theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of Turn2us's report entitled From stigma to support, published in October 2025; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of work coaches. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The findings from the Turn2us report, entitled ‘From Stigma to Support’, demonstrate the importance of tackling stigma in the benefits system and the need for reform to build a more supportive and tailored service.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain. Our new service will remove the stigma of going to a Jobcentre and move away from the ‘one size fits all’ approach that Jobcentre Plus has today. We will shift the focus of the customer-work coach relationship away from compliance and box-ticking to make room for more constructive, personalised, and career-focused discussions.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee. This will be backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. This will help us build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.

There are now over 1000 Pathways to Work Advisors in Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales who are helping disabled people and people with health conditions towards and into work. This increased deployment will help ensure that everyone impacted by the benefit change in April 2026 is offered support.

People affected by the changes will be able to access a conversation about their needs, goals and aspirations; offered one-to-one follow-on support, and given help to access additional work, health and skills support that can meet their needs.

We have also launched the Timms Review with the aim of ensuring we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, we are co-producing the Review with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. Once in place, the Review’s steering group will agree the approach to considering evidence and gathering input.

The Department continually impacts and assesses the service being offered to customers. Staff numbers, including the number of Work Coaches, and demand for Jobcentre services are reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with the latest economic and benefit forecasts.
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David Williams:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to make it easier for people who cannot use the telephone to communicate changes in their circumstances online. \p Andrew Western: We understand that not everyone can use the telephone to communicate with us and we are committed to making our services more accessible, inclusive and responsive to customer needs.

We already offer alternative channels for several services. We’ve successfully launched the ability for customers to request Proof of Benefit evidence online, available 24/7 and used by thousands to access key services without needing to call.

We are continually developing our service, informed by customer needs, to include the capability for customers to communicate changes in their circumstances. The service is being designed as a multi-channel service, enabling people to engage with us through their preferred means.

These improvements are being delivered incrementally, guided by user feedback and inclusive design principles, to ensure our services work for everyone.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Timms Review plans to (a) hold discussions with (i) carers and (ii) disabled people from and (b) considers the potential impact of proposed changes in Northern Ireland. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts, including carers. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends.

We recognise that unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting disabled people, which is why, in keeping with the commitments made in Parliament, we have explicitly included carers in the list of groups who will be involved in the co-production of the Review.

PIP is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, but there is a long-standing principle of parity between the social security systems of the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government. It is therefore important that the Review hears from disabled people in Northern Ireland and the organisations that represent them.

As the Review progresses, we will continue to engage closely with officials and disability stakeholders from across the devolved governments, to ensure that its work is informed by the diverse approaches to disability support from across the United Kingdom.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of Access to Work applicants who have lost their employment after a reassessment resulted in a reduction in the support they receive through the programme. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions has not assessed the (a) number and (b) percentage of Access to Work applicants who may have lost their employment following a reassessment that resulted in a reduction in the support they receive. The programme does not collect data on employment outcomes following reassessment decisions. Customers who disagree with a reassessment outcome may request a reconsideration of their award.

The scheme is there to support disabled people to start and stay in employment by providing tailored support based on individual needs. However it has not been substantially changed since its introduction in 1994. Given that, the government has consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to promote more positive mental wellbeing in the workplace. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.

In recognition of employer’s vital role in addressing health-related economic activity we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review, which was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC colleagues we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work, putting his key recommendations into action from day one, including working with Northern Ireland and the other Devolved Governments. In the review, Sir Charlie has recommended that mental health in young people should be a potential priority area as a deep dive for the Vanguards.

Additionally, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017. \p Andrew Western: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many GP surgeries will have employment advisors; and what his planned timetable is for rollout. \p Sir Stephen Timms: With 2.8 million people out of work due to health conditions, Connect to Work is part of the Government’s plan to get Britain working again. Connect to Work is designed to give local areas considerable flexibility in determining how they deliver it, including decisions about integration into health care settings.

Connect to Work is rolling out across all areas of England and Wales. As of 12 November 2025, 23 of the 49 delivery areas have a live service funded by Connect to Work. Every delivery area is expected to be open for participants by early 2026. Further details will be set out as more areas go live.

JobCentre Plus sites also have discretion to co-locate work coaches and Disability Employment Advisers, in health settings (including GP surgeries) with agreements made locally.

