theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Wera Hobhouse:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to enforce statutory guidelines on implementing low traffic neighbourhoods. \p Lilian Greenwood: The draft guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods published in March 2024 was never brought into force and remains in draft. As it says in the introduction, the intention was that when published in final form, it would apply to all traffic authorities in England. However, due to the general election, further work on it was put on hold and the Government is now considering appropriate next steps.

As has always been the case, local authorities are responsible for managing their roads and are accountable to their communities.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of flights between the UK and Ghana. \p Mike Kane: The UK aviation industry operates in the private sector, and each airline is responsible for setting its own fare structures, within a competitive market. However, they must be transparent about what the ticket price includes, helping passengers to make informed decisions about booking flights that meet their needs.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of British Airways' operational decisions on UK-Ghana business and tourism links. \p Mike Kane: DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the flights on those routes, are a commercial decision made by airlines. As this is a commercial decision, the DfT has not undertaken any assessment on British Airways' operational decisions on its UK-Ghana service. The UK-Ghana Air Services Agreement provides opportunity for growth in UK-Ghana market.
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Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on the number of lorry drivers that will be required. \p Lilian Greenwood: The call for evidence conducted from October to December 2023 was an opportunity for respondents to present evidence, but it did not reveal significant new evidence supporting a change in policy.

The outcome of my department’s review into VCMs was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.
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Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on annual lorry journeys for concrete deliveries. \p Lilian Greenwood: A call for evidence ran from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of increased lorry journeys.

The outcome of the Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.
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Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on levels of (a) CO2, (b) nitrogen oxide and (c) particulates. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Whilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.

VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with her Ghanaian counterparts on bilateral aviation agreements to improve connectivity and competition on the UK-Ghana route. \p Mike Kane: DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle bots in the DVSA's online booking system for driving tests. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

The table below shows the number of car practical driving tests booked and available in the 24-week booking window, as of 31 March 2025, for the driving test centres (DTCs) serving customers in Wiltshire:

DTC

Car practical driving tests booked

Car practical driving test available

Chippenham

2,721

138

Salisbury

1,795

84

Swindon

3,233

144

On the 18 December 2024, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners (DEs). Full details of these steps can be found on GOV.UK.

DVSA continues to recruit DEs DTCs serving customers in Wiltshire and is currently working through the recruitment process from recent campaigns. As part of this, DVSA has four potential new DEs booked on training programmes.

On 31 March 2025, DVSA launched its latest DE recruitment campaign and has two vacancies for the area as part of this.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.

On the 18 December 2024, a call for evidence was launched, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes.

On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 25 warnings, 4 suspensions, and closed 90 business accounts.

DVSA has deployed bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with British Airways on (a) the scheduling, (b) route changes and (c) operational decisions impacting UK-Ghana flights. \p Mike Kane: DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to hold airlines to account on (i) passenger rights and (ii) compensation for (1) delays and (2) cancellations on (A) intercontinental flights (B) flights between the UK and Ghana. \p Mike Kane: Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.

Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.

The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.

Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the deliverability of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project. \p Lilian Greenwood: As announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget, we are maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail by progressing planning and design works to support future delivery. This improved rail connectivity in the north is a vital step towards better linking people and jobs, creating opportunities for everyone and we will set out further details in due course.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fast charging points for electric vehicles are operational in South Holland and The Deepings constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The below table shows public EV charging devices in South Holland and the Deepings constituency, as of 1 January 2025. Charging devices are categorised into the below speed bandings in the data held by the Department. Devices in higher power speed bandings can deliver charging at quicker speeds.

3kW up to 8kW charging devices

8kW to 49kW charging devices

50kW to 149kW charging devices

150kW and above charging devices

South Holland and The Deepings constituency

30

7

13

0

The table includes only public charging devices as power rating data for private charging devices is not available.

Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the true number of charging devices may be slightly higher than recorded in these figures.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to tackle people fraudulently impersonating someone else at the practical part of the driving test. \p Lilian Greenwood: To ensure Great Britain’s roads remain among the safest in the world, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has robust measures in place to stop people using false identities when taking a driving test.

At the start of the driving test, all driving examiners (DE) carry out thorough identification and documentation checks to satisfy themselves of the person’s identity, and the validity of the driving licence and theory test pass certificate.

To make it harder for fraudsters to impersonate a candidate, the DVSA has worked in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to give DEs access to an enlarged photograph of the candidate, as shown on the driving licence, to help the examiner decide if the person presenting for test is the correct candidate. If a candidate fails to satisfy the examiner that they have complied with the requirements, the examiner will, under legislation, refuse to take the test.

