers through supply agencies on the pay and pension rights of early career teachers.

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) Regulations 2014, which set out the rules for the TPS in England and Wales, determine that for teachers to be eligible to join the scheme, their employment must be with an accepted employer, usually a school.

Where a supply teacher is employed directly by an accepted school, they will have the same participation rights as a permanent teacher, and they are eligible to participate in the scheme. Where supply teachers are self-employed, or employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a contract for services, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer duties required by the scheme regulations, these include paying contributions to the scheme and maintaining or remitting employment data.

The department has previously considered which categories of employer can be accepted into the TPS and ultimately determined that supply agencies should not be included. There are currently no plans to revisit this position.

If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency the employer can set the rate of pay.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-11 conversation_162

Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Government's proposed pay award on service provision. \p Catherine McKinnell: High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Ensuring there are sufficient, high-quality staff in our schools is therefore critical. This is why the government has pledged to recruit 6,500 additional expert teachers.

On 22 May, we announced this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4% which, combined with the 5.5% pay award last year, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.

The department is also ensuring that further financial incentives are targeted where the need for them is greatest. For example, we are offering targeted retention payments of up to £6,000 per year to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first 5 years of their careers. We have also announced an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle worth £233 million, a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to teach key subjects.

We are already seeing positive signs that this investment and approach is starting to deliver. New government data shows there are 2,346 more teachers in secondary and special schools in England compared to last year, an increase of 1,400 and 900 respectively from the year before. Over 2,000 more people are also training to become secondary school teachers this year and over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department (a) collects and (b) plans to collect data on the number of supply teachers leaving the profession annually. \p Catherine McKinnell: The school workforce census does not identify supply teachers in England. However, teachers who are not directly employed by the school or local authority and who are in school on census day (early November each year) with a contract or service agreement lasting fewer than 28 days are recorded as ‘occasional’ teachers. In November 2024, schools reported 17,600 occasional teachers (headcount) on census day. This is up from the previous year when 15,800 were reported. The department only collects this information from state-schools in England. Education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Governments.

A survey conducted by the department in 2023 (“Use of supply teachers in schools”) found that 85% of supply teachers surveyed said they had obtained work through supply teacher agencies.

Just under half of all supply teachers surveyed (47%) wanted to stop working as a supply teacher within 12 months. 47% of those who wanted to stop working as a supply teacher wanted to leave in order to take up a permanent teaching position.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Dr Danny Chambers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to financially support smaller schools in rural communities. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor.

In the 2025/26 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools up to £83,400. In addition to this, all small schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26, including the NFF lump sum set at £145,100. This provides a fixed amount of funding that is particularly beneficial to small schools, as it is not affected by pupil numbers.

This funding recognises the particular financial challenges small and remote schools can face, such as fewer opportunities to find efficiencies, the significant role they play in the rural communities they serve, and that without such funding, their pupils could face long travel distances to attend school.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of private agency profit margins in the supply teacher market on (a) schools and (b) supply teachers. \p Catherine McKinnell: Research conducted by the department in 2023 included findings on the estimated average daily cost of a supply teacher to a school and estimated average daily take-home pay of supply teachers, by phase. The leader survey and supply teacher survey found that the reported average daily cost to the school of a supply teacher was £218 in primary, £291 in secondary and £270 in special schools. The survey also found that the reported average daily take-home salary for supply teachers surveyed was £136 in primary, £150 in secondary and £144 in special schools.

The department, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, has established the agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. More information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge. The suppliers will also agree to not charge finder’s fees for workers who have been in post for 12 weeks, when four weeks’ notice is given, which makes it easier and more cost effective for schools to retain supply teachers and employ them on a permanent basis.

Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers, and a supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a long-term strategy to improve school teachers’ pay in real terms through the School Teachers' Pay Review Body process. \p Catherine McKinnell: Pay for teachers and leaders in maintained schools is set through an annual statutory process with independent recommendations made by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) based on a range of evidence, including the real terms value of teacher pay.

While in power, this government has accepted their recommendations in full.

This year’s pay award of 4% exceeds forecasts for inflation and provides a competitive salary for both new and existing teachers. Based on forecasts for inflation across the 2025/26 academic year, this is a real-terms increase of around 1.5%.

The department wants teaching to be an attractive and expert profession, to ensure that our children have the expert teachers they need to achieve and thrive and tackle recruitment and retention issues. That is also why we are committed to delivering the manifesto pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament and there are already signs that our Plan for Change is working.

The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools over the last year. Additionally, our future school teacher pipeline is growing. As of May 2025, there are 11% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary subjects, including in priority subjects such as physics, where we have seen a 43% increase in acceptances compared to last year.