The Department has a regular quarterly GP forum that includes the BMA and representative bodies for GPs where Employment Support policies and programmes are discussed. There is a DWP Chief medical Advisor Clinical Advisory Group and ad hoc meetings focussed to discuss GP involvement in health and work policy.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on processing Carer's Allowance overpayments; and when that process will be completed. \p Sir Stephen Timms: DWP secured additional funding for 2025/2026 for a 27% increase in resource to clear the stock of Carer’s Allowance (CA) Verify Earnings and Pensions (VEP) alerts. VEP enables DWP to receive real time identification of changes in a claimant’s income through an interface with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Pay as You Earn (PAYE) information.

This focus has ensured DWP has now cleared this stock of CA VEP alerts, moving DWP to a position of actioning all alerts as close as possible to the date of generation by HMRC, and helping reduce the risk of large overpayments building up over many years.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, 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 Kirsty McNeill: The Scotland Office and its associated arm’s length bodies have not incurred any expenditure on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities or purchased any electric vehicles since 4 July 2024.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled King Charles III marks historic milestone for nuclear submarine programme, published on 22 September 2025, what the completion timeline is of the fourth boat in the Dreadnought Class. \p Luke Pollard: The Dreadnought Class submarines will begin to enter service from the early 2030s. The planned in-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria need to be met by a company before it receives a contract for military training services. \p Luke Pollard: All prospective suppliers are to be checked that they are not on the Debarment List before they are invited to tender or awarded a contract. If the procurement is subject to the Procurement Act 2023 (“the Act”), prospective suppliers can be excluded from tendering in accordance with the grounds listed in Schedules 6 and 7 if the MOD is satisfied that the circumstances given rise to the event are continuing or likely to occur again.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on providing support to victims of rape and sexual violence through the court system in the North East. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Ministers at the Ministry of Justice engage regularly with stakeholders across the criminal justice system and victim support sector organisations across the country and in all regions. I recently held a roundtable at the Angel Centre (a Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Newcastle) to meet with and learn from local services supporting victims of sexual violence.

This Government is committed to ensuring that victims are supported throughout their engagement with the criminal justice system, regardless of where they live. Across the country, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least two dedicated Victim Liaison Officers in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes, and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victims’ Programme. The Ministry of Justice-funded Witness Service also provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to victims who are witnesses.

This year we have protected dedicated Ministry of Justice Violence Against Women and Girls victims spending, maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support services in every Police and Crime Commissioner area. This also includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which provides funding to over 60 specialist support organisations, including in the North East.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether protocols are in place to ensure that victims of crimes are contacted if the perpetrator is mistakenly released from prison. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme is a service for the victims of offenders who are convicted of a specified violent, sexual or terrorism offence and are sentenced to twelve months’ or more imprisonment. Victims who decide to receive the service are allocated a Victim Liaison Officer who will keep the victim updated on key stages throughout the sentence, including if the offender is released from prison in error and when the offender is returned to custody. In emergency situations, the Police may contact the victim directly.

Through the Victim and Courts Bill, we will be updating the legislative framework that establishes the Victim Contact Scheme to bring victims currently served by different post-conviction communication schemes into the Victim Contact Scheme and provide a new route for other victims to request information via a dedicated helpline.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase to Employer's National Insurance Contributions on rape crisis centres. \p Alex Davies-Jones: This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances.  We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.

This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.

I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.

To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.

Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 13812 on Cabinet Office: Staff, how many staff in the Equality Hub have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race. \p Olivia Bailey: The Office for Equality and Opportunity (formerly the Equality Hub) currently has 180 staff members. The Office for Equality and Opportunity leads on Government policy in these areas and is organised into sub-teams. The sub-team names themselves include some of the requested keywords, though individual job titles are generic. The relevant sub-teams and headcounts are:

Some of the keywords (equality, gender, LGBT and race) are contained within some of the sub-team names but not all staff members will have a job title which contains one of the defined keywords. Please also note that the Office for Equality and Opportunity does not lead on Civil Service or Cabinet Office diversity and inclusion matters and so these words are not included in job titles.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of support to reduce industrial electricity costs on job (a) creation and (b) retention in energy-intensive manufacturing sectors in Scotland. \p Chris McDonald: The Government delivers electricity cost relief schemes to provide support to businesses in energy intensive sectors across the country, including businesses in Scotland, to remain competitive and protect thousands of well paid, British jobs. The British Industry Supercharger cuts electricity costs for around 550 energy intensive businesses, and the Government recently confirmed an uplift in relief through its Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90%. This will further reduce the gap in electricity prices between the UK and other countries. Additionally, from 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut electricity costs for even more businesses.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle the skills shortage in the defence workforce. \p Janet Daby: This government recognises the critical role that a skilled workforce plays in supporting national defence, including meeting the needs of the armed forces and of a vibrant, innovative and competitive defence industry.