All fraudulent activity identified is referred to the DVSA’s Investigations and Counter Fraud team for further investigation. DVSA uses intelligence to identify vehicles and individuals involved in previous fraudulent test attempts and consider this when verifying the identity of people taking a theory or practical driving test. DVSA will revoke fraudulently obtained licences where it detects people impersonating someone else at the theory or practical driving test.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help protect (a) woodland and (b) natural habitats in the context of the construction of the lower Thames crossing. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Minister for Local Transport’s considerations on the Lower Thames Crossing scheme are explained in the Decision Letter, published on the Planning Inspectorate website, and this sets out the proposed mitigations regarding habitats, including woodlands. The Honourable Member will understand that during the 6-week legal challenge period the Department is unable to comment in detail, but National Highways will be able to answer further questions about the scheme.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the end of the use of tax discs on (a) enforcement and (b) revenue from non-payment of vehicle tax. \p Lilian Greenwood: In 2023/24, the DVLA collected £7.8 billion in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on behalf of HM Treasury, the highest amount ever collected in one year.

The Department for Transport carries out a roadside survey every two years to estimate the rate of vehicle excise duty evasion among vehicles seen on UK roads. The most recent survey carried out in 2023, estimated the rate of VED compliance to be 98.7 per cent. This demonstrates that the vast majority of motorists comply with their legal obligations to tax their vehicles.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much local highway authorities in England will receive in 2025-26 from the (a) pothole fund, (b) highways maintenance block needs, (c) highways maintenance block incentive, (d) integrated transport block, (e) Maintenance funding uplift from HS2 Euston savings, (f) Network North highways maintenance funding and (g) other repurposed HS2 funding for potholes and road maintenance. \p Lilian Greenwood: During 2025/26, the Department will provide a total of £1,567 million to local highway authorities in England under a new single, consolidated highway maintenance capital grant. This consolidates into one single funding stream the previous pothole fund, highway maintenance block (needs and incentive elements) and earlier Network North funding uplift, as well as the £500 million funding uplift announced in the Chancellor’s October 2024 Budget. The funding allocations to individual authorities are all on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/highways-maintenance-block-formula-allocations-2025-to-2026.

The Department will also provide £170 million of Integrated Transport Block (ITB) funding to local highway authorities in 2025/26. Allocations to individual authorities are published on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/integrated-transport-block-allocations.

None of the above figures include the £208 million or so of highway maintenance funding per annum, or the £90 million or so of ITB funding per annum, that has been consolidated into the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) that are paid to some Mayoral Combined Authority areas.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to introduce overrun charges for utility companies undertaking road repairs on weekends and bank holidays. \p Lilian Greenwood: Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to improve road safety at roundabouts on the A27 in Chichester. \p Lilian Greenwood: The safety of road users is National Highways’ top priority, and the company regularly reviews the safety performance of the strategic road network. Options identified by National Highways as part of the development of proposals within the RIS pipeline would seek to improve the safety performance of the A27, particularly at the junctions to the south of Chichester.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to reduce congestion on the A27 through Chichester. \p Lilian Greenwood: National Highways has developed a number of options to improve the performance of the A27 through Chichester as part of the pipeline of projects being considered for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy, beyond 2031.
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Emma Foody:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on levels of congestion on Moor Farm Roundabout between the A19, A1 and A189. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department holds and publishes data on the average speed and delay for both the strategic road network, of which the A19 and A1 form part, and locally managed ‘A’ roads, of which the A189 forms part. Datasets are available on the Department for Transport’s website for the strategic road network (https://dft.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=0e99fa1f832d4f5cb240ab7e0fca0d46) and the local road network (https://dft.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=d16db07065864eb0a29df1ea9152590d).

It is important to note that although figures are produced for average speed and average delay on both the Local ‘A’ and SRN networks, methodological differences between the Local ‘A’ road and SRN data prevents direct comparison between the two road types.
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Mary Kelly Foy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming the regulation of cross-border taxi hiring. \p Simon Lightwood: Legislation allows taxis and private hire vehicles to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed. Pre-booked work by private hire vehicles and taxis can be undertaken anywhere. This allows the sector to work flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.

The Government however recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much local highway authorities in England received from the (a) pothole fund, (b) highways maintenance block needs, (b) highways maintenance block incentive, (d) integrated transport block, (e) Maintenance funding uplift from HS2 Euston savings, (f) Network North highways maintenance funding and (g) other repurposed HS2 funding for potholes and road maintenance in the 2024-25 financial year. \p Lilian Greenwood: In 2024/25, the Department provided a total of £1,067 million to local highway authorities in England under the pothole fund and highways maintenance block (needs and incentive elements). Nominally, this broke down into approximately £407 million from the potholes fund, £407 million from the highway maintenance block “needs” element, £102 million from the highway maintenance block “incentive” element and £150 million from the Network North plan. In practice, these funding streams now serve the same purpose and are used interchangeably by local highway authorities: the Department will formally consolidate them into a single payment from 2025/26 onwards.

The £150 million funding uplift from the previous Government’s Network North plan was divided up among all CRSTS recipients and local highway authorities in England. Individual authority by authority allocations are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations.

The Department also paid a total of £170 million of Integrated Transport Block (ITB) funding to local highway authorities in 2024/25, with the details available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/highways-maintenance-and-itb-funding-formula-allocations-2022-to-2025 .

None of the above figures include the £208 million or so of highway maintenance funding per annum, or the £90 million or so of ITB funding per annum, that has been consolidated into the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) that are paid to some Mayoral Combined Authority areas.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to enable disabled bus pass users to use their passes at peak times. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel time criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders and is currently considering next steps.

Currently, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Devon County Council has been allocated £11.6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to ensure that at least 50 per cent of the revenue from the lane rental scheme is reinvested in (a) road resurfacing and (b) pothole repairs. \p Lilian Greenwood: Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.
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Blair McDougall:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the DVLA licensing backlog. \p Lilian Greenwood: The quickest and easiest way to transact with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays or backlogs for vehicle applications or straightforward driving licence applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days following a successful application.

Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer depending on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision on whether to issue a licence can be made.
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Gareth Bacon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to retain passive provision for the HS2 junction north of Birmingham Interchange. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department’s priority is on delivering Phase 1 at the lowest reasonable cost. We continue to review the wider position we inherited on rail infrastructure and will announce more details in due course.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase levels of recruitment and retention of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor to a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers, get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues. To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

The department agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers in 2024/25, and increased the funding available for bursaries for trainee teachers to £233 million from 2025/26, to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in some shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.

A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy and we want to ensure teachers stay and thrive in this profession. In the first five years of their careers, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools. There are three schools in the Cheltenham constituency where teachers are eligible for targeted retention incentives.

The department has also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, by making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Malmesbury School is the flexible working ambassador school providing local, tailored peer support for Cheltenham schools.

High quality Continuing Professional Development is also key to ensuring the retention of an effective teaching workforce. The department has established teaching school hubs across the country, who play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the early career framework and National Professional Qualifications. Balcarras Teaching School Hub is a centre of excellence supporting teacher training and development across Cheltenham, Cotswolds and Stroud.
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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with (a) educators, (b) other practitioners and (c) school leaders on the development of physical education infrastructure in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government is committed to securing the infrastructure needed to protect time for physical education in schools and to support the role grassroots clubs play in expanding access to sport.

The department will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders including teachers, school leaders and sports organisations on how to achieve these manifesto commitments.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on support for schools with budget shortfalls due to levels of high needs funding. \p Catherine McKinnell: Through the national funding formula in the 2025/26 financial year, secondary schools are being allocated over £4 billion through formula factors that act as a proxy for their pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and other additional needs. In addition, high needs funding will total over £12 billion this financial year, a proportion of which local authorities will use for supporting secondary schools with their pupils who have more complex SEND. Of the total high needs funding, Gloucestershire County Council is being allocated over £105 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.

In the high needs funding system, it is the top-up funding allocated to schools by the local authority which is intended to reflect the cost of provision for pupils with complex SEND. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority the funding that they believe is necessary to make the provision that has been commissioned, taking into account expected levels of inflation and particular costs such as for energy and staff pay, as well as any reprioritisation within their budget that schools can achieve to ensure best value from their overall resources.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure academic consistency between (a) GCSEs and (b) iGCSEs; and whether she has held discussions with (i) teachers and (ii) parents on perceptions of the differences between those qualifications. \p Catherine McKinnell: International GCSEs, which includes iGCSEs, and GCSEs in England are different qualifications. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not developed by the department, regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. The awarding organisations that offer international GCSEs decide the content for these qualifications and how that content is assessed. The department has no role in setting grading standards for these qualifications.
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Nesil Caliskan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to fund the Music and Dance Scheme in 2025-26. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department will inform Music and Dance Scheme providers about funding for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the spending review in the spring.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the Association of School and College Leaders on increases in employer National Insurance contributions. \p Catherine McKinnell: In developing our National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant methodology for mainstream schools and academies, the department considered both the impact of the change to National Insurance rates and the changes to the threshold at which NICs are applied. By taking this approach, we have ensured that funding accounts for where increases to NICs will be most significant.

The department knows that the impact of the increase to NICs differs depending on the proportions of staff on relatively higher or lower salaries and have taken that into account in determining how much funding is allocated to primary, secondary and special schools. The technical details of how the funding is split between those phases of education has been discussed with stakeholders, including the Association of School and College Leaders.