The department funds a range of high quality qualifications and apprenticeships that support learners wishing to pursue a career in technical occupations in areas such as defence. These include, for example:

More generally, higher education contributes to defence through technical fields such as aerospace engineering and cybersecurity, as well as social science fields such as politics, military strategy, and international relations.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the average (a) length of (b) time off the job in apprenticeships in (i) England (ii) Germany. \p Janet Daby: The average expected duration of an apprenticeship in England is published in the apprenticeships statistics publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e4c10266-a793-4c29-0de2-08dd5ccbf23a.

The ‘Apprenticeship evaluation 2023: learner, non-completer and employer surveys’ contains survey-based information on apprenticeship duration and off-the-job training hours undertaken, noting that proportions are given rather than averages: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-evaluation-2023-learner-non-completer-and-employer-surveys.

The last published estimate of average off-the-job training hours in England covers the 2018/19 academic year. See Table 3 in the ‘Further education and skills: November 2019 statistics’ publication here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ddd3bbd40f0b650d9ba9b15/FE_and_Skills_commentary_November_2019.pdf.

The publication of off-the-job training hours estimates was stopped from the 2019/20 academic year onwards after a review of their quality, particularly regarding the robustness of comparisons over time.

Equivalent information for Germany is not held by the department.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the number of British National Overseas Hong Kongers aged 14 to 21 who are unable to afford the cost of paying international tuition fees at UK universities without access to student loans. \p Janet Daby: To qualify for home fee status in the UK, a person must have settled status or ’a recognised connection’ to the UK, and in the case of persons with settled status, be ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course.

Subject to meeting the other relevant eligibility requirements, persons with the status of British Nationals Overseas (BN(O)) will be able to qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have acquired settled status in the UK (usually after five years). Most persons who acquire settled status will automatically meet the three-year ordinary residence requirement. There are no plans to exempt Hong Kong BN(O)s from the requirement that applies to other British Nationals that they must be settled in the UK before becoming eligible for student funding.

The department has not made an assessment of the number of persons with BN(O) status, or persons of any other nationality, who are unable to afford the cost of paying international tuition fees at UK universities.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with Student Finance England on potential accommodations for students who have to pause studies for medical reasons. \p Janet Daby: Students who are absent from their course for more than 60 days due to illness and have agreed with their higher education (HE) provider to suspend their studies can apply to Student Finance England (SFE) to continue their cost of living support payments.

The HE provider must notify SFE that the student is suspending their studies, giving the reasons for suspending and providing an agreed date of return, generally up to a maximum of one year’s absence or up to two years in exceptional circumstances. SFE will consider each case on its own merits, including the reasons for the absence, whether the student will face financial hardship during their absence, whether the student has dependants and the prospect of the student returning to the course.

If a student needs to repeat a year of study due to compelling personal reasons (CPR), they may be entitled to an additional year of tuition fee funding in addition to their standard entitlement. SFE will request evidence to support a claim that the repeat year was for CPR. For instance, the student might be able to provide medical evidence from their GP. Ultimately, the decision is for SFE to make based on the evidence provided and the individual merits of each case.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value was of student loans that were written off in 2024; and what this was as a proportion of all outstanding student loans. \p Janet Daby: The table below shows the amount that has been cancelled or written off during the most recent financial year, (2023/24) and the proportion that write offs or cancellations make out of the starting balance.

2023/24 Financial Year

Amount cancelled or written off during the financial year (£ million)

101.1

Percentage of those written off out of total amount outstanding

0.05%

The reasons for cancelled or written off loans are the following: death of borrower, age of borrower, disability, trivial balances, losses through fraud, including phishing, and other.

Write-offs do not include trivial balance write-offs. Trivial balance write-offs occur if there is a +/- balance on an account of £25 or less and no contact can be established with the borrower. Customers can request for this to be reversed. In the context of these figures, these borrowers are considered fully repaid and are therefore not included. Cancellations involve the clearance of the remaining debt in line with the terms of the loan, for example, when reaching a specific age or becoming permanently disabled. Write-offs for bankruptcy, Individual Voluntary Arrangement or a trust deed, are no longer allowed against Student Loans balances. Any figures arise from retrospective clear up exercises.

These figures have been taken from Student Loans Company’s Student loans in England publication, which is updated in June each year. The publication, ‘Student loans in England: 2023 to 2024’ can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2023-to-2024.

Information on the 2024/25 financial year will be available in the June 2025 publication.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is using AI software in responding to written parliamentary questions. \p Janet Daby: The department sometimes uses Artificial Intelligence software tools to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions. All responses are reviewed by policy officials to ensure accuracy and consistency with government policy and are signed off by Ministers.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support early years childcare providers with their funding arrangements. \p Stephen Morgan: The government has been clear in our commitment to the early years. It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver the entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.

That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, this government has increased investment in the early years to drive forward progress towards our Plan for Change target of a record number of children starting school ready to learn. This government will continue to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require.

The department is also providing £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance Contributions Grant for public sector employers in the early years.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to address period poverty in East London. \p Stephen Morgan: Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study, through the period products scheme. The scheme aims to remove periods as a barrier to accessing education, addresses pupils being unable to afford period products and aims to destigmatise menstruation.

Since its launch in January 2020, 99% of secondary schools and 87% of post-16 organisations in England have used the scheme to order period products.

The department publishes statistics regarding the scheme’s operation, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/period-products-scheme-management-information.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of exclusions from schools in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 academic years. \p Stephen Morgan: Information on suspensions and permanent exclusions is published at local authority level in the ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion in England’ statistics publication. The publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2022-23.

The number and rates of suspensions and permanent exclusions in Lincolnshire for the 2022/23 academic year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f3101754-5b43-45c4-f1c2-08dd5cc661f7.

The number and rates of suspensions and permanent exclusions in Lincolnshire for the autumn term 2023/24 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3293a161-d7dd-414d-0e59-08dd5ccbf23a. Data for the full 2023/24 academic year will be published in July 2025.

Suspensions and permanent exclusions data is also published at school level. This can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About School’ (GIAS) to identify Parliamentary constituency. GIAS currently reflects the changes made following the general election parliamentary constituency changes. GIAS is available at the following link: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.
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Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of opportunities for childcare providers to feedback on plans for the sector. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is working with the sector to create an integrated early years and childcare system that works for parents and gives every child the best start in life.

Childcare providers’ feedback, intelligence and engagement are at the heart of the department’s way of working.

Departmental officials and ministers meet regularly with sector representatives including the National Partnership in Early Learning and Childcare (NPELC), the London Early Years Foundation (LEAF), the Early Education and Childcare Coalition (EECC) and the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) to gather feedback and inform policy development and delivery.

Departmental officials meet regularly with each local authority and ministers visit settings across England to gather feedback from managers, staff, childminders and parents.

Since January 2024, we have been running provider roadshows across England to support the expansion of childcare entitlements, giving hundreds of providers the opportunity to speak directly to policy officials on a range of early years topics.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_11

Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinders programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost is per child of the programme. \p Stephen Morgan: Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) is a pilot ‘test and learn’ programme being delivered across nine pathfinder sites, one in each English region, covering 12 local authorities. Central Suffolk and North Ipswich are not part of the pilot programme.

According to the programme’s reporting data, therapy support teams have helped 13,000 children so far, and just over 1000 setting staff have been upskilled in delivering interventions. The interim programme evaluation is allowing the department to explore insights into the effectiveness of ELSEC delivery at a local level. A final evaluation will take place following the end of the summer term 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_12

Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support parents with recent trends in the cost of daycare facilities. \p Stephen Morgan: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

It is the department’s ambition that parents have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and childcare.

Next year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, which is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements, so eligible working parents of children aged from nine months can access 30 hours of funded childcare.

From the start of September 2024, eligible working parents have been entitled to 15 hours a week of early education and care from the term after their child turns nine months. So far, over 320,000 additional parents are now accessing a place. Going further, from September 2025, eligible working parents will be able to access 30 hours of early education and childcare a week, over 38 weeks of the year, from the term after their child turns nine months until they start school. The department has also taken action to protect parents from reported instances of very high additional charges on top of their entitlement, ensuring the funded hours remain accessible and affordable for parents. We have updated our statutory guidance, confirming that whilst providers can charge for some extras, these charges must not be mandatory.

Parents may also be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare.

The department also wants to ensure that parents are aware of and accessing all government funded childcare support they are eligible for. We are raising awareness of the government-funded childcare support available via the Childcare Choices website to stimulate increased take-up by eligible families, because this could make a significant financial difference to families.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_13

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) nurseries, (b) primary schools, (c) secondary schools and (d) 16-18 colleges identified as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and listed on the Schools Rebuilding Programme (i) were scheduled to be and (ii) were (A) complete and (B) in progress by 1 March 2025. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is committed to improving the condition of the school and college estate through the department’s annual funding for the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) and by fixing the problem of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The government is funding the removal of RAAC from schools and colleges in England, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the SRP. All schools and colleges confirmed to have RAAC are providing full-time, face-to-face education for all pupils and have suitable mitigations in place.

For schools and colleges receiving grants to permanently remove RAAC, it is for responsible bodies to develop project plans that suit their individual circumstances, drawing on support from the department as needed. The department is encouraging responsible bodies to plan their projects for completion as soon as realistically possible, although settings will need sufficient time in school holidays for works to take place. The department is continuing to support responsible bodies as they take this forward.

All schools in the SRP are prioritised for delivery according to the condition of their buildings, their readiness to proceed and the efficiency of delivery. This includes schools who will have RAAC permanently removed through the SRP. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of any temporary accommodation schools may have in place. Expected delivery timeframes have been communicated to all responsible bodies and specific start dates are communicated at least a month in advance of the project entering delivery. Once a school enters delivery, a project team carries out a feasibility study which determines the scope of the works. All schools with confirmed RAAC in SRP are progressing as planned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_14

Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle childcare deserts in rural areas. \p Stephen Morgan: 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 the work choices for every parent.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for early years entitlements, a more than 30% increase compared to the 2024/25 financial year, so eligible working parents of children aged from nine months can access 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year. To support the sector during this period of expansion, the government is providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant. We also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. On top of this, providers will receive £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance Contributions grant for public sector employers in the early years.

The government’s plan to deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries and will help deliver on our commitment to ensure families right across the country have access to high quality childcare and early education. Funding will be allocated to the first wave of nursery projects in spring 2025 to support delivery for the first cohort of places from September. We know that families in some areas are struggling to find childcare places which meet their needs, so we will be working with schools and local childcare providers to deliver much-needed places across all our communities.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ’Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The department has regular contact with local authorities in England about the sufficiency of childcare and any issues being faced. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. We do not currently have any reports of sufficiency issues in any local authority.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_15

Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide continuity of the Holdiay and Activities Fund after 31 March 2025. \p Stephen Morgan: The government announced over £200 million funding for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for 2025/26, as part of the 2024 spending review and set out in the Autumn Budget 2024. The future of the HAF programme beyond 31 March 2026 is subject to the next governmental spending review, which is due to take place later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_16

Richard Foord:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to make the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund a permanent initiative. \p Janet Daby: An announcement on funding for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will be made shortly. All future decisions will be considered as part of the next spending review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_17

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of (a) importance of the Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund to families with adopted children and (b) funding provided to families out of the Fund in the last reported financial year. \p Janet Daby: As part of spending review discussions, there are regular conversations between the department and His Majesty’s Treasury. We will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how we will allocate the department’s budget for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are being made as part of these discussions.

The ASGSF has provided valuable support to both adoptive and special guardianship families during 2024/25, helping them to thrive and enabling children and young people to make the best start in life. In 2023/24, the last full financial year, the Fund supported a total of 19,495 children and families with funding of £49,191,908.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_18

Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered alternative models for the (a) oversight and (b) registration of foster carers; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of alternative models on the adequacy of (i) safeguarding and (ii) consistency. \p Janet Daby: The department is considering the merits of a national register of foster carers. We will continue to review the costs and benefits of a national register versus our other investments into foster care.

We recognise that some stakeholders are in favour of a register, but we are also mindful of increasing any burden on local authorities and social workers, given our wider drive to reduce workload and unnecessary bureaucracy in the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_20

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support the recruitment of qualified learning support assistants. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. School support staff, including learning support assistants, play a vital role in children’s education. They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will mean that employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, to ensure that support staff are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do. The body will also be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and advising on suitable training and career progression routes that recognise the varied and vital roles support staff undertake.

The SSSNB will help address recruitment and retention challenges state-funded schools are facing for support staff. This, in turn, will support work to drive high and rising standards in schools and ensure we give children the best possible life chances.