We keep our grant methodology under review to ensure funding can best support schools and their pupils. That is why, for the first time, we are providing additional grant funding for mainstream schools with special units and resourced provision to support them with the higher staffing costs they typically face.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the differences in school funding across different counties. \p Catherine McKinnell: Every year the department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5- to 16-year-old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is distributed on the basis of pupil numbers and characteristics.

The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that pupils with additional needs attract additional funding to help schools respond and meet their needs. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.

Through the dedicated schools grant, Gloucestershire County Council is receiving over £522 million for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year, which equates to £6,201 per pupil on average, excluding growth and falling rolls funding. Schools' final funding allocations are determined by local authority funding formulae and based on updated pupil numbers, and so the final per pupil funding amounts for individual schools may differ.

The department is reviewing the schools NFF for both the 2026/27 financial year and the ensuing years, recognising the importance of a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn a musical instrument. \p Catherine McKinnell: Music is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. The government believes creative subjects like music, art and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves.

On 18 March 2025, the department announced its intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school, including through the government’s network of music hubs. The department intends to launch this centre in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement. Further details will be released in due course.

To support the delivery of music education, the government has committed £79 million per year for the music hubs programme, including the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 music hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and whole-class ensemble teaching. All partnerships have a local plan in place with an inclusion strategy that sets out specific support for disadvantaged children, including young people eligible for the pupil premium and those identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). To widen access to musical instruments, the government is investing £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year.

The government is also investing £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot over a four-year period from the 2024/25 academic year to the 2027/28 academic year, backed by a further £3.85 million funding from Arts Council England and Youth Music. This pilot is delivered by Young Sounds UK in 12 areas of the country and aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with SEND, to learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard. The findings from the pilot will inform future policy on widening music opportunities.
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Mary Kelly Foy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the sustainability of high-quality chemistry (a) teaching and (b) research. \p Catherine McKinnell: High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, such as chemistry, are vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity.

The department has therefore put in place an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the STEM subjects for 2025/26, including bursaries worth £29,000 and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free. We are also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. Oak National Academy provides optional, high-quality curriculum resources which teachers can use to support their lessons.

In relation to higher education (HE), the department, along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is providing an additional £1.3 billion in capital investment for teaching and research over the current spending review period. This academic year 2024/25, more than two thirds of the £1.4 billion strategic priorities grant recurrent budget allocated to providers, is supporting the provision of high-cost subjects, for example medicine and dentistry, science, engineering and technology subjects, and specific labour market needs. We are also increasing core research funding to over £6.1 billion to offer real-terms protection to the UK's world leading research base and to support UK Research and Innovation to deliver on the UK's key research priorities.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to promote first aid training for school pupils. \p Catherine McKinnell: All state-funded schools are required to teach about first aid as part of the statutory health education set out within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.

The statutory guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools will be taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.

The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, and will be publishing revised guidance as soon as possible.
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Mary Kelly Foy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing the provision and (b) improving civic education. \p Catherine McKinnell: Civic education is already taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. This covers parliamentary democracy, the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, the power of government and how citizens and Parliament hold it to account. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2.

Support for curriculum delivery is available through optional, free and adaptable resources from Oak National Academy, freeing teachers to teach using the best possible resources and reducing workload so that they can concentrate on delivering lessons. Oak National Academy launched its new curriculum sequences for secondary citizenship earlier this academic year, with the full package of curriculum resources expected to be available by autumn 2025. Resources from the Oak National Academy can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking at all subjects, including citizenship, and seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The final report with recommendations will be published this autumn, along with the government’s response.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with budgetary challenges resulting from teacher salary increases. \p Catherine McKinnell: Overall school funding is increasing by over £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning it will total over £64.8 billion compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. The department recognises that the increases for individual schools will vary, with some getting more and some getting less than the average increase.

The guidance ‘Schools’ costs: technical note’ forecasts £400 million of headroom in schools’ budgets nationally in the 2025/26 financial year, before staff pay awards.

This follows the government’s written evidence to the School Teacher’s Review Body, published in December, which proposed a pay award for teachers of 2.8%. Schools will be expected to fund the 2025 pay award from the additional investment provided at the Autumn Budget 2024, alongside their existing funds.

All parts of the public sector are being asked to improve their efficiency. The department will be developing a suite of productivity initiatives to help schools manage their budgets to maximise opportunities for learners.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the provision of independent travel training for young people with SEND. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their home to school travel duties. The guidance says that wherever possible, local authorities should offer independent travel training to children with special educational needs or disabilities who are eligible for free travel to school and who they think will be able to complete the programme. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.

Departmental officials engage regularly with local authorities and host bi-monthly online meetings, to which all local authority school travel officers are invited, to share good practice and seek advice from one another and the